Author: NH Business Review Staff

Flotsam & Jetsam: April 5, 2013

“I have yet to wrap my head around how he could realistically compete in a general election.” – Political commentator Dean Spiliotes assesses the prospects of a Bill O’Brien 2nd C.D. run.

Rose sworn in as state’s new DRED commissioner

Jeffrey Rose was sworn in Monday as the new commissioner of the state Department of Resources and Economic Development. Describing himself as “a huge fan of baseball,” Rose said it was appropriate he began his new job on Opening Day…

Patent dispute leads Keene firm to file for bankruptcy

Samson Manufacturing Corp., a manufacturer of gun accessories that moved to Keene from Massachusetts last year with a federal grant and the promise of new jobs, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday to forestall a million-dollar judgment awarded in…

N.H.’s MTBE settlement cache: $136m and counting

New Hampshire has won $136.5 million as a result of a massive lawsuit it filed a decade ago over the gasoline additive MTBE, and it may win more, pending a case currently being heard in Merrimack County Superior Court against…

Tax credit foes target low-income families

If the New Hampshire House has its way, children from low-income families will be forced to rescind scholarships that enable them to attend private elementary and high schools.When passed last year, the education tax credit was a major victory for…

Legislature could ease state’s dental shortage

Many New Hampshire families are looking forward to securing dental coverage for their kids under the health care reform law.But there's a big difference between having coverage and having care. Unless our Legislature does more to expand the number of…

Just say no to private prisons in N.H.

In the not-too-distant future, a report will be released in New Hampshire likely endorsing the creation of a private prison. The governor and General Court should reject this poor idea.New Hampshire already has 15 prisons -- one in each of…

Paranoia plays a role in pro-gun movement

After the recent piece I wrote for NHBR about guns in the New Hampshire Legislature, I received an interesting opposing response. A former state representative from Georges Mills, Spec Bowers, wrote that mass shootings have occurred in a church, a…

Resident Power, PNE Energy win a round against PUC staff

PNE Energy Supply, which in February defaulted on its promise to buy electricity for thousands of New Hampshire customers, told the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission Thursday that it has rectified the situation and was ready to defend itself against…

Flotsam & Jetsam: March 22, 2013

To the folks at Northeast Utilities/PSNH: In your annual report, you told shareholders that you’d be unveiling an alternate route for the Northern Pass project by March 31. That’s March 31, 2013. Just in case it may have slipped your mind.

Unitil CEO’s 2012 compensation up 24 percent

Unitil Corp. CEO Robert Schoenberger received $2.16 million in compensation in 2012, a 24 percent increase from the year before, according to the proxy filed by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.That's slightly half of the total…

Contrasting data muddies N.H. home sales picture

The price of homes in New Hampshire won't bottom out until 2014, lagging behind most of the rest of the country, according to projections by Zillow, a national real estate analysis firm. It's a gloomy forecast that contrasts with the…

Boston Fed chief to address N.H. business leaders

Eric Rosengren, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, will be in Manchester March 27 to discuss the state of New England's economy and related matters.The briefing, presented by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire,…

Boston Fed chief to address N.H. business leaders

Eric Rosengren, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, will be in Manchester March 27 to discuss the state of New England’s economy and related matters. The briefing, presented by the Business and Industry Association of New…

House to vote on a raft of business legislation

So many high-profile pieces of legislation are being considered during Wednesday's New Hampshire House session -- from medical marijuana to whether to expand Medicaid -- that many bills affecting businesses might pass unnoticed. Here are some of the measures the…

UNH Law School makes a leap in U.S. News ranking

The University of New Hampshire School of Law jumped more than 20 spots in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of law schools -- one of the largest leaps of any school on the list.The law school, known…

N.H. foreclosure rate shows slow improvement

There were slightly more foreclosures in New Hampshire in January 2013 than there were in the same month last year, but fewer than there were in December 2012 -- an indicator that the state's foreclosure market is improving as slowly…

'Chained' CPI cuts Social Security benefits

There’s a budget proposal on the table – the “chained” consumer price index – that would cut over $623 million from Granite Staters’ Social Security and veterans’ COLA over the next 10 years.

