ENGINEERING
Hoyle, Tanner & Associates recently announced that senior transportation engineer Jacob Sparkowich, PE, along with transportation engineer Alyssa Smith, EIT, are now certified as Road Safety Professional 1 (RSP1) professionals. This designation indicates a professional who is committed to and has demonstrated proficiency in road safety principles.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Holy Rosary Credit Union in Rochester announced executive vice president and chief operating officer Rosemary Shields is retiring in early September 2024 after 24 years of service. Shields began her career with HRCU in August 2000 as a teller supervisor and progressed through various branch administration and operations positions. She was named chief operating officer in 2013 and promoted to executive vice president in 2017.
Megan Piazza has been promoted to branch and business development manager at Meredith Village Savings Bank’s Ashland office. She joined the bank in 2015 as a teller in the Plymouth office and was later promoted to branch service manager in Ashland in 2017.
Christopher Montenegro Marchand has joined Bar Harbor Bank & Trust as assistant vice president, branch relationship manager for the bank’s Bedford location. He began his career in banking in 2017 as a small business relationship banker at Citizens Bank and eventually became a branch manager prior to joining Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. In addition, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust welcomed Megan Thayer vice president, business development officer. Most recently she was an associate director of asset management for AAM15 Management, LLC, and spent more than 10 years at TD Bank in various roles.
Paul Yang has joined Claremont Savings Bank as the new senior vice president, chief financial officer, where he will develop and oversee the bank’s financial strategy. Yang brings over 20 years of leadership experience in banking and finance, working for community banks and credit unions and serving as a financial consultant. In addition, Claremont Savings Bank has also appointed Carie Kelly to the role of senior vice president, digital banking offer, a new position that emphasizes the bank’s commitment to optimizing its digital banking offerings.
HOSPITALITY
The Friendly Toast has opened its fourth New Hampshire location at Tuscan Village in Salem. Offering brunch options, the new 4,500-square-foot location accommodates up to 170 guests and features a full bar. As part of its opening celebration, The Friendly Toast donated proceeds from beverage sales, totaling more than $4,640, to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Salem, and also donated freshly prepared meals to local organizations fighting homelessness and hunger.
LAW
Twenty-three attorneys from Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A. have been selected by their peers for inclusion in 2025 The Best Lawyers in America, including Suzanne Brunelle, Pierre Chabot, Steve Cohen, Tabith Croscut, David Eby, Charles Giacopelli, William Gramer, Matthew Johnson, Rebecca Kane, Renelle L’Huillier, Angela Martin, Joseph Mattson, Anu Mullikin, Pamela Peterson, Charles Powell III, Thomas Quarles, Jr., Jennifer Rivett, Donald Lee Smith, Jon Sparkman, Marrielle Van Rossum, Joyce Hillis and Theofilos Vougias. One of the firm’s attorneys who was named to the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America for 2025 is Stephen Zaharias.
Nine Drummond Woodsum attorneys in New Hampshire were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for 2025: Demetrio Aspiras III, Mark Broth, Anna Cole, Erin Feltes, Christine Filmore Johnston, Meghan Glynn, James O’Shaughnessy, Matthew Serge and Gerald Zelin.
Shaheen & Gordon announced that 31 of its attorneys have been recognized in the 2025 editions of The Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch. Best Lawyers in America honorees include Ronald Abramson, Stephanie Annunziata, Joseph Cherniske, Tracey Goyette Cote, Christine Craig, Steven Gordon, Cathy Green, Timothy Harrington, Crystal Maldonado, Heather Menezes, Francis Murphy, D. Michael Noonan, Sean O’Connell, Jared O’Connor, Brian Quirk, James Rosenberg, William Shaheen, Benjamin Siracusa Hillman, Randall Smith, Alexander Spadinger, Laura Tetrault and Lawrence Vogelman. Those attorneys named as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch are Kirsten Allen, James Armillay, Olivia Bensinger, Leah Cole Durst, Samantha Heuring, Brittani Pelissier, Julianne Plourde, Danielle Pomeroy and Lyndsay Robinson. Attorneys Tracey Goyette Cote (Family Law), Cathy Green (Criminal Defense: General Practice & Criminal Defense: White-Collar), Benjamin Siracusa Hillman (Litigation – Trusts & Estates), Ron Abramson (Immigration), and Jared O’Connor (Workers’ Compensation – Claimants) were named Lawyer of the Year in their respective practice areas, meaning they received the highest overall peer feedback in their geographic region.
MANUFACTURING
NH Ball Bearings’ Astro Division in Laconia has received the National Safety Council’s Two Million Work Hours Award, which recognizes facilities that have gone two million consecutive hours without a losttime injury. The division has received four previous Million Work Hours Awards, the most recent in 2023.
CONSTRUCTION
DECCO, Inc., a large mechanical and process piping contractor serving New England, has promoted Mike DiBacco to executive vice president. He first joined DECCO in 2021, with nearly 40 years of experience in the construction industry, including two decades focused on the life sciences market in New England.
Engelberth Construction recently welcomed Peter Hoekstra to the company as director of business development, responsible for generating new project opportunities for the company throughout northern New England. Hoekstra brings over 15 years of sales experience to this role, including positions in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
MARKETING
Millennium Agency has been certified as a Top Women-Owned Business by Clutch, a global marketplace of B2B service providers, for Millennium’s commitment to fostering female leadership and entrepreneurship within the marketing and branding industry.
NONPROFITS
Community Options, a national nonprofit supporting people with disabilities, has appointed Haleigh Haven as the new assistant executive director for New Hampshire. Previously, Haven served as an Ameri-Corps VISTA Member at Community Options’ Las Cruces, New Mexico, office, where she played a key role in grant writing, data management, fundraising and event planning.
