TECHNOLOGY
Mainstay Technologies recently announced they have formed an Employee Stock Ownership Program to be launched at the end of the year. In addition, Ryan Barton has switched positions from CEO to chair, and former Mainstay president Jason Golden will be the firm’s new CEO.
NONPROFITS
Granite VNA has hired Rachel Tracy, M.S., R.N., as its new hospice director of clinical operations, responsible for the planning, coordination, management, monitoring and evaluation of the delivery of hospice care services in the community and at the agency’s Hospice House in Concord.
The Grafton County Senior Citizens Council elected two new board members to its board of directors: David McLure, co-founder of McLure’s Honey and Maple Products, Inc.; and Laura Sheers, principal consultant and business owner of Sheers Consulting. In addition, Bill Karkheck and Christine St. Laurent were elected to second three-year terms. Dean Cashman was elected to serve as treasurer. Bill Geraghty and Martha Richards are continuing to serve as president and secretary, respectively.
Home health care and hospice agency Granite VNA has appointed Daniel Ray, M.D., as its new hospice medical director. Previously, he served as the medical director for Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, overseeing palliative care services. He also previously held positions as a consultant physician for Teleios Collaborative Network in Flat Rock, N.C., and as a staff physician for Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa.
The Grafton County Senior Citizens Council elected two new board members to its board of directors: David McLure, co-founder of McLure’s Honey and Maple Products, Inc.; and Laura Sheers, principal consultant and business owner of Sheers Consulting. In addition, Bill Karkheck and Christine St. Laurent were elected to second three-year terms. Dean Cashman was elected to serve as treasurer. Bill Geraghty and Martha Richards are continuing to serve as president and secretary, respectively.
RETAIL
Sullivan Tire and Auto Service will add seven new business units that were formerly Stratham Tire locations. The new locations are in Bangor and Auburn, Maine, as well as Portsmouth and Brentwood, NH. Sullivan Tire has purchased the assets and will be leasing the buildings. They will open as Sullivan Tire locations effective June 5, 2024.
Eric Hui, founder of outdoor clothing company Terracea, received a prestigious invitation to Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence in Washington, D.C. on May 9, in commemoration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Originally from Hawaii and now a NH resident, Hui joined other attendees at the feast of food, arts and performances, celebrating the rich heritage of the AANHPI cultures.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp (NHMB) has welcomed Jaime Badillo as vice president, information technology officer. Badillo spent 29 years in the Army and National Guard, and has over 18 years of information security, cybersecurity and risk management experience with financial institutions.
Father–son team Joseph Guyton, owner of Portsmouth-based The Guyton Group, and Andrew Guyton, founder of Forge Financial, also in Portsmouth, have each earned the designation of President’s Council Qualifier. Joseph is winning for the 16th time and Andrew is winning for the 3rd. The President’s Council Qualifier is a prestigious industry award for financial professionals that provide exceptional customer service and nurture long-term relationships.
Northeast Credit Union has rebranded to become Lighthouse Credit Union, effective this summer. The credit union shared that the new brand identity symbolizes a goal to illuminate pathways toward financial well-being for members, while building a world-class, member-focused organization with impact.
Nikos Kalampalikis has been promoted to assistant vice president, branch relationship manager at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust at the bank’s Manchester location. He originally joined the bank in 2018, working through the ranks to become branch relationship manager in 2022 before his new appointment.
ENGINEERING
McFarland Johnson, a planning and engineering consulting firm with a location in Concord, has appointed Wing Wong as the company’s traffic engineering practice leader, based in the Acton, Mass., office. Wong is a licensed professional engineer and a certified Professional Traffic Operations Engineer (PTOE) with more than 21 years of experience serving multiple state Departments of Transportation.
Weston & Sampson
welcomed Jim McMahon, PE in their Manchester office’s Transportation Group. He has nearly 20 years of diverse management, design, permitting and construction experience on a wide variety of public and private projects. He most recently served as the Assistant District 1 Engineer for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation for nine years.
EDUCATION
New England College announced two new members joined its board of trustees: Karen Backus, principal and co-founder of U3 Advisors’ New York office, and Emmanuel Balogun, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science at Skidmore College, specializing in African politics and international relations.
Dr. Peter A. Eden, currently the president of Landmark College, has been named the 7th president of Franklin Pierce University, effective July 15, following a unanimous vote of the university’s board of trustees. Prior to his time at Landmark, Dr. Eden served in several roles, including as dean of arts and sciences at Endicott College and as a tenured associate professor and chair of the science department at Marywood University. He also secured funding from prominent institutions like the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation and published numerous articles in the fields of science and education. Iago Hale, a scientist for the NH Agricultural Experiment Station and associate professor of specialty crop improvement at the University of New Hampshire, has been named UNH’s 2024 J. Brent Loy Innovator of the Year, recognizing his work in the kiwiberry research and breeding program. The Innovator of the Year award, presented annually by UNHInnovation, celebrates the commercialization of innovative ideas originating from UNH research that have substantial social and economic impact. Thomas Malkoski has been named the UNH’s Paul J. Holloway Entrepreneur of the Year.
A graduate of UNH, Malkoski remains active in the university’s community, serving as a member of the Paul College Dean’s Advisory Board, the E-Center Advisory Task Force and the Investment Committee of the student-run Rines Angel Fund. He also shares his expertise as a judge for the Holloway Prize Competition and as a mentor to UNH students.
Gov. Chris Sununu has proclaimed May 9 “Lakes Region Community College Day” in honor and recognition of Lakes Region Community College’s community role and educational contributions — especially its Fire Science Program, which has been instrumental in training and preparing generations of firefighters in the state.
