FINANCIAL SERVICES
Holly Kresiak has joined Bar Harbor Wealth Management, a subsidiary of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, as vice president, senior wealth manager. Brent Kiley, Chris Kinnane, Bob Bonfiglio, and Justin Hall, managing partners at Rise Private Wealth Management, Bedford, have been named to the list of “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” published by Forbes. The list recognizes financial advisors who have demonstrated high levels of ethical standards, professionalism and success in the business.
Susan Perry, senior vice president, commercial loan officer for Union Bank of Vermont and New Hampshire, recently received the “New Hampshire 504 Lender of the Year 2022” award from the Granite State Development Corporation for originating the most 504 loans in New Hampshire in 2022.
Peter Johnston has joined Newburyport Bank as senior vice president, commercial team leader of North Group. Over the past 14 years, he has held various leadership roles with The Savings Bank, Sovereign Bank, Institution for Savings, The Provident Bank, First Essex Bank and First & Ocean National Bank.
Bank of New Hampshire has promoted Taylor Laro to marketing and customer experience officer, after three years as the bank’s marketing and digital media specialist. Taylor holds ABA certificates in principles of banking, marketing financial services and bank marketing.
Sean Roth has joined Northwestern Mutual in Portsmouth as a financial representative. Previously, Roth was a regional manager for Gibb’s Garage Bar in Portsmouth and Tailgate Tavern in Stratham.
Northeast Credit Union has named Ryan Grace as vice president of brand. He has over 10 years of experience in building multinational brands in the consumer goods industry, including jobs at Keurig Dr Pepper, Lindt and Mars.
St. Mary’s Bank recently welcomed Biren Patel as a wealth management advisor. Prior to joining the bank, Patel was a fixed income specialist and investment solutions representative at Fidelity Investments, including time spent at Bar Harbor Financial Services, Citizens Investment Services and TD Bank.
Nicholas Copadis has joined Bar Harbor Bank & Trust as vice president, residential lending manager. He brings more than 15 years of residential lending experience to the role, including tenures at Bank of America and Cross Country Mortgage.
GOVERNMENT
Meghan Wentworth of Barrington, mind and memory care director at Benchmark at Rye, has been selected by Gov. Chris Sununu to serve on the state’s Alzheimer’s and Related Dementia subcommittee. Wentworth will be the subcommittee’s sole assisted living representative.
ACCOUNTING
Baker Newman Noyes has joined HLB International, a network of independent advisory and accounting firms with 40,831 professionals across 156 countries. BNN has a wide client base serving them from five full-service offices in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and was recently ranked No. 46 on Accounting Today’s Top 100 Firms for 2023.
Nathan Wechsler & Company has been named as one of the “2023 Regional Leaders” by Accounting Today — the sixth time in a row that the firm has been recognized as one of the top firms in the New England region. It was the only New Hampshire-based firm included on the list.
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
U.S. Performance Academy has retained advertising and marketing agency wedü to help build brand awareness, redesign its website and produce digital content.
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce has named Meaghan Dunn, an English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) teacher at the Frances G. Hopkins Elementary School in Dover, its 2023 David K. Bamford Educator of the Year. As Educator of the Year, Dunn will receive a $1,000 stipend. In addition to Educator of the Year, the chamber will present other awards at its annual Awards Gala on May 4: Dana Lynch, Volunteer of the Year; Stephanie and Michael Bolduc, Citizens of the Year; Monarch School of New England, Nonprofit of the Year; Keslar Insurance Agency, Business of the Year; and Danielle Festa, Community Arts Champion. The gala will be held at the Rivermill at Dover Landing and will feature a cocktail reception and dinner. Tickets for the Annual Awards Gala are $90 per person ($75 for chamber members).
HEALTHCARE
Merrimack-based Home Health & Hospice Care has named Barbara Lafrance, a registered nurse, its new CEO, succeeding John Getts, who has stepped down after nine years on the job. Lafrance has worked at Home Health & Hospice Care for 25 years, most recently as chief clinical officer. Before that, she served as quality manager for the organization.
Dr. Archana Bhargava of Durham, an oncologist, has been named the new chair of Cornerstone VNA’s board of directors, succeeding Susan Gaudiello of Barrington. In addition, Gina DeNuzzio of Rochester has joined the organization’s board. She currently serves as assistant vice president and manager of First Seacoast Bank’s Barrington branch manager.
JSJ Aesthetics & Wellness, a medical spa with locations in Salem, NH, and Methuen, Mass., has launched “The Pamper Project,” an annual program to honor and reward exceptional local nurses.
This year’s recipients are nurses Melanie Smith from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Melissa Lord from Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.
