FINANCIAL SERVICES
Merrimack County Savings Bank (The Merrimack) is helping Kimball Jenkins improve accessibility and efficiency across its historic facilities in Downtown Concord with a $5,000 pledge through the Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA). The funds will go toward increasing accessibility, as well as essential infrastructure and energy efficiency upgrades. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Kimball Jenkins is a 3-acre campus that dates back to the American Revolution. In 1981, the campus was gifted to the people of Concord following the death of Carolyn Jenkins, whom directed it be used for cultural and educational purposes, including the “encouragement of art.”
New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp (NHMB) has promoted Jaime Badillo to senior vice president chief information security officer.
Badillo started with NHMB in February 2024, and has over 18 years of information security, cyber security and risk management experience with financial institutions.
Jeremy Stanizzi, senior credit officer at the NH Business Finance Authority (BFA), has been recognized as one of the state’s most influential business leaders by NH Business Review’s 2025 New Hampshire 200 list. In his role at the BFA, Stanizzi helps to expand access to capital for New Hampshire businesses, ensuring financial resources are available to help companies grow, innovate and create jobs.
Christopher O’Sullivan has been promoted to AVP, commercial banking officer for the Middle Market Commercial Banking Team at Rockland Trust. O’Sullivan started his career at Rockland Trust in 2019 within the bank’s credit trainee program after earning his bachelor’s degree in finance from Fairfield University. Since then, he has grown within the bank, most recently serving as the portfolio manager for the Middle Market Commercial Banking team.
Merrimack County Savings Bank (The Merrimack) has launched its Care-Work Loan Program, designed specifically for licensed child care providers. Working in partnership with A Place to Grow, the program offers financing and support needed to operate a successful childcare center, whether it’s to obtain capital to jumpstart a business, purchase equipment or cover operational expenses. To learn more, visit themerrimack.com/childcare-financing.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is currently accepting applications for the Bank’s 2025 Career & Technical Education Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to income-eligible high school seniors who attend a technical career program as part of their high school curriculum and are planning to attend a college or technical school in the academic year immediately following graduation. Application deadline is May 1. Learn more at www.barharbor.bank/scholarships. New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp has promoted Lynn Hurd to senior vice president operations administration and payments officer. Hurd joined MVSB in 1981 as a student teller, later advancing to assistant head teller, then transitioned into the operations side of the bank as deposit ops manager and rose from there to vice president operations administration before achieving this most recent promotion.
MEDIA
New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) has launched a new podcast, “The Final Days of Sgt. Tibbs,” a four-part series from the award-winning Document team, available now wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted and reported by senior reporter Todd Bookman, this investigative podcast delves into the mysterious disappearance of Sgt. Tibbs, a 19-year-old Maine Coon cat, and the troubling developments that follow. The series takes listeners on a journey through the fallout of a social media storm, which began with a desperate search for Sgt. Tibbs and ultimately escalated into a real-life courtroom battle.
Cookson Communications — a communications agency with expertise in public relations, social media, marketing, design and branding — has been named the country’s 36th fastest growing inner-city business by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC). Winners of the IC100 award are recognized as businesses that bring economic and employment development and revitalization to their communities while also providing opportunity and optimism. The IC100 award winners are ranked and determined based on revenue growth over from 2019 to 2023. Cookson’s 155.28% revenue growth over the period landed the company in the list’s top 50 for the first time ever.
EDUCATION
The New Hampshire College & University Council (NHCUC) board of directors has appointed Mica Stark as the organization’s new president and chief executive officer. Stark will also serve as executive director of the Education Alliance for New Hampshire, formerly known as Campus Compact for New Hampshire. Together, these organizations work to advance higher education in New Hampshire and expand educational opportunities for hundreds of thousands of students across the state. Previously, he worked at the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, where he developed and managed civic engagement programs, and at the University of New Hampshire, where he led communications, public affairs and government relations. Most recently, Stark served as senior vice president at Brodeur Partners, where he helped grow and support the agency’s higher education and nonprofit clientele.
Breakthrough Manchester has named Anzura Gakwaya as its new program director. Gakwaya’s journey with Breakthrough began in 2009-2010 as a student, and today, she returns to lead and inspire the next generation. She is currently a graduate student at SNHU studying forensic psychology, and has dedicated much of her career to community engagement in Manchester. In her role, Gakwaya aims to leverage her skills, connections and lived experiences to help students reach their full potential.
Applications are now being accepted for the next session of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) program, that has helped entrepreneurs and nonprofit agencies in New Hampshire grow. To date, over 230 business organizations have benefited from the program, gaining practical skills that focused on scaling for business growth. Applications are due by June 4, 2025, at 10ksbapply.com, or email Tracy at tgillick@ccsnh.edu.
NONPROFITS
The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests has named Kristine Arey as its new program director at Forest Society North at The Rocks in Bethlehem, where she will develop and implement educational, outreach and recreational programs and events. In addition, Wendy Weisiger, managing forester at the Forest Society, was named Forester of the Year by the Granite State Division of the Society of American Foresters. The award is presented annually to a New Hampshire forester for excellence in their field and recognizes the achievements of individuals who advance the knowledge and understanding of forestry.
NH Business Review has named Granite VNA President and CEO Beth Slepian to the New Hampshire 200 Class of 2025 for her leadership in the health care industry. Established in 2019, this list acknowledges and celebrates entrepreneurs and leaders hailing from diverse sectors across the state and their contributions to New Hampshire. Slepian joined Granite VNA more than 12 years ago and was named president and CEO in 2015. She has led the agency’s efforts to expand patient care services and improved clinical management for those with complex health needs, further advancing Granite VNA’s mission.
