Author: Bob Sanders

N.H. employers get their foreign workers, and the workers get a raise

A dispute over the workers’ prevailing wage led to a court ruling in March that held up visa processing

Report: Boat industry helps N.H. economy stay afloat

An industry report says some $321 million was spent on boats in the Granite State, and that spending leaves about the same amount of indirect economic activity in its wake

At public firms, average N.H. CEO’s pay has gone up 64 percent since 2008

The average CEO earned $2.7 million last year

N.H. wood industry’s renewable energy efforts tangled up in legislative wrangling

Attempt to change renewable standards finds itself caught in the tug of war over Obamacare

Connecticut gun manufacturer may be eyeing move to New Hampshire

The Granite State is one of the three finalists for the firearms plant

Judge backs ex-Insurance Department employee in unfair termination suit

Ruling rejects state’s bid to dismiss a suit filed by the state’s former top health policy analyst

Amid losses, longtime ProPhotonix CEO Mark Blodgett steps down from post

Blodgett led the company for nearly 25 years, though its heyday as StockerYale Inc. in the 1990s

A burgeoning robotics industry makes a home in N.H.

Robotics companies are clustering in a corridor that stretches from Boston to Manchester

N.H. House to vote on jobless benefits for startups

Under the bill, would-be entrepreneurs wouldn’t have to show that they are looking for work, but show that they are available for and participating in 'self-employment assistance activities'

State agency offers grants to food, agricultural product exporters

The federal grant products like cosmetics or similar merchandise that are agriculturally based

N.H. already has slot machines –- and lots of them

As the Legislature debates whether to allow a “high-end” casino, New Hampshire residents have been playing slot machines all along

Q&A with State Banking Commissioner Glenn Perlow

An interview with Glenn Perlow, New Hampshire's new banking commissioner

GTAT buys Calif. firm with N.H. facility

Thermal Technology LLC has a facility in Concord

BET tips amendment gets a Senate hearing

The draft amendment to House Bill 520 did not receive a completely warm welcome

N.H. is near-perfect in new small business survey

You can’t get a grade higher than A+

Standex settles ice machine lawsuit; reports 3Q earnings

But the company did not admit fault in the Louisiana lawsuit

Bottomline reports $3.6 million third-quarter loss

So far, the firm’s loss stands at $10.6 million for the first nine months of the fiscal year

Four N.H. businesses file for bankruptcy in April

The 305 total bankruptcy filings was the lowest number filed in April since 2007

NHLRA turns to Senate to block BET tips policy

But the DRA says it’s only enforcing a law that’s already in place

GTAT reports big backlog drop, earnings dip

But the firm did have some good news for investors: a deal to supply Motorola with large sapphire screens

Homebuilders search for reasons to be hopeful

‘It has been so bad for so many years. It doesn’t take much to make people feel better,’ says Kendall Buck, executive president of the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of N.H.

Hooksett firm calls in the cops, then files for bankruptcy, to prevent foreclosure auction

Police blocked bidders from coming onto the property, forcing the auction to take place in the driveway in front of a police cruiser

N.H. homebuilders search for reasons to be hopeful

‘It has been so bad for so many years. It doesn’t take much to make people feel better,’ says Kendall Buck, executive president of the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of N.H.

N.H. foreclosures remain on a downward slide

But 274 foreclosures still took place in March

Ruger looks to open a third gun plant, but not in N.H.

CEO Michael Fifer says the company has no plans to move any existing N.H. jobs to the new facility

Centrix Bank’s first-quarter income rises 9 percent

Loan growth rose 16 percent and profits were up 9 percent in the quarter

Unitil earnings jump 20 percent on cold weather, increased sales

The utility reported $10.8 million in net earnings in the first quarter -- a 20% increase over 2012, which was one of the mildest winters on record

Manchester 7-Eleven franchisee takes on company in payment dispute

So far, the franchise owner has held off an eviction by 7-Eleven Corp. over a disputed $10,000, until he has his date in court

Latest PSNH customer migration report is a mixed bag

The new migration numbers came after the highly publicized default of an alternative residential supplier that also served some commercial customers

N.H.'s liberalized laws lure trusts in droves

Over $300 billion is held in trusts regulated by New Hampshire

N.H. lawmakers mull changes to renewable energy standards

What plants should be included, or excluded, as the Legislature rewrites renewable energy portfolio standards?