Concord Hospital has received the 2022-23 Star Performer designation from The American Orthopaedic Association’s Own the Bone program — a program honoring institutions that perform the highest level of fragility fracture and bone health care for patients.
Amy Kucera is the new manager of quality at Granite VNA, a home, health and hospice care organization. She is a board-certified occupational therapist with more than 20 years’ experience in the field.
Cheshire Medical Center has welcomed Ashlee Leslie to their Family Medicine department. She spent the last two years in the Emergency Department at Cheshire after working as a registered nurse in the Intermediate Specialty Care Unit at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester now offers a new treatment option for those who suffer from Major Depressive Disorder called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), available at Bedford Counseling Associates (an affiliate program of MHCGM) in Manchester. The non-invasive, FDA-approved medical procedure is designed for adult patients with depression, who have not benefitted from first-line treatment approaches. Additional information can be found at mhcgm.org.
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has collaborated with SOS Recovery Community Organization, the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition and The Doorway to provide funds to the Strafford County Public Health Network as part of a new project for syringe disposal in Dover. The pilot program is aimed at helping to decrease the amount of improperly disposed of needles and medical waste in the community by providing safe disposal units.
The Seacoast Mental Health Center has welcomed two new members to its board of directors: Vicki Boyd, most recently the executive vice president of publishing company Heinemann, and Seth Tondreault, an officer with the Portsmouth Police Department.
ARTS AND CULTURE
Harold Steward has joined the New England Foundation for the Arts as its next executive director, effective July 10.
Steward is currently executive director and cultural strategist at The Theatre Offensive, a Boston-based nonprofit that presents art by, for and about queer and trans people of color.
CONSTRUCTION
Yankee Barn Homes has announced that Kerri Post has been named chief operating officer, the first woman to hold a top post at the Grantham company. Post has been with Yankee Barn Homes since 2014. During her time at the company, she led the company to break out of its traditional post-and-beam barn home mold and move toward designing homes in a more contemporary style, the company said.
Newmarket-based development, construction and property management firm Chinburg has earned a national award at the highest level of the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard of recognition.
The company is one of only 12 new home builders recognized at the top Sustained Excellence Energy Star award tier for 2023 — the only builder to earn the designation in New England. The company earned its first national Energy Star Partner of the Year Award in 2016 and has continued to earn the rankings ever since when it comes to its home performance standards.
Hooksett-based Procon’s design-build project, the Tufts University Joyce Cummings Center in Medford, Mass., has been awarded a national Excellence in Construction Eagle Award and National Design-Build Award, presented during the Associated Builders and Contractors convention in Orlando, Fla. on March 16. The awards honor general and specialty contractors for worldclass, safe and innovative construction projects from across the country.
EDUCATION
Franklin Pierce University will present honorary doctorates to attorney and business executive Steven V. Camerino, currently CEO of the McLane Middleton law firm, and inclusion scholar Dr. Tia Brown McNair at its 58th commencement on May 13. In addition, writer, educator and community activist JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, will be presented with the Honorable Walter R. Peterson Citizen Leader Award, named for New Hampshire’s 72nd governor and the second president of Franklin Pierce University.
LAW
Luke Webster has joined Drummond Woodsum’s special education practice group. Based in the firm’s Manchester office, he will be providing advice to public schools on a wide range of complex legal issues with an emphasis on special education law. Webster most recently served as a judge advocate general in the NH Army National Guard and also served as the legal adviser to the Joint Task Force commander responsible for overseeing the National Guard’s support to the state’s response to Covid-19.
Shaheen & Gordon has added attorney William C. Baker to its business law group. Based out of the firm’s Dover office, Baker focuses his practice on guiding small to mid-size businesses through matters related to formation, organization, employment, succession planning and other needs. He also handles matters that need to be settled through litigation.
The Disability Rights Center NH has announced that Jennifer Eber is its new litigation director, leading DRC-NH’s efforts to protect and expand the civil rights of people with disabilities. Eber joined the Disability Rights Center NH in 2021 after 30 years as an attorney at Orr & Reno, where she served clients in litigated matters and counseled them on employment-related issues.
Scott H. Harris, a director in McLane Middleton’s Litigation Department, has won the 18th annual Jack B. Middleton Pro Bono Legal Services Award for his commitment to providing legal counsel to those who need but cannot afford that counsel. Joanne Bressi, the receptionist at the firm’s Woburn, Mass., office, was the recipient of the firm’s annual John A. Graf Client Service Award, given to an individual “who has relentlessly focused on solving his clients’ problems.” And Brittany Piet, a paralegal in the firm’s Trusts & Estates Department, has won the John R. McLane Jr. Community Service Award, which goes to the colleague who exemplifies the highest commitment to the community based on colleague observations and peer reviews.
