Author: Bob Sanders

The shifting nature of non-competes

Employee agreements gain scrutiny of lawmakers

Cambridge Trust parent to buy Optima Bank

10-year-old Seacoast-based bank to be acquired for $67 million

White Mountains adds another niche insurer to portfolio

Company’s NSM unit acquires Philadelphia-based firm

One New Hampshire business filed for bankruptcy in November

Number of total filings is lowest in years

Four top Oracle execs’ total compensation tops $400 million

46% of shareholders express disapproval in say-on-pay vote

Bottomline revenues surge as losses shrink

First-quarter results show cloud business continues to grow

Planet Fitness sees a bright future in Generation Z

Revenues continue to rise as membership tops 12 million

A transformed White Mountains Insurance reports 3Q earnings

Out of reinsurance business, company moves to industry-specific coverage

A tale of healthcare transparency

The long, confusing journey to find the actual cost of a medical procedure

Albany International reports big jump in 3Q sales

Net income jumps to $28.3 million in quarter

Study: Christmas season is more important to New Hampshire retailers than others

Analysis finds 26 percent of Granite State retail sales come during holidays – tops in nation

No NH business filed for bankruptcy in October

A first since recession as 141 individuals file for protection

Sturm, Ruger sales rise in third quarter

But year-to-date numbers are off from 2017

Brookstone bankruptcy sale now official

New owners purchase Merrimack-based retailer’s brand, assets for $65 million

Standex puts cooking unit on the market

Sale seen as financing purchase of Concord tech firm, two other businesses

Survey finds NH employees pay fifth-lowest health premium percentage

Average 18% cost reported in national report

Report: China trade deficit sucks jobs out of New Hampshire

Study says state has suffered biggest job loss due to massive imbalance

NH gets mixed reviews on energy efficiency

Residential performance is good, but not when it comes to vehicles

MyMedicalShopper CEO heads to White House to aid health cost-comparison effort

Administration said to eye ‘big bold transparency initiative‘

Ex-president sues Perspecta Trust for discrimination

Alleges he was let go after revealing treatment for anxiety, depression

New Hampshire rep takes aim at ‘zombie foreclosures’

Swanzey rep mulls legislation targeting lender’s responsibility post-foreclosure

iCAD reshuffles board after member’s rebuke

New board chair named, two new members appointed after critical letter

Bankruptcy judge OKs sale of Brookstone

$65 million deal reached after largest creditor agrees to relinquish debt

Monthly bankruptcy filings dropped in September

Only one New Hampshire business sought protection

Details emerge in winning Brookstone bid; fate of Merrimack employees unclear

300 employees will remain, but most of them will be part-timers in airport stores

New Hampshire sand and gravel companies sued over stormwater runoff

Conservation Law Foundation targets Belmont, Laconia firms

Brookstone to remain going concern under bankruptcy deal with N.Y. firm

But Brady Sullivan purchase of Merrimack headquarters raises questions about future of employees

Liberty Utilities unveils renewable gas plan at Bethlehem landfill

Company says project would supply 6% of customers

Health savings by association?

Why association health plans ‘could be a game-changer’

Brookstone bankruptcy auction to be held Wednesday

Fate of New Hampshire-based retailer as a going concern remains in doubt

Eversource lawyer poses a question: Should retail competition end for residential customers?

Suggestion at Energy Summit stirs heated discussion

NH gun industry comes under fire

Even the smallest firearms manufacturers face the same headwinds largest companies do

The future of Brookstone still remains up in the air

Questions surround fate of bankrupt company after stalking horse bid approved

State renewable energy program lotteries come and go

There’s still time for businesses to apply for solar subsidies, but wood pellet grant deadline has already passed

New Hampshire bankruptcies rise a bit in August

But filings are still down for the year

Brookstone sends WARN notices to salaried employees

Bankrupt company says it’s ‘business as usual,’ but future of firm is unclear

Airbnb bookings in New Hampshire soared over 50 percent this summer

113,440 guests stayed at 2,800 sites

The tale of Brookstone’s demise

Bankruptcy filing reveals mounting debt, failing mall stores

Second firm seeks to be stalking horse bidder in Brookstone bankruptcy

New offer is $5 million higher for remainder of New Hampshire-based retailer

First bidder emerges in Brookstone bankruptcy

Reviver of troubled brands offers $35 million for remainder of retailer

Unsecured creditors, trustee fault Brookstone bankruptcy plan

$30 million loan, executive bonuses among the targets

iCAD foresees revenue uptick with 3-D mammography

But Nashua-based cancer provider reports another quarterly loss

White supremacists target state’s diversity efforts

Manchester conference stirs ‘NH Nationalist’ threats

Bottomline voices optimism on continued growth

Portsmouth-based financial services firm reports big jump in income for the quarter and year

Planet Fitness reports a very healthy 2nd quarter

Gym franchise sees membership rise to $12.1m; 3 new NH corporate outlets planned

Connection income surges in second quarter

Tax cuts, laptop and smartphone sales fuel Merrimack-based tech firm’s results

Ruger second-quarter sales drop, but income rises

But decline in orders appears to be leveling off

Personal bankruptcies increase slightly in July

152 filings results in 26 percent increase from June

Student loan practices are a big New Hampshire beef

Of the six New Hampshire companies found on the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau’s complaint database, five are either collection agencies or deal with student loans. That isn’t surprising, for a number of reasons. The CFPB was set up in reaction…

What do NH consumers complain about most?

Though weakened, CFPB still serves as sounding board

More news from NHBR:

Pharmacy benefit manager reform is the bipartisan solution patients desperately need

The bipartisan Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Price Transparency and Accountability would break the link between PBM compensation and drug price, and lower prescription costs, advocates say.

Rural Broadband Internet For Agriculture

NH gets broadband money, just not as much as was originally promised

Despite some angst that the Trump Administration might vaporize the money, funds are coming to New Hampshire to expand broadband internet access throughout the state, although the amount isn’t what was originally allocated

New England economy grew at 'sluggish pace'

The New England region was one of only four in the United States to experience economic expansion during October and early November, according to the latest "Beige Book" report of the Federal Reserve. The report said the outlook for future economic growth was "cautiously optimistic" for the six-state region. But it expressed ongoing downside concerns about the labor market.

Pappas seeks reimbursement of ‘harmful’ tariffs on small businesses

U.S. Rep. Christopher Pappas is sponsoring new legislation that seeks to exempt small businesses from tariffs and reimburse them for the trade war duties that the 1st District congressman described as “unnecessary and harmful.”

Happiness is a bridge too far for young Granite Staters

A new survey from Stay Work Play NH, an organization devoted to the interests of younger men and women in New Hampshire, shows that adults aged 26 to 35 aren’t very optimistic when it comes to the life altering events of buying a home, starting a family and advancing their careers here.

NH delegation: Trump has no authority on tariffs

New Hampshire’s four Democratic members of Congress have signed on to an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that argues President Donald Trump exceeds his authority by unilaterally imposing tariffs.

Taylor Caswell joins Bernstein Shur as consultant

Former state economic commissioner Taylor Caswell has joined Bernstein Shur as managing director of economic solutions, a new offering within the firm’s government and public affairs practice group, the law firm announced Monday.

NH’s high cost of living particularly hard on women, report says

New Hampshire’s high cost of living puts a disproportionate burden on women, particularly mothers, according to a new report published by the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation. The Status of Women in New Hampshire 2025 stresses gender inequities across the state