The Latest: Week of December 5, 2025

The Latest is a roundup of the comings and goings of the movers and shakers in NH's business community

3 hours ago

Amanda Andrews,

HEALTH CARE

Earlier in November, Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services (HCS) appointed Karen Gomes as its new interim CEO. Gomes succeeds Maura McQueeney who retired in November after seven years as CEO.

Dr. Andrew Watt has returned to Southern New Hampshire Health as chief clinical integration and transformation officer. He previously served in roles such as chief medical information officer, chief information officer, and senior product consultant. He also supports clinical research as a scientific reviewer on the Institutional Review Board of Southern NH Health, and currently serves as the 2025 board chair of the Foundation for Healthy Communities.

Jessica Rush, MD, a board-certified internal medicine physician has joined Concord Hospital Internal Medicine. Before taking time away to raise her family, Rush worked as a hospitalist at Concord Hospital. Rush earned her medical degree from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Corey Gately, MLADC, SAP, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Dr. Pete Harris Community Award by Lakes Region Mental Health Center (LRMHC). The award honors individuals who promote increased awareness, sensitivity, understanding, and acceptance of mental health issues in the Lakes Region through public education. Gately is the director of substance use services at Concord Hospital and The Doorway in Laconia, as well as the director of The Recovery Clinic at the Laconia and Franklin hospitals. She has played a vital part in educating both staff and the community on topics including medication induction in the emergency department, the use of medications for substance-use treatment, and the integration of recovery coaches into treatment protocols. She also collaborates with LRMHC as a community partner to expand access to substance-use services and recovery resources.

Families Flourish Northeast (FFNE) has named its inaugural executive director, Bethany Cottrell. She previously served as the founding executive director of Brigid’s House of Hope, a long-term safe house for adult survivors of human trafficking. In addition, FFNE secured $1 million in congressional directed spending for constructing a residential treatment facility for 12 women and their children to be located at 424 Mount Support Road in Lebanon.

Elliot Health System has been issued a bond rating upgrade from A3 to A2 by Moody’s Investors Service, a credit rating business which provides financial research on bonds and other debt securities to help illustrate an organization’s financial well-being. The rating underscores Elliot’s recent enhancements to specific clinical programs, including cardiac, cardiothoracic, and vascular care, maternal care backed by a Level III NICU, and comprehensive neurology, neurosurgical, and spine care.

Granite VNA has promoted two leaders to expanded roles: Jennifer Brechtel, CHES, to director of community engagement, and Brittany Cumba, PT, DPT, COS-C, to manager of quality. Brechtel previously held the role of director of community health, and Cumba served as clinical staff educator at the home health and hospice agency.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Franklin Savings Bank has welcomed Chris Dickinson to the role of SVP, commercial loan officer within its commercial lending group based in the Franklin office. Most recently, he held the position of SVP, chief commercial banking officer at Northway Bank in Laconia.

TSS Advisors, the largest advisory firm in the Upper Connecticut River Valley, has acquired John G. Burk & Associates in Keene. The two firms will join forces to combine its full suite of accounting, tax, business analysis, consulting, estate planning and business valuation services for its clients in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Brianna Perry has been promoted to member experience manager II for St. Mary’s Bank, in charge of leading operations of the Pease branch on the Seacoast. She initially joined the bank in 2018 as a teller and served in other roles such as sales and service representative, e-care representative and branch float supervisor.

Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) has promoted Nicolas Stockman to branch and business development manager at the Bank’s Rochester branch office. Stockman first joined MVSB in 2022, and most recently served as branch services supervisor out of the same Rochester branch.

Ledyard Bank has welcomed Normand Mercier to its Concord location as vice president and financial center manager. He previously worked at GFA Federal Credit Union as a branch manager, and also held roles with Bank of America and Citizens Bank.

Mike Cleland has joined Ledyard Bank at its Bedford location as a senior vice president and commercial relationship manager. He was most recently a vice president and commercial loan officer at Merrimack County Savings Bank. Mike also held management and portfolio relationship roles during his nine-year tenure at Citizens.

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

The New England-Canada Business Council has selected the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers as the recipient of the first annual Steve Leahy Energy & Innovation Collaboration Award. The award goes to an individual that helps establish leadership, cooperation and innovation in energy initiatives and economic development.

Eversource received a 2025 Achievement Award from the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) in recognition of developing a leak detection method for high-pressure fluid filled (HPFF) cables – a type of high-voltage, underground electric transmission line that runs through densely populated areas like Boston – which is already helping to enhance the operational efficiency of the grid and mitigate environmental risk.

Even though 350.org has announced temporary suspension of its United States-based programming, with significant layoffs to global staff, 350 New Hampshire will continue to operate and carry out its mission of achieving a just transition to a sustainable future. 350NH is legally and financially independent of 350.org, and will continue to end reliance on fossil fuels, ensure access to affordable clean energy, and hold polluters and politicians accountable.

LAW

McLane Middleton has hired attorneys Malcolm Deisz, Ryan P. McClure, and Isabell G. Plotsker. Deisz joins the firm’s corporate department in the Woburn, Mass., office; McClure is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department in the Manchester office; and Plotsker joins the Litigation Department, also in the Manchester office.

