Author: NH Business Review Staff

Flotsam & Jetsam

Bill of particularsWhether you like the idea of a voter ID bill or not, you should have some sympathy for Sen. Russell Prescott.The Kingston Republican authored what most observers considered to be a compromise bill that won the support of…

Report: N.H. home sales rose, median price fell in April

The number of housing units sold in New Hampshire increased in April over the same month the previous year, but the median price continued to fall below last year's levels, according to a RE/MAX of New England housing report.RE/MAX reported…

Shaheen, Ayotte back reauthorization of Ex-Im Bank

p>Both of New Hampshire's U.S. senators voted Tuesday to reauthorize the Export-Import bank, a measure that passed the Senate despite political pressure from some conservative groups to eliminate the official export credit agency of the United States.Republican Kelly Ayotte and…

Presstek reports $1.2m quarterly loss

Presstek Inc. reported a net loss of $1.2 million, or 4 cents a share, on Tuesday as financial woes continued to mount for the printing equipment company.The firm is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., but has a substantial facility in Hudson,…

Ex-Presstek CEO agrees to deal on SEC charges

Former Presstek CEO Edward J. Marino has agreed to pay a $50,000 fine to settle charges that he leaked inside information about his former company's poor quarterly performance to an investment adviser who within minutes forwarded a message to dump…

MacMillin merges with Vt. construction firm

The Keene-based MacMillin Company, one of New Hampshire's oldest and largest construction firms, has merged with D.E.W. Construction, Corp., a larger general contractor based in Williston, Vt.The merger, announced Tuesday by the firms, will create a company with "great synergy,"…

iCAD reports $2.3m first-quarter loss

Nashua-based iCAD lost another $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2012, about 4 cents a share, and revenues were down 14 percent, to $6.3 million, according to the firm's most recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.But…

An introduction to Trendslide

My name is Jeffrey Vocell, and I'm one of the co-founders of Trendslide, a Manchester, N.H.-based mobile Business Intelligence startup.Trendslide is a mobile app founded from the pain-point that business leaders and employees should have access to all of their…

USA Springs judge puts off auction decision

USA Springs could continue to pursue financing that has so far proved elusive in an attempt to bail it out of bankruptcy, or it could put itself up for auction, but it can't do both for very long, said Judge…

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NHBR About Town: Cross Insurance

A ribbon cutting was held to celebrate the merger of Munsey & Brazil Insurance Agency in Laconia with Cross Insurance, which now employs 22 full-time employees.

Recent malware infection could block Internet access to thousands

Thousands of U.S. computers infected with malicious software by a sophisticated cyber crime ring could lose their Internet connectivity by July if they're not repaired.Last November, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that it had arrested and charged six Estonians…

Unitil plans new offering of 2.3m shares

Unitil Corp. plans to sell another 2.3 million shares of stock, hoping to get $26.37 a share and raise some $57.1 million, primarily to pay off short-term debt, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.The Hampton-based utility…

‘Green commuting’ challenge launched

A statewide challenge promoting "green commuting" that kicks off Monday, May 14, and runs through the end of the year is aimed at encouraging people to ditch driving by themselves in favor of carpooling, biking, walking, public transit or telecommuting.The…

Hinsdale second of three possible private prison sites

The town of Hinsdale in southwest New Hampshire has surfaced as a possible location for a privately built prison that would house all of New Hampshire's inmates and perhaps those from neighboring states as well.Corrections Corporation of America -- one…

N.H. awarded federal re-employment funds

p>New Hampshire has been awarded nearly $1 million to further fund the state's efforts in helping unemployed workers find training and jobs.The $988,402 grant was awarded to the state by the U.S. Department of Labor as part of a larger…

Marandos challenge seeks entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs with exemplary business ideas are invited to submit their concept papers in the second annual Tory C. Marandos Foundation Entrepreneurship Challenge.The challenge, administered by the Center for Women's Business Advancement at Southern New Hampshire University, is named after late…

Bottomline reports $1.3m 3Q loss

p>Bottomline Technologies posted a net loss of $1.3 million in its last quarter, which ended March 31 - the third quarter of its fiscal year. The loss amounted to about 4 cents a share.In the same quarter a year ago,…

Long Term Care CEO to keynote Financial Exec Awards breakfast

Paul Forte, CEO of Portsmouth-based Long Term Care Partners, will deliver keynote remarks at NHBR's first Financial Executive of the Year Awards breakfast reception on Tuesday, May 15, in Manchester.Presented by KBW Financial Staffing & Recruiting, the inaugural event will…

So why aren’t renewables a slam-dunk investment?

