1. On Nov. 14, surrounded by the school’s board of trustees and Northpoint Construction Management, Dean of School Cassie Hayes officially opened the dedicated 6th-grade wing at The Founders Academy Public Charter School located in Manchester, NH. Dean Hayes spoke to the approximately 75 guests about the benefits of a dedicated wing for the school community, which ranges from 6th to 12th grade. Folding partitions between the humanities and STEM classrooms will allow teachers and students to work collaboratively throughout the school year.
2. Celebrating five years of banking success means celebrating the community itself. In honor of its fifth anniversary, Primary Bank presented a $20,000 grant to Granite State Dog Recovery and $2,500 each to Fueled By Kids, the Jason R. Flood Memorial, Palace Theatre and the Granite YMCA. The nonprofits were selected after an extensive process, receiving more than 20,000 nominations from the community for nearly 500 nonprofits.
3. The Born to Run Foundation made its 10th prosthesis donation, a running blade, to amputee David Hiler (pictured right) of Brattleboro, Vt. At the event, Hiler also announced the creation of a special-label craft brew, RUN, that will support the Foundation’s mission of providing specialized athletic prostheses to amputees to help them lead active lives. The Born to Run Foundation was founded by Noelle Lambert (pictured left) of Manchester, NH, a college athlete who lost her leg in a moped accident on Martha’s Vineyard in 2016.
4. Sandra and Gary Plourde from Jackson, NH, have been awarded the Innkeeper of the Year by the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association. The award was presented at the annual NHLRA event at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord on Nov. 16. The couple are the owners of two historic lodging and hospitality properties in the White Mountains: The Christmas Farm Inn & Spa in Jackson and Thayers Inn in Littleton. The award is from industry peers recognizing the Plourdes for their professional service and welcoming hospitality.
5. Bob Quinn (left), who for 11 years served as the New Hampshire Association of Realtors’ government affairs director and this spring shepherded the organization through the transitional period of the pandemic, has been hired as its CEO, President Marc Drapeau (pictured right) has announced. Quinn had served as NHAR’s acting CEO since the passing of former CEO Paul Griffin, who died following a heart attack on May 4.
6. A ceremonial grand opening was held recently at the new Rite Aid on McGregor Street in Manchester. The opening of this store marks the completion of phase one of CMC’s redevelopment plans. The remaining portion of the old Rite Aid plaza will be demolished by the end of the year. Pictured here, left to right: George Zhushma, Rite Aid pharmacy division vice president; Karyn Shapiro, Rite Aid HR division leader; Dr. Joseph Pepe, CMC president and CEO; Alex Walker, CMC executive VP and COO; and Jeff Schares, Rite Aid retail division vice president.
