Author: NH Business Review Staff

NHBR About Town: Ledyard National Bank

Jeff Marks, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Ledyard National Bank, presents a $2,000 check to Mary Margaret Sloan, executive director of Local First Alliance, which will support the organization's mission of strengthening the local Upper Valley economy.

Burying power lines is a win-win for taxpayers

The unusual October snowstorm that resulted in electric outages of two weeks or more in some areas of New England has re-energized the discussion about underground vs. overhead transmission lines.State and local officials, FEMA, policymakers and consumers are asking why…

David Goodwin, Raymond Closson served the city well

I am writing this column on Dec. 7. In a rare confluence of events, this date has historic importance to New Hampshire for a number of related, and unrelated, reasons:First, this is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on…

‘Check scam’ snags Hanover attorney

Hanover-based Ledyard Bank is suing a Hanover attorney who was the victim of a $195,000 check scam.W.E. "Ned" Whittington's liability insurance company won't cover the loss, arguing that the lawyer simply fell for a variant of the "Nigerian Check Scam,"…

2010 compensation a mixed picture in N.H.

Total employment compensation in New Hampshire increased by 1.8 percent in 2010, but it didn't increase in all of the state's 10 counties, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.Two New Hampshire counties saw a decrease in their total compensation in…

Shaheen, Ayotte hail SBIR funding deal

After years of stalled negotiations, Congress has finally reached a deal that would give long-term reauthorization to two popular programs that make it easier for small businesses to win federal contracts.The U.S. House and Senate have agreed on the terms…

N.H. jobless rate dips again in November

New Hampshire's unemployment rate inched down a tenth of a percent in November, to 5.2 percent -- another sign of the agonizingly languid pace of the economic recovery -- according to statistics released Tuesday by the New Hampshire Department of…

Gittell to head N.H. community college system

Ross Gittell will reach out more to business and industry when he takes over as the new chancellor of the Community College System of New Hampshire, the economist told NHBR Monday, shortly after his appointment was announced.Gittell, a professor at…

NHBR About Town: The Red Cross

From left, Linda Roche, Northeast Delta Dental's senior director of New Hampshire sales, and Joe Kasper, its director of corporate services, present Maria White, CEO of the New Hampshire chapter of the American Red Cross, with a donation to support…

NHBR About Town: Elliot Health System

Susan Ryan, president of the Elliot Health System, and Doug Dean, its CEO, stand behind Elliot Hospital Associates, from left, Ethel Chaput, Janie Tibbetts and Elizabeth Stewart at the 10th annual Elliot Hospital Associates Gala, which raised more than $225,000…

NHBR About Town: New Horizons

The Singer family of Merchants Automotive Group has underwritten the cost of Thanksgiving dinner at New Horizons for New Hampshire, a Manchester soup kitchen and homeless shelter. Pictured with the donation are, from left, Alan Singer, Michael Sidney, New Horizons…

NHBR About Town: The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester

Peter Janelle, right, CEO of The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, awards John Broderick, dean and president of the University of New Hampshire School of Law, with the organization's 2011 Community Leadership Award. Jay Couture, not pictured, executive director…

NHBR About Town: The Greater Nashua Arts Initiative

The Greater Nashua Arts Initiative -- a young professionals group aimed at supporting arts in the Gate City -- has raised more than $60,000 for renovations to the Edmund Keefe Auditorium in Nashua through an Indigo Girls benefit concert. Pictured…

NHBR About Town: New Hampshire Small Business Development Center

Staff and board members of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center join Patrick McHugh, New Hampshire's interim president of FairPoint Communications, second from left, Greta Johansson, in orange, state district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Mary…

NHBR About Town: New Hampshire Liquor Commission

Celebrating the opening of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission's newest New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet on Coliseum Avenue in Nashua are, left to right, Mark Bodi, NHLC commissioner; Joseph Mollica, NHLC chairman; State Reps. Lisa Scontsas, Don LeBrun, David…

