The Latest: Week of May 8, 2026

The Latest is a roundup of the comings and goings of the movers and shakers in NH's business community

2 hours ago

Amanda Andrews,

LAW

Attorney William J. Amann of Amann Burnett, PLLC, has passed the American Board of Certification’s (ABC) Business Bankruptcy Examination. Certified specialists in business bankruptcy law focus on representing businesses and commercial entities in financial distress, including cases involving Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 filings. ABC certification ensures that attorneys have advanced knowledge and expertise with complex business bankruptcy proceedings, restructuring strategies, creditor negotiations, asset liquidation and other related legal matters.

Grossman, Tucker, Perreault & Pfleger, PLLC (GTPP) announced that it has combined with attorneys and staff from Finch & Maloney, PLLC, to form a new firm, Secant Intellectual Property Law (Secant IP). The unified firm, to be headquartered in Manchester, will comprise more than 20 intellectual property attorneys.

REAL ESTATE

The Maris has officially opened its sales gallery at 35 Green Street in Portsmouth, marking the public launch of sales for Portsmouth’s first condominium community with a private dock and concierge on the water.

The development is a collaboration between developer Cathartes, builder Chinburg Properties, and Boston-based architecture and interior design firm Embarc, with sales exclusively represented by The Collaborative Companies. Residences range from one to three bedrooms.

Portside Real Estate Group recently welcomed Jennifer Jackson, a Seacoast-based real estate professional, to its team. Jackson has a professional background as a nurse, and also spent years remodeling homes with her husband, gaining hands-on knowledge of construction and design.

UTILITIES

Eversource has been named one of the nation’s top veteran employers by VETS Indexes for the third year in a row. This year, the energy company has been honored with VETS Indexes’ 5 Star Employer Award in recognition of Eversource’s commitment to veteran employment and achievements in recruiting, retaining and developing both veterans and the military-connected community.

Eversource is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation for the third consecutive year to distribute hundreds of free trees to customers in New Hampshire through the company’s Energy-Saving Trees program. This year, customers in Dover and Merrimack were eligible to reserve a complimentary tree on a first-come, first-served basis and explore an online portal that allows them to view their property and find the best location to plant their tree for maximum energy-saving and environmental benefits.

Eversource Energy has been named by Newsweek and Statista Inc. as one of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies for 2026. This national award celebrates U.S. companies that demonstrate leadership in ethical business practices and have built strong trust among customers, employees and stakeholders through consistently reliable performance and transparency – creating positive benefits and social impact in the communities they serve.

HOSPITALITY

Castle in the Clouds, a historical museum in NH’s Lakes Region, recently welcomed Joseph Raboin as its director of buildings and grounds. Raboin has 25 years of experience working in facilities maintenance in the Greater Boston area, responsible for the care of luxury high rises, high-end hotels, residential communities and superstores.

The Nash Casino, New Hampshire’s largest charitable gaming venue, has been recognized as “The Best Casino of 2026” by voters who participated in the Hippo Press Best of 2026 awards competition. Best of Award winners are determined by New Hampshire residents who submit their nominations and cast their votes on the Hippo Press website.

BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

Six new members have joined NH Life Sciences: Vertex, Alloy Therapeutics, Life Science Outsourcing, Prolytix, Marsh McLennan Agency and Stack Clinical. Each new member helps to strengthen New Hampshire’s growing life sciences ecosystem.

The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative has named Ben Doyle its new chief administrative officer (CAO).

Previously, Doyle served as the founder and president/CEO of Vativ, and also served as the CIO/VP at ATN International.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Leslie Walker of Mason + Rich has been named to the Forbes 2026 Best-In-State CPAs list for New Hampshire. The list evaluates candidates across 10 categories including achievements, professional honors, influence on the profession and community service. Walker is a member of the Business & Industry Association’s board of directors and sits on the Economic & Fiscal Policy Committee and the Membership Development Task Force.

HRCU has announced new leadership promotions in an effort to further develop internal talent and strengthen its leadership team. Promotions include: Krista Foerster, chief operating officer; Chris Maxwell, VP of human resources; Carlynne Pouliot, VP of retail and business development; James Auger, VP of special accounts; Sydney Albee, AVP of marketing and community relations; Leanne Connors, director of fraud and operations; Rob Huntress, director of facilities; Darren Codling, director of technology; and Matt Haydon, director of lending.

Jim Notaro has joined St. Mary’s Bank as senior vice president of digital experience. Notaro began his banking career after attending Mount Wachusett Community College, where he earned an associate degree, and later earned his bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State University and his MBA at Bentley University.

First Seacoast Bank has announced the opening of its newly relocated Durham branch, situated in the Hannaford plaza at 7K Mill Road. The move from one end to the other of the plaza offers a premier end-unit location, upgrading both customer experience and banking technology. The modern interior reflects the Bank’s commitment to providing a welcoming atmosphere for customers to conduct routine banking and discuss their financial goals with the Durham team, led by AVP, branch manager Cathi Temple.

EDUCATION

Granite Edvance and the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) have announced a $100,000 donation to student emergency aid funds across UNH, Keene State College and Plymouth State University. The funds assist undergraduate students with short-term, non-academic expenses such as housing, transportation and medical needs.

