As the last quarter of 2025 foretold, M&A activity in 2026 means dealmakers can expect to pivot on the way to making deals happen. Join a panel of experts, moderated by Sheehan Phinney, who can share what buyers and sellers are looking for, what financing looks like and how long it’s been taking for deals to close. Is the market shifting toward strategic buyers, private equity or owner operators? What unusual challenges have dealmakers faced this year? Where do opportunities exist?Our panel will examine the latest trends in lower and middle market M&A activity, including:
Eric is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department where his practice focuses on advising and counseling small to mid-cap businesses from formation through exit, including entity formation, corporate tax, borrower-side commercial lending, private equity/debt, strategic growth acquisitions, succession plans, and market exits. Eric works with venture capital firms, life science companies, technology companies, and family enterprises. He also acts as outside-general counsel for privately held businesses and small public companies.
In 2016, Eric created a cannabis practice leveraging his existing corporate, tax, and IP practices to assist cannabis businesses and cannabis related businesses (CRB) in the constantly revolving regulated markets. Since then, Eric has represented cannabis cultivators, retailers, and related service providers in both the medical and adult use markets.
With a next-generation perspective regarding the criticality of IP assets to modern businesses, he successfully prosecutes trademark and copyright filings helping clients protect their brand and tech.
Prior to joining the firm, Eric was an attorney at Furman Gregory Deptula Before his time at FGD, he interned with the Honorable Paul J. Barbadoro, U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire.
Emily is a Shareholder in the firm’s Corporate Group. Her diverse corporate practice encompasses a broad range of transactional, securities and general corporate matters. She represents entrepreneurs and high-growth companies across the business lifecycle, from guiding founders at the earliest stages, to assisting with equity and debt financings through the growth stages, to negotiating later stage exits. Emily is Chair of Sheehan Phinney’s Boost for Startups program, where she helps local startups with their most critical legal needs and connects them with valuable resources.
Emily has experience counseling companies in connection with entity formations and restructurings, capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, and general corporate governance and strategic matters. Her practice also involves all aspects of trademark protection and intellectual property licensing, and during law school, Emily obtained a Certificate in Intellectual Property.
Bill Stewart brings over 30 years of experience working with people, companies, strategy, and financial transactions. At the core of his work is a unique ability to analyze complex opportunities, synthesize information quickly, and develop clear, actionable strategies that deliver results. These skills are particularly valuable when working with emerging and middle-market companies—organizations that serve as the engine of American entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation.
Bill founded First Street to align his passions with his professional experience. First Street partners with entrepreneurs and owners of growing businesses to help them navigate the challenges of business transition.
“First Street challenges me in every transaction to find the best solution for both the company and the people involved. It draws on everything I’ve learned throughout my career—strategy, finance, leadership, and a deep commitment to client outcomes.”
Bill is known for his integrity, persistence, and results-driven mindset. He is a trusted advisor, connector, and advocate who is deeply committed to helping his clients succeed. His approach is characterized by responsiveness, compassion, and a forward-looking hope for future generations.
Before launching First Street, Bill founded and was a Management Consultant with Advance Leadership Development, where he helped companies align people, processes, and performance with strategic goals. He previously started and sold two executive search firms and founded a commercial real estate venture focused on workforce housing in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area.
Earlier in his career, Bill developed his financial acumen at JP Morgan Chase, where he worked on private banking and middle-market commercial transactions. He completed both the firm’s Corporate Finance Credit Training Program and its Management Development Program. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business with a concentration in Finance from Boston University.
Bill lives in New Castle, New Hampshire with his wife and three children. Bill currently serves as Chairman of the Selectman, Chairman of the Conservation Commission and a member of the Town Budget Committee. He and his wife are active supporters of nonprofit organizations, and he previously served on the Board of Trustees for The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire.
Karin is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Highway Growth Capital, a growth equity fund that invests in businesses in rural America. She has over 35 years of business experience as an attorney, executive and investor individually and as a part of Mass Ventures and Blue Highway Capital.