New report boosts Pettengill Rd. development in Londonderry

The Pettengill Road extension project in Londonderry is the most attractive business park development opportunity in New Hampshire, and if it's developed, it could create 10,000 jobs in the region and become the next Pease International Tradeport, according to a…

Jobless benefits for business starters clear Senate hurdle

Should a laid-off worker be able to turn down a job and still collect unemployment benefits because he or she is starting a business?That was the question sparked by Senate Bill 142, the latest "pathway to work" program, which the…

‘Cliff’ tax deal: What it means to you

Instead of champagne toasts and party hats, Washington, D.C., welcomed the new year with the same old dance of waiting until the last minute before demonstrating its near inability to work together.Regardless, the so-called "fiscal cliff" -- a series of…

Managing expectations in times of turbulence

One of the biggest changes in the financial services industry since I started my career as a wealth manager was one never considered in our education. It had nothing to do with economics, politics, regulations, the dramatic reshaping of the…

How Washington and Italy can damper optimism

Counter to my natural tendencies, entering the year I was optimistic about our economic prospects. I prefer realism, and these days realism makes it difficult to join the "Suzy Sunshine" club. This year may still be better than last year,…

New Hampshire business tax changes for 2013

In addition to changes to federal tax laws at the close of 2012, there were various changes to New Hampshire laws, the most significant being changes to the interest and dividends (I&D) tax.For tax years ending on or after Dec.…

How to destroy your credibility

The drinks were flowing, the hors d'oeuvres delicious and the conversation stimulating. Although the economy is a depressing subject, there was plenty of lighthearted laughter as we reviewed the gruesome details tongue in cheek. This was a lively crowd, eager…

‘Chained’ CPI cuts Social Security benefits

To the editor:There's a budget proposal on the table - the "chained" consumer price index - that would cut over $623 million from Granite Staters' Social Security and veterans' COLA over the next 10 years.The average Social Security retirement benefit…

Killing school choice hurts poor families

In her budget address before the Legislature, Gov. Maggie Hassan pledged to repeal the nascent Opportunity Scholarship Act, which grants tax credits to businesses that help low- and middle-income students afford independent and home schooling.If the governor's goal is saving…

Why does the IBEW want to kill jobs?

I was raised in a union household -- my father was an International Union of Electrical Workers steward. He said that unions formed to give workers bargaining power that they as individuals did not have. As a union employee myself,…

How employers are preparing for ACA 2014

The Affordable Care Act is the most important piece of employee benefits legislation since the passage of ERISA in 1974. And in the past few months, Bernstein Shur's ACA team has conducted focus groups with business and nonprofit community leaders…

Census: 17% of N.H. commuters work out of state

It will probably come as no surprise to the New Hampshire commuters who battle traffic each weekday morning into Massachusetts that, according to a new U.S. Census report, about 17 percent of working New Hampshire residents commute outside the state…

Campaign finance, politicians and judges

I know nothing about the tax issues that have faced 2nd District Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster or GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Horn, a former congressional candidate herself.Recently, there has been much made of the fact that Kuster's property taxes were paid…

Tax credits: A nonprofit’s experience

The number $956,250 has been stuck in my head since late summer 2011, when Lakes Region Community Services was awarded tax credits from the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority to support our office relocation.Looking back, I realize now that…

Sylvania re-ups for NHMS sponsorship

In January, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Osram Sylvania announced a five-year sponsorship extension for the Sylvania 300, one of two marquee Sprint Cup races run at the Loudon track.The deal - which will run through the 2017 NASCAR Sprint…

GTAT: Trade war hurts our sales in China

Thanks to companies like Nashua-based GT Advanced Technologies, the United States exports more clean energy technology to China than the other way around, and that imbalance would grow even more in our favor if good trade relations are nurtured between…

‘Red-eye’ N.H. export missions planned for Mexico, Rome

New Hampshire companies looking to boost their exports in the areas of aerospace and health technology are invited to take part in two industry-specific trade missions in April and June.These quick-hit "red-eye" missions will head to Mexico in April, where…

GTAT: Trade war hurts our sales in China

Thanks to companies like Nashua-based GT Advanced Technologies, the United States exports more clean energy technology to China than the other way around, and that imbalance would grow even more in our favor if good trade relations are nurtured between…

'Red-eye' N.H. export missions planned for Mexico, Rome

New Hampshire companies looking to boost their exports in the areas of aerospace and health technology are invited to take part in two industry-specific trade missions in April and June. These quick-hit "red-eye" missions will head to Mexico in April,…