TRAVEL
Breeze Airways debuted at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, starting new service to Charleston and Orlando with new routes beginning at $59 one way. Breeze will add additional Florida options to Tampa and Fort Myers in September and October, respectively.
EDUCATION
New England College (NEC) announced that it will receive a combined $550,000 grant from NH Healthy Families ($50,000) and Centene Foundation ($500,000), the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation. This grant will fund a scholarship endowment for the college’s new cooperative bachelor of arts in community mental health, a degree program that trains professionals to meet the growing mental health crisis throughout New Hampshire and New England. Recipients of the scholarship will be known as Centene Scholars.
Mark Bonica, Ph.D., has been named chair of the UNH College of Health and Human Services’ Department of Health Management & Policy. Dr. Bonica joined the UNH faculty in 2015 after serving in the Army Medical Department for 23 years as a Medical Service Corps officer, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During his time in the Army, he was the associate dean of the Army Medical Department Graduate School, and the deputy director of the Army-Baylor Graduate Programs in Health and Business Administration, among other operational roles.
NONPROFITS
NH LAKES recently named state rep. Rosemarie Rung as the recipient of the 2024 Reverend Sidney Lovett Memorial Award for Exemplary Lake Advocacy, which is given every two years to recognize an individual who exhibits extraordinary and selfless service at the local, municipal and/or state level for the restoration and protection of New Hampshire’s lakes through public policy. Rung successfully passed legislation to strengthen penalties for environmental contamination, establish PFAS regulations for municipal wastewater facilities, address growing cyanobacteria blooms in lakes and more.
First Seacoast Bank — through its philanthropic foundation, the First Seacoast Community Foundation, Inc. — donated $5,000 to the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) 603 Challenge to support the “Swipe it Forward” program, an initiative designed to assist students facing food insecurity by providing meal swipes to students who might otherwise go without food.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees recently presented more than $19,000 in donations collected through the bank’s employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for a Cause, to nine nonprofit organizations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, including: Bangor Land Trust, Down East Community Hospital, Friends of Baxter State Park, The Lamb House, and Sebasticook Regional Land Trust in Maine; Cornucopia Project and NH Audubon in New Hampshire; and Brandon Area Toy Project and Randolph Community Preschool in Vermont.
Earlier this month, 603 United — a nonprofit that provides social inclusion activities for adults 18 and older with and without intellectual disabilities — celebrated the opening of their new location at the Belknap Marketplace in Belmont with a ribbon-cutting and open house. Jessica Ruel, Meredith Village Savings Bank branch and business development manager and newly appointed board member for 603 United, presented a $1,000 donation on behalf of the bank to help the organization purchase branded T-shirts.
Next Step Living, Inc. announced the development of a project at 3 North State Street in Concord that will house 11 residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities who strive to live independently. Next Step Living president Michael Dennehy said in a press release that residents will be expected to have an active life by holding a job, volunteering or participating in continuing education while participating in life enrichment programs and social and recreational activities.
The Currier Museum of Art has appointed Dr. Jordana Pomeroy as its new director and CEO, effective September 1. Pomeroy has held numerous leadership roles, including most recently as the director of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami. She was also the chief curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts for many years, where she focused on gender equity in arts and museums.
HEALTH CARE
Deb Grabowski, the longtime CEO of the Foundation for Seacoast Health, has announced her retirement, effective at the end of the year, and the search for her replacement is underway. Grabowski began her role as CEO in 2007 after working for 23 years at Elliot Health System in various leadership roles, most recently as the vice president of home health, senior and community services.
Dr. Lyudmila Sutherland has joined the optometry team at Focused Eye Care, where she will help provide comprehensive eye care as well as management of dry eye, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and other ocular conditions. During her tenure with Eye Center of the North Shore in Salem, Mass., she helped serve low-vision patients, working closely with both occupational therapists from Massachusetts Association for the Blind (MAB) and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB). West Central Behavioral Health recently named Lori Shibinette as the organization’s fourth president and CEO, effective August 19. Her vast experience includes leading several large nursing homes, serving as CEO of New Hampshire Hospital, and most recently was the commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Weeks Medical Center (WMC) has announced the recipients of its 2024 scholarship awards, where each individual received $500 be used for tuition, books, lab fees or living expenses. Recipients were: James Astuto, WMC employee nursing student at White Mountain Community College; Emma Guay, WMC employee obtaining her APRN; Nicole Crowell, WMC employee obtaining her BSN at SNHU; Paige Lambert, Groveton High School student of radiography; and Reese McFarland, White Mountain Regional High School student of psychology.
LAW
McLane Middleton has appointed corporate and transactional attorney Patrick C. Closson to the firm’s Management Committee, the executive committee of the board of directors, overseeing strategy and business operations. He previously served on the firm’s Management Committee from 2016 to 2020.
McLane Middleton has been recognized with six firm rankings in “Chambers USA: A Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers” in the practice areas of corporate/commercial, environment, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation: general commercial, and real estate. Twenty-two of its attorneys were also recognized: corporate/commercial and tax attorney Steven M. Burke; corporate/commercial and health care attorney Patrick C. Closson; litigation, white-collar crime and government investigations attorney Michael A. Delaney; environment attorneys Adam M. Dumville, Viggo Fish, Barry Needleman, Michael J. Quinn and Gregory H. Smith; litigation, general commercial, attorneys Steven J. Dutton, Bruce W. Felmly, Wilbur A. Glahn III, Jack B. Middleton and Jeremy T. Walker; bankruptcy/restructuring attorney Joseph A. Foster; corporate/commercial attorneys Dennis J. Haley Jr., Richard A. Samuels and Michael B. Tule; labor and employment attorney Margaret “Peg” O’Brien; labor and employment and litigation attorney Jennifer L. Parent; employee benefits and executive compensation attorney John E. Rich Jr.; environment and litigation attorney Mark C. Rouvalis; and intellectual property attorney Mark A. Wright.
