REAL ESTATE

Entrepreneur and financial coach Steve Spain of Goffstown has joined Morgan Franklin Fellowship Foundation, where he will develop the organization’s business and skill development content as a subject matter expert. He also works as a commercial real estate agent with SVN The Masiello Group.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Ledyard National Bank has appointed David Landry as vice president and branch manager of the bank’s West Lebanon branch. He succeeds Gail Broughton, who will be retiring in October after serving Ledyard for the last 30 years.

Melissa Williams has been promoted to assistant banking office manager at Bank of New Hampshire’s Laconia office. She brings over two decades of experience to the role since joining the organization in 2005 as a bank services representative.

Donald Bisson has joined Charter Trust Company, a subsidiary of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, as senior vice president and senior investment officer. As a Chartered Financial Analyst® with more than 31 years of investment experience, he’ll work to develop and execute investment strategies to meet clients’ goals.

Merchants Insurance Group, Bedford, has been honored as the 2019 Small Commercial Carrier of the Year by the North American Insurance Alliance.

EDUCATION

Rivier University has been awarded a $1.8 million Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant from the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration. These funds will help Rivier expand its training programs for behavioral health students and instruction in telehealth technologies.

The Trustees of Concord Community Music School welcomed Jessica Forrest of Concord as the newest member of its board. Forrest has experience in strategic planning and marketing communications for mission-oriented businesses. She has extensively worked for conservation nonprofits as an ecologist and GIS specialist, traveling to places such as the high Himalayas and eastern and central Africa, fueling her interest in diverse cultures and the Music School’s outreach to new Americans.

New Hampshire Musculoskeletal Institute/Safe Sports Network has named Emma Stratmoen and Matthew Johnson athletic training residents for the 2021-22 year.

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

Courtney Hoppe of Manchester has joined Polaris Direct as an account director for its strategic marketing services team in Hooksett.

BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

The Upper Valley Business Alliance and the Upper Valley Arts Alliance have announced the merger of the organizations. The Arts Alliance will be a program of the Upper Valley Business Alliance and UVAA’s leadership team of Louis Cornell and Joanne Wise will continue as a part of the steering committee of UVBA.

WREN has unveiled a grant program, through a partnership with Grafton Regional Development Corp., for small businesses affected by the pandemic. Under the program, direct relief grants up to $2,500 will be awarded to help small businesses offset costs related to preparing for, responding to or recovering from the pandemic. The may be applied towards expenses such as rent, technology, equipment, payroll or inventory. For more information, visit wrenworks.org/grants.

GOVERNMENT

The NH Veteran-Friendly Business Recognition Program recently recognized the city of Concord as a Bronze NH Veteran-Friendly Business, the first municipality in the state to receive the designation. The program aims to honor businesses that value the contributions of service members, veterans and their families and match skilled veterans with positions at businesses.

ACCOUNTING

Wipfli LLP has announced the promotion of CPA Jason Beiswenger to partner in its Bedford office. He will be the firm’s private client group practice leader.

HEALTHCARE

Access Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics has announced that Dr. Chelsea Backer, D.O., has joined its Exeter practice. Backer oversees the Athletic Training program at Access Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics and is the director of the concussion management and osteoporosis program.

Joni B. Menard, vice president of ambulatory nursing at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, has been appointed to the New Hampshire Board of Nursing for a threeyear term.

Nurse practitioner Rebecca Houlihan has joined Seacoast Dermatology, where she diagnoses and prescribes treatments for a range of skin issues with a focus on skin cancer.

Benchmark Senior Living, a provider of senior living services in the Northeast, has announced the rebranding of the Evolve at Rye community as Benchmark at Rye. Benchmark purchased and began operating in the community in November 2020.

Dr. Andrew Lehn of Portsmouth has joined Atlantic Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine as a board-certified interventional pain management provider. Lehn received his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia and completed his residency at Johns Hopkins University, with a focus on chronic pain.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Charter Communications Inc. has opened a new Spectrum Store in Keene, which allows customers to add or manage Spectrum Internet, TV, mobile or voice services.

NONPROFITS

YWCA New Hampshire has appointed Emerald Anderson-Ford as its first chief diversity officer. Anderson-Ford previously served as managing director of diversity and equity strategy at City Year.

Datron Dynamics of Milford, the North American provider of Datron AG highspeed, precision CNC machines, is marking its 25th anniversary by donating $25,000 worth of cutting tools to 10 educational institutions that have Datron machines in their STEM programs. The institutions include the University of New Hampshire and Southern New Hampshire University, as well as the University of Oregon, University of Maryland, University of Western Ontario, University of Washington and Université Laval in Quebec. Each will receive a $2,500 voucher to purchase cutting tools for their Datron machines.

The Greater Rochester Community Health Foundation (GRCHF), which was formed earlier this year as a result of the sale of Frisbie Hospital, has appointed its inaugural board of directors. Members are: Betsey Andrews Parker, CEO of the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County of Dover and Rochester; Jennifer Gullison, vice president of operations at Cornerstone VNA in Rochester; Brian Hughes, president and CEO of Holy Rosary Credit Union in Rochester; Sandra Jalbert, philanthropist and volunteer from Rollinsford; Frank Jones, attorney at Wensley & Jones, Rochester; Raude Raychel, founder and president of the Indonesian Community Connect Somersworth; and Emmett Soldati, owner of Teatotaller Café in Somersworth. The board will hold its first meeting this fall.

Timothy F. Murray has been named interim CEO of Future In Sight following the departure of David Morgan from the post. The organization will begin a search process in the coming months to identify a new CEO.

CASA of New Hampshire raised $105,000 last month at its 10th and final John Zahr Memorial Golf Tournament at the Manchester Country Club. With more than 30 teams of four participating, the tournament helped support CASA’s endowment fund created in the memory of John Zahr, a longtime supporter of CASA’s mission to advocate for abused and neglected children in New Hampshire.

The Laconia-based New Hampshire Humane Society has launched a fundraiser to help it add a field investigator to its team to assist in animal abuse and neglect investigations. The society received some $40,000 in donations through a recent appeal letter, leaving a need for another $35,000 to fund the planned Humane Education program. Donations can be made online at NHHumane.org.

Manchester-based Families in Transition has launched a new initiative that focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion. Through funding from Network-4Health, Manchester’s integrated delivery network, the organization has begun a review of the organization, including programs, staff and board of directors, in order to better fulfill its mission, with the goal of creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace and environment and improved outcomes for residents and clients.

BUSINESS SERVICES

Johnna Major has joined KMA Human Resources Consulting as a human resources consultant to help provide local and regional businesses with human resources guidance and support. KMA Human Resources Consulting is headquartered in Falmouth, Maine, with offices throughout New England.

Toronto-based Waste Connections Inc. has acquired E.L. Harvey & Sons Inc. of Westborough, Mass., a 110-year-old solid waste services company that serves commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers in central and eastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

Air Cleaners Inc. of Bristol has been chosen to supply portable HEPA air filtration systems to the Warren Elementary School. The devices are manufactured in New Hampshire and employ a patented air cleaner design.

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