Division of Economic Development Director

Chase Hagaman

Chase Hagaman, director of the Department of Business & Economic Affairs’ Division of Economic Development, is focused on ‘accelerating bringing more affordable housing units online, as well as working with communities to make space and create their own zoning for future developments.’

The governor’s Executive Council in September confirmed Chase Hagaman of Bow as the Department of Business and Economic Affairs’ (BEA) director of the Division of Economic Development.

For two and a half years prior, he was deputy director of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), which deployed more than $2 billion in federal relief funds throughout the state, helping businesses and communities continue their economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Q: How can you help improve workforce development?

A: Divisions within BEA function in a collaborative ecosystem that helps employers find opportunities, markets and staff, including workforce development efforts that support a more diverse and sustainable talent pipeline, initiatives to attract people to the Granite State thereby adding to that pipeline, and working alongside businesses to understand their needs and interests as they invest in a future here in New Hampshire.

We’re utilizing our very experienced team to help recruit and retain businesses to help keep the demand for workers up, as well as collaborate with educational institutions and other industry partners to connect the dots for individuals seeking to expand their skill set and broaden the experience of our workforce.

There are also areas in need of focus that are critical to workforce recruitment and retention, such as child care and rural health care, which I look forward to helping advance, but solutions on such issues will require more than just BEA’s efforts, or even the efforts of any one party. A regional focus and approach are necessary.

Q: Affordable housing is the state’s No. 1 economic issue. What can you do in your new role in that regard?

A: From an economic standpoint, the state not only needs additional housing to address current demand but also to accommodate the workforce needed for growing New Hampshire businesses.

BEA works with elected leaders on legislation, community leaders like NH Housing, the Community Development Finance Authority, and the Business Finance Authority on creative programming and facilitates our InvestNH program.

The BEA housing team has done a fantastic job working to put $100 million of Governor Sununu’s InvestNH program (with more to come through state general funds) into communities all over the state specifically focused on accelerating bringing more affordable housing units online, as well as working with communities to make space and create their own zoning for future developments. Not only is more housing needed now, we must continue the work of setting up our state for future success, demand, and an evolving landscape of what the workforce looks like and wants.

As the new director, I can support the housing team’s efforts, assist in the development of future programming that receives funding, work with stakeholders and partners to explore additional efforts, and build from existing studies and resources like the Council on Housing Stability’s Strategic Plan.

Q: What do you see as the untapped sources to help drive the state’s economy?

A: I am excited about the regional approach to economic development promoted by BEA through our Economic Recovery and Expansion Strategy, which was developed back in 2021 and continues to be updated and acted upon. That strategy in many respects hinges upon a regional, coordinated approach with policy, resources and solutions to key challenges, and that regional approach is designed to funnel through Collaborative Economic Development Regions.

Q: What do state policymakers need to do to maintain and enhance NH’s outdoor recreation economy?

A: What I need is for BEA’s Division of Travel and Tourism Development to continue its work marketing New Hampshire’s many natural resources; for BEA’s Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry Development to continue fostering long-term opportunities for local businesses to tap into those resources to recruit and retain their workforce and critical investments; for businesses to stay creative and forward thinking; for communities to continue to embrace their role in regional economic development; and for legislators to continue looking for ways to support and encourage these efforts.

To read the full interview, visit nhbr.com.