Author: NH Business Review Staff

Bottomline 1Q net falls

Bottomline Technologies reported a net income of $1.7 million (a nickel a share) in the first quarter of the company's fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30.That's a falloff of nearly $1 million from the $2.7 million net income reported…

Presstek gets Nasdaq delisting warning

Presstek, Inc.'s stock will be delisted if it doesn't get its stock price up, Nasdaq warned the company last week. But the Hudson-based printing equipment can still be traded on the exchange, at least until April.The company's stock traded below…

Panel approves watered-down health mandate bill

A bill that set out to repeal all of the health insurance mandates passed when Democrats last had control of the New Hampshire Legislature will effectively repeal only one - a mandate that insurers pay for midwives - at least…

FairPoint names McHugh president

Patrick C. McHugh, FairPoint Communications' assistant general counsel in northern New England, has been named the company's New Hampshire state president.He succeeds Teresa Rosenberger, who stepped down from the post last month to return to her work at the Devine…

Verizon duped FairPoint, suit charges

A group of former FairPoint Communications creditors has filed suit against Verizon Communications, charging that the giant telecom is to blame for FairPoint's bankruptcy and continued financial troubles.The creditors have formed a litigation trust and filed a $2 billion fraudulent…

Kingsbury workers get no treat for Halloween

The bankrupt Kingsbury Corp. told its workers Monday they might have to wait until the company is sold before they can get paid three weeks' back wages from July.The company was in Bankruptcy Court in Manchester to get approval from…

Books-A-Million begins opening at former Borders sites

As part of a move to expand its New England footprint, Alabama-based Books-A-Million recently opened its first New Hampshire store and will open two more by the end of this week.Books-A-Million had a soft opening of its first Granite State…

Winners honored at 9th Business Excellence Awards

Thirteen businesspeople were honored Thursday night at the New Hampshire Business Review's ninth annual Business Excellence Awards, which recognize the efforts and achievements owners and operators of companies with 100 employees or fewer.More than 300 people attended the Oct. 27…

Daddy’s customers look for answers

Customers of Daddy's Junky Music whose items were being repaired or who had made deposits on equipment are trying to figure out where they stand now that the New Hampshire-based chain of music equipment stores closed its doors abruptly Wednesday…

Unitil on track for stronger 2011

Hampton-based Unitil Corp. posted a net loss of $1.6 million, or 15 cents a share, in its third quarter, thanks to expensing $2 million in costs due to the ice storm in 2008. But, according to the company's earnings report…

FairPoint suit seeks $6.2m from CLEC

FairPoint Communications is taking on the nation's biggest competitive local exchange carrier -- or CLEC -- in federal court, saying it is owed $6.2 million.On Monday, FairPoint's two subsidiaries (Vermont LLC and Northern New England Telephone Operations LLC ) filed…

N.H. Women’s Caucus set at Colby-Sawyer

Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and co-author of The New York Times best-selling book, "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide," will deliver the keynote address at the first New Hampshire Women's Caucus.The "What Women Want Now"…

Future construction shows some life

The total dollar amount of future construction contracts in New Hampshire picked up somewhat in September, putting a stop to a troubling downward trend.According to industry information service McGraw Hill Construction, which collects the data, future construction contracts totaled $98.6…

House panel waters down naturopath mandate

The New Hampshire House Commerce Committee Tuesday backed away from requiring health insurers to cover patients using naturopath doctors as primary care physicians in the small group market.Instead, the requirement will be limited to the individual market, where people already…

Out of the gate, Timberland boosts VF’s bottom line

VF Corp.'s acquisition of Stratham-based The Timberland Company earlier this year has paid off immediately and more than expected, according to the North Carolina-based firm's earnings report released Monday.VF closed the deal $2.3 billion deal on Sept. 13, and it…

Shaheen helps lead effort to save SBIR funding

The U.S. House is trying to weaken the U.S. Senate's bid to reauthorize two programs that bring millions of dollars of research money to small businesses, according to U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who is joining with Republican Sen. Scott…