Elizabeth S. Chilton has been appointed the 21st president of the University of New Hampshire. She is currently chancellor of Washington State University’s Pullman campus serving about 18,000 students. Starting July 1, Chilton will oversee the university and its 14,000 students, 18 Division I athletic teams and an annual operating budget of $750 million, including over $200 million in competitive external research funding. Her appointment concludes a national search launched last fall after James W. Dean, Jr. announced his intention to retire after six years of leading UNH.
REAL ESTATE
ECCO, the renowned premium shoes and leather goods brand from Denmark, has leased 16,500 square feet of newly renovated Class A office space at 1 Northeastern Boulevard in Salem, NH.
The lease of 1 North eastern Blvd., owned by Brook Properties, follows ECCO’s decision in 2023 to relocate its distribution to a 3PL in the Midwest. JLL was selected to lead the sale of ECCO’s New England-based Americas Headquarters at 16 Delta Drive in Londonderry, NH, sold to RJ Kelly for $12 million in December 2023, and a mission to find a new home for its Americas HQ.
Tom Howard, principal broker of NH Conservation Real Estate, was recognized as the APEX Awards’ 2023 Region 1 Broker of the Year in Recreational Land Sales by the Realtors Land Institute in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the only broker based in New Hampshire with the designation of Accredited Land Consultant, which requires extensive education, experience and a history of high performance in the industry of land sales.
Foxfire Property Management has appointed Alex Durfee, RPA, LEED Green Associate, as the newest property manager, overseeing properties in downtown Concord, including One & Two Capital Plaza, 100 N. Main St., 6-14 Dixon Ave., and 7 Eagle Square.
HEALTH CARE
Jennifer Michaleas has been named the regional vice president of health care networks for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire and will oversee all hospital, provider and value-based contracting and network management in the market. Prior to joining Anthem, Michaleas served as executive director of network management for behavioral health at Aetna and director of contracting at NH Healthy Families. Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has received a “silver milestone” award from the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC), in recognition of its 25 years of excellence in echocardiography and “for demonstrating its long-term commitment to continuously improving patient outcomes and safety.” Wentworth-Douglass was one of the first facilities accredited by IAC, among just 90 nationwide.
AGRICULTURE
The NH Community Loan Fund’s President and CEO, Steve Saltzman, was recently named a recipient of the Rural Development Under Secretary’s Award presented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for his efforts to expand meat and poultry processing across the country. Along with eight others on the Rural Business Cooperative Service Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program team, Saltzman was honored for building “a fairer, more resilient, and more competitive meat and poultry supply chain,” said Farah Ahmad, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development.
HOSPITALITY
The Friendly Toast, a New England-based, all-day brunch and bar spot, opened a new 5,260-square-foot location in Nashua earlier this week on May 20. The new restaurant, located at 225 Daniel Webster Highway, accommodates 156 guests in the dining and bar areas and features one of the indie restaurant group’s largest kitchens, where chefs will be preparing iconic favorites like Churro French Toast Sticks, Chicken Cordon Bleu Benedict and Hash Quiche. The Nashua restaurant marks The Friendly Toast’s third New Hampshire location and 12th location overall.
The Hotel Portsmouth has officially reopened after completing an overhaul renovation. Originally built in 1881 and acquired by Lark Hotels in 2014, the hotel features 32 rooms and a subterranean bar, Lucy & John’s, a gift boutique, a much more. Pet-friendly and ADA-accessible rooms are also available.
BUSINESS SERVICES
The Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) will host its THRIVE Competition Series, a collection of business competitions that will provide money and momentum to help growing small businesses thrive in New Hampshire. To commemorate its 30th anniversary, REDC will award a total of $30,000 in grant prizes through four different competitions. New Hampshire companies at any stage are invited to submit applications by May 31, 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Visit www.redc.com/thrive to learn more about eligibility and to submit an application.
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
The Currier Museum of Art has named Dr. Jordana Pomeroy as its new director and CEO, effective September 1. Pomeroy brings more than 30 years of experience to the Currier as an accomplished museum director, curator, educator and writer.
NEW HAMPSHIRE 200
Editor’s note: NH Business Review is spotlighting selected 2024 New Hampshire 200 honorees from various industries. See the entire list and book at nhbr.com
James Key-Wallace, Executive Director, NH Business Finance Authority
Education: St. Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia (BBA, BS); Southern New Hampshire University (MSCED)
Career history: James has led economic development efforts resulting in the expansions of Albany/Safran, Lonza Biologics, New Balance, BAE Systems and Sig Sauer. Before leading NH BFA, James was the NH Community Loan Fund’s senior investor. He was also Vice President of the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation in Keene.
Most important business lesson: Build a strong team, a customer-service-focused culture and offer real value to partners and customers.
Biggest challenge over the past 5 years: Managing retirements during significant organizational change, then recruiting and retaining a new workforce.
Most excited about: State government collaboration — at an all-time high — can better serve New Hampshire’s businesses and nonprofits so that they can do what they do best.
What keeps you up at night? For NH’s transparent and effective government to continue in future years, we must consistently convince young, smart, dedicated people to pursue careers in local and state government.
Fun fact: Science, technology, math, etc. If something has lasers, I want one.
Favorite story: “Team of Rivals,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Also, the podcast “History of Rome,” by Mike Duncan.
Hobbies/passions: Playing guitar and piano; hiking the 4,000 footers; trying craft beers.
Checked-off bucket list item: Traveling through Scotland with my wife.
Industry advice: Creating a culture where citizens’ needs are the top priority is what leads to effective state government that people are happy to support.
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