HEALTHCARE

Dr. Kevin Zent, a primary care physician at Goodwin Community Health in Somersworth, will be presented with the Outstanding Clinician of the Year award by the Bi-State Primary Care Association. The award honors primary care clinicians whose exemplary skills and service have made a significant impact on the health of underserved patients and the communities in which they serve. Zent is among 10 providers in New Hampshire and Vermont to be recognized for their work in expanding access to primary healthcare.

Hanan Bedri has been appointed as the new executive director of the NH Public Health Association. She started her career as a project coordinator for the NH Minority Health Coalition, where she worked with underserved immigrant and refugee communities in Manchester, including Vietnamese, African, Hispanic and Arabicspeaking populations.

Six new members have been elected to the Elliot Health System board of directors: Karen Van Der Beken, retired former chief development officer of Easterseals; Charles Goodwin, retired former owner and president of the Goodwin Funeral Home; Dr. Nancy Husarik, an internal medicine/pediatrics primary care physician with Elliot Health System in Raymond; Dr. Marjan Makatam-Abrams, as a pediatric hospitalist who has been with Elliot Health System since 2011; Dr. Heidi Meinz, an obstetrician/gynecologist with Manchester Obstetrics/Gynecology Associates; and Dr. Carl Fier, recently elected as president of the Elliot medical staff.

Ten individuals, nominated by their peers and selected unanimously by Bi-State Primary Care Association’s board of directors, will be recognized later this spring for their contributions to expand access to primary healthcare to those in need. The 2022 Awards Ceremony, which will be held as part of Bi-State’s Primary Care Conference on May 17, will honor: U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Mary Bidgood-Wilson, a consultant based in Moultonborough, with The Chair Award; Meredith Plumpton and Meghan Knowles of the Vermont Department of Health’s Immunization Program and Regina Blaney of the NH Oral Health Coalition, Concord, will receive the Public Service Award; The Hunt Blair Leadership Award will go to Christopher Towne of Northern Counties Health Care in Vermont and Nina DeMarco of Amoskeag Health, Manchester; The Outstanding Clinician Award will be presented to Michelle Hollis and Michele Fagnant, both of Little Rivers Health Care in Vermont, and Dr. Kevin Zent of Goodwin Community Health, Somersworth; and the Senator Bernie Sanders Leadership Award will be presented to Sara Rosenbaum of the Department of Health Policy at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon has been reverified as a Level I trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons. A Level I trauma center is a comprehensive regional resource that provides a high level of specialty care and total care for every aspect of injury, from prevention through rehabilitation.

CONSTRUCTION

MTN Landscaping, a landscaping, snow management and hardscape installation company that for the last decade has been based in Walpole, Mass., has moved its headquarters to Derry, NH, serving clients in southern New Hampshire. For more information, visit MTNLandscapingNH.com.

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

Richardson Media Group, a media planning and buying and search engine optimization agency based in Portsmouth, has been granted B Corporation certification by the nonprofit organization B Lab. RMG, founded in 2014, joins a growing list of socially responsible businesses that seek to make a positive impact on communities, workers and the environment through sustainable and inclusive business practices.

BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

The Rotary Club of Merrimack is seeking nominations of people who live or work in Merrimack and have displayed outstanding performance at their jobs. To submit a nomination, visit merrimackrotary.org by April 8. Nominees will be recognized at a breakfast event in late April.

ACCOUNTING

Baker Newman Noyes has announced three new senior level promotions in its Manchester office. Christopher Hussey has been promoted to managing director in the tax department, and Kimberly Pecora and Matt Landon have been promoted to tax principal. All work out of the firm’s Manchester office.

Julie Greenwood, a CPA with Nathan Wechsler & Company, PA, recently participated in a panel discussion titled, “We Should Probably Talk About This,” produced by Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services in Keene. The panel focused on end-of-life planning and the issues involved with the area. Greenwood’s fellow panelists were Susan Abert, an elder law attorney, and Sue Simonds, a funeral director, and Allen Mendelson, a retired financial advisor, acted as moderator.

EDUCATION

Franklin Pierce University has announced the appointment of Nick Soggu of Bedford, president and CEO of Manchester-based SilverTech Inc. and CEO of Pannos Marketing. He also currently serves on the board of trustees of the SEE Science Center.

To meet the high demand for longhaul truck drivers and other commercial driver professionals, White Mountains Community College is expanding its Commercial Driver Training (CDT) program by adding a new noncredit spring session at the Littleton campus. The eight-week CDT program, which begins March 7, is a tractortrailer competencybased driver training program that includes classroom work and in-vehicle training time. Students will master the wide range of competencies needed to become safe, confident, comfortable drivers. WMCC has seven vehicles in the fleet and a state-of-the-art simulator for student training.

It is located in Berlin, with satellite campuses in Littleton and North Conway.