How to thrust leadership upon them

Shakespeare once wrote, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." In leadership theory and practice, all apply.Our primary goal as a leader is to make more leaders. This is no easy thing to…

Become a social media star: the value of video

Video may have killed the radio star, but online videos have led to increased sales and expanded brand awareness for companies of all sizes and industry - and online video use is increasing at an impressive rate.According to a recent…

Flotsam & Jetsam: Out and About

Usually if you're doing the overnight newscast, even on a network like ABC, you wonder if anyone's paying attention. But Dan Kloeffler -- of ABC's "World News Now" early-morning broadcast -- found out that there were people out there watching.Kloeffler…

Praise for Bass’ TRAIN Act ‘no’ vote

To the editor:As a New Hampshire business owner committed to preserving a healthy environment, I wanted to offer my thanks to Congressman Charlie Bass for rejecting the TRAIN Act in the House last week. As we witnessed in the GOP…

Does Northern Pass deserve special treatment?

Unless you live completely off the grid, you cannot have missed the impressive advertising campaign for the Northern Pass project, which proposes building 180 miles of electric transmission lines through New Hampshire to bring Canadian electricity to New England.These daily…

Let’s send every child to a good school

According to the U.S. Department of Education, almost 27 percent of children in America already have access to the school of their choice. As recently as 2007 -- the most recent year of available data from the National Center for…

A response to the Social Security ‘smear campaign’

Claims that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme are just part of a continuing right-wing campaign to smear our most successful, and most popular, government program.Social Security was created in 1935 to solve a problem: millions of Americans were living…

Self-made men and politics — like oil and water?

I believe there is a certain kind of character that does not do well in politics: self-made millionaires.Tough, impatient and independent, these are people who can make a great success of themselves in business, but mostly fail when they enter…

House panel endorses naturopath mandate

Republican members of the House Commerce Committee bucked their leadership Thursday and voted 15-5 to endorse a health insurance mandate requiring insurance companies to cover people who use naturopathic practitioners as primary care physicians.If the bill is approved, the insurance…

House panel OKs return of payday loans

Complaints against payday and other high-interest small lenders nearly doubled in New Hampshire after they were effectively banned from the state in July 2010 -- a statistic that supporters seized on Wednesday in moving forward a bill that would bring…

Q&A with: Freudenberg exec Leesa A. Smith

Leesa A. Smith is president of Freudenberg North America Limited Partnership, coordinating services affecting more than 6,000 employees at 15 companies. She was recently appointed the North American (and only female) representative to the international firm's global executive team.NHBR interviewed…

‘Guest commentary’ offers a younger perspective

The Republican candidates (or most of them who were invited) debated issues on Oct. 11 at Dartmouth College in Hanover. This was an interesting location for such a debate, there being a scarce number of GOP voters in that college…

Wellness programs and productivity

Editor's note: This series of articles follows the progress, challenges and successes of businesses and other organizations in New Hampshire as they implement workplace wellness programs.Pemi-Baker Community Health in Plymouth started implementing a workplace wellness program in 2009. Like many…

N.H. exports continue 2011 swoon

Following a remarkably strong recovery in 2010, the growth of global trade has slowed down, according to the latest available monthly statistics on trade flows from around the globe.The growth in the volume of worldwide merchandise exports, measured by the…

In Durham, a greenhouse is a place to grow ideas

The Idea Greenhouse in Durham began simply enough: Entrepreneur Tom Elliott was irritated about the status quo.Elliott, a University of New Hampshire graduate who moved back to the area a few years ago, didn't take long to come to this…

NHBR About Town: NHBR’s Health Care Forum

More than 300 people attended NHBR's third annual Health Care Forum on Thursday, Oct. 13, which was presented in partnership with MVP Health Care at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord. The event included a networking breakfast, a panel with…

