FINANCIAL SERVICES

Accounting and advisory firm Baker Newman Noyes announced that their current advisory teams are now operating under one advisory practice, with principal Ilona Davis at the helm. Davis has been with BNN since 2012, when she founded and led the firm’s Business & Technology Advisory group as well as the BNN Women’s Committee.

The Rowley Agency welcomed Andrei Anghel and Robert Mayo as account executives in the agency’s benefits department and property and casualty department, respectively. Anghel will operate out of the firm’s Concord office, and Mayo will primarily work out of the West Lebanon office.

Bank of America has increased its U.S. minimum hourly wage to $23, taking effect in October, with plans to increase to $25 by 2025. With the increase to $23/hour, minimum annual salaries for full-time employees will increase to nearly $48,000.

St. Mary’s Bank has won gold in the category of Best Credit Union in the third edition of Best of the 603.

The bank’s commitment to philanthropy with the organization’s 603 Account, a checking account launched in 2022 that benefits local nonprofits, was a major deciding factor in the recognition.

Gary Dionne, a financial advisor with Lamb, Petersen & Mann Advisory Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services in Laconia, has been named a recipient of the 2023 Five Star Wealth Manager award by Five Star Professional. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund awarded Evernorth Rural Ventures a $60 million allocation of New Markets Tax Credits to continue its economic and community development work in low-income areas. Since 2008, Evernorth Rural Ventures has created $231 million in affordable capital to support $425 million in total development activity, and has created and retained over 4,260 jobs and over 1,750 construction jobs.

ARCHITECTURE

Manchester-based architect firm Lavallee Brensinger Architects recently announced they hired several new members to the teams at their offices in Boston, Mass., Manchester, N.H., and Portland, Maine: Chris Urner, senior project architect; Irene Suescum, project designer; Michael Albert, senior product manager; Wolfgan Meckem, project designer; Zachary Brock, senior project manager and technical leader; Mario Lewis, project architect; and Jacqueline Valeri, co-op interior designer.

Scott Donovan, AIA, LEED, AP, is the newest cooperative co-owner of Warrenstreet Architects, joining fellow coowners Jonathan Halle, Jonathan Smith, Wendy Noyes, Lawreen Halle, Cory Bouchard and Ruth Hadnot. With 25 years of experience managing projects in various sectors, Donovan joined the 15-member design firm co-op in 2019, and serves as senior project architect.

HEALTH CARE

Seacoast Mental Health Center, Inc. appointed Tom Sherman, M.D., to its board of directors. A retired gastroenterologist, Dr. Sherman worked at Core Physicians and served as a state representative and state senator before becoming the Democratic nominee for governor in 2022.

FlexABLE Assisted Stretching & Wellness in Manchester, celebrating its first year in business, has been awarded the “Best of the 603” recognition in the Best Gym/Fitness Center category. Owned and operated by Nate Lavallee, FlexABLE helps clients in recovery after hip, knee and shoulder replacements, ultimately increasing their mobility.

TECHNOLOGY

The Semiconductor Industry Association recently shared that Geoff Martha, chairman and CEO of healthcare technology leader Medtronic — that has an office in Portsmouth — will be the keynote presenter at the 2023 SIA Awards Dinner on Nov. 16 in San Jose, Calif. Martha will offer perspectives on the role of semiconductors in the future of medical technology.

The NH Tech Alliance has named Carleton Dufoe, founder and CEO of New Power, as the recipient of the 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which are presented to the most innovative individuals in New Hampshire’s tech industry and judged on risk, innovation, growth, competition, profitability and employment.

Boston-based Flexxbotics has been chosen by Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division to join the elite Sixth Sense program. For the program, Flexxbotics will collaborate with Hexagon to create a joint offering that combines Flexxbotics software for robot-driven manufacturing and autonomous process control together with Hexagon’s in-line inspection equipment.

Symetri, part of Addnode Group, a worldwide solutions provider of technology and consultancy services, has appointed Amy Marks to the position of executive vice president of global strategy. In her new role, Marks will help guide solutions focused on accelerating customers’ ability to improve processes and reach desired outcomes.

MARKETING & ADVERTISING

Cookson Communications welcomed Steve Morin as the newest member of its team. As the web services manager, Morin will play a lead role in web development, management and hosting services as the company continues to expand its clientele. Previously, he’s held roles at Ronin Digital, Xponent21 in Richmond, Va., Silvertech, Manchester Community College, among others.

Digital agency and HubSpot solutions partner Raka has been recognized as one of Business NH Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For in 2023, due to its commitment towards inclusivity and celebrating its team members’ inputs.

EDUCATION

The University of New Hampshire is the No. 7 “Best Value” public university according to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings. UNH moved up two spots from last year and maintained its position as the No. 1 best value public college in New England. Additionally, UNH strengthened its position as a National Best College (No. 115, up from 137 last year) and Best National Public University (No. 58, up from 64 last year). UNH was also ranked No. 76 as the best national college for veterans.

