Steve Duprey, president of Concordbased The Duprey Companies and a former New Hampshire Republican National Committeeman, is Gov. Christopher Sununu’s pick to chair the Pease Development Authority board of directors.

Duprey, confirmed by the governor’s Executive Council on March 9, succeeds Kevin Smith, who resigned his role as PDA chair in February, as well as his job as town manager in Londonderry, to campaign full time as a Republican for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Maggie Hassan.

His first meeting as chairman will be the board’s regular monthly session on Thursday, April 21.

The PDA oversees the airport in Portsmouth, the Pease International Tradeport, Skyhaven Airport in Rochester, and ports and harbors in Portsmouth, Rye and Hampton.

The tradeport has two zones for development: the airport zone, where development is limited to aeronautics, and the commercial zone of office buildings and light manufacturing.

Duprey said he has served every governor — Republican and Democrat — in some public capacity dating back to Hugh Gallen, a Democrat who held the office from 1979 to 1982.

Duprey said he has received no instructions, no marching orders from Sununu on his role as board chair.

“The governor just said: ‘Do a good job,’” said Duprey.

In 2020, Sununu, through Smith, sought board approval to privatize the tradeport, selling the land to the developers. It was defeated, 5-2.

Duprey Companies includes the operation of four hotels: the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, Foxfire Property Management and Facilitech Facilities Services. He has no financial interest or development projects at the tradeport.

“I’m at a point in my career where I have the luxury of devoting more time to civic matters simply because I have such a good team who run my business enterprises better than I ever could,” he said.

— PAUL BRIAND