Pease Tradeport continues as NH economic engine

New report cites Tradeport’s ‘uniquely important role in New Hampshire’s economic architecture’ as executive director looks toward ‘retooling’ for life science users

Paul Brean tells the story of when he was a student at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, studying aviation management.

A professor at the time in 1992 told Brean and his classmates: watch what happens with the Pease Air Force Base, closing because of the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process. And especially watch what happens, he advised them, to the surrounding communities in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, how impacted they’ll be by the economic loss of a large military base.

What happened, in fact, was an economic renaissance, a rebound from a closed Strategic Air Command (SAC) center to a tradeport of commercial and industrial uses that fund an airport now used for passenger, general aviation, corporate-related aviation, and continued military use.

And Paul Brean has had a front row seat for almost 10 years, having gone from an aviation management student to now executive director of the Pease Development Authority (PDA), the public agency that oversees the Pease International Tradeport and other entities.

“Essentially, what the Air Force didn’t need for property has turned into something that is creating an ecosystem that is allowing us to keep an incredible aviation asset viable without the burden on the community or the state,” said Brean.

A new report assessing the value of the Pease International Tradeport says it “plays a uniquely important role in New Hampshire’s economic architecture.”

And the report credits the management structure there, the Pease Development Authority, which it says “serves as the institutional backbone that ensures the long-term viability, coordination, and strategic alignment of aviation, commercial, and recreational assets that were originally transferred through the Public Benefit Transfer process.”

“Its efficient business structure allows for integrated planning, financial stewardship, and mission-driven redevelopment, all of which are essential to maximizing the economic potential of the former Pease Air Force Base,” the report says.

As the U.S. Department of Defense shedded property during the BRAC closings in the early 1990s, the Pease property was turned over to the state of New Hampshire for redevelopment under the stewardship of the PDA, guided by an appointed board of directors.

The revenue producing entities there, which includes leased commercial/industrial/warehouse land, a public golf course, and aviation related activities, all go toward support of what is now the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.

The report was commissioned, according to Brean, so that officials could get a diagnosis of the Tradeport’s economic health in the post-pandemic era.

The COVID pandemic redefined and repositioned how work is done, once most solely reliant on in-office work. The pandemic created a culture where work could be done remotely. That prompted less of a reliance on office buildings and more of a reliance on flexible space that could accommodate everyone from the full-time in-office worker, to the remotely-only worker, to the worker who was in office for a few days but worked remote the rest of the time.

Brean described the current state of the Tradeport as one of “re-tooling,” noting that it is transforming buildings used strictly for office use to buildings that also have life science applications.

According to Brean, the shift in emphasis reflects how much the bioscience and life sciences sector is driving the economy, both nationally and here in New Hampshire.

Both the state Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) and the New Hampshire Life Sciences group tout New Hampshire’s growth in the bioscience industry.

“I’ve been tasked to work closely with BEA. I’ve been tasked to work closely with New Hampshire Life Sciences, and it is trying to allow Pease to compete with Kendall Square, Cambridge, with other life science hubs in New England, and make sure that we’re doing everything we can to facilitate development that generates that type of job opportunity and economic impact.”

To Brean’s point, the BEA on Sept. 3 said New Hampshire’s life sciences industry is growing at a pace that is surpassing the broader state economy.

The BEA cited state Department of Employment Security (NHES) data that shows the number of employers in the state’s core life sciences sector increased from 325 in 2019 to 536 in 2025—a 65% increase. Total employment rose from 6,192 workers in 2019 to 7,659 in 2025, representing a 24% increase. In comparison, statewide private-sector employment grew by 4% over the same period.

“A 65% increase in life sciences employers and 24% job growth since 2019 clearly demonstrates that New Hampshire is no longer just adjacent to the Boston-Cambridge hub; we are an established destination for biotech and R&D expansion,” BEA Commissioner Lucy Lange said in a statement.

Andrea Hechavarria, president of New Hampshire Life Sciences, added: “This growth speaks to the tremendous potential of New Hampshire’s life sciences ecosystem.”

One of the prime examples of the bioscience industry here in New Hampshire — Lonza Biologics — is located on the Tradeport.