Top 3 PC Connection execs raked in $5.6m in 2012

The sharp increase in pay came despite the Merrimack-based computer and software mail order company’s relatively flat year

N.H. Senate takes yet another look at RGGI requirements

Should two natural gas-fired electric generating plants get a special break, and should commercial ratepayers get a bigger rebate under the latest changes to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative?

Did DRA tip the balance on BET calculation?

Are restaurants and other businesses with tipped employees going to have to start factoring their employees’ tips in determining how large their business enterprise tax bill is -- a move that could double that bill for some, particularly those that…

Downward shift in N.H. corporate pay reflects national trend

The average pay of corporate executives among the top public companies nationwide didn’t go up last year, and so far New Hampshire publicly owned firms seem to be reflecting the trend. Indeed, of the latest three proxies to be filed…

Electricity suppliers flock to New Hampshire

Despite alternative supplier’s recent troubles, firms are racing to provide electricity in N.H.

AmEx report: N.H. sixth in nation for growth of women-owned businesses

The nearly 40,000 women-owned businesses in New Hampshire are expected to generate $7.6 billion in revenue this year -- more than double the amount 16 years ago. It was a growth rate that was exceeded by only five other states…

N.H. February foreclosures plummet from a year ago

The number of foreclosures recorded in New Hampshire -- perhaps the most stubbornly high statistic in the recession aside from unemployment -- took a nosedive in February. Some 240 foreclosure deeds were filed in February, the lowest number recorded in…

Candlepin ‘headquarters’ Leda Lanes files for Chapter 11

Leda Lanes filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month, but the iconic candlepin bowling alley in Nashua fully plans to stay in business. “I want everyone to know that we are going to be stronger than before,” the company’s vice…

Five N.H. businesses file for March bankruptcy

While the number of New Hampshire individuals and businesses filing for bankruptcy was up in March from the five-year monthly low the previous month, the number still marked a big drop from last year. There were 339 New Hampshire bankruptcy…

Ex-employee claims racial taunting in suit against air firm

A former Port City Air Inc. employee claims he was suspended and then fired for complaining about racial taunts -- including a noose hanging from the ceiling in his office -- according to a suit moved last week to U.S.…

Despite skyrocketing sales, Ruger execs’ pay drops 30%

The top five executives at Sturm, Ruger & Co. earned a combined $8.6 million in 2012 -- nearly a 30 percent pay cut, despite a year of explosive growth, according to recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It…

Patent dispute leads Keene firm to file for bankruptcy

Samson Manufacturing Corp., a manufacturer of gun accessories that moved to Keene from Massachusetts last year with a federal grant and the promise of new jobs, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday to forestall a million-dollar judgment awarded in…

Q&A with Insurance agent and former state senator Ray White

Ray White runs Cornerstone Benefits and Retirement Group, a Bedford firm that sells employee benefit packages to businesses. As a Republican state senator last year, he was at the center of the debate over whether New Hampshire should set up its own health insurance exchange and wound up clashing with liberals and conservatives.

Resident Power, PNE Energy win a round against PUC staff

PNE Energy Supply, which in February defaulted on its promise to buy electricity for thousands of New Hampshire customers, told the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Thursday that it has rectified the situation and was ready to defend itself against…

N.H.’s MTBE settlement cache: $136m and counting

As the ExxonMobil trial winds down, it’s still not clear what the state’s going to do with the windfall

Study: Interest rates on N.H. bank accounts among the nation’s worst

If you think you’re getting next to nothing when you put your money in a New Hampshire savings account, it’s no exaggeration. New Hampshire banks and credit unions have one of the lowest savings interest rates in the nation –…

Unitil CEO 2012 compensation up 24%

Unitil Corp. CEO Robert Schoenberger received $2.16 million in compensation in 2012, a 24 percent increase from the year before, according to the proxy filed by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That’s slightly half of the…

Contrasting data muddies N.H. home sales picture

The price of homes in New Hampshire won’t bottom out until 2014, lagging behind most of the rest of the country, according to projections by Zillow, a national real estate analysis firm. It’s a gloomy forecast that contrasts with the…

Is natural gas price spike an omen for N.H.?

Resident Power and its sister energy supplier PNE Energy Supply were spunky pioneer challengers to Public Service of New Hampshire, rolling along, buying energy off the spot market, eventually selling it to more than 8,500 households and small businesses across…

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.