Southern New Hampshire University was named a “Great College to Work For” for the 16th consecutive year as part of the Great Colleges program. Additionally, SNHU was recognized in late August by Forbes as the No. 1 education employer in New Hampshire and top three overall in state as part of its “America’s Best-In-State Employers 2023.”

On Oct. 13, UNH will honor this year’s inductees to the UNH Alumni Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, who are: Andre Beaupre, cofounder of Soulful Advantage; Jill Gravink, founder and executive director of Northeast Passage; Erik Dodier, co-founder and CEO of RafterOne; and David Hallal, chairman and CEO of ElevateBio. Additionally, Bob Phillips, managing partner and CTO of 3EDGE Asset Management, will be honored as the ECenter Champion.

Plymouth State University welcomed 996 first-year students to campus for the fall 2023 semester, which marks a 12% increase in first-year students over fall 2022. More than 24% of its first-year and transfer students represent people of color as well as a variety of diverse backgrounds.

NONPROFITS

Tom Torr, founding partner of Cocheco Elder Law Associates, has joined the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Foundation as its newest board chair, replacing Jackie Eastwood, the now-retired co-founder and former CEO of Salient Surgical Technologies.

Stay Work Play has named Granite VNA home care nurse Michael Newell, RN, Young Person of the Year in its 14th Annual Rising Stars Awards, which recognize young people and businesses that go the extra mile to recruit and retain dedicated employees. After his first year of home care nursing, Newell became a residency program mentor and now guides, teaches and supports new nurses.

Last month, the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation awarded $77,000 in grants to 20 nonprofit organizations across Maine and New Hampshire, including $3,500 to JBC Communications to supplement a short film titled “We Can Fix This,” $5,000 to CASA of NH and $2,000 to Breakthrough Manchester.

Eureka Casino Resort’s properties in Mesquite, Nevada, and in Seabrook, N.H., raised $30,000 for the American Red Cross’ fire relief efforts in Maui, Hawaii. The Brook casino hosted a free concert to provide a 100% match for each donation that was made and also pledged an additional $100 for every attendee, collecting approximately $10,000.

Franklin Savings Bank awarded $62,200 in grants to 11 community organizations through its Fund for Community Advancement, the philanthropic arm of the bank. This year’s recipients include Andover Historical Society, Archways, CATCH Neighborhood Housing, Danbury Historical Society, Franklin Opera House, Granite VNA, Hill Center Church, Northfield Economic Development Corp., Granite State News Collaborative, Twin Rivers Food Pantry, and Webster House Children’s Home.

Planet Fitness is hosting a company-wide “Flexing for Good” volunteer initiative for its corporate team members, who, throughout the month of September, will volunteer at local nonprofit organizations, dedicating more than 400 hours of service. Local benefitting organizations include the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Club of Manchester, Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation, Lydia’s House of Hope, and Camp Foster.

BUSINESS SERVICES

The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce has chosen Jim Bouley, Mayor of Concord and partner in Dennehy and Bouley LLC, as its 2023 Outstanding Citizen of the Year. Bouley will be honored at the 104th Annual Meeting and Citizen of the Year Award event on Nov. 1 in Concord. The chamber remarked that Bouley’s outstanding leadership as mayor has helped advance its community’s standing in the state, transformed Concord’s footprint to support a thriving economy and made an impact on residents’ quality of life.

The Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce will honor Richard Lannan as its 2023 Citizen of the Year for his commitment to the city of Nashua. Through his role at The Lannan Company, Rich has focused on developing mixed-use investment properties for over 20 years to help enhance the vibrancy of the downtown community.

Greater Merrimack-Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce has recognized Allegra Boverman, of Allegra Boverman Photography, with a Best of the Best 2023 Photographer award. Boverman has been a photojournalist since 2004, focusing on communities in the north of Boston and Cape Ann areas of Massachusetts as well as southern New Hampshire and the Merrimack Valley.

LAW

Attorney Ellen Miller has joined the northern New England law firm Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC in its Trusts & Estates Group based in the firm’s Lebanon office. Ellen worked for several years at an aviation safety and sustainability nonprofit in Washington, D.C., and received her juris doctor from the University of Colorado Law School.

Catholic Charities names new major gifts officer

Catholic Charities New Hampshire recently welcomed Rebecca Fredrickson to the nonprofit as a major gifts officer. Fredrickson brings more than 15 years of nonprofit and fundraising expertise, most recently as the executive director of the Jaffrey Civic Center in Jaffrey, where she oversaw the 58-year-old foundation dedicated to the arts, culture and civic engagement in Jaffrey. She also held leadership roles with City Arts Nashua, Gate City Charter School for the Arts and Boy & Girls Club Nashua and has extensive volunteer and engagement experience through various community organizations and events.

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