Q&A Interview with Chase Hagaman

Chase Hagaman, the Department of Business and Economic Affairs’ director of the Division of Economic Development

The governor’s Executive Council in September unanimously confirmed Chase Hagaman of Bow as the Department of Business and Economic Affairs’ (BEA) director of the Division of Economic Development.

For two and a half years prior, he was deputy director of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), which deployed more than $2 billion in federal relief funds throughout the state, helping businesses and communities continue their economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: We have close to full employment here in the state, but there are many jobs yet to fill. How can you help improve workforce development?

A: It is no secret that employers are facing challenges getting enough workers in the door to fill the many open positions across virtually every industry.

Certainly, there are workforce challenges, especially coming out of the pandemic, and it is not an issue that is being ignored. Divisions within BEA function in a collaborative ecosystem that helps employers find opportunities, markets and staff, including workforce development efforts that support a more diverse and sustainable talent pipeline, initiatives to attract people to the Granite State thereby adding to that pipeline, and working alongside businesses to understand their needs and interests as they invest in a future here in New Hampshire.

Aside from coordinating among the divisions of BEA, where my division (economic development) can be especially helpful with regard to workforce development, is utilizing our stellar and very experienced team to help recruit and retain businesses to help keep the demand for workers up, as well as collaborate with educational institutions and other industry partners to connect the dots for individuals seeking to expand their skill set and broaden the experience of our workforce.

There are also areas in need of focus that are critical to workforce recruitment and retention, such as child care and rural health care, which I look forward to helping advance, but solutions on such issues will require more than just BEA’s efforts, or even the efforts of any one party. A regional focus and approach are necessary.

Q: Affordable housing is, by many polls and estimates, the state’s No. 1 economic issue. What can you do as the new director of the Division of Economic Development in that regard?

A: The reality is that affordable housing is likely to remain a top-of-mind issue for our residents for quite some time. And from an economic standpoint, the state not only needs additional housing to address current demand but also to accommodate the workforce needed for growing New Hampshire businesses. We continue to be an attractive place to live, and not just in our most densely populated municipalities, experiencing success, because we have a vibrant economy and excellent quality of life.

Younger generations seek a lifestyle, and seem to look for the job after they have found the community in which they want to put down roots. Years ago, that was my own focus, and it is a perspective that is resonating today.

To that end, BEA is among the leaders on efforts and initiatives to help develop longer-term solutions to what has been rightly described as a crisis. The agency works with elected leaders on legislation, community leaders like NH Housing, the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA), and the Business Finance Authority (BFA) on creative programming and facilitates our InvestNH program.

The BEA housing team has done a fantastic job working to put $100 million of Governor Sununu’s InvestNH program (with more to come through state general funds) into communities all over the state specifically focused on accelerating bringing more affordable housing units online, as well as working with communities to make space and create their own zoning for future developments. Not only is more housing needed now, we must continue the work of setting up our state for future success, demand, and an evolving landscape of what the workforce looks like and wants.

As the new director, I can support the housing team’s efforts, assist in the development of future programming that receives funding, work with stakeholders and partners to explore additional efforts, and build from existing studies and resources like the Council on Housing Stability’s Strategic Plan.

Q: You served on the Portsmouth Zoning Board of Adjustment. Should municipalities take a look at their zoning to make it more open, and less restrictive, to more creative sources of housing (such as multifamily residences in what typically have been single-family neighborhoods)?

A: As with just about anything in New Hampshire, it starts at the local level and each town around the state has its finger on the pulse of what its community needs. We want to help communities meet their needs in a way that they define. Through the InvestNH program, funds are available for municipalities to review and revise their zoning to make it easier to build housing or perhaps better plan for it. BEA is also developing the Housing Champions program, which is through the Legislature.

I highly encourage municipalities to take advantage of the resources made available through InvestNH, as well as what will become available through Housing Champions.

In relation to my experience on the ZBA, navigating these issues can be a difficult one at the local level, and for good reason. There are locations where a large multi-story apartment building would be appropriate, and others where it would not be. But there are also challenges in zoning regulations that exist simply by virtue of old ordinances staying on the books that may not make sense for a community anymore and that community desires change.

The shorter answer is that approaching housing on a case-by-case basis may be appropriate for some municipalities, but broader zoning changes may be supported by and appropriate for other communities.

Q: Why is broadband deployment important, and why is it so challenging in some regions of the state?

A: In order to help Granite Staters more broadly participate in the modern digital economy, and for the state to be better positioned for investment by private industry, BEA aggressively pursues its goal of 100% access to high-speed internet statewide. Perhaps one of the larger barriers to achieving that goal is that, until recently, there has not been enough market demand for private internet service providers to expand coverage to harder-to-reach underserved or unserved locations.

BEA is at the forefront of this issue, and the programs facilitated by the agency’s Office of Broadband Initiatives help provide the resources necessary to put the state’s broadband access goal within reach. The office currently oversees two contracts building out internet access to nearly 50,000 unserved or underserved households, facilitates a grant program expected to add thousands more, and it will soon administer additional federal funds (nearly $200 million) focused on broadband. The state is in the process of developing a five-year plan for those additional funds.

Q: What do you see as the untapped sources to help drive the state’s economy?

A: That is a question with no short answer, but I will say that I am excited about the regional approach to economic development promoted by BEA through our Economic Recovery and Expansion Strategy, which was developed back in 2021 and continues to be updated and acted upon. That strategy in many respects hinges upon a regional, coordinated approach with policy, resources and solutions to key challenges, and that regional approach is designed to funnel through Collaborative Economic Development Regions (CEDRs).

Along with other key staff, I am looking forward to helping utilize what I view as a new-enough resource in the CEDRs to consider them still “untapped.”

Q: How involved should state policymakers be involved in the green economy/green jobs?

A: I am a proponent of state government developing policy that helps foster a creative and growing environment for private industry. As the green economy evolves and the market for related jobs grows, BEA will be right there offering the services it does to all other businesses and working within the policies and regulations that exist in any industry.

Q: New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation economy is significant. What do state policymakers such as yourself need to do to maintain and enhance that vibrancy?

A: What I need is for BEA’s Division of Travel and Tourism Development to continue its outstanding work marketing New Hampshire’s many natural resources; for BEA’s Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development to continue fostering long-term opportunities for local businesses to tap into those resources to recruit and retain their workforce and critical investments; for businesses to stay creative and forward thinking; for communities to continue to embrace their role in regional economic development; and for legislators to continue looking for ways to support and encourage these efforts.

Q: How did your role as the deputy director of GOFERR prepare you for your new job?

A: Although the circumstances were exceptionally difficult for Granite Staters, being part of supporting the economic recovery from COVID-19 and helping communities and businesses move forward was an enormous honor.

That experience also enabled me to work closely and build relationships with business owners, community and elected leaders, households, partners, agencies and stakeholders on dozens of programs and projects. I saw the impacts of the housing crisis, challenges faced by small businesses, importance of community engagement and collaboration, and the evolution of the workforce, which helps provide insight about the opportunities ahead and the role BEA can play.