Author: NH Business Review Staff

Brothers can you spare a quote?

Not only is Richard Brothers running against N.H. Sen. Carl Johnson for the GOP nomination in District 2, he’s apparently working just as hard against at least two other Republicans at the same time. Brothers, an adviser on health care…

Tent warfare

It’s not a good idea to bite a hand that feeds you, but sometimes an unintended rap on the knuckles can have the same effect. Bob Bevill of Merrimack, the long-shot challenger to incumbent Jeb Bradley in the Republican 1st…

It’s been making the rounds…

There’s no truth to the rumor that Safety Commissioner Dick Flynn was picked as a delegate to the GOP convention in case President Bush decided to drop Dick Cheney from the ticket at the last minute - and he wanted…

THE LATEST

Financial Services Charter Trust Company has announced the promotion of Christine L. Donovan to senior vice president of operations. Donovan, who has been with the company since 1997, previously served as vice president of operations. Joseph Pace has joined the…

How a credit score can affect your insurance rates

We’ve always known that our credit will contribute to the percentage rate we will get on a car loan or a mortgage, or whether or not we can get the loan at all. Did you know, however, that your credit…

Normandin to succeed Clow at Laconia bank

Linda Normandin will take over as the first woman president of Laconia Savings Bank when current President and CEO Bruce Clow steps down next Jan. 8. In announcing that Normandin had been selected, Clow noted that she is “exceptionally well…

Canadian bank seeks majority share of Banknorth

If all goes as planned, bank branches around New England will be sporting signs reading “TD Banknorth” by next spring. Under an agreement reached Aug. 26, Canada’s TD Bank Financial Group says it will acquire a 51 percent stake in…

Climbing the ladder to successful bond investing

Diversifying your portfolio, generating income and possibly adding some stability to your holdings are just a few of the many reasons to invest in bonds. But choosing the best bond investment strategy can sometimes be a bit tricky. Whether you…

Securities bureau sees Pennichuck deal

Pennichuck Corp. could be close to reaching an agreement with state and federal securities regulators over real estate transactions made under former Chief Executive Officer Maurice Arel, according to the company’s latest filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.…

Medicaid consultant lacks relevant expertise

The firm employed by the state Department of Health and Human Services to help accomplish its goal of so-called “Medicaid modernization” has little experience in doing so. Yet HHS awarded the $200,000 contract to the Pennsylvania firm of Sellers Feinberg…

Executive divorce affects family and the business

Many executives struggle with serious emotional issues, both personal and business-related, that - if left unchecked - will invariably affect their work performance. Common personal crises include depression, drug and alcohol abuse and loss of a loved one. Common professional…

Portsmouth Hilton passes hurdle

The Portsmouth Planning Board has approved site plans for a new 22,000-square-foot Hilton Hotel along Hanover and High streets, but the project could face civil action over its potential threat to downtown parking. The board voted 7-2 to approve Cathartes…

Retirement housing seen on Webster farm

An Auburn real estate developer is planning to buy the 140-acre riverfront farm in Franklin where Daniel Webster grew up and turn it into retirement housing. Elmer Pease II of PD Associates Real Estate Consultants signed a purchase and sales…

124-unit project seen for Concord

The Concord Planning Board has postponed a decision on a proposed 124-townhouse development on Bog Road. Developer Reggie Moreau of R.J. Moreau Communities in Bedford filed his application for the Vineyards townhouses last fall, and then went through a series…

Coldwell Banker buys Preferred Properties

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage of Waltham, Mass. — the largest residential real estate brokerage company in New England — has bought Preferred Properties Inc. of Moultonboro. The purchase price was not disclosed. In 2003, Preferred Properties’ 31 residential real estate…

House construction falls 8.5 percent

Home builders took a bit of a breather in June, sending housing construction down to its lowest level in just over a year. It was another sign that the economy slowed down last month. The number of housing projects that…

Existing home sales climb to record

Sales of existing homes rose 2.1 percent to a record in June as rising mortgage rates prompted a rush by Americans to close deals before rates went even higher. The National Association of Realtors reported that the increase in sales…