Haleigh also worked closely with state agencies and businesses to secure employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Thanks to a grant from the Partnership for Public Health, home health and hospice agency Granite VNA is now offering “Healthy Steps for Older Adults” (HSOA), a new evidence-based, fall-prevention program for adults ages 60 and older. Through activities, assessments and discussions, participants will gain tools and tips on how to reduce the risk of falls, a leading cause of decreased independence and increased hospitalizations in older adults. Visit granitevna.org/wellness-resources to learn more.
Riverbend Community Mental Health welcomed three new members to its board of directors: Sarah Glaude, human resources manager at Mason + Rich; Christina Loporcaro, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Concord Hospital; and Julie Stone, vice president of strategy at Granite VNA. In addition, retired corporate finance executive Frank Boucher became chair of the board in June, taking over the leadership from former nonprofit executive Jim Doremus.
Crotched Mountain Foundation has received a $150,000 grant from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and the Anna B. Stearns Fund. The funds have been awarded to Crotched Mountain’s CMF Kids special education partnership program to strengthen educational outcomes for children with complex disabilities in Coos and northern Grafton counties.
BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
Former New Hampshire second district congressman Paul Hodes has expanded his consulting practice to lobbying and government relations at the helm of Granite State Government Relations, LLC. With experience in New Hampshire and national democratic politics, public and community service, Congressman Hodes has formed a strategic partnership with Republican Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos of the Preston Group to advocate for clients’ legislative policy interests in New Hampshire.
The NH Liquor Commission (NHLC) is celebrating its 90th anniversary with a year-long “90 Years of Cheers” campaign, offering customers the opportunity to win high-value prizes, including 90% off in-store coupons, VIP concert packages, an outdoor kitchen remodel, tickets to the Daytona 500 and NH Liquor & Wine Outlet gift cards, along with special discounts on select liquor brands. Since the first outlet location opened in 1934, NHLC has generated more than $4 billion in net profits for the New Hampshire General Fund to support critical state services. It now operates 65 NH Liquor & Wine Outlets across the state, with more to come.
Pennichuck Water recently welcomed back Sarah Rossetti in the role of human resources director. She previously worked for Pennichuck Water starting in 2017 as senior human resources administrator, eventually becoming senior human resources generalist in 2021. In between her return to Pennichuck, Rossetti was the human resource manager and assistant director of total rewards at Merchants Fleet.
The NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) has created the Division of Planning and Community Development (DPCD), incorporating the Office of Planning and Development (OPD), Office of Broadband Infrastructure, InvestNH and Housing Champions programs, to enable more integration, providing better overall value to its partners, and enhance the efficiency of administration of those initiatives and programs. Heather Shank, currently OPD’s senior planner, will step into the role of director of DPCD.
EDUCATION
Broadway dancer Aaron Tolson has returned to his native Manchester to establish the Aaron Tolson Institute of Dance at Saint Anselm College. For the Fall 2024 semester, Saint Anselm students will be able to major or minor in dance, with a curriculum that combines a liberal arts approach to dance with technique-based training including ballet, hip hop, contemporary dance and tap.
The institution will host specialized training, workshops and master classes led by industry professionals, as well as festivals and regional dance competitions.
Meaghan Emmons has been named Spaulding Academy & Family Services’ president and CEO. She had served as the chief financial officer for Spaulding since 2022, with previous nonprofit and executive experience. Emmons will also take on the role of CFO until a new one is hired. Prior to joining Spaulding, she spent nearly two decades with Granite Group Benefits and Alera Group, serving most recently as senior vice president of finance, overseeing the company’s finance and accounting teams.
The UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law has restructured its associate dean positions, with three faculty members stepping into the roles: Courtney Brooks will serve as the associate dean for faculty; Anna Elbroch will serve as the associate dean for academic administration; and Michael McCann will serve as the associate dean for intellectual life.
REAL ESTATE
Northeast Private Client Group, a real estate firm with an office in Portsmouth, has announced the sale of the Fairways Townhomes located at 86 Church Street in Rochester, NH. Senior associate Francis Saenz, vice president of investments Tim McGeary, and investment associates Patrick Wheeler and Steve Cerrone assisted in the transaction between the seller – SAP Properties, LLC; Bayside Properties, LLC; and Mahanna Properties 3, LLC – and the buyer, H.J. Stabile & Son, Inc.
HEALTH CARE
In collaboration with the Home Care, Hospice & Palliative Care Alliance of New Hampshire, Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire (VNH), a Dartmouth Health member, will play a key role in an effort to help train, recruit and retain nurses in the region by growing area agencies and expanding the New England Home Health Nurse Residency Project with the support of a $150,000 federal grant. The program will create a virtual residency curriculum for recently graduated nurses to complete the program online while serving any of the partnering agencies. The goal is to recruit up to two nurse residents per agency for each 12-month academic cycle.
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
Education: University of New Hampshire
Career history: After graduating from college, Angie wasn’t sure what career path she wanted to take. She took roles in sales, marketing, account management for website design and interior design, gaining important skills that still serve her today. A turning point was the chance to work at Red River for the first time as their events and marketing manager. After some years in the role, she left to work in development at New Hampshire Public Radio, where a mentor helped prepare her to take a leap as executive director at Red River Theatres, where she has served for the past seven years.
Most important business lesson: In my role leading a small, nonprofit arts organization, I have learned that perfect is indeed the enemy of the good.
Most excited about: The movie theater business model never ceases to be challenging, but each new challenge brings the opportunity to push boundaries of what is possible and that is exciting.
Industry advice: Working in the nonprofit sector can be incredibly rewarding, but we have got to stop glorifying burnout and perpetuating the idea that passion alone will fill the gaps.
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