Attorney Stephanie K. Annunziata has joined McLane Middleton, now representing individuals and families in contested probate and family law matters, including guardianships, divorce, and complex trust litigation. She graduated from Quinnipiac University with a B.A. in public relations, and received her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law with concentrations in family law and litigation. She is admitted to practice law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

HOSPITALITY

Lark Hotels’ Portsmouth property, The Bow Hotel, which reopened after a full redesign and rebrand this year (formerly Ale House Inn), was awarded a “Gold Key” design award from Boutique Design Magazine. The property, designed by New England-based design firm, Elder & Ash, took home the award for best Guest Room, Midscale.

The Nash Casino, New Hampshire’s largest charitable gaming venue, has earned several distinctions in Strictly Slots Magazine’s Best of Slots Awards, including first place in “The Casino Where You Feel Luckiest,” “Friendliest Casino,” “Best Nickel Slots” and “Best Slot Club Promotions” categories. Additionally, the Nash earned second place in the “Best Customer Service” category and third place in the following categories: “Best Overall Casino,” “Best Video Slots,” “Best Cocktail Service” and “Best 50-Cent Slots.”

EDUCATION

Great Bay Community College (GBCC) has been chosen as one of eight inaugural institutions to earn New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) recognition for the quality of its non-credit programming. GBCC provides education and training in high-demand fields, including professional and technical disciplines, culinary arts and health care. The Center also works with area businesses to develop customized corporate training tailored to their needs.

The Heronfield Academy board of trustees has named Brendan Sullivan as the school’s next head of school, effective July 1, 2026. He currently serves as head of St. Michael’s School, a PreK–8 Episcopal school in Tucson, Arizona, where he has been for the past eight years.

NONPROFITS

GoodWork recently welcomed Lisa Gundlach to the team as fund development and communications associate. With more than 20 years of experience working with nonprofit, startup and mission-driven organizations, Gundlach will work to advance GoodWork’s fund development strategy, support donor cultivation and stewardship, and strengthen the organization’s marketing and communications efforts.

Catholic Charities NH has appointed Lauren Collins Cline, VP for Montagne Powers, and Doug Hoffer, chief people officer for Access Information Management, to its board of trustees.

Franklin Savings Bank recently granted $5,000 to SEE Science Center, Inc. through its Fund for Community Advancement Program to support the expansion of their regenerative medicine outreach program to middle school students in Merrimack and Goffstown.

The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund has appointed Julia Williams, of Hopkinton, as a new board member. Williams is currently the executive director of strategy and transformation at Mass General Brigham, where she leads systemwide initiatives to increase patient access, improve outcomes, and strengthen the organization’s financial sustainability.

RETAIL

The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) has announced it will transform the former Rite Aid at 1631 Elm Street in Manchester’s North End into a new 12,000-square-foot NH Liquor & Wine Outlet. It is expected to open in early 2026.

Sullivan Tire and Auto Service has opened a new distribution center in Merrimack at 7 Crow’s Nest Circle. The 40,000-square-foot facility is staffed by approximately 20 full-time employees, managing inventory for tires sold in their retail shops and wholesale customers.

LITERATURE

Nottingham-based author Liz Gauffreau has published a new novel, “The Weight of Snow and Regret,” which tells the story of the closure of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968. Poor farms were publicly funded farms established by local governments to provide shelter and support for the indigent, elderly and disabled. Common from the 1850s to the early 1900s, these institutions were intended to be self-sustaining through residents’ labor. Visit paulstreampress.com for more.

REAL ESTATE/CONSTRUCTION

Max Leblanc, a recent Plymouth State University graduate and resident of Lincoln, recently earned a New Hampshire Real Estate Sales Associate license and has joined Badger Peabody & Smith Realty, based out of its Plymouth office. He will be mentored by experienced broker associate Karen Walsh as he begins his career with the firm.

CBRE Hotels has completed the sale of the 114-room Residence Inn by Marriott Hanover located at 32 Centerra Parkway in Lebanon. The CBRE Hotels team of Dave McElroy and Tyler Black spearheaded the marketing for the asset and represented the seller in the negotiations. The team also procured the buyer. The Residence Inn offers facilities such as a fitness center, state-of-the-art boardroom, a redesigned outdoor patio and business center.

Metro Walls was honored last month with Excellence in Construction Awards and recognitions at the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) NH/VT Excellence in Construction Awards. The first Excellence in Construction Award (Institutional) was presented for The Baldwin, a 470,000-square-foot senior living community in Londonderry, and the second Excellence in Construction Award (Residential) recognized Cambrian Rise, a 197,000-square-foot luxury apartment complex overlooking Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vt. In addition, Metro Walls received five project recognitions for exceptional teamwork and quality in collaboration with industry partners including Callahan Construction Managers, PROCON, DEW Construction, Jewett Construction Co., and Charters Brothers Construction LLC.

CASA’s Marty Sink to retire in 2026

After nearly four decades, Marcia “Marty” Sink, founder, president and CEO of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Hampshire, will retire in July 2026. Since establishing the organization in 1989, Sink has dedicated her career to giving New Hampshire’s abused and neglected children a voice in court and a chance at a brighter future. Even with no legal background, Sink grew CASA from 10 volunteers in two courts to a widely respected and trusted organization with an average of 600 current volunteers who advocate for children across the state. Under Sink’s leadership, CASA has trained more than 3,000 volunteers who have advocated for over 13,000 children in New Hampshire’s court system. Today, CASA of NH has been welcomed into every district and family court in the state.