Concord farm eyed for townhouses

A Concord developer has filed plans to replace the historic Abbott house and farm on North State Street in Concord with 86 luxury townhouses, each with its own elevator. The homes would start at $400,000 and be marketed to people…

UNH study links productivity, air

Final results aren’t expected until November, but preliminary research conducted at the University of New Hampshire shows a link between poor air quality and declining worker productivity. Economists at the Whittemore School of Business have been surveying 500 workers once…

Concord Hospital plans expansion

Concord Hospital has unveiled plans for a $40 million expansion of its emergency room, intensive care unit and operating facilities. Plans call for the project to be complete by the fall of 2007. The hospital wants to build a two-story…

HHS sees $3.4m savings from Medicaid disease management

The state Department of Health and Human Services has proposed to the federal government that New Hampshire spend some $2.7 million on a three-year disease management program in the hopes of saving money treating the chronically ill. The state hopes…

Prescription program adds up savings

Nineteen hospitals and health clinics using the state’s Medication Bridge program have reached or surpassed the million-dollar mark in prescription cost savings for low-income patients, according to program officials. The New Hampshire Medication Bridge Program is a private-public partnership of…

Littleton reaps benefits from school-town partnership

Pollyanna. You remember her. The relentlessly cheery girl played by Hayley Mills in the 1960 Disney film of the same name. The one who transformed the wretched, glum, fictional New England town of Harrington into a cohesive, cheerful community through…

Gas line break forces evacuation, jams traffic

NASHUA -- A gas line break in front of a medical office building at 505 West Hollis Street snarled traffic in both directions for about an hour Wednesday morning, police said. A private contractor using a backhoe to dig in…

Bank’s president says jobs secure

MANCHESTER (AP) - The president of Bank of New Hampshire says jobs will be secure as the bank’s parent company is sold to a Canadian bank. Banknorth Group is selling a controlling interest to TD Bank Financial Group of Toronto.…

Earthquake rattles southern N.H.

HOOKSETT (AP) - A minor earthquake shook southern New Hampshire Saturday morning. Gregg Champlin, the earthquake specialist at the state Office of Emergency Management, said the 2.1 magnitude quake was centered about four miles west of Hooksett just after 8:30…

Wheelmen to hold regional meeting

NASHUA- The Granite State Wheelmen, a statewide bicycle club, will hold a regional meeting on Monday, Sept. 20, from 7-9 p.m. at Goodale’s Bike Shop, 14-B Broad St. The meeting is free and open to the public. The agenda includes…

Oily rag sparks small fire

HUDSON- A homeowner staining his deck Thursday wound up with a small fire in a garbage can in his garage. According to fire officials, Wayne Harmon of Greenfield Drive was staining his deck with a penetrating oil finish for pressure-treated…

Separate crashes in Brookline injure woman, 3 juveniles

BROOKLINE - Three juveniles and an elderly Mason woman were injured in two separate crashes in town in the past two days. The three juveniles were injured Thursday night in a two-car, head-on collision on Averill Road. The crash happened…

Professor wins Megaphone Award

NASHUA - Maria Matarazzo, associate professor of business at Rivier College, recently received recognition from the national Business and Professional Women’s Association. Matarazzo received The Megaphone Award 2003-04 for her advocacy regarding legislative issues that impact working women, families and…

BBB accepting award nominations

CONCORD- The Better Business Bureau that serves New Hampshire is taking nominations and applications for the 2004 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics until Friday, Sept. 10. Three categories of companies will be recognized: one large company of…

Skydive festival on tap this weekend

PEPPERELL, Mass.-Skydive Pepperell is hosting the New England Skydiving and Aviation Festival this weekend. The annual event started Thursday and runs through Sunday at the facility at 165 Nashua Road (Route 111 West) in Pepperell. It’s open to the public…

Restaurant honored for wine excellence

BEDFORD - Bedford Village Inn and Restaurant owners Jack, Andrea and Jon Carnevale were recently awarded Wine Spectator’s 2004 Best of Award of Excellence. This is a distinction that only 608 restaurants out of 3,487 entries from around the world…