Bedford Academy has been selected as part of the 2026 Inspire the Future: FIRST Recognition Program School cohort —an honor awarded to just 15 schools worldwide for expanding access to FIRST robotics programming. This recognition highlights the school’s strong commitment to hands-on STEAM education here in Bedford.

NONPROFITS

Mr. Mac’s Macaroni and Cheese has partnered with Harbor Care in a communitywide effort to end veteran homelessness. Throughout the month of May, for every “Classic All-American Mac” purchased, Mr. Mac’s will donate $2 to support local veterans in need. Funds raised will help veterans facing housing challenges, including assistance with rental application fees, security deposits and emergency housing support.

TD Charitable Foundation, the giving arm of TD Bank U.S., announced $10 million in grants awarded to 40 nonprofits through the 20th annual Housing for Everyone grant program, with each grantee receiving a $250,000 grant. The nonprofit chosen to receive funds in New Hampshire was Waypoint, with funds going towards their efforts in eviction prevention, helping renters facing rising costs, unexpected income loss and other barriers that can put housing stability at risk.

The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting NH’s seven community colleges, awarded a record-breaking 1,650 scholarships totaling $1.1 million during the 2025-26 academic year. These funds were applied toward tuition, fees and emergency financial needs to reduce obstacles that can derail a student’s path to degree completion.

Avesta Housing, the largest nonprofit affordable housing provider in northern New England, has appointed four new members to its board of directors: Atiim Boykin, a clinical Liaison for the Maine State Forensic Service in the Office of Behavioral Health/Department of Health and Human Services; Diane Donaldson, senior vice president and team lead for Bangor Savings Bank; Ben Frost, president of proactive development at Rhode Island Housing; and Spencer Thibodeau, assistant vice president and legal counsel at Unum.

Future In Sight, a nonprofit that provides services to children, adults and elderly in New Hampshire who are blind and visually impaired, has already raised $50,000 for this year’s Walk for Sight event being held on May 16. The organization is hoping to raise $100,000 again this year. For more details on the Walk, visit futureinsight.org/walkforsight.

New Hampshire Recycles, the oldest and largest cooperative-model recycling nonprofit in the U.S., announced the departure of Reagan Bissonnette, who has been the executive director since 2019. Andrea Folsom will succeed Bissonnette as the organization’s next executive director starting May 18, 2026. Folsom has served as NH Recycles’ education and grants manager since 2021. Bissonnette is leaving to start a nonprofit consulting and coaching business.

ENGINEERING

Olivia Boyer has been promoted from environmental permitting specialist to environmental scientist at TFMoran. She initially joined the firm in 2025 and graduated cum laude from Plymouth State University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology. She has also completed the Wetlands Certificate program at the University of New Hampshire, as well as a GIS certificate. In her new role, she will serve as TFMoran’s lead in working with state and federal agencies to help avoid and minimize impacts to protected species.

RETAIL

Dover-based NEMO Equipment has partnered with U.K.-based Storm Care Solutions, LTD, to serve as the exclusive U.S. distributor of the brand’s line of outdoor gear care products. By distributing STORM through its retail partners and direct channels, NEMO gives customers access to care products that meet strict environmental and performance standards, helping gear reach its full potential season after season. NEMO will assort a full line of after-care products for outdoor gear, apparel and footwear, and retail partners can add STORM products to their Spring 2027 pre-season orders for delivery in January 2027.

Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL), one of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic’s leading discount retail chains, announced that Luke Estep has joined the company as chief marketing officer. Most recently, he served as vice president of marketing at Grocery Outlet, where he led marketing strategy and digital growth initiatives for the value retailer which operates more than 500 stores across 16 states.

Terracea, a Northeast-based outdoor performance apparel brand, announced that, for the past year, founder Eric Hui collaborated with John Holschuh — a product veteran with more than 20 years of experience across Under Armour, Eastern Mountain Sports, Reebok, Huk Performance Fishing and Nomad Hunting — to advance the brand’s design direction, technical standards and overall collection vision.

HEALTH CARE

Home Health & Hospice Care (HHHC) President and CEO Barbara Lafrance has been named president of VNA Health System of Northern New England, which is an alliance of home health and hospice agencies across New England. HHHC’s board of directors has also welcomed Katherine J. Morneau, founding attorney of Morneau Law in Nashua, as a new member.

Southern New Hampshire Medical Center has been recognized as one of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2026 by Newsweek, in partnership with Statista, a global data and analytics firm. To be chosen, an evaluation of the health system was completed that showed excellence in maternity care, including prenatal support, labor and delivery services, and postpartum care.

CONSTRUCTION

ReArch Construction announced recent leadership changes: Chris Huston has been promoted to executive vice president, and Kurt Naser has joined as vice president of preconstruction. Naser succeeds Huston in the role, as Huston’s expanded role changes to focus on preconstruction, business development and organizational performance.

NH Charitable Foundation announces new CEO

Shawn V. Morehead has been selected to be the NH Charitable Foundation’s next president and CEO, succeeding Richard Ober, who will retire in July after 16 years as president and CEO of New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation. Morehead currently serves as executive vice president and chief program officer at the New York Community Trust, the community foundation for New York City, Westchester and Long Island. Her professional experience includes designing and implementing educational, legal and philanthropic initiatives to promote equity of opportunity and help people thrive. Morehead has strong family ties to New Hampshire — her mother was raised in Dover, her parents live in Laconia, and Morehead is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy.