Author: NH Business Review Staff

Agencies in need of consulting get boost

CONTACT INFORMATION The Executive Service Corps of New Hampshire, a volunteer project that matches experienced executives and business consultants with nonprofit agencies, has received a $5,000 grant from the Ann DeNicola Trust to underwrite affordable consulting services for nonprofits in…

Uncle Sam expert does research in Mason

MASON - A large collection of Uncle Sam posters, about 350, is in Sonoma, Calif., and Jean-Pierre Mouraux, the posters’ owner, was in town twice in July researching Sam Wilson. Wilson, who lived in Mason during part of his childhood,…

Hollis girl donates second ponytail for kids in need

BROOKLINE - Tanina Cadwell has spent the past three years growing her crowning glory - more than 17 inches of straight, wheat-colored hair. But the 9-year-old from Hollis didn’t bat an eye Saturday as her hairstylist lifted her ponytail off…

Party faithful gather in Wilton

WILTON - Joan Melcher was knitting a pair of socks with the words “Kerry 2004” along the side. “Madame DeFarge,” she said of her efforts, which she defined as her exercise for arthritis. Others were enjoying the good food, talking…

Nonpublic meeting records released

NASHUA - In response to a Right-to-Know request for minutes of 10 unscheduled nonpublic sessions since January, the Board of Education has unsealed the records of seven of those sessions. The minutes are minute. Instead of the type of detailed…

Show time in Merrimack

MERRIMACK - As Bugs might say, “Overture, curtain, lights. This is it, we’ll hit the heights. And oh, what heights we’ll hit. . . .” Or, in the words of the Delaney clan, “Hello, Merrimack! Goodbye, Lowell!” The Delaney family…

State cut may affect 500 N.H. families

A state budget cut has forced a statewide mental health advocacy organization to drop up to 500 families, including many in Greater Nashua, from a program that was helping them to advocate for their mentally ill children. The cut also…

Long-awaited return

Football season hasn’t started, but the families of the 94th Military Police Company had every reason to yell “touchdown.” A plane carrying the 150-plus members of the Londonderry-based unit touched down Friday at Fort Drum, N.Y., ending perhaps the longest…

Library seeking items for auction

WILTON - The Renovation Committee for the Wilton Public-Gregg Free Library is seeking donations of unusual items from Wilton’s past as well as items of general interest for a silent auction to be held Aug. 29, during Old Home Days,…

Panel rejects two-family home

The Zoning Board of Adjustment denied a local property owner four variances he needed to convert a single-family home at 39 Amherst St. into a two-family dwelling. Richard Sansone needed the variances because his property doesn’t meet city zoning requirements…

Driver hurt in I-93 crash

WINDHAM - A motorist was thrown from a Chevrolet Tahoe that rolled on Interstate 93 after swerving to avoid another vehicle Sunday afternoon, state police reported. The driver, whom police did not identify, was brought by ambulance to Parkland Medical…

Exxon store robbed at knifepoint

MERRIMACK - He shouldn’t have obeyed his thirst - and underage drinking might be the least of the laws he broke. About 11:25 a.m. on Monday a young man described as being in his late teens held up the Exxon…

Driver hurt in I-93 crash

WINDHAM - A motorist was thrown from a Chevrolet Tahoe that rolled on Interstate 93 after swerving to avoid another vehicle Sunday afternoon, state police reported. The driver, whom police did not identify, was brought by ambulance to Parkland Medical…

Church offers supper on the rails

WILTON - The Second Congregational Church will prepare and serve an old-fashioned ham and bean supper on Friday, Aug. 27, 6:30 p.m., on board the Wilton Scenic Railroad. The menu includes cole slaw, homemade bread, beverages and dessert. Cost is…

Presstek to buy A.B.Dick for $20 million

Presstek Inc., a Hudson-based maker of digital imaging machines, is acquiring the bankrupt A.B.Dick Co. for $40 million. A.B.Dick, a worldwide supplier to the graphic arts and printing industry, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier in July, which makes…

Concord: USA Springs and the state reach agreement

Concord: USA Springs and the state have reached an agreement on a groundwater withdrawal permit allowing the Pelham-based company to build a bottling plant and collect more than 300,000 gallons a day from wells on its property in Nottingham. The…

Exeter: Kitchen Etc. is closing all of its stores

Exeter: After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, Kitchen Etc. is closing all of its stores, including those in Nashua, Manchester, and Newington. Kitchen Etc. Inc. operates 17 retail stores in nine states, and offered its products worldwide…

Hooksett: Merchants Automotive Group sells rental car division

Hooksett: Merchants Automotive Group has sold its rental car division to Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Headquartered in Hooksett, Merchants has 17 rental locations and some 1,500 vehicles. Merchants’ operations include new and used vehicle sales and service, as well as corporate fleet…

Portsmouth: Lawrence Yerdon named president of Strawbery Banke

Portsmouth: More than a year after Kathleen Stiso Mullins resigned as president of Strawbery Banke, Lawrence Yerdon has been named as the museum’s new leader. Yerdon was formerly president and chief executive officer of Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Mass.

