NHBR About Town: Week of November 15

Affordable Housing, Education and Development (AHEAD) of Littleton was recently recognized with the Bringing You Home Award from New Hampshire Housing for its extensive efforts to rehabilitate and preserve housing for seniors and the disabled in the North Country. Pictured with the cash prize are, from left, Michael Claflin, executive director of AHEAD; Olivia Beleau, AHEAD’s senior project manager; David Wood, former AHEAD executive director; and Dean Christon, executive director of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.

Plymouth State University President Sara Jayne Steen presents Common Man CEO Jason Lyon with the PSU Distinguished Alumni Award. Lyon was honored for creating the Common Man Apprentice program for PSU students, in which he works with Professor Bonnie Bechard to give business students a real-world experience of developing and bringing a product to market. Since the program’s start in 2005, Lyon has served as a mentor to more than 1,000 PSU students.

Dunkin' Donuts franchisee Matthew Couto, left, holding adoptable kitten Tibbles, and Sean Baker-Cromwell, center, Dunkin' Donuts district manager, holding kitten Nibbles, present a $8,522 check to Shannon Camara, Concord-Merrimack County SPCA manager of communications, and her dog, Phoebe, an SPCA alum. The money – raised through an in-store coin drop program held by participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the Concord area – will help protect and advocate for pets in need, and promote the humane treatment of all animals.

New Hampshire employees of Freudenberg-NOK meet at the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester to present a donation of $5,000 to the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative & Northway Bank Food Bank Challenge. Joining the presentation are, from left, Alfred Nadeau, lead center manager; HR Managers Lori Shackford, Debra Di Nola, and Heather Greenwood; Mel Gosselin, executive director of the food bank; Audrey Goudie, executive director of the NHEC Foundation; and Thomas Benzel, director of supply chain management. Through the challenge, NHEC & Northway Bank are matching donations to the food bank dollar for dollar up to $80,000.

Dr. Rich Boehler, president and CEO of St. Joseph Healthcare, and Louise Trottier, its board chair, celebrate at the 2nd annual St. Joseph Healthcare’s Black Tie Gala for Pink on Oct. 26, which was attended by more than 200 people and raised more than $60,000 for the Breast Care Center at St. Joseph Hospital.

CaLLogix, a call center with locations in Manchester and Bedford, was recently recognized by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England and NHBR as the most recent Health Innovator Award recipient for its steadfast commitment to promoting wellness in the workplace by providing opportunities and rewards for employees. Pictured with the award are, from left, Cara Longenecker, CaLLogix director of human resources; Kim Herlihy, CaLLogix account manager; Sherry Elmer, CaLLogix director of finance; CaLLogix President Sherry Leonard; NHBR Publisher Sharron McCarthy; and Terri McNeil, Harvard Pilgrim account executive.

Among the more than 100 people who gathered for the Laconia Area Community Land Trust’s 20th anniversary celebration at the Belknap Mill, are, from left, State Rep. Don Flanders; State Rep. Ian Raymond; Linda Harvey, executive director of LACLT; and State Sen. Jeanie Forrester. In its 20 years, LACLT has provided services to more than 1,500 people and has developed 220 units of permanently affordable housing in 63 buildings in Laconia, Meredith, Tilton and Wolfeboro, co-developed 32 units in Belmont, and has 24 units now under construction in Wolfeboro.

John Moriarty, president of Laconia’s Main Street Initiative, left, Kathleen Reardon, center, director of public affairs for Citizens Bank, and Carmen Lorentz, executive director of Belknap Economic Development Council, are pictured after the presentation of a $35,000 donation by the Citizens Bank Foundation to establish a façade-improvement program in downtown Laconia through its Growing Communities initiative. Through the program, the Main Street Initiative of Laconia will provide matching grants of up to $5,000 to property and business owners inside the Beacon Street loop in the central downtown business district, encouraging businesses to make investments that beautify the downtown area, with the goal of decreasing vacancy rates and increasing consumer traffic.

NBT Bank Branch Manager Lauren Neves and members of her staff join directors of the Greater Derry Londonderry Chamber of Commerce and Londonderry town officials at the ribbon cutting that was recently held to celebrate the rebranding of the branch. The branch was one of five in New Hampshire previously known as Hampshire First Bank, which was acquired by NBT Bank in June 2012. The name change became official on Sept. 16.

Conway Scenic Railroad’s General Manager, Russ Seybold, left, presents a $9,000 check to the Kiwanis Club of Mt. Washington Valley’s President Marie Lee and Event Chairperson Jeff Bailey. The money – which will go toward local children’s charities that the Kiwanis Club supports – was raised on the sixth-annual Autumn Express on Oct. 20, a five-hour leaf-peeping excursion on the Conway Scenic Railroad’s Notch Train.