The NH Higher Education Assistance Foundation Network is offering a total of $250,000 in scholarships to New Hampshire residents who are returning undergraduate students at two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions. Through the program, students are eligible for individual scholarship awards of $2,500 or $5,000, based on demonstration of financial need. Four categories of scholarships are available: Community Service Scholarship; Academic Excellence Scholarship; Leadership Scholarship; and the Opportunity Scholarship for first-generation college students. For more information, visit nhheaf.org/nhheaf-network-scholarship.asp.

New England College has created its firstever endowed faculty chair, the K.H. William and Andrea Krueger Endowed Faculty Chair in Business Administration, with a focus on accounting, which will be funded by a $2 million gift from Kenneth Krueger, a 1966 graduate of NEC, and his late wife, Andrea Krueger.

ENGINEERING

Engineering and environmental firm Nobis Group has hired Adam Roy as an associate of the firm. Roy, a senior project manager with Nobis, is a licensed site professional and certified hazardous materials manager with more than 20 years of experience.

LAW

The Manchester-based law firm of McLane Middleton has announced the winners of its three annual awards. Winner of the 17th annual Jack B. Middleton Pro Bono Legal Services Award was Laura B. Dodge, an attorney in the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. The John A. Graf Client Service Award was given to Laura Kahl, an attorney in the firm’s Litigation Department and a member of the Employment Law Practice Group. Catherine D. Allard, a paralegal at the firm, and Katie Allard, a legal administrative assistant in the firm’s Trust and Estates Department, were presented with the John R. McLane Jr. Community Service Award.

Hinckley Allen has announced that Arnie Rosenblatt — a founding member of the Manchester-based Cook, Little, Rosenblatt & Manson — along with Kathleen M. Mahan and Chris Kelly have joined the firm. At CLRM, Rosenblatt — who has 40 years of experience as a trial lawyer — headed the firm’s business litigation practice.

Mahan, who worked at CLRM for some 13 years, is a business litigator practicing before the New Hampshire and Massachusetts state and federal courts and in arbitration proceedings. She also has joined the firm as a partner in its complex business litigation practice. Kelly has been practicing law for nearly 15 years, specializing in commercial real estate and was with the Union Pacific Railroad Company in Omaha, Neb., since 2014 as in-house real estate counsel for the Fortune 200 company. He joins Hinckley Allen as counsel.

REAL ESTATE

The sale of 231 Mass Rd. in Pembroke, a five-unit mobile home park with a Cape-style home and 50 acres of riverfront property, has been sold by Red Quill Development LLC to 76-80 Terrace Road LLC. Jerry Hersch of the commercial division of Tinkham Realty Inc., Londonderry, represented the seller, and Stephan Morrissey of Allison Estate and Homes represented the buyer.

Ben Mercuri of Benchmarq Realty, Nashua, has brokered the sale of 9 Main St., Kingston. The property is zoned commercial and features a 3,600-squarefoot metal building, 22 storage units and 6.5 acres of land.

Brady Sullivan Properties has added three new office tenants totaling 5,818 square feet at the Birch Pond Office Park at 410 Amherst St., Nashua: the Center for Vein Restoration, Energy Electric, Jack Nelson LLC to the building. The leases were facilitated by Charles Panasis, James Tobin, Derek Lawton and Jamison Bibaud with the building’s listing agent, Cushman & Wakefield. Brady Sullivan also announced that several tenants have taken space at its Waumbec Mill property in the Manchester Millyard. Among them are Pine State Trading Co., health care staffing group Trova LLC, party boutique Ellie & Piper, media marketing company FlyListed and ABA Behavioral Counseling. Panasis, Tobin, Bibaud and Lawton facilitated the new transactions.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Anna Gurnee has been promoted to branch and business development manager of Merrimack County Savings Bank’s Contoocook office. Gurnee worked in the banking industry for more than a decade prior to joining the Merrimack team in 2019 as a branch services representative in Concord.

Kim Elfstrom has been promoted to senior vice president, commercial loan administration at Meredith Village Savings Bank. Elfstrom has held several positions throughout her career at MVSB, most recently as vice president, commercial loan administration. In addition, James “Jim” Carrigan has been promoted to regional vice president, branch and business development manager for Meredith Village Savings Bank. He will continue to manage the bank’s Portsmouth office and will also support the new Rochester office.

Nicole Howard of Hudson has been promoted to assistant vice president, commercial banking relationship manager at Bangor Savings Bank’s downtown Manchester location.

Merrimack County Savings Bank has promoted Rachel Perri to assistant vice president, branch and business development manager at the bank’s Concord office on North State St. In this role, she will help oversee bank operations and foster community relations. Perri first joined the bank in 2020 as a branch and business development manager. In addition, Brooklyn McBee of Boscawen has been promoted to mortgage loan originator at Merrimack County Savings Bank. McBee previously was branch services representative of their Gilford branch.

Kathryn Settipane of Swanzey has been promoted to assistant vice president, customer resource center officer at New Hampshire Mutual’s local Keene office.

Bonnie Ward has joined Northeast Credit Union as vice president of technology, where she’ll oversee digital infrastructure, digital development and IT solutions, and continue to define technology road maps and implementation.

