‘There is a lot of risk involved in these projects, and you need to have a high tolerance for uncertainty,’ says Eric Chinburg, founder of Chinburg Properties, the Newmarket-based property development and management firm, in front of one of his projects – the restoration of the Newmarket Mills in Newmarket.

‘We are finding that if you diversify you do more than just survive, you can also thrive,’ says John Tabor, president of Seacoast Media Group, owner of the Portsmouth Herald and Foster’s Daily Democrat, among other newspaper properties.

Widening Interstate 93 ‘as soon as heavenly possible’ is a ‘no-brainer,’ says Darren Benoit of McFarland Johnson Inc., recently named Outstanding Civil Engineer Advocate of the Year by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The main challenge of being a municipal assessor is knowing ‘you’re not going to make everybody happy,’ says Rex Norman, who retired last December after 15 years as the town of Windham’s assessor.

Cam Brensinger, founder and CEO of Dover-based NEMO Equipment, says his biggest challenge ‘is managing growth while trying to keep to our ideals of taking risks and nurturing the passion and strong camaraderie we have.’

‘The best way to protect young people is to arm them with all the information they need,’ says Ron Lieber, ‘Your Money’ columnist for The New York Times and author of ‘The Opposite of Spoiled,’ an effort to demystify the challenge parents face when speaking about money with children of all ages.

In addition to running the Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College, Neil Levesque is chair of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Centennial Anniversary Commission.

‘I don't have a team taking care of my dogs. I take care of them 24/7, every day of the year. It is an enormous commitment and a labor of love,’ says Lidia Dale-Mesaros, owner of Valley Snow Dogz in Thornton.