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:

Live-work-create tech village eyed for Manchester

A tech-entrepreneur turned venture capitalist is eyeing one of the largest undeveloped tracts in Manchester for a community where tech- and startup-minded people would live and work. Freedom Village would be located on 250 acres of mostly wooded land at Hackett Hill, which is located in the northwestern corner of Manchester.

Manchester property values jump nearly 50%

The value of all property in Manchester increased by almost half — 48% ‑ over the past five years, according to preliminary data released by city officials on Oct. 13 The valuations, compiled due to a citywide revaluation, add up to $23.09 billion. The current value of city properties is $15.56 billion, which was based on assessments made during the city's last revaluation.

Building tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce

This year’s Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit kicked off with a topic universal to all employers: how to build the workforce of tomorrow. The 24th annual event organized by the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership on Oct. 9 featured a keynote panel discussion featuring representatives from the state’s university and community college systems.

It’s (still) the economy, stupid

Back in 1992, political strategist James Carvell came up with the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” to help Democrat Bill Clinton defeat incumbent Republican President George H.W. Bush.

Trouble on the home front

Permitting and construction of new homes is up, but it’s still at historic lows and not enough to keep up with demand. The recent housing production is mostly single-family, with a smattering of multi-family developments but relatively few duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes.

Attorney Jack Middleton made his mark in New Hampshire

New Hampshire in general, and its legal profession in particular, suffered a huge loss when Jack B. Middleton died on Sept. 8. The president of McLane Middleton, he recently marked 70 years of active law practice with that firm.

Fast-growing life sciences sector looks to colleges to keep pace

New Hampshire’s life sciences industry is expanding quickly, but the workers employers need range far beyond biomedical scientists — from manufacturing technicians and engineers to project managers, supply-chain specialists and finance professionals. At the Empower Life Sciences event hosted by…

It's Worth Knowing: An aging state faces challenges with its senior population

It's still a fact in 2026 that New Hampshire has the second oldest population in the United States — 43.4 median age — tied with Vermont and topped only by Maine. Most senior citizens in New Hampshire say it's a great place to retire. But it depends on life's circumstances.