New Hampshire Business Review - April 14 2006

A matchmaking event linking New Hampshire companies involved in naval defense, port security and ocean technology with policymakers from New England and eastern Canada will be held May 11-13 i Rhode Island. The event, to be held in Newport, R.I.,…

A late improvement in sales has officials of specialty lifestyle retailer Brookstone looking toward the second quarter with optimism despite flat first-quarter numbers. Merrimack-based Brookstone Inc. officials reported net sales of $76.7 million for the first 13-week quarter of 2006.…

A new statewide residential building code, stricter regulation of junkyards and licensing of gas fitters were among the bills affecting businesses passed by last week by lawmakers. The statewide building code, back by the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of…

Bedford-based Centrix Bank’s assets grew to more than $285 million at the end of its first quarter, which ended March 31 -- 29 percent more than it was at the first quarter of 2006. Net loans ($218.1 million) were up…

Cellular Specialties Incorporated of Manchester, a firm that designs, installs and manages in-building wireless networks, has been named to the Initiative for Competitive Inner Cities and Inc magazine’s “Inner City 100” list of fastest-growing companies in America’s inner-cities. CSI was…

Community Bank and Trust of Wolfeboro closed the first quarter ending March 31 with earnings lower than the same quarter the previous year. Net income for the first quarter of 2006 was $1.706 million, or 48 cents per share, down…

A patent infringement suit filed by a competitor against Nashua-based iCAD Incorporated has been settled through arbitration, the company announced. On April 18, 2005, R2 Technology Inc. of Grand Rapids, Mich., alleged that iCAD infringed on two of its patents…

Robert G. Schoenberger, Charles H. Tenney III and Dr. Sarah P. Voll have been re-elected to the board of directors of Unitil Corporation for three-year terms. Schoenberger is Unitil's chairman and chief executive officer. Tenney currently serves as director of…

A disappointing earnings guidance issued on Wednesday sent Bottomline Technologies stock tumbling. While the Portsmouth-based producer of automated payroll software and services anticipated profits of about 4 cents to 7 cents a share for the third quarter of 2006, the…

Mt. Washington Assurance Corp. has received approval from the New Hampshire Insurance Department to change the way it sets its auto insurance rates. In a statement released by the Concord-based insurer, its new methodology includes “advanced underwriting techniques to more…