N.H. firm steaming after DoD reneges on lobster deal

Cancellation of a military contract to supply lobster to troops in Afghanistan caused havoc in the lobster industry in Maine and New Hampshire, claims a Portsmouth subcontractor that has filed a breach of contract suit in federal court."The military blatantly…

N.H. foreclosures rise, but slightly

There were slightly more foreclosures recorded in New Hampshire this past October than there were in October 2010, but so far this year there have been significantly fewer foreclosures than there were in 2010.That's according to the New Hampshire Housing…

N.H. at ‘high risk’ from a European recession

A new report has found that if Europe slides into a recession, New Hampshire is at "high risk" of being negatively affected, but not nearly as much as some other states.Released by Wells Fargo Securities' Economics Group, the report was…

BIA sets 2012 legislative agenda

The Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire has released its 2012 public policy priorities, and as in past years, addressing high health care costs, the state's tax structure and fostering economic growth top the list.Each year, the statewide chamber…

USA Springs loan deal remains elusive

For the third time in as many months, the bankrupt USA Springs has been unable to close on a $60 million loan because initial funding from its Swiss underwriter, Malom Group AG, still has not arrived.The deal, which would enable…

Senate OKs SBIR funding, but full passage remains a question mark

The U.S. Senate has passed an amendment that would reauthorize the popular Small Business Innovation Research program for eight years, but there are still two major hurdles to clear if a long-term reauthorization is to become a reality.For starters, there's…

Bottomline to buy two companies

Bottomline Technologies is acquiring two companies, the Portsmouth-based payroll software company announced Monday.One company, Logical Progression, based near Raleigh, N.C., is described as an early stage company that focuses on the development of Logical Ink, a mobile document technology for…

Q&A with 'Coupon professor' Kim Bergeron

As coupons find new favor among consumers who, in some cases, have drastically cut grocery bills by aggressively working the system, the Extreme Coupon Professors have been finding a wider and wider audience. The "professors" are Kim Bergeron and Alice…

House seeks control over new tax forms

The release of New Hampshire's new scan-friendly business tax forms for 2011 will be a crucial step in paving the way for electronic filing, but that step might become a stumble if the Legislature slows down the process by asserting…

Crowdfunding bill gains in Congress

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is co-sponsoring a bill that would let entrepreneurs raise up to $1 million a year by selling ownership stakes in their companies through what are known as crowdfunding websites. A similar version of the bill breezed…

Invest in the best words for your business

I've been around small ad agencies and design shops my entire career, mostly in sales. I've witnessed many conversations that go something like this:Account Executive: "OK, great! Glad you love the design. Now if you can get us the actual…

Goodbye Reg Q, hello interest

Thanks to one of the latest changes in banking regulations, business banking customers can now earn interest on their checking accounts. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, which became law in July 2010, included numerous changes to the financial services…

When’s the last time you learned something?

Alas, sailing season is over. To ease my withdrawal pains, I read Points East, a nautical magazine. The Editor's Page by Nim Marsh featured a story about the venerable old Lowell Boat Shop on the Merrimack River in Amesbury, Mass.…

Utility tax bills and executive salaries

To the editor:"'[Unitil's] goal should be that we pay zero taxes, because if we pay taxes, the ratepayers are going to pay it,' said Jonathan Giegerich, corporate tax specialist with the Hampton-based company." ("The great rate debate," Nov. 18-Dec. 1…

‘Accounting’ for Social Security’s shortfall

To the editor:It seems like almost every issue of NHBR contains an article about "Social Security." The one by Mark Fernald in the Oct. 21-Nov. 3 issue ("A response to the Social Security 'smear campaign'") does a great job of…

How the Pentagon is setting an energy-saving standard

Throughout our public service careers, we have been honored to work on behalf of the men and women of our military. We each have seen and experienced firsthand the ingenuity and commitment of our uniformed men and women, their families,…

A message to Occupy Wall Street

What now? That's up to you.A great rising in the streets against the intolerable may catalyze healing change and basic reform. Or it may be met by further repression, the club, the gun and mass arrests.As a longtime Clamshell Alliance…

