FINANCIAL SERVICES
Daniel J Hartford, a financial advisor and portfolio manager in Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management office in Manchester, earned the chartered financial analyst designation. Hartford has worked at the firm since 2020.
Meredith Village Savings Bank is Lakes Region Community Developers’ Housing Champion for November — a designation for local companies committed to LRCD’s mission of creating new affordable housing opportunities.
Bob Whittaker has joined Merrimack County Savings Bank as a mortgage loan officer, based in the Windham office. Prior to his career in mortgage lending, Whittaker spent 15 years working in the financial services industry.
Jarod Guay joined Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union as assistant vice president of technology operations. Guay spent the previous 15 years working for the state of New Hampshire, most recently as a technology support specialist.
Christine Larocque has been promoted to branch and business development manager for Merrimack County Savings Bank. She previously worked out of the bank’s Concord office for the past five years. She started as branch services supervisor in 2018 before being promoted to branch services manager in 2021.
Lauren Mersereau has joined Bar Harbor Wealth Management, a subsidiary of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, as vice president, senior wealth manager. She has approximately 20 years of experience in the wealth management industry, and spent the first 15 years of her career at Enterprise Bank in the Wealth Management department.
Savings Bank of Walpole was named a Best Bank to Work For in the United States for the seventh consecutive year by American Banker Magazine. The bank ranked No. 46 out of 90 banks named on the “Best Banks” list – which represents the top 2% of community banks in the country. SBW was the only New Hampshire bank to make the list.
Merrimack County Savings Bank (The Merrimack) has pledged $100,000 for two years to the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, intended to help fund a permanent housing development in downtown Concord. The contribution, distributed through the Community Development Finance Authority, will convert a commercial property on South State Street into eight one-bedroom apartment units.
EDUCATION
The board of trustees of the University System of New Hampshire recently voted to not increase undergraduate tuition for New Hampshire residents for the 2024-2025 academic year at the University of New Hampshire, Keene State College and Plymouth State University. This marks the sixth year that New Hampshire students going to public universities in the Granite State will continue to pay the same tuition.
BUSINESS SERVICES
Sanborn, Head & Associates Inc., an engineering and technical consulting firm, recently added seven shareholders in the firm’s Bedford office: Chris Finnegan and Heather James, vice presidents in the firm’s energy practice group; Monica Mayott, director of human resources; Michael Potter, marketing director; Quincy Pratt, a project director in the firm’s development practice group; Dori Ross, senior vice president of client services; and Lisa Thompson, director of risk management and corporate counsel.
Axis Coach Transportation, a Londonderry-based luxury transportation service, has expanded into a global network through strategic affiliate partnerships, allowing corporate travelers to access premium transportation services in major cities around the world. The expansion is designed to simplify travel arrangements, offering a single point of contact for booking and managing ground transportation in multiple destinations.
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission recently named Mark Roy the division director of marketing, merchandising and warehousing. Roy, a 31-year industry veteran, has worked in multiple roles at the commission, most recently as spirits marketing and sales specialist.
At its annual meeting Nov. 9 at the Indian Head Resort, the Franconia Notch Regional Chamber of Commerce presented its Northern Star Award to Taylor Caswell of Littleton, commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. The award honors an individual, business or organization that has made a significant contribution to the North Country in promoting economic development, its natural resources, quality of life, fostering a climate in which commerce, recreation and tourism flourish.
LaBelle Winery was a top performer at the 2024 Boston Wine Competition, securing nine awards including the top honor of Best in Class, as well as one platinum award, four gold, one silver and two bronze awards.
NONPROFIT
The Front Door Agency has launched its annual fundraiser to help local families overcome and avoid homelessness. In its 36th year, the nonprofit agency is one of the largest providers of prevention assistance in the Greater Nashua area, and helped nearly 1,700 people in the community last year. To learn more and contribute, visit www.frontdooragency.org.
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests named Scarlett Moberly as program director at Forest Society North at The Rocks in Bethlehem. The Littleton resident will develop and implement educational, outreach, and recreational programs and events to be hosted in the newly renovated Carriage Barn, the outdoor amphitheater, and across the 1,400 acres of conservation land. Moberly most recently was the assistant director for the Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network in Bethlehem.
Future In Sight, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the independence of persons who are blind and visually impaired, will be providing training on the one4all Accessible Voting System in advance of the New Hampshire primary election. The system was created to make voting accessible to individuals with a range of disabilities, including vision loss and hearing loss.
Goodwill Northern New England’s board of directors named Tripp Harrison as president and CEO of the nonprofit which serves Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Harrison was formerly the president and CEO of Goodwill of South Mississippi. Harrison succeeds former President and CEO Richard J. Cantz who served Goodwill for more than 20 years in various roles.
ENGINEERING
TFMoran provided structural engineering services for the new clubhouse at Pembroke Pines Country Club in Pembroke, expected to be completed in the spring.
The building has three floors housing golf carts, a pro shop, a pub/restaurant, golf simulators, a function area with a bridal suite and more. TFMoran worked with Gavin & Sullivan Architects on the project.
