New Hampshire Business Review - March 25 2011

Ezenia! Inc. announced Wednesday that it laid off its president last week to save money, the latest sign of the company's financial troubles.The Nashua-based software firm - which lost $620,000 for the last quarter and $2.7 million last year --…

The House and Senate have each approved bills that would make it easier for small-business owners to deduct their own compensation, enabling them to avoid paying much, if not all, of the business profits tax. But the devil, as it…

Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to delay a rule that would cap how much merchants pay when consumers swipe their debit cards in their stores.Retailers and the financial industry have been at odds about the legislation, with…

The number of businesses owned by women in New Hampshire has grown by 37.2 percent in the last 14 years, according to an analysis issued by American Express.American Express Open, the credit company's small-business division, reviewed and extrapolated U.S. Census…

The number of bankruptcies in New Hampshire is still dropping compared to the previous year, but there were still some 551 filings, only 35 fewer bankruptcies then in March 2010, and a 36 percent increase in filings compared to February…

New Hampshire's employers added more than 2,300 new workers in March than they did in February, but the hiring rate is still far behind the pace of last year.The New Hampshire Department of Economic Security reported that state employers added…

The retail industry employs more New Hampshire workers than any other industry in the state, and more than a third of those workers possess a postsecondary degree, according to a recently released study of the sector.Some 15 years ago, just…

The New Hampshire Senate believes in the principle of fair warning when it comes to employment matters, but on Wednesday, the emphasis was on warning employers, not employees.The Senate passed Senate Bill 86, which would require the give employers a…

SkillSoft, a Nashua e-learning software and service provider, released its fourth-quarter and full-year results for fiscal 2011 - its first full-year reporting as a subsidiary of a private equity group.Financial results from newly acquired or merged companies can look a…

Shareholders of New Hampshire Thrift Bancshares will get to vote on an 18 percent raise for its CEO, as well as the company's other compensation policies, not that the vote will count.The holding company of Newport-based Lake Sunapee Bank accepted…