Sheehan Phinney has announced the addition of the Butenhof & Bomster legal team to its growing firm. It said the move significantly enhances the firm’s probate and estate planning capabilities, and expands our services to include elder law and special needs trusts. Sheehan Phinney Managing Director Dave McGrath said the Butenhof & Bomster team “furthers our commitment to provide our individual and family clients with sophisticated and specialized legal services.”
MANUFACTURING
Monadnock Paper Mills, Bennington, has named Steve Murphy as its director of supply chain and logistics. The appointment marks Murphy’s return to the company, which he initially joined in January 1988 as an hourly employee, eventually rising to the position of maintenance purchasing/stockroom manager in 1997. Before rejoining Monadnock Paper, he worked for 16 years at ENCON Evaporators Inc. of Hooksett, where he most recently worked as supply chain manager.
MegaFood has been Plastic Neutral Certified by rePurpose Global. Through this partnership, Mega-Food’s goal is to remove more than 450,000 pounds of plastic waste by the end of 2023.
Sarah Orans-Spizzirro has been promoted from XMA Corp.’s administrative services leader to people and culture manager. She is also a recent graduate of the BIA’s Emerging Leaders Program, led by Sojourn Partners.
Newington-based gun manufacturer SIG Sauer has expanded its SIG Professional Program, offering discounted pricing on select firearms to members of law enforcement agencies, first responders, security personnel and members of the military through SIG Master and Elite dealers.
TECHNOLOGY
Position Imaging Inc., Stratham, a provider of package logistics and advanced asset tracking products, has announced a partnership with CDW and Mason Technologies Inc. to manage logistics and install its Smart Package Room at multifamily properties and student housing facilities throughout the U.S. CDW is a multi-brand provider of information technology solutions and Mason Technologies is a provider of turnkey solutions with full-service integration in smart building technologies.
IT Secure Services, an IT and cybersecurity solutions provider in Bedford, has transitioned ownership from the company’s founder Joerg Laves to Dan Horgan, an experienced technical engineer, support manager and long-time company employee.
TRANSPORTATION
Merchants Fleet recently has hired Patrick Mitchell as its manager of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, supporting clients with the planning, assessment and deployment of custom charging infrastructure for their EV fleets.
RETAIL
LL Flooring, formerly Lumber Liquidators, a national retailer of hard-surface flooring, has opened a new store in Concord, at 308 Loudon Rd. It is the sixth LL Flooring store in New Hampshire.
NONPROFITS
Three nonprofit organizations in New Hampshire will receive support from Citizens through the bank’s Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money program. The initiative is aimed at helping strengthen communities by supporting programs, through direct funding as well as volunteerism, that give people the resources they need to be financially healthy and inspire them to pursue their goals. This years’ funding recipients in New Hampshire are Nashua Boys and Girls Club, NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire and The Granite YMCA.
Sarah Marchant of Brookline, chief of staff and vice president of ROC-NH at the NH Community Loan Fund, has been named to the inaugural steering committee of the Housing Supply Accelerator, a national campaign to improve local capacity, identify critical solutions, and speed reforms that enable communities and developers to work together to produce, preserve and provide a diverse range of quality housing. BankProv has donated over $300,000 over the last year to local charities and nonprofits that focus on social services, economic development, education, arts and culture, including Our Neighbors’ Table, the Granite State Children’s Alliance, Families in Transition, Boys and Girls Club of Lower Merrimack Valley and Manchester, and Cross Roads House.
REAL ESTATE
Brad Abel, Colliers’ vice president of real estate management services in New Hampshire has been accepted as an official Institute of Real Estate Management instructor. IREM is the organization that awards the Commercial Property Manager designation, which Abel received in 2010. Abel now teaches Finance 402 and Ethics 800 for IREM and oversees the day-to-day operations of Colliers’ management portfolio.
Deanna Caron, associate broker at Stebbins Commercial Properties, has announced the sale of 749 E. Industrial Park Drive in Manchester by The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications Inc. to Applied Behavioral Connections Inc. Sale price of the 23,439-square-foot building was $1.59 million. Caron represented the seller and assisted the buyer in this transaction. The buyer is a clinic-based therapy company that provides services to children and adolescents on the autism spectrum.
Couch Family Foundation names first exec. director
Sara Vecchiotti has been selected as The Couch Family Foundation’s first executive director, hired to help the foundation grow its early childhood care and education strategy statewide.
Vecchiotti previously worked for eight years at the Foundation for Child Development in New York, most recently as its vice president.
Before that, Vecchiotti was chief operating officer at Lutheran Social Services of New York.
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