The Latest: Week of September 11, 2026

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

ENGINEERING

TFMoran Senior Project Engineer Jennifer Porter, PE, is now certified as a professional traffic operations engineer (PTOE). Porter has been with TFM for 28 years, starting as a project engineer in the civil department and spending the last 12 years working in the traffic department on TFM projects.

SMRT Architects & Engineers — which has offices in Maine and Massachusetts — has acquired Petersen Engineering, Inc., a Portsmouth-based MEP/ FP engineering firm. Petersen Engineering provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering services with specialized depth in energy modeling, load reduction and decarbonization. The acquisition integrates Petersen’s highperformance design expertise into SMRT’s multidisciplinary platform, expanding the firm’s reach across the multifamily, affordable housing and institutional sectors.

Hoyle Tanner has welcomed Adam Cutler, PE, IntPE, to the firm’s Aviation team as a senior airport engineer. He has more than 10 years of engineering experience, helping airports across the country with airport infrastructure projects. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and a Master of Science in Aeronautics with a concentration in Aviation Safety from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Hoyle Tanner’s Emily Doty has attained her Professional Engineering (PE) licensure. She initially joined the firm in 2024, and expanded her expertise to include civil engineering, traffic engineering and construction services. Her experience includes inventories, data collection and analysis, research, GIS, CADD drafting and modeling, cost estimating, and construction inspection.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

NHTrust has welcomed Jack Putnam as a financial advisor and registered representative of Osaic Institutions, Inc. Based in the firm’s Keene office, Putnam has seven years of financial advisory experience, beginning with Merrill Lynch while a student in Manhattan College, later joining the firm’s Rockefeller Center office in New York City after graduating with dual bachelor’s degrees in economics and finance.

Forbes’ list of America’s Top Financial Security Professionals has recognized Andrew Guyton, founder of Forge Financial, as the No. 1 financial security professional in New Hampshire. The ranking honors financial security professionals across the country who have demonstrated a longstanding commitment to helping clients protect their financial well-being through personalized guidance, trusted relationships and long-term planning.

The Concord-based firm Mason + Rich, Professional Association of Certified Public Accountants, has promoted members to its leadership team: Samantha Binning to director of Individual and Trust Tax; Christine Heise to director of Audit and Assurance; and Nathan Walker to director of Business Tax.

Fox Ridge Capital, a hybrid commercial lender based in Portsmouth, named Brian Varney as chief revenue officer. He has more than 25 years of leadership in equipment finance and commercial lending, with roles at Ascentium Capital, a division of Regions Bank, and Direct Capital Corporation, where he served in various roles for nearly three decades.

Bangor Savings Bank has hired Joe Luciano as VP, cash management solutions sales manager. He brings more than 16 years of banking experience, including serving as senior cash management relationship manager at NBT Bank and holding business banking and treasury management roles with KeyBank and TD Bank.

NONPROFITS

Darbster Rescue has relocated its pet adoption center from the Mall of New Hampshire in Manchester to the Merrimack Premium Outlets. In 2025, the organization helped more than 2,900 dogs and cats find permanent homes, and aims to facilitate more than 3,200 adoptions in 2026.

The Moore Center, a Manchester-based nonprofit providing services to individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and acquired brain disorders as well as services to children and senior citizens, recently hired Mahesh Bhatia as chief financial officer. Bhatia, who is a certified public accountant, a chartered accountant from India, and a certified merger and acquisition advisor, joined the organization after serving in senior financial leadership roles across nonprofit and corporate organizations in the U.S., Canada, the United Arab Emirates and India.

Reid van Keulen was appointed as the Southern District YMCA’s new CEO. Originally from New Zealand, van Keulen began his YMCA career in 2015 when he joined YMCA Camp Lincoln as an adventure trip leader, and later served in various roles over the next decade from program director, assistant camp director and director of camping services, to his most recent role as director of operations.

Volunteer NH has received a grant of $223,000 from Ameri-Corps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, funded through the Volunteer Generation Fund. Volunteer NH will use these funds to provide mini-grants, a volunteer recruitment tool, training resources and networking for nonprofits across the state to build service capacity. This funding will also support the nonprofit’s goals of meeting community needs, such as affordable housing, homelessness, access to mental health resources, job skills training, and aging-in-place resources for those ages 55 and older.

Families Flourish Northeast (FFNE), a nonprofit developing a family-centered residential recovery program for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorder, has elected five new members to its board of directors: obstetrician Emily Baker, MD; Taylor Caswell, managing director of strategic economic solutions at Bernstein Shur; Ian Kipperman, senior manager for accounting and auditing at Gallagher, Flynn & Company; Joe Kenney, chief lending officer and EVP at Claremont Savings Bank; and family medicine physician Peter Mason, MD.

Becca Garone has joined Media Power Youth as program and community engagement manager.