Brooks Properties owner sued over jet loan

A financing company has sued "self-made" businessman Harold J. Brooks, founder of Brooks Properties in Salem, for more than $2 million over a loan to buy a private jet.Connecticut-based VFS Financing Inc. charges that Brooks personally guaranteed a $4.77 million…

Health mandates show staying power in House hearing

One of the Republican mantras during the last election was to get rid of all mandates that were said to be driving up the cost of group health insurance for small businesses.On Tuesday, in both the House and Senate's commerce…

White Mts. in second stock buyback

For the second time in two months, White Mountains Insurance Group will be buying back shares in a "modified Dutch auction."Under the auction, which started Monday, a shareholder can name his or her price -- between $385 and $425 --…

Keene med center settles 2nd deaf discrimination suit

Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, charged with discriminating against a deaf patient for the second time in seven years, has agreed to pay a $25,000 fine to the federal government and to insure that services are provided to deaf patients…

Future construction numbers continue to fall

Total future construction contracts in New Hampshire continued their troubling year-over-year downward trend in August.Future construction contracts totaled $93.3 million in August -- a 27 percent drop from the $127.1 million recorded in August 2010. Still that was an increase…

Rosenberger leaves top FairPoint post in N.H.

Teresa Rosenberger, FairPoint Communications' New Hampshire state president since January 2010, has stepped down from the job.Rosenberger, who was responsible for overseeing regulatory matters, governmental relations, public relations and economic development for the company, will be returning to the Manchester-based…

Bill seeks to curb flight to individual health policies

It doesn't look like Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in New Hampshire will be able to convince lawmakers to stop healthy employees from fleeing their group plan at work for a more affordable individual policy.Some 2,500 "lives" left the group…

House panel mulls reviving payday loans

"Usury is in the eye of the beholder," said John Hunt, R-Rindge, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, as his panel on Tuesday considered allowing high-interest payday loans in New Hampshire once again.House Bill 160 refers to them as "installment…

House panel mulls reviving payday loans

"Usury is in the eye of the beholder," said John Hunt, R-Rindge, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, as his panel on Tuesday considered allowing high-interest payday loans in New Hampshire once again.House Bill 160 refers to them as "installment…

3rd annual social media summit set

With the goal of helping participants to learn more about "what's happening and what's possible" in the world of social media, the state Division of Economic Development in association with Epiphanies Inc. will present the third annual "A-Ha!" NH Social…

Top Bottomline execs’ pay rises 20%

The three top executives of Portsmouth-based Bottomline Technologies Inc. earned a total of $3.4 million in fiscal year 2011 -- a 20 percent increase over the compensation they earned in fiscal 2010 -- according to a proxy filed on Friday.CEO…

NHBR About Town: G.M. Roth

Associates from G.M. Roth, a design remodeling firm in Nashua, participated in and donated more than $300 to the annual American Parkinson Disease Association Walk-A-Thon, which raised over $5,200 to support Parkinson's research.

NHBR About Town: New Hampshire Ball Bearings Inc.

Rolls-Royce has recognized the HiTech Division of New Hampshire Ball Bearings Inc. for outstanding service on two of its helicopter engine programs, the M250® and RR300. Shown at the honor ceremony are, from left, Wayne Armstrong, Buyer, Rolls-Royce; Dan Lemieux,…

NHBR About Town: Patriot Award

James Goss, left, executive director of the New Hampshire Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, presented Merrimack County Savings Bank executive vice president Ed Caron, second from right, and bank vice president Beth Hurd with Patriot Awards, which recognize…

NHBR About Town: The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls

The Inns & Spa at Mill Falls has broken ground on the second phase of the Church Landing expansion, which will add 13 rooms and suites in two new buildings. Construction is expected to be completed next summer.

NHBR About Town: People’s United Community Foundation

Janet Ackerman, vice president of People's United Bank, left, and bank president Dianne Mercier, right, present Melanie Gosselin, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, a $10,000 grant on behalf of the People's United Community Foundation to support the…