Blood drive set for Saturday

NASHUA-The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive Saturday at the Pheasant Lane Mall, sponsored by Simon Properties and the Nashua Lions Club. The drive will run from 10 a.m.-3pm in the Four Seasons Court at the mall. Those…

Town concerned about bridges

LYNDEBOROUGH - Concerns have been raised about the effects that work on a new bypass bridge might have on the abutments and supports of the two historic stone arch bridges on Old Temple Road West. Selectmen said Tuesday that vibrations…

Senate candidates to face off

AMHERST - Candidates for state Senate in District 11 have been invited to a forum on education by the Amherst Republican Committee and the Coalition for Adequate Education Funding. It will be held Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 7-9 p.m. at…

Teen charged with assaulting brother

HUDSON - A 16-year-old boy allegedly beat his brother Tuesday night with a skateboard and brandished a knife at him. The teenager has been charged with simple assault and criminal threatening. Police did not release his name. According to police,…

Maine teen drowned during drinking party by river

LITCHFIELD, N.H. (AP) - Police say a 17-year-old boy from Maine drowned Friday night during a drinking party by the Merrimack River. Litchfield Police Chief Joseph O’Brion said eight teens ranging from 14 to 17 were drinking beer and Southern…

Teen boy’s body found in river

LITCHFIELD, N.H. (AP) - Authorities found the body of a 17-year-old boy in the Merrimack River Saturday in Litchfield after a search. The State Police, Marine Patrol and Fish and Game Department helped look for the boy, along with four…

MEET THE CANDIDATES: U.S. House

CHARLES BASS AGE: 52. BIRTHPLACE: Boston. RESIDENCE: Peterborough. PARTY AFFILIATION: Republican. WORK EXPERIENCE: U.S. representative, 2nd District, New Hampshire, 1995-present. EDUCATION: Dartmouth College, bachelor’s degree. ELECTIVE OFFICE: New Hampshire state Senate, 1989-92; New Hampshire House of Representatives, 1983-88. APPOINTIVE OFFICE:…

C&S exec offices move to Keene

C&S Wholesale Grocers, the second-largest grocery distributor in the country, has moved its corporate headquarters from Brattleboro, Vt., to Keene, N.H. But the privately owned company, which has sales of $13 billion so far this year, did not move into…

Admix finds the perfect blend of customer, employee focus

Every business has its own set of challenges, but Admix - short for “Advanced Mixing Technologies “— sets a standard for solving some unique problems. The company’s sanitary mixing devices handle fish eyes, floating powders, unmixed agglomerates, inconsistent product quality,…

Day Trippin’ in the Great North Woods

The drive Route 3 or Route 16 and you’re in the Great North Woods. The doin’s • The North Country Moose Festival, Aug. 27-29 in Colebrook (North Country Chamber of Commerce, 237-8939, northcountrychamber.org) celebrates all the majesty and mayhem of…

Questions for a community banker

In this day and age of mega bank mergers, it’s nice to know there are still some neighborhood financial institutions where customers really do come first. Ann Lally, president of Salem Cooperative Bank, was singled out for providing such personal…

The Latest

Financial Services The New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation Network has announced the promotion of a number of staff: David C. Dobbins to senior executive vice president for operations, Richard R. Russell to executive vice president and chief financial officer,…

Changing of guard at state travel division

As she was about to leave the job, Lauri Ostrander Klefos, the state’s director of the Division of Travel and Tourism Development, felt free to share a secret of her personal life that, had it been known earlier, might have…

Federal program offers home aid

Lower-income families would get up to $10,000 toward the cost of a new home under a new federal program. The American Dream Program targets families that make less than 80 percent of their communities’ median income. “Owning a home is…

Companies agree to $70k EPA fines

Three developers — including two from New Hampshire — that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency charged did not get the necessary permits regarding storm-water discharge have agreed to pay $70,000 in fines. The fines are in connection with a 48-home…

Opechee awarded Londonderry project

Opechee Construction Corp. has been awarded a contract to design and construct a 9,070-square-foot, single-story clubhouse for The Nevins Community currently under construction in Londonderry. Elmer Pease of PD Associates, Real Estate Consultants, Auburn, has partnered with Ken Grandstaff and…