BUSINESS SERVICES
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce recognized the following outstanding businesses and leaders at their 19th Annual Pinnacle Awards: Small Business of the Year, Lilise Designer Resale; Business of the Year, JH Spain Commercial Services, LLC; Nonprofit Business of the Year, Capital Region Food Program; Business Leader of the Year, Leslie Walker, Mason + Rich, P.A.; Concord Young Professional of the Year, Chad Johnson of NHTI-Concord’s Community College; and the W. Grant McIntosh Volunteer of the Year, David Juvet of Business & Industry Association of NH.
The Greater Manchester Chamber has been named one of 12 Communications Award of Excellence winners by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. The chamber was named a winner for their marketing campaign for the ACCESS 2024 event, an annual economic growth conference for professional development and idea generation throughout New Hampshire and beyond.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) has promoted Christina “Tina” Simpson to vice president, commercial loan officer, working with local businesses and nonprofits on their commercial financing needs. Prior to her promotion, Tina served as assistant vice president, commercial loan officer.
Dan Osetek has been promoted to senior vice president, senior commercial lending officer at Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB). He most recently served as the bank’s senior vice president, commercial lending team leader and, for over a decade, has traveled throughout the Mount Washington Valley and greater Lakes Region communities supporting local businesses with their financing needs.
St. Mary’s Bank recently welcomed Tina M. Brown as the new vice president and business development team lead. She also serves on the boards of the Manchester Police Athletic League and the Milford Rotary; volunteers with Meals on Wheels, Make A Wish, and 100+ Women Who Care; and is currently participating in the Hoffman-Haas Fellowship program through the NH Center for Nonprofits.
HOSPITALITY
Owners Elena and Nick Gagliardi have opened Gusto Taphouse in Center Harbor, offering patrons an Italian dining experience that pairs authentic Tuscan cuisine with award-winning craft beers from Notch Brewing and signature wines and cocktails — situated at the outdoor pavilion and biergarten located at the newly renovated Coe House overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. Simon Property Group’s Merrimack Premium Outlets recently welcomed nine new retailers and dining options opening: Blimpie Subs, Great Steak, Kahala Coffee, Sbarro, Solaris, Movado, The Country Store, ASICS, ECCO Clearance Store, and Columbia Clearance Store. Granite State Gaming & Hospitality (GSGH) unveiled recent renovations and a new brand identity for its Hampton charitable gaming facility at 81 Ocean Boulevard, now called Beach Club Casino. The renovation added an expanded casino floor that features casual dining; 15 table games, such as poker, blackjack, craps and roulette; and 140 historical horse-racing machines in a redesigned space with a beach-club feel. The charitable gaming venue is expected to contribute $2 million for up to 73 nonprofits each year, about double what the business contributed in 2023.
ENGINEERING
S.W. Cole Engineering is celebrating 45 years in business. In 1979, Steve Cole, a geotechnical engineer in his early 30s, started the company in Hermon, Maine, which has since grown to an approximately 120-person, nine-office company performing geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing and special inspections services on projects throughout New England. In addition, the company announced recent leadership changes: Andrew Michaud was promoted to vice president of construction services; Roger Domingo, previously the vice president of construction services, is now a senior advisor; and Christopher Raymond and Richard Smith have become shareholders.
MEDIA
New Hampshire Public Radio was recently honored with two PMJA awards, as announced by the Public Media Journalists Association (PMJA). NHPR reporter Todd Bookman earned an award for his story, “From the Gulf of Maine to a tin can: A glimpse into highend tuna production on NH’s coast,” won the first-place award in the Human Interest Feature category.
“Outside/In,” an NHPR podcast focused on the natural world, won the second-place award in the Documentary category for the episode “The Last Great Trip,” which focuses on the experimental use of psilocybin to treat cancer-related depression, as reported and produced by Felix Poon.
ARTS & CULTURE
Kimball Jenkins, a community cultural center dedicated to providing access to the arts for all, has announced the appointment of Martha Lemire as its new executive director. Lemire, a resident of Henniker, previously served as the executive director of The Florida Ballet in Jacksonville, Fla., from 2015 into 2023, as well as executive director for Ballet New England in Portsmouth, and also served as part of the management team at Prescott Park Arts Festival in Portsmouth.
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
Steve Ahnen President/CEO, NH Hospital Association
Education: University of Kansas (BA), University of Colorado-Denver (MBA)
Career history: Steve was a legislative assistant for Kansas U.S. Reps. Bob Whittaker and Jan Meyers from 1989-1992. Joining the American Hospital Association in 1992, Steve was first associate director of federal relations, then senior associate director before becoming vice president and special assistant to the AHA president. He later became senior vice president of association development. Steve became the New Hampshire Hospital Association’s president & CEO in 2008. Steve serves on the NH Governor’s Commission on Alcohol & Other Drugs. He’s an advisory board member of Franklin Pierce University’s College of Health & Natural Sciences and VA New Hampshire’s Vision 2025 Task Force.
Most important business lesson: To help hospitals and health systems care for patients and communities, we must build relationships with key stakeholders we can collaborate and partner with to achieve common objectives.
Biggest challenge over the past 5 years: Serving hospitals and health systems as they worked to ensure every patient could get care when and where they needed it during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration and partnerships were the reason we were able to care for all those in need.
Hobbies/passions: Spending time with family; visiting friends; traveling to fun places; woodworking and wood turning.
Industry advice: I’m continually inspired by the healthcare leaders serving their patients, organizations and communities in New Hampshire. It is that leadership that will help us serve today and long into the future.
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