Her background spans education, photography and public health, and she previously taught art to K-12 students. She also serves on the board of the Child Advocacy Center of Rockingham County and holds a Master of Public Health focused on childhood adversity, prevention and community health. Media Power Youth provides young people, parents, educators and communities with curricula, training and workshops to build media literacy knowledge and critical-thinking skills to navigate our media-rich world.

Bring Back the Trades (BBTT), a non-profit dedicated to bridging the workforce gap, has appointed Tom Milligan to its board of directors. Milligan is the owner and president of Daniels Electric Corporation, a full-service electrical contracting company based in Gilford. Milligan also recently founded the Gerard T. Milligan Electrical Training Academy, a state-accredited electrical apprenticeship school and continuing education center serving employees of Daniels Electric and Metro North Electric.

TECHNOLOGY

Electronic Imaging Materials (EIM) has been awarded BarTender Platinum Partner status, the highest level of certification granted. The award was given in recognition of the firm’s expertise in implementing, supporting and integrating BarTender software to design, print and automate barcodes and labels across fields such as logistics, manufacturing and healthcare.

EDUCATION

Colby-Sawyer has named Catherine Thomas, DNP, MSN, BSN, the new dean of the School of Nursing & Health Sciences. She holds more than 20 years of experience in higher education, and was most recently the associate dean for nursing at Worcester State University in Massachusetts. Before that, she served as nursing department chair at Central Connecticut State University.

Meg Rotondo has been appointed to the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board at the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

Rotondo is senior vice president of strategy and planning at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, and is co-founder of Community Toolbox, which helps support safe and healthy housing. She also helped launch Ink 4 Pink and currently serves on the executive leadership team for the American Heart Association’s Boston Go Red for Women campaign.

Amy McLaughlin has been appointed to the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board at the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.

McLaughlin is financial controller at Fluid Equipment Solutions of New England, a commercial HVAC equipment engineering sales company she and her husband founded in 2012. McLaughlin earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and health management policy from UNH. She is a longtime UNH supporter and advocate, as well as a current and alumni parent.

ENVIRONMENT

Boston Green Company, which operates an office in Hooksett, has appointed Jared Anderson as director of remediation services. Anderson has more than a decade of experience in his field, serving in multiple roles such as environmental field service technician and supervisor to founder of Pine Tree Environmental and Industrial Services, which he led until his new role at Boston Green Company.

Modern Pest Services recently welcomed Andrew Gregoire to the organization as commercial account manager for New Hampshire. He previously worked for six years as a career operations analyst in the natural gas industry, and later transitioned into professional pest control, working in the field as a technician. In addition, Modern Pest Services has been named USA TODAY’s Best Pest Control Company for New England. The company was chosen for its all-in-one services offering protection from more than 55 household pests, and for its commitment to environmentally responsible pest management.

LAW

McLane Middleton attorneys Alexandra S.C. Careno and Christopher J. Walsh were recognized by Benchmark Litigation in its 2026 40 & Under List. The publication honors the “best and brightest litigators across the U.S.” Careno is a director in the firm’s Litigation Department and serves as chair of the Probate Litigation Group. Walsh is a director in the firm’s Litigation Department.

HEALTHCARE

Granite VNA’s annual Hospice Home & Garden Tour, which occurred on July 15 with over 500 people in attendance, raised more than $40,000 to support the agency’s hospice services. Patrons were able to tour three Exeter properties near Lake Winnipesaukee, experiencing history through architecture and renovated interiors.

RETAIL

Fimbel Garage Doors will open its new showroom location at 6 Greenlaw Drive in Epping, NH, on September 12. The company broke ground on November 18, 2025, for the new 11,000-square foot facility, which includes a 2,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art showroom plus an additional 9,000 square feet dedicated to warehouse and office space.

The showroom will feature 10 fully working garage doors and a display of six sideways sliding garage door material samples to provide customers an interactive demonstration experience.

Eva Castillo named First Amendment Award honoree

The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications has chosen Eva Castillo of Manchester as the recipient of its First Amendment Award, which honors New Hampshire individuals or organizations for their commitment to defending, protecting or exercising the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Eva Castillo, who came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 1975, founded the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees and then served as its director for nearly 20 years.

The judges noted her commitment to exercising First Amendment freedoms on behalf of New Hampshire communities whose voices are often underrepresented, as well as her public advocacy for the rights of immigrants.

Castillo created Welcoming New Hampshire, the state’s chapter of Welcoming America, to promote understanding, inclusion and positive integration between immigrants and the communities they call home. She led civic engagement and voter education initiatives, helping community members better understand their rights, responsibilities and opportunities to participate in the democratic process.

The award reception will take place on September 21 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. The event is the Loeb School’s annual fundraiser, supporting its classes on the First Amendment, journalism and communication.

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