Nov. bankruptcies hit three-year low

The number of New Hampshire bankruptcy filings sank to their lowest level in three years last month.Some 338 bankruptcy filings were recorded in November, 31 fewer than in October and 90 fewer than in November 2010. They were at about…

N.H.’s dubious, and dangerous, distinction

New Hampshire is, and loves to be, first. We fight for the first-in-the nation primary, and proudly tout our standing on lists like "healthiest state" and "safest state."However, New Hampshire also has the dubious distinction of being number one in…

Ballot Law Commission hearing was a wake-up call

On Nov. 19, a memorial service was held in Peterborough for Perkins Bass, the late former congressman from New Hampshire's 2nd District, founder of the law firm for which I work and a distinguished New Hampshirite.This was one of those…

BIA survey: Health, energy ‘major’ concerns

The cost of health care and energy are of major concern to New Hampshire businesspeople, more than taxes, regulations and labor unions, according to a Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire survey released Tuesday.Of course, the biggest concern of…

White Mts. execs split $6.75m in deal-related bonuses

White Mountains Insurance Group has rewarded its top executives with $6.75 million in special bonuses for their work in building up and selling off the company's Esurance and Answer Financial units, the company disclosed last week to the Securities and…

Retailers sue over ‘swipe’ fee

The National Retail Federation is suing the Federal Reserve over claims that the 21-cent cap it imposed on debit card "swipe fees" for large banks isn't low enough.The debate over what is a reasonable and proportional amount for retailers to…

SEC alleges N.H.-based Ponzi scheme

A Bedford-based Internet trading corporation is actually a Ponzi scheme run by a Canadian resident who used it to pay off previous investors and build up his Ontario horse farm, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.The SEC charges…

Fees disputed in Ezenia bankruptcy case

The bankrupt Ezenia should not pay certain professionals before all others -- especially those it owes money to -- urges the bankruptcy trustee in a matter expected to go before the U.S. Bankruptcy court on Tuesday.The Nashua-based software developer wants…

NHBR About Town: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has donated $1,000 to the Moultonborough Food Pantry, raised by employees and agents of the firm through its annual July Poker Run. Pictured with the donation are, left to right, Carol Robbins and Beverly Charest of…

NHBR About Town: WoodPellets.com

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, right, tours the Goffstown headquarters of WoodPellets.com to learn about job creation in the biomass industry and its use as a renewable heating source. From left, John Ackerly, president of the Alliance for Green Heat, and…

NHBR About Town: Hampton Rotary Club

B.J. 'Doc' Noel, president of the Hampton Chamber of Commerce, left, presents Deb Marsolais, president of the Hampton Rotary Club, a check for $46,500, the rotary's share of the proceeds from the 2011 Hampton Beach Seafood Festival, during which rotary…

NHBR About Town: UNTHA America Inc.

UNTHA America Inc., an Austrian-based manufacturer of industrial shredding equipment, has relocated from Newburyport, Mass. to Hampton. Berhard Mueggler, left, president of the company's U.S. operations, said he expects the move will cut its operational costs by 10 percent annually.…

NHBR About Town: Members First Credit Union

Members First Credit Union has revitalized a park adjacent to its Bridge Street office and named it in honor of its founder, John Walsh, seated, who established the credit union in 1949 on behalf of Manchester's municipal employees. The park…

NHBR About town: New Hampshire Emergency Nurse Association

The New Hampshire Emergency Nurse Association has recognized Joanna Whittington, center, as its Registered Nurse of the Year. Whittington is a nurse in Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department, where she has reached the highest attainable level of the hospital's clinical ladder.…

NHBR About Town: Service Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show

Proceeds from the 2011 Service Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show were donated to several nonprofits in New Hampshire, including the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire, the Daniel Webster Council Boy Scouts of America, and America's Credit Union Museum in…

NHBR About Town: Concord Housing + Redevelopment

Concord Housing + Redevelopment hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its new offices at Green St. in Concord, which were designed by Warrenstreet Architects, built by Hutter Construction and financed by Merrimack County Savings Bank. John Hoyt, CH+R executive director,…