St. Mary’s Bank has hired David Silva as commercial relationship manager at its recently opened Portsmouth branch at Pease Tradeport. Silva will be responsible for the acquisition, retention and expansion of commercial banking relationships.

Tracy Ash has joined the Bank of New Hampshire as vice president and banking office manager at its Plymouth location, where she’ll be responsible for management of the office’s deposit portfolio, customer relationship management, new business development and community engagement. She has over 17 years of banking experience and completed various trainings with the Northern New England School of Banking, American Bankers Association, Risk Management Association and Center for Financial Training.

Meredith Village Savings Bank has promoted Jolene Whitehead to branch and business development manager of the organization’s Rochester office, which is under construction and scheduled to open in late May.

Ledyard National Bank has promoted Cody Marshall to assistant vice president. He first joined Ledyard in 2019 as branch manager of the Bank’s Lebanon location, and was previously a universal banker with Citizens Bank, branch manager with People’s United Bank and a consumer loan officer with Members Advantage Community Credit Union.

NBT Bank has announced that Talha “Tom” Zia has joined the company as the new branch manager of its Keene office. He previously worked as a branch manager at Key Bank.

RETAIL

The Sullivan Country Store has partnered with The Local Crowd Monadnock to launch a crowdfunding campaign to reopen the store. Owners Megan and William Hercher have so far reached 43 percent of their crowdfunding goal. Funds collected will be leveraged to mitigate the impacts of water damage, caused by the total loss of HVAC systems in the store, thus causing burst pipes, investing in commercial refrigeration and equipment, updating the commercial kitchen space, with a stretch goal of building a customer restroom. For more information, visit bit.ly/sullivanstore.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Spectrum recently announced it has doubled the starting download speed of Spectrum Internet from 100 to 200 Mbps in Keene and the surrounding towns of Swanzey, Marlborough, Surry, Roxbury and Richmond as part of its commitment to offer 200 Mbps starting speeds in all markets in its 41-state service area in 2022.

NONPROFITS

Portsmouth-based Southeast NH Habitat for Humanity has named John H. Sokul Jr., a partner at Hinckley Allen and a member of the firm’s executive committee, to its board of directors.

Families in Transition has added new members to its leadership team over the past several months: Jeffrey Zwillenberg, named chief development officer, served as a senior executive director for Reading Partners; Carla Munoz, joining as chief human resources officer, most recently held a position at Globe Manufacturing; Lauren Berman-Lefebvre, director of housing and supportive services, Lauren brings more than 15 years of professional experience in nonprofit management and the human services sector; Meena Gyawali, director of grants and compliance, has more than 20 years of experience working in the field of urban planning and community development; Faith Krefft, director of food services, has experience with high-volume food donations and deliveries in a nonprofit setting; Mike Lynch, director of shelter operations, brings over 12 years of experience in the human services industry in both residential and community-based settings; Dean Petruzzi, director of property administration, has 30 years of property management experience; Sarah Bernier has been promoted to director of substance use services; Melissa DiNoto, has been promoted to program manager of homeless services; Julie Lynch has been promoted to volunteer operations manager; Tyler Wands has been promoted to project data reporting manager; and Chris Wellington has been promoted to chief housing and development officer.

Step Up Parents has received a $5,000 grant from the Meredith Village Savings Bank Fund to support the nonprofit’s mission of offering financial assistance to relative caregivers in New Hampshire who are raising the children of parents with substance use disorder.

Newburyport Bank has donated $1,500 as a bronze sponsor of the 46th Annual UNH Alumni & Friends Wildcat Golf Tournament, which will be held Tuesday, June 14 at the Wentworth by the Sea Country Club in New Castle. Proceeds from this event are applied to the J. Gregg Sanborn Enrichment Fund in support of innovative UNH student projects and programs that inspire learning and leadership.

Six new members have joined Granite United Way’s board of directors: Doug Foley of Eversource; Colby Gamester of Gamester Law Office; Ed Marchetti of Comcast; Cathy Nickerson of WT Phelan/Assured Partners; Randy Perkins, a retired Eversource executive; and Nick Toumpas, former commissioner of the NH Department of Health and Human Services.

Three longtime Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire employees Marianne Jones, Naomi Stevens and Dr. Stephanie Magnarelli have been selected as the organization’s new leadership team. Jones, director of administration and communications and a 19-year employee of the league, is now CEO. Stevens, director of operations and an eight-year employee, is now chief operating officer. Magnarelli, shelter veterinarian and four-year employee of the ARLNH, is now chief medical officer.

Engelberth Construction employees have pledged $5,500 to the Friendly Kitchen as part of their 2022 charitable campaign. “Engelberth is proud to announce that our employees have pledged $5,500 to the Friendly Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Concord. ‘We are committed to partnering with the Friendly Kitchen to help provide food security for those struggling in our community,” said Pierre LeBlanc, Engelberth Construction CEO and president.

Please send items for possible publication in The Latest to EDITOR@NHBR.COM Include a color photo if available.