Concord: Peterson Petroleum agrees to pay a fine of $125,000

Concord: Peterson Petroleum, a company accused by the state of polluting soil and groundwater at several gas stations in New Hampshire, has agreed to pay a fine of $125,000. Assistant Attorney General Richard Head said some of the contamination happened…

Skills shortage: Check your resume

You know that companies are hiring again, but there you sit, thick in the middle of a job hunt, and you’re getting no bites from eager employers. What’s the deal? It might be a good idea to check your resume.…

The Russound ‘family’ makes homes musical

The people at Russound are in the business of making homeowners happy with the sounds of music. Located in Newmarket, Russound is a state-of-the-art designer, manufacturer and supplier of distributed audio systems. “Distributed” means music from multiple sources (CDs, cassettes,…

The retirement system’s essential service

The New Hampshire Retirement System deserves much praise for its efforts in keeping at least portions of corporate America on the straight and narrow. The retirement system, as New Hampshire Business Review’s Bob Sanders reports on our front page, has…

Association Health Plans offer false promises

There is no doubt that the skyrocketing cost of health insurance is one of the biggest concerns for New Hampshire small-business owners. Ever-increasing premiums are forcing many of us to make difficult decisions, like whether to cut health benefits for…

Let’s end the energy wars, both foreign and domestic

I am a Republican who backs the war in Iraq because a genocidal tyrant was toppled. However, few will secretly disagree that oil explains why the United States intervened in Iraq, but unleashed only rhetoric against genocide in Rwanda. Oil…

Who elected this guy? None of us

In their thirst for more of our money, state administrative officials have confused the closing of an inadvertent loophole in the tax code and making a decision to impose new taxes. In doing so, they have crossed the line between…

COOK ON CONCORD: N.H. is losing a significant leader

Leadership courses often note the ironic contrast between people with leadership qualities and those occupying leadership positions, whether elected or otherwise. Such courses ask for people to think about why many people who are leaders are not in leadership positions…

Commissions, study panels emerged from 2004 session

Compared to recent years, the 2004 session of the New Hampshire Legislature was pretty quiet on the utility front. If there was one characteristic common to most utility-related pieces of legislation this year, it was the desire to study the…

Making a day of it in the Dartmouth-Sunapee region

The natural beauty of Lake Sunapee and the vibrant cultural offerings of the area surrounding Dartmouth College are well worth spending a day or more exploring the eastern half of our state. The Drive Coming from the southern parts of…

When, oh when, will Alfas come back to us?

At the end of July, more than 600 Alfa Romeo owners from across the nation will converge on New Hampshire with their cars, passions and dreams in tow for a few days of Alfa talk, Alfa ogling, Alfa fun and…

Caution: Spontaneous line dancing may occur

It may not be for everybody, but if karaoke is for you, then you won’t want to miss the Gone Country karaoke contest, a music fest and barbecue to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Souhegan Valley.…

And they’re off!: 16th annual Wildman Biathlon

Whether you’re going to participate or be a spectator, mark you calendar for the 16th annual Wildman Biathlon, one of the toughest multi-sport events in New England. Scheduled for 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14 — rain or shine — more…

Feast and float: The Wine and Dine Naturalist Float Trip

Love the outdoors, but hate the hassle of hiking? Reserve a spot for the next Wine and Dine Naturalist Float Trip on the Androscoggin River. Sandy MacGregor, owner and operator of the Mountain Ranger Guide Service in Rumford, Maine, offers…

Funspot’s 52 years of games add up to a serious business

They’re here to protect the planet from dangerous space invaders, capture running blue ghosts in a maze and guide little cartoon plumbers through a crazy building. In early June, more than 50 people gathered at the Funspot arcade in Weirs…

They said it…

“I told him that I am taking a different approach than other governors.” — Gov. Craig Benson recounting what he said to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge about Benson’s decision to begin scrutinizing federal homeland security grants for what he…

Bring on Bruce

Governor Benson’s decision to bury the hatchet and call on former GOP rival Bruce Keough to co-chair his 2004 campaign, albeit honorarily, was a shrewd political decision. It was also was absolutely necessary, considering that more than a few Republicans,…

Look out below

Yes folks, J. Edward Kerns, the caped crusading former state rep who lived one place and represented another, has filed once again to run for the job he was forced to give up last session in the wake of an…

Privacy parts

The Union Leader has been zealous in its defense of the right to privacy — J.D. Salinger’s right to privacy, at least. The paper published an editorial commending the good folks of Cornish for respecting and protecting the privacy of…

Border patrol

“Well, now lookie wha’ we got here!” the sheriff or policeman (whatever) of New Ipswich might have said when he stopped a vehicle and found it contained nine (count ‘em 9) illegal aliens. The immigration authorities in Boston were contacted…

Facts are silly things

It’s always an instructive experience when Jennifer Donahue, senior adviser for political affairs at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, appears on New Hampshire Public Radio’s “The Exchange.” In a March 9 appearance, Donahue, expounding on…

It’s been making the rounds…

Funny that the very week that Finas Williams, attorney for the state Democrats in the GOP phone-jamming affair, had to read John DiStaso’s article in the UL to find out about the guilty plea by Allen Raymond, head of the…

The Latest

Real Estate and Construction Martini Northern, a Portsmouth-based construction manager and general contracting firm, has added Kenneth Hadley of Henniker and Peter Stimmell of Northwood to its construction management team. Hadley is senior project manager and Stimmell is chief estimator.…

Henry Mock looks back on his legislative life

A former high school biology teacher and chief conservation officer in the Fish and Game Department, Henry P. Mock has represented the Mt. Washington Valley town of Jackson in the New Hampshire Legislature for the past 12 years, six of…