Prior to co-founding Blue Highway, Karin served as Chair of CEI Ventures, a socially responsible impact private equity firm and served on the board of its parent company, Coastal Enterprises, Inc (CEI), a nonprofit lender and investor specializing in rural business and community development, financing and related policy. She has served on numerous for-profit and non-profit boards throughout New England over her career and is a long time member of The Boston Club.
In 2006, Karin co-founded Furman, Gregory Deptula (FGD Law), a full-service law firm which continues to represent early-stage life science technology companies and small businesses and their investors throughout Maine and Massachusetts.
Karin has extensive contacts throughout the region’s technology, business, and civic communities. She is active in a number of relevant industry and professional organizations and is frequently a guest speaker at many private equity events throughout the Northeast.
She serves as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governor’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC), the Impact Capital Managers (ICM) Board as its Secretary and is on the UNE College of Business Advisory Board, the City of Biddeford’s Downtown Development Commission and Fire Advisory Commission and is a founding board member of AcceleraME, Inc, a Maine based medtech company.
Karin holds a B.A. degree from Wells College, an M.P.H. from Boston University in Health Services, and a J.D. degree from UNH School of Law, as well as a certificate in Advanced Licensing and a Certificate in Financial Management from Cornell University. Karin is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts and in Maine.
Mike CoteCote oversees New Hampshire Magazine, a monthly magazine on interesting people, places and happenings in the Granite state, and NH Business Review, a biweekly publication, covering all business-related news and events in New Hampshire. Additionally, Cote lead the editorial effort at 603 Diversity, a quarterly publication that shares the cultural contributions made by New Hampshire’s diverse communities. Cote also co-hosts the weekly “Down to Business” podcast with Managing Editor Amanda Andrews.
A Manchester, New Hampshire, native, Cote has worked for newspapers and magazines in both Colorado and Florida, such as ColoradoBiz and Naples Daily News. He started as a business and city editor at the New Hampshire Union Leader in July 2012 before being promoted to senior editor in May 2020. Cote also wrote a weekly column in the business section throughout his 11 years at the New Hampshire Union Leader. He received a bachelor’s degree in English and communication from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Colorado Boulder. Cote is also a member of Make-a-Wish New Hampshire’s board of directors.
As the last quarter of 2025 foretold, M&A activity in 2026 means dealmakers can expect to pivot on the way to making deals happen. Join a panel of experts, moderated by Sheehan Phinney, who can share what buyers and sellers are looking for, what financing looks like and how long it’s been taking for deals to close.
Whether you’re the owner of a health care practice or a health care professional considering setting up your own shop or switching jobs, knowing the current state of noncompete covenants will help you avoid costly mistakes that could hurt your business or job prospects.
How employers address mental health in the workplace has a profound impact on employee well-being, company culture and the bottom line. This webinar will address the legal, ethical, clinical and practical considerations behind mental health in the workplace.
New Hampshire communities are grappling with housing shortages, rising costs and increasing demand. This webinar will highlight findings from New Hampshire Housing’s new guide to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and how they fit into the broader housing landscape.
What happens to your business if you’re suddenly not there to run it? For too many business owners, the honest answer is: no one really knows, until it’s too late. In this NH Business Review webinar, experienced legal and financial advisors will walk through real-world scenarios where unexpected death or incapacity triggered chaos: forced sales, collapsing valuations, family distress, and millions of dollars lost to unnecessary taxes and rushed decisions.
Artificial intelligence is moving faster than the rules meant to govern it and is being integrated into businesses’ software stacks more deeply every day. That means every business needs to understand the legal implications of using AI. On January 22, NH Business Review will present a practical webinar on how to navigate an AI regulatory environment that is fragmented, shifting, and sometimes contradictory.
New Hampshire is working to position itself as a leader in cryptocurrency by facilitating the use of stablecoin, a form of digital currency pegged to the U.S. dollar or other real-world assets. New Hampshire recently has enacted a number of laws laying groundwork for a first-mover position in stablecoin development and digital finance, building on its reputation for forward-thinking laws in areas like trusts and wealth management.
Patent and trademark filings surged after COVID and more so since the most recent federal administration change, creating a more crowded and unforgiving IP landscape. This webinar focuses on practical steps New Hampshire companies can take to secure rights early, avoid avoidable losses, and plan for growth.
