Author: Ryan Lirette

Gabriela Bradt

NH seafood is worth the investment

When most people think about New Hampshire’s seafood industry, they picture the quintessential fishing village with commercial boats landing lobster or cod.

The drive no one should have to make — and the effort underway to end it

If you live in Manchester or Concord, you probably don’t think twice about finding a doctor. There is a specialist within a few miles for almost anything you need. But if you live in Colebrook, or Lancaster, or any one of dozens of small communities spread across New Hampshire’s North Country, the picture looks very different, and the gap between those two realities is wider than most people realize.

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Laser eye surgery and cataract surgery return to Berlin after years without local access

Androscoggin Valley Hospital (AVH), a member of North Country Healthcare in Berlin, performed its first cataract surgery in recent memory on August 20, 2026, a milestone made possible through the hospital’s partnership with North Country Ophthalmology, a physician-led alliance of board-certified MD ophthalmologists that began seeing patients at AVH in January.

Jaffrey couple cut energy costs with NHSaves

Evan Clements and Precia Harthcock of Jaffrey love their 1926 home, but they acknowledge the drawbacks of houses built in that era. The room that is now their sitting room, for example, was once a porch that had been enclosed and is noticeably colder than other parts of the house. The second floor was much hotter than the first floor, and their kitchen was drafty.

Consider ESOP planning as part of your wealth management

After years of building a business, it is common for owners to seek an exit strategy that preserves the culture and rewards the employees who helped make the business successful. An employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, is one way to accomplish that goal.

Nhbsr Sustainability Spotlight

Sustainability Spotlight: The competitive edge

Small businesses drive New Hampshire’s economy, accounting for roughly 97% of all state enterprises and generating the majority of its jobs, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Taylor Caswell

Our economic secret weapon

It’s not often that an institutional leader embarks on a mission to eliminate their job. That is the proposal of Cathy Provencher, the current chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire.

Doug Teschner Columnist

ACT through challenges

“It’s a shallow life that doesn’t give a person a few scars.” — Garrison Keillor Change is a fundamental aspect of growing as a person, but sometimes it can be pretty difficult.

Therapist Holding Digital Tablet During Conversation With Woman Patient

Ask the Experts: Access to healthcare

Kevin Curwick, president of ConvenientMD’s Advance Primary Care, discusses how healthcare organizations can actually reduce costs while delivering better care to patients by following through on the promise of value-based care.

Thepulse3x2

Big power, small package

As the price tag of power grows in New Hampshire, so does the expectation that demand will grow in the state as well as the region.

Nicole Bluefort

Nicole Bluefort, 2026 Outstanding Women in Business Recipient

Nicole Bluefort started her law practice in her hometown of Lynn, Mass., 15 years ago and later expanded to Boston. In July 2024, she opened an office on Elm Street in Manchester, sensing there was a niche for a practice that could better serve people of color in New Hampshire.

Courtney Morin

Courtney Morin, 2026 Outstanding Women in Business Recipient

Courtney Morin, FSA, MAAA, joined Northeast Delta Dental in 2004 after earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, with majors in mathematics and economics. Courtney is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Lisa Madden

Lisa Madden, 2026 Outstanding Women in Business Recipient

Lisa Madden was drawn to a mental health career from personal experience. When she was a young child in the ’60s, Lisa would accompany her father to visit her Aunt Peggy, who was developmentally and mentally disabled and had been institutionalized in Massachusetts when family members could no longer care for her.

Crystal Dionne

Crystal Dionne, 2026 Outstanding Women in Business Recipient

Crystal Dionne, CPA, is an experienced finance professional with more than 25 years in leadership roles. She specializes in government finance, financial and strategic planning, treasury management, budgeting and risk management as well as human resources management.

Mission accomplished

After a 14-month construction mission, the “Apollo” landed at the Kelly Falls apartment complex this week with the completion of the Mark Stebbins Community Center, the culmination of a vision by the late Mark Stebbins, a long-time business leader and philanthropist.

Granite Staters wary about the high cost of living

Because of tariffs, the war with Iran, and other White House policies, New Hampshire families have had to spend an additional $4,800 or more on goods and services, according to U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH.

Budweiser Plant Merrimack, Nh

Merrimack Anheuser-Busch Property purchased by United Therapeutics Corporation

Biotechnology firm United Therapeutics Corporation has acquired the former Anheuser-Busch brewery site in Merrimack for $47 million, according to sources familiar with the matter. The transaction secures one of Southern New Hampshire’s largest industrial parcels, spanning nearly 300 acres off Daniel Webster Highway

NH’s rankings reflect the good and the bad

There are any number of reports, surveys, and rankings that show how well — or how poorly — New Hampshire is doing on a range of issues. Everything from education funding to safety to having a baby to business opportunities to student loan delinquency — it seems everything can be measured in one form or another, often as a yardstick against other states.

Matt Headshot

Don’t stop at yellow lights

While major economic indicators are serving as caution tape for many organizations that are hesitant to make investments or take on risk right now, there is a very bright green light out there. There is also a fast-moving vehicle on the road: AI, and the frenetic adoption pace at which people now use it to find essential information. Organizations need to adapt to be seen and referenced by these tools.

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The drive no one should have to make — and the effort underway to end it

If you live in Manchester or Concord, you probably don’t think twice about finding a doctor. There is a specialist within a few miles for almost anything you need. But if you live in Colebrook, or Lancaster, or any one of dozens of small communities spread across New Hampshire’s North Country, the picture looks very different, and the gap between those two realities is wider than most people realize.