Author: NH Business Review Staff

1 month, 1 book

Why would any sane person decide to write a 175-page, or 50,000-word, novel in 30 days? That equals about 1,700 words a day. November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, and apparently thousands of people accept the challenge each…

Hudson resident speaks up about noise

HUDSON - First his house started to vibrate and then Hal Kreider said he couldn’t even talk on the phone because the noise from a nearby development was so loud. When work with a drill continued on Saturday and Sunday,…

Manny Ramirez autograph signing canceled

NASHUA - Unable to sell enough tickets, Nashua Sports Collectibles canceled its scheduled Sunday autograph signing with World Series MVP Manny Ramirez. Ramirez was originally set to be at Nashua Sports Collectibles, 135 Main St., from 5:30-7 p.m. Tickets to…

Town leaders will discuss budget, future plans

LYNDEBOROUGH - The Budget Committee has scheduled meetings with all town committees, boards and department heads to discuss their proposals for 2005, as well as future plans for major expenditures. Larger departments have been asked to prepare five-year plans in…

Charter school advocates plan for 2006 opening

MASON - Organizers expect the Pathways Community Charter School to open somewhere in the fall of 2006. Since Mason is in the process of considering changes in its education program, resident Chris Balch would like to see it there. “We…

Lacrosse team picks up along city Rail Trail

In front of Nashua’s City Hall on Saturday morning, a group of men carved huge ice sculptures for that night’s Winter Holiday Stroll. Meanwhile, behind City Hall, a motley group of lacrosse players, ranging in age from grade school to…

More options for homeless in city

NASHUA - As the mercury drops, local organizations are gearing up to keep homeless people out of the elements. New charitable groups and facilities that have sprung up since last winter, and months of planning for this time of the…

Hollis handing out gun locks

HOLLIS - Police recently teamed up with Project ChildSafe to make the town a safer place for everyone this holiday season. The Hollis Police Department is now giving away free gun locks at the station. “First and foremost, anytime we…

Milford study committee recommends separate water district

MILFORD - As if they’re jealous of the Pennichuck perturbations in Nashua and environs, some folks think Milford should shake up its own water system. A study committee has recommended that Milford create a separate water district, similar to the…

Red Sox trophy to visit state

The onset of winter can make a Red Sox fan dream of warmer, happier times. There was that splendid moment - oh, wait, there were three - when David Ortiz’s bat propelled the Sox against a playoff opponent. There was…

Gear swap brings flurry of seasonal savings

NASHUA - Mark Ferman peered into a bin stuffed with ski poles, occasionally lifting one in the air to examine it more closely. Wedged between racks of winter coats and shelves lined with skis and boots, he sifted through the…

Board approves two town contracts

HUDSON - Selectmen have agreed to send two more employment contracts to the ballot for voters to consider in March. The board voted this week to give favorable recommendations to contracts with the police union and supervisors association, which includes…

Sign-up continues for ‘Agenda’ forum

It’s not too late to register for the “Agenda for Growth” conference, featuring many of the state’s most respected experts on such topics as venture capital, angel financing, near equity financing and business valuation, along with other topics related to…

Home for a change

NASHUA - For the first Thanksgiving in years, Roseanne Kazlouskas did not have to wrap her son’s plate up and put in the freezer. This is the first time in more than five years that Justin Hamel, who is a…

Tough going for new-school initiative

LYNDEBOROUGH - In their push to resolve space-needs issues, Lyndeborough School District officials have found a giant obstacle - the state’s Official Ballot Law. They say that law, known as SB 2, is flawed and should be repealed. Two local…

Event honors Finnish community

Region - The New England Finnish Community has planned a celebration commemorating Finland’s 87th anniversary year of independence from Russia (1917) and maintaining it. The event is on Sunday at 2 p.m., at the Finnish Center at Saima Park on…

Board seeks ways to improve

NASHUA - The Board of Education identified ways to improve itself and the city’s schools at a special work session earlier this week. The meeting Monday night was the second of a two-part self-evaluation process designed for the board to…

Downtown group hires new director

NASHUA - The Great American Downtown has hired an executive director with a background in historic preservation to lead the group into its third year. Sarah DiSano, of Dorchester, Mass., a former program coordinator for the nonprofit group Preservation Mass,…

Session slated on teen development

HOLLIS - The Hollis/Brookline PTSA will host another educational workshop for parents next month. The session for parents of middle and high school students will focus on “What Is ‘Normal’ Teenage Development?” It will take place Dec. 1 at 7…

Tough going for new-school initiative

LYNDEBOROUGH - In their push to resolve space-needs issues, Lyndeborough School District officials have found a giant obstacle - the state’s Official Ballot Law. They say that law, known as SB 2, is flawed and should be repealed. Two local…

Board seeks ways to improve

NASHUA - The Board of Education identified ways to improve itself and the city’s schools at a special work session earlier this week. The meeting Monday night was the second of a two-part self-evaluation process designed for the board to…

Downtown group hires new director

NASHUA - The Great American Downtown has hired an executive director with a background in historic preservation to lead the group into its third year. Sarah DiSano, of Dorchester, Mass., a former program coordinator for the nonprofit group Preservation Mass,…

Toy drive benefits pastoral care

Peters Auto Center will hold a toy drive to benefit the Nashua Pastoral Care today. New, unwrapped toys are needed, especially for toddlers and teens. The auto center is located off of Exit 7W. For more information, call 579-5202 or…