Monadnock Peer Support (MPS) recently received a $10,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s John Vance ACCESS Fund. The grant will help further the organization’s mission of providing mental health support for individuals seeking wellness through a mutually supportive peer community by helping them repair their Washington Street entrance, assuring it remains safe and accessible for all who seek their services.
Eastern Slope Ski Club (ESSC) was voted to receive a $1,000 donation from the Meredith Village Savings Bank, in a community-driven contest to support a local nonprofit in honor of the Bank’s grand opening of its new branch in North Conway. ESSC promotes skiing and riding in the Mount Washington Valley and provides instructional on-snow days for both downhill and cross-country skiing as well as snowboarding. ESSC also provides equipment for students in grades 1-6 who may not have the opportunity to participate in and learn the sport if it were not for the program.
HEALTH CARE
Lamprey Health Care board members Colin McHugh and Todd Hathaway were named to NH Business Review’s 2025 New Hampshire 200 — a list of influential business leaders in the state who have made their mark on New Hampshire’s economy, business climate and the state. Hathaway is managing partner at Wadleigh Law in Manchester, and McHugh is the president and CEO of Southern New Hampshire Health.
Intelerad, a provider of medical imaging software solutions, recently announced an expanded partnership with SolutionHealth, a nonprofit health care organization serving the southern New Hampshire region and comprised of founding organizations Elliot Health System and Southern New Hampshire Health, and member Home Health and Hospice Care. Through this partnership, SolutionHealth will use Intelerad’s technologies including IntelePacs, InteleOrchestrator and InteleArchive as a unified platform for all imaging. Additionally, InteleViewer will be used for women’s health studies. The advanced solutions will enable teams across Elliot Health System and Southern New Hampshire Health to read approximately 365,000 imaging studies annually across its practices and hospitals over the course of the multi-year agreement.
Interim Healthcare of the Northeast, a 3rd-generation, family-owned and -operated home health care and staffing company with six locations in NH, has achieved a 5-Star Patient Satisfaction Survey Rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The survey measures patient satisfaction across various aspects of home health care, including communication with health care providers, care coordination and overall satisfaction. A 5-Star rating is the highest possible score, indicating that Interim Healthcare of the Northeast consistently meets and exceeds patient expectations.
HOSPITALITY
The Nash Casino, New Hampshire’s largest charitable gaming venue, has announced it will be home to a brand-new DraftKings retail sportsbook, which will be located within the venue’s two-story DraftKings Lounge. The sportsbook will feature 16 sports wagering kiosks, two wagering windows and will overlook the largest permanent video wall in New Hampshire.
In its annual Culinary Competition, High Liner Foodservice, a leading supplier of frozen seafood products, recently honored Plymouth State University Executive Chef Michael Woodman for his “Classic Beer-Battered Pollock Sandwich” recipe. Woodman bested institutional chefs from more than 300 colleges and universities nationwide in the competition, encouraging chefs to experiment with pollock in new ways while maintaining the flavors that make it a versatile and affordable protein option. For his winning submission, Chef Woodman won a trip for two to Alaska, where much of the world’s pollock is fished from the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea. Woodman’s sandwiches will be offered in PSU’s Prospect Dining Hall throughout the spring 2025 semester.
Back in January, The Bend at Sugar River has been named “Rookie Business of the Year” by the Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce. The Bend at Sugar River is a new deli and country store in the lower village of Sunapee, which opened to the public last summer. It serves freshly baked pastries, regionally named sandwiches, a full coffee bar, take-home meals, shave ice made with local syrups, and a wide selection of local beer, wine, and NA beverages. The Chamber stated in its award nomination that “The Bend is definitely a stop to make.”
LIFE SCIENCES
NH Life Sciences (NHLS) has formed an Industry and Engagement Partnership (IEP), an initiative that brings together industry and academic leaders across the state to address current workforce challenges and develop career pathways to attract and retain talent that meets the needs of New Hampshire’s growing life sciences industry. Goals of the partnership will be to raise awareness of life sciences career opportunities in the state, pinpoint specific skills gaps and develop strategies to address them, and align classroom curriculum with industry needs. In addition, NHLS also welcomed two new board members: Matt Simon, executive director at the Biotechnology Innovation Center and ReGen Valley Common Campus, and Shelley Briggs, formerly head of sales for North America at Millipore-Sigma and now CEO of BioSummit Strategies.
LAW
McLane Middleton recently announced its annual award winners: Wilbur A. Glahn, Jack B. Middleton Pro Bono Award, for his commitment to providing legal counsel to those who need but cannot afford it; Stacy S. Elliot, John A. Graf Client Service Award, for exemplifying the highest level of client responsiveness and excellence in service based on colleague observations, peer reviews and client recommendations; and Jeremy T. Walker, John R. McLane Jr. Community Service Award, for exemplifying the highest commitment to the community based on colleague observations and peer reviews.
REAL ESTATE
Badger Peabody & Smith Realty recently welcomed Abigail Plante as a sales associate to their team of real estate professionals. Plante’s diverse background includes studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria, where she developed an appreciation for travel, cultural exchange, and architecture, which led her to take courses in landscape architecture and design, further deepening her understanding of what makes a house a home.
Elsy Cipriani named executive director of the NH Food Bank
Nonprofit and social services leader Elsy Cipriani is assuming the role of executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank (NHFB), a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire. Cipriani joins NHFB following a four-year tenure as executive director of New Generation, another Catholic Charities NH program. Throughout her career, Cipriani has worked for and with vulnerable populations in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire by supporting low-income families with access to housing, employment, education, health, food and other services. Previously, she worked as the senior director of program operations at Heading Home, the largest provider of family shelter in Massachusetts, before serving as managing director of the International Institute of New England. Cipriani succeeds Eileen Liponis, who had previously served as executive director from 2017 to 2024.
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