Editor's note: This is the final installment in a series of articles on renewable energy.Logic says that, given the free nature of sun and wind, once a plant is built the costs must be lower than for fossil fuels. Logic…

Shale gas: An electric industry game-changer

Over the past several years, there has been a dramatic expansion in the supply of domestic natural gas from "unconventional" resources -- shale rock formations in North Dakota, the Gulf states, and, closest and most important to New England, the…

Raising equity through crowdfunding

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups, or JOBS Act, signed into law April 5 by President Obama provides a significant change to the way small businesses are able to access equity funding. A key provision allows small businesses to raise a…

Give your employees a chance to win

Have you ever gone to the Kentucky Derby or watched it on TV? How about the Preakness or the Belmont Stakes? Those are the three races that comprise the Triple Crown of horse racing. Winning a Triple Crown is considered…

Flotsam & Jetsam

A man with a planBill O'Brien, who has already declared his plans to seek another term as speaker of the New Hampshire House, was the focus of an informative, interesting -- and at times disturbing -- recent series of articles…

NHBR About Town: Comcast Cares Day

Students from the Sanborn High School Honor Society volunteer alongside Comcast employees at the New Hampshire Food Bank as part of the 11th annual Comcast Cares Day, during which more than 200 Comcast employees performed community service at the food…

NHBR About Town: Granite State Credit Union

Granite State Credit Union employee Jody Ducharme is the first recipient of the annual Robert E. Mercer Volunteerism Award, which is given to a staff member who epitomizes the spirit of volunteerism. The credit union's marketing communication liaison, Ducharme and…

NHBR About Town: New England Language Center

The New England Language Center in Rochester hosted a potluck dinner to welcome a delegation from the Kyrgyz Republic, one of the world's six independent Turkic states. The delegation, which consisted of five parliamentarians and two interpreters, was in the…

NHBR About Town: Building on Hope

Breaking ground on Building on Hope's 2012 community improvement projects -- a $250,000 community-funded renovation of Girls Inc.'s Manchester Girls Center -- are, from left, Gov. John Lynch; Jonathan Halle, Building on Hope co-chair; Cathy Duffy Cullity, CEO of Girls…

NHBR About Town: Bellwether Community Credit Union

As a recent recipient of the Bellwether Community Champion award, Maryanne Taylor throws out the ceremonial first pitch at a New Hampshire Fisher Cats game on April 14th. Taylor, a social worker, was honored for her dedication to the Derry…

NHBR About Town: Pheasant Lane Mall

Celebrating the completion of a major renovation at the Pheasant Lane Mall In Nashua are, from left, Ron Hanson, regional senior vice president of Simon Malls; Jenna Lynds, the mall's director of marketing and business development; Vincent Cosco, general manager…

NHBR About Town: Gamache Enterprises

Gamache Enterprises held an open house and ribbon cutting to celebrate the grand re-opening of the Merrimack Village Mall at 416 D.W. Highway in Merrimack, which it acquired last May and reconstructed with a new façade.

NHBR About Town: St. Mary’s Bank

Celebrating the grand opening of St. Mary's Bank newest branch office and education center at 48 Perimeter Rd. are, from left, Joseph G. Fremeau, chairman of the credit union's board of directors; Robin Comstock, president and CEO of the Greater…

NHBR About Town: Rain for the Sahel and the Sahara

Portsmouth-based NGO Rain for the Sahel and the Sahara held a fundraiser last month at The Music Hall that raised $80,000 for its programs in Niger. Among the 300 attendees were Maman Sidikou, ambassador of Niger, and Gabon Ambassador Michael…

NHBR About Town: U.S. Cellular

Last month at a New Hampshire Fisher Cats game, U.S. Cellular presented its Academic All-Star Awards to 49 students from seven Manchester schools who were nominated by their teachers for overcoming a hardship or for the student's diligence, hard work,…

N.H. foreclosures rise in March, but trend seems brighter

The number of foreclosures in New Hampshire increased 16 percent in March from the previous month, but so far in 2012 foreclosures are down about 5 percent from where they were last year.There were 362 foreclosure deeds recorded in New…

Personal bankruptcies fall, but more N.H. businesses file

The number of personal bankruptcies filed in New Hampshire continued to plummet in April, but the number of business bankruptcies crept up a bit.There were 383 bankruptcies in all, nearly 20 percent fewer than the 475 in April 2011 and…

Value of N.H. future construction weakens in March

The total value of future construction contracts fell in March from both the previous month and the same month in 2011, but thanks to strong figures in February, future construction in New Hampshire is still stronger in 2012 than it…

USA Springs sets possible auction in motion

USA Springs will head to the auction block in July unless it manages to obtain a $60 million loan that has thus far been elusive.The potential lender again failed to meet its deadline Monday, according to a number of filings…

2010 personal income grew in all N.H. counties

Personal income grew in every New Hampshire county in 2010, with the largest gain in Grafton County and the smallest in Coos County.The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which released the figures Wednesday, defines personal income as income derived by…

Presstek shifts listing to smaller Nasdaq exchange

Barely a week after announcing plans to seek shareholder approval for a reverse stock split in order to boost its share price and prevent being delisted from the larger Nasdaq Global Market exchange, Presstek Inc. moved its stock listing to…

New Hampshire part of multi-state $500m MetLife agreement

As part of a multi-state investigation led by New Hampshire and five other states, life insurance giant MetLife will pay nearly $500 million to consumers and the states to settle charges that it failed to pay death benefits to heirs.MetLife…

Optima Bank offers 400k shares

Portsmouth-based Optima Bank & Trust has received "significant interest" from investors in its recently launched stock offering of an additional 400,000 shares, according to CEO Daniel Morrison. Morrison, who announced the offering at the annual shareholders' meeting last week, is…