NASHUA – Store holds decorating contest

Building #19 is searching for the 2004 Cookie Cutter Ornament Decorating Champion. The winner will be rewarded with the grand prize of homemade cookies from Veronica’s Treats of Bridgewater, Mass., made from the winner’s unique design. Each of the 15…

Something for new rivals to feast on

Maybe a football program was born at Stellos Stadium on Thanksgiving morning. We know a rivalry was. Is there any member of the Nashua High School South football team that can’t wait until next season to get another crack at…

LYNDEBOROUGH – Christmas party for community

A Christmas party, sponsored by the town and the Lafayette Artillery Company, will be held at Citizens Hall on Dec. 4 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. A tree has been donated for the event. Two 20-pound turkeys were donated at the recent…

Plymouth-based company adds a touch of winter year-round

An all-temperature snowmaking system that debuted at Tenney Mountain Ski Area in Plymouth last year has been trucked to the Gulf of Mexico, has given Alabama a taste of snow-tubing and has possibly lured a few people into visiting New…

Machine firm likes being small

After 50 years of manufacturing and selling its wood-molding machinery and parts all across the United States, Williams & Hussey Machine Co Inc. of Wilton is looking to establish its name and reputation in overseas markets as well. Like others…

Guest Opinion: Education, not taxes, should be N.H.’s advantage

There is no question that the state’s economy has benefited from a tax advantage, helping to attract into the state businesses, entrepreneurs and highly educated workers. The evidence is substantial. Over the last quarter-century, New Hampshire had the highest employment…

The economic ‘rewards’ of America’s obsession with fluff

Inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen’s words of warning on the precarious state of America’s economic strength should not be taken lightly. Kamen, speaking earlier this month to members of the New Hampshire High Tech Council, provided a statistic that puts…

Tourism funding has economic benefits to N.H.

To the editor: New Hampshire, like every other state, is faced with the challenge of increasing revenue without overtaxing residents. Tourism has proven to be one of the most effective and equitable means of accomplishing that goal. In New Hampshire,…

How a romantic break-up can affect a company

Catherine is a 57-year-old CEO and major stockholder of a manufacturing company in Massachusetts that has gross sales of $14 million and an estimated value of $4 million. Two years ago, she became romantically involved with a member of her…

Utilities Watch

The Federal Communications Commission recently ruled that voice over Internet protocol, or VoIP, is an interstate service and therefore exempt from state and local regulation and tariffs. The FCC voted 5-0 to support a petition from Vonage Holdings Corp. of…

Brass Tacks

Q. My business is facing some big challenges on a number of fronts. I believe I’ve formulated a good strategic plan to deal with them, but I still get the feeling that my key employees and I are on different…

Cook on Concord

Riding in my automobile the other day, I heard two stories on the radio in quick succession that raised the issue of money and politics. The first was about House Speaker Gene Chandler and the investigation into his “corn roast”…

The 2004 guide to holiday gift books

It’s time once again for Off The Clock’s annual review of gift books for the coming holiday season. Every year I ask booksellers across the state what’s new in gorgeous books — books meant to be seen as much as…

Flotsam & Jetsam

Help wanted Never mind that when he was then-incoming governor, Craig Benson insisted that Jeanne Shaheen butt out of the nomination game now that she was a lame duck. And never mind that the governor picked a curious moment to…

CEO steps down at Segway

Ron Bills, president and CEO of Segway LLC, has announced his intention to resign in mid-December after a little more than a year on the job. Bills cited family reasons when informing the company of his departure. An executive committee…

N.Y. chamber exec chosen to succeed BIA’s Crosier

Jim Roche, currently president and chief executive officer of a chamber of commerce in central New York state, has been picked as the next president of the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire. Roche will assume his new duties…

Designing woman

Lisa DeStefano, owner and principal of DeStefano Architects, was born and bred in Portsmouth. So when she decided to give free rein to her entrepreneurial spirit and open up her own design firm - just a handful of years after…

Official promotes the value of trade with Hong Kong

Manchester, N.H., and Hong Kong remain half a world apart geographically, but the two cities are remarkably similar in their economic development, according to Sara P.C. Wu, director of Hong Kong’s Economic & Trade Office in New York. “Hong Kong…

September foreign sales surged to a three-year high

Foreign sales of locally made goods have considerably bolstered this year as demand from around the globe has strengthened significantly. State companies have reaped the benefits of a gradually falling dollar, which works its way in boosting exports. A weak…

Proposed rule change stirs debate over bank practices

If a proposed change in federal rules wins approval, mid-sized banks won’t have to meet the same stringent Community Reinvestment Act requirements they now do to serve their entire communities. The change could affect a third of the banks that…

Pennichuck says legal costs are dampening profits

The legal costs of fighting the city’s efforts to take Pennichuck Corp. by eminent domain cut into the utility’s third-quarter profit, according to Donald L. Correll, Pennichuck’s president and chief executive officer. The water company earned $577,000, or 24 cents…

State consumer advocate sees big rate hike in ISO proposal

State Consumer Advocate Anne Ross has joined with attorneys general, business advocates and energy companies around New England in opposing a proposed federal policy change. The proposed change is being pursued by the Independent System Operator of New England, or…

MVP Health adds another hospital

Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua has become the latest New Hampshire hospital in the state to sign provider agreements with MVP Health Care. “We are making steady progress in contracting with New Hampshire hospitals, and we are proud…