‘We need housing that is close enough to our workforce that it doesn’t become a financial burden or a time burden on our workforce,’ says Rosemary Heard, president of CATCH Neighborhood Housing.

‘Very quietly,’ the BFA has established itself ‘as a major force in New Hampshire’s economic development,’ says James Key-Wallace, the agency’s newly named executive director.

‘If we’re going to help advance social change, then we have to work with the people who are going to advance that social change,’ says Gretchen Ki Steidle, founder of Portsmouth-based Global Grassroots.

Jack Middleton, shown here after receiving the Nixon-Zachos Award from the NH Bar Foundation in June, recently celebrated his 60th year as an attorney with the Manchester-based firm of McLane Middleton.

Fabiano Caruana, the 24-year-old, Brooklyn-raised chess champion who led the United States to victory in September at the Chess Olympiad in Azerbaijan, stopped by the Manchester Millyard a few weeks before the competition.

‘Diverse cities work best,’ he says

Meteorologist Rob Carolan’s Nashua-based Hometown Forecast Services doesn’t only serve its 60 radio clients but several in the private sector as well.

"Whether you’re in manufacturing or hospitality, it’s hard to find people with the skills you need," says Val Zanchuk, president of Graphicast in Jaffrey and a leading advocate for workforce development in New Hampshire.

For 13 years, Helaine Hughes of Greenfield has operated Poison Ivy Removal Company, one of the few businesses of its kind in the country.

‘‘Whenever you’re doing something that’s never been done before, it’s not easy,’ says Dan Karr founder of ValChoice, the first online platform that enables consumers to find out which auto insurance companies offer the best value.