Author: Michael McCord

Senate Minority Leader Jeff Woodburn says ‘the lack of civility’ at the State House ‘can be disorientating and depressing, but we can’t give up.’

‘I want state government to be easier to deal with, more friendly, more transparent,’ says newly elected Gov. Chris Sununu.

‘To the extent the public sector is either sidelined by political gridlock or undermined by reactionary measures, it’s imperative for businesses and investors to stand up for the right things,’ says Joe Keefe, CEO of Pax World Investments.

“The keys to university-level business education are ‘innovation, impact and engagement, and I think we are doing well on all three,” says Deborah Merrill-Sands, dean of UNH’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

‘I think we’ve succeeded by having good writers and good messages at the core of everything,’ says Kevin Stickney, president and co-founder of Portsmouth-based Calypso Communications.

What made ‘Deflategate’ so ‘compelling,’ says UNH professor Michael McCann, ‘is the number of areas in the law where the answers are not clear.’

Dan and Renee Plummer turned “a cow pasture with no future” into one of the most successful military base redevelopment projects in the country

‘The really cool thing is seeing people come together in a true sense of community,’ says architect Jonathan Halle, co-chair of Building on Hope, which is raising funds for its next ‘extreme makeover’ – the Manchester Police Athletic League facility in Manchester.

‘There is a lot of risk involved in these projects, and you need to have a high tolerance for uncertainty,’ says Eric Chinburg, founder of Chinburg Properties, the Newmarket-based property development and management firm, in front of one of his projects – the restoration of the Newmarket Mills in Newmarket.

‘We are finding that if you diversify you do more than just survive, you can also thrive,’ says John Tabor, president of Seacoast Media Group, owner of the Portsmouth Herald and Foster’s Daily Democrat, among other newspaper properties.

Cam Brensinger, founder and CEO of Dover-based NEMO Equipment, says his biggest challenge ‘is managing growth while trying to keep to our ideals of taking risks and nurturing the passion and strong camaraderie we have.’

‘The best way to protect young people is to arm them with all the information they need,’ says Ron Lieber, ‘Your Money’ columnist for The New York Times and author of ‘The Opposite of Spoiled,’ an effort to demystify the challenge parents face when speaking about money with children of all ages.

Dover-based Mr. Fox Composting is adding about five business and residential clients a week -- are you next?

Urgent care centers like ClearChoiceMD are ‘part of the solution’ to increasing access to quality health care while decreasing cost, says Dr. Marcus Hampers, a physician who founded the chain of facilities.

‘This job can be difficult, aggravating and a lot of fun. I absolutely loved it,’ says Karen Wadsworth, who’s stepping down as clerk of the New Hampshire House after 20 years on the job.

Barbara Sedoric, creator of the LastingMatters Organizer, is helping people confront one of the most difficult subjects of all – the inevitability of death and how to plan for it