HEALTH CARE
Southern New Hampshire Health now offers enhanced colonoscopies with the GI Genius intelligent endoscopy module. The technology uses artificial intelligence to help physicians detect potentially precancerous polyps.
The Endowment for Health awarded more than $4.2 million in grants over the past 12 months, supporting a selection of projects focused on health care workforce development and centering community voices to improve the health and well-being of all Granite Staters.
The End of Life Companions Program at Concord Hospital was recognized as an “outstanding” winner in the Volunteer Champion category at the 2023 Spirit of NH Awards hosted by Volunteer NH. The program was established in 2002 in response to a growing awareness of patients passing without a family member or loved one by their side. Volunteers are trained to provide a compassionate and soothing presence for patients nearing the end of their lives.
The Seacoast Cancer 5K’s 10th annual event raised more than $324,165 for the Mass General Cancer Center at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. More than 1,800 runners and walkers participated in the late September race. For the second consecutive year, the event was hosted at Wentworth-Douglass’ Portsmouth Outpatient Center on the Pease Tradeport.
REAL ESTATE & CONSTRUCTION
Homeowners in Mountain View Mobile Home Park in Alton closed recently on the purchase of their 22-unit park, making it New Hampshire’s 148th resident-owned, manufactured-home community. The cooperative negotiated with Mountain View’s owner, Biaggio Properties, and reached a purchase price of $1.1 million before completing the deal Oct. 31 with a mortgage from the Community Loan Fund.
Steve Duprey, president of Foxfire Property Management and The Duprey Companies, was appointed chair of the Franklin Pierce University Board of Trustees. In 1981, Duprey founded Foxfire Property Management Company, a commercial and residential property management company based in Concord. Foxfire currently operates as a subsidiary of The Duprey Companies, an overarching real estate organization that oversees property management, real estate development, and hotel ownership management subsidiaries, including the Grappone Conference Center.
The section of the long-planned New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway from North Hampton to Barberry Lane in Portsmouth is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024, according to city Public Works Director Peter Rice. When finished the project will be a 17-mile network of rail trails and bikeways connecting the communities of Seabrook, Hampton Falls, Hampton, North Hampton, Rye, Greenland and Portsmouth.
It’s a small part of the larger East Coast Greenway project, which is intended to connect off-road trails from Maine to the Florida Keys.
Continuum at North Conway LLC has acquired 126 acres of land from the Kennett Company for the development of Ridgeline Community in North Conway. Plans are to build 55+ retirement community cottages, “first step” affordable housing, ski condos, commercial leasing, medical office buildings, plus memory care and assisted living facilities. Groundbreaking for the project, pending final approvals from the Conway Town Planning Board, could begin as soon as Dec. 1, 2023, according to project contractor AJ Coleman’s & Sons.
UTILITIES
Eversource received two 2023 Achievement Awards from the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, an electric utility industry organization. To enhance reliability and reduce restoration time, Eversource developed Safe Restoration Using Rapid Mobile Technologies, which earned the AEIC President’s Award for its ability to swiftly address broken pole trouble spots, enabling rapid deployment, secure wire installation, and energization within as few as 30 minutes. Eversource was also rewarded for its Innovation in Distribution Asset Management project. The company’s commitment to safety and reliability led to the creation of AVICEN, a tool for managing distribution assets
LAW
Sheehan Phinney shareholder Andrew Eills was recently elected to the board of the Piscataquog Land Conservancy Board, a nonprofit land trust dedicated to conserving the land, water and wildlife of 26 communities in southern New Hampshire. Eills is a member of the firm’s health care group, where his practice includes mergers and acquisitions, federal and state regulatory issues, and corporate and nonprofit governance. McLane Middleton attorneys Seth M. Corwin, Shaune L. Hickson, Min Ji (Stephanie) Nham, Joshua D. Sandler and Steven J. Yannacone have been admitted to the New Hampshire State Bar. Corwin is an associate in the firm’s corporate department. Hickson is an associate in the administrative law and litigation departments. Nham is an associate in the firm’s litigation department. Sandler is an associate in the firm’s tax department. Yannacone is an attorney in the administrative law and litigation departments.
GOVERNMENT
House Speaker Sherman Packard (R-Londonderry) has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the Tom Thomson Defender of Liberty Award given by the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP). In his second term as House Speaker, Packard is being recognized for the many legislative accomplishments such as passing a state budget on a voice vote, a quicker repeal of the state’s tax on income and the interest and dividends tax, and bipartisan work concerning bail reform and housing. Packard is currently serving his 17th term in the House of Representatives. He has previously served as Deputy Speaker, Speaker Pro Tempore, Assistant Republican Leader, Senior Assistant Republican Leader, Minority Leader and was a long-time chairman of the House Transportation Committee for 12 years.
603 Legal Aid names new executive director
Ariel Rothstein Clemmer began her role on Nov. 20 as the executive director of 603 Legal Aid. Clemmer previously worked for the Western New England University School of Law in Massachusetts, where she served as the director of the Center for Social Justice and taught as an adjunct professor.
In years prior, she was a public defense attorney and an associate for a family law firm, and also served as the pro bono director for the Hampden County Bar Association in Springfield, Mass., where she managed the Hampden County Legal Clinic.
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