Lonza contracts with pharmaceutical companies to develop and manufacture their biologic medicines. For example, it contracted with Moderna to produce a vaccine during the COVID pandemic.

Lonza recently completed construction of a new facility in partnership with Vertex Pharmaceuticals to produce advanced stem-cell and gene-editing therapies.

Long term, Brean foresees what he called an “incubator” environment that attracts similar type businesses to the Tradeport and a partnership with the University of New Hampshire nearby in Durham.

“Not only does it attract other life science companies and subvendors that support those operations, but what a great story for UNH bio that they’re able to place students on the Tradeport,” said Brean. “And what a great story for New Hampshire that we have these young people that are committing to getting an education in life sciences, and we’re actually able to put them to work in New Hampshire and not lose them to other states.”

The Pease economic impact report took a deep dive into the three revenue producing entities — the Tradeport through its ground leases, the airport, and the Pease Golf Course.

Overall, the report found the following:

• Job holders received $1.2 billion in direct wages and salaries, for an average salary of $79,150.
• As the result of local purchases made by the directly employed individuals, an additional $991.2 million of local consumption expenditures and induced wages and salaries were created.
• Local businesses received $2.7 billion of revenue in 2025.
• A total of $330.2 million of local purchases were made due to the activities at the Tradeport, airport and golf course, which supported the indirect jobs.
• In calendar year 2025, the Pease Development Authority, airport, golf course and Tradeport activity supported $231.7 million of state and local tax revenue. Included in these taxes are the state Business Profit Tax, the state Business Enterprise Tax, the Municipal Service Fees paid to the Tradeport communities of Portsmouth and Newington, payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT), and all other state and local taxes paid by individuals.
• 71.2% of the direct jobs are held by residents of the State of New Hampshire.

The PDA board’s chairman, Steven Duprey, owner of a New Hampshire real estate and hospitality development company, called Pease “one of New Hampshire’s great economic redevelopment success stories.”

“When Pease Air Force Base closed more than three decades ago, the region faced the loss of thousands of jobs and significant economic uncertainty,” Duprey said in an op-ed piece for the Union Leader. “Today, the Pease International Tradeport is home to more than 250 businesses representing a wide range of industries, while Portsmouth International Airport has become an increasingly important transportation and economic asset. “

On the Tradeport, which spans some 3,000 acres in Portsmouth and Newington, building owners do not own the underlying land; instead, they own their structures and make yearly ground lease payments to the PDA.

The airport is home to the 157th Air Refueling Wing of the New Hampshire Air National Guard. It has two commercial carriers, Allegiant and Breeze. PlaneSense, also located at the airport, is a fractional ownership aviation company that gets lofty praise from Brean for being headquartered here.

“You look at PlainSense, the fractional ownership aircraft company that really is challenging to do in the Northeast because of weather and price of labor, and they’re doing it exceptionally well. And I think it’s because of the efficiencies they see at Pease,” said Brean.

The golf course — which features 27 holes, a restaurant, pro shop, and golf simulators — is a very popular destination sport for locals and visitors alike.

On average, it records about 500 rounds of golf per day. Twice this summer, it exceeded a record breaking 600 rounds in a day.

“The golf course is such an important story to the synergy at Pease and in how what makes it work. We’re fortunate that the golf course provides a consistent revenue stream,” said Brean.

While the amount of available developable land is shrinking, there continue to be advances at the Tradeport among its users.

For instance, firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer, which occupies about 206,000 square feet on Pease Boulevard, proposes to construct a 197,200-square-foot office, manufacturing and warehouse facility with 225 parking spaces at 165 Arboretum Drive.

The Kane Company, a New Hampshire commercial development company that has done a lot of work at Pease, has purchased the 26-acre former Redhook Brewery property on Corporate Drive for redevelopment and repurposing.

ThermoFischer Scientific has built a new corporate aircraft hangar at the airport. It had been a long-based tenant renting a hangar from PDA.

Port City Air, which is the fixed based operator (FBO) at the airport, is eyeing upgrades to its fuel farm. As the airport’s FBO, Port City provides the support for incoming and outgoing aircraft in terms of fueling, baggage handling, and other services.

The PDA also oversees other entities in the region, including Skyhaven Airport in Rochester and the New Hampshire Division of Ports and Harbors.