BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS
The Southern NH Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Salem Co-operative Bank, have named the recipients of the 2025 Hidden Jewel Awards, an annual celebration of women who are making a powerful impact in their communities and beyond. Honorees are: Joanne Desrosiers, Clare Macoul, Tina Harrington, Carrie Weiland, Amie Ceder Bracey, Michelle Ackroyd, Lexi Kearley and Marie Cammarata. The award ceremony will be held on August 20 in Windham.
Infinity Aviation Group, a fixed based operator (FBO) in Nashua, has been acquired under an FBO platform led by Infinity CEO Steven Levesque in partnership with Igneo, an infrastructure investment manager. Also acquired was the hangar complex of Nashua Jet Aviation, a longtime hangar developer and owner at the airport. Mark Perryman, president and CEO of Norfolk Airport Authority, has also joined Infinity as an independent board member.
The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce held its 20th Annual Pinnacle Awards Luncheon to recognize the following businesses and leaders: Small Business of the Year, Feathered Friend Brewing; Business of the Year, Shaheen & Gordon, P.A.; Nonprofit Business of the Year, Fellowship Housing Opportunities; and Business Leader of the Year, Clement Kigugu, Overcomers Refugee Services. The event also recognized the Concord Young Professional of the Year, Moriah Billups of Concord Hospital Trust, and the W. Grant McIntosh Volunteer of the Year, Yvon Gagnon of Granite State Ambassadors.
Vance Freymann, regional director of New Hampshire for Consigli Construction Co., was recently elected to the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire’s board of directors. A resident of Manchester, Freymann also serves as the vice chair of the ACE Mentor Program of NH board of directors.
REAL ESTATE
Realty One Group Reliant recently opened a location at 23 S. Broadway in Salem, NH. The Reliant team is led by Amie Ceder Bracey, who brings over two decades of experience in residential, commercial and investment real estate.
Heidi Spencer has joined Coldwell Banker Realty in Portsmouth, bringing more than 17 years of real estate experience to the role. Heidi holds her real estate license as a sales agent in New Hampshire and an associate broker in Maine. Prior to joining Coldwell Banker, Spencer worked for Keller Williams Coastal Realty in Portsmouth for more than a decade. Franconia-based Badger Peabody & Smith Realty was recently ranked as the No. 796 real estate firm in the U.S. in sales volume, according to RIS-Media’s 37th Annual Power Broker Report. Badger Peabody & Smith Realty reported a total sales volume of $375 million in 2024, representing 859 closed residential transactions.
Grace Mark has joined Badger Peabody & Smith Realty as a sales associate in the firm’s North Conway office. Born in North Conway, but raised in Colorado, Mark returns to the Mount Washington Valley region to share her experience with potential homebuyers and sellers. She will be mentored by agent Jeana Hale-Dewitt as she starts her new role.
NONPROFITS
The New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits’ annual NH Gives fundraising event raised more than $3.4 million for nearly 650 participating organizations this year, thanks to more than 13,800 donors. This year’s event included $1.6 million in matching funds, pledged by donors, and longtime partner NH Charitable Foundation also contributed $30,000 in incentive prizes to reward organizations that mobilized the most online donors.
The Service Credit Union Impact Foundation recently announced the beneficiaries of its 4th annual Spring Gala, which raised $280,000 for nonprofits that help provide safe and affording housing across the state. Recipients are: Marguerite’s Place, Southeast NH Habitat for Humanity, Families in Transition, Avesta Housing, HAVEN Violence Prevention & Support Services, Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, Hundred Nights, Our Place NH, Harbor Care, Family Promise of Southern NH, Seacoast Family Promise, Visions for Creative Housing, Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, Malley Farm for Women, Shelter from the Storm, The Home Possible Project, and Emmaus.
Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County (HCMOW) has elected Carolyn Oguda as chair of its board of directors for a three-year term. She has been an HCMOW board member since 2018, serving most recently as vice chair to her predecessor, Daniel J. Abbis, DO. Oguda began her career as a manager for a local nursing home and currently works in the biopharmaceutical industry.
The Manchester Historic Association elected four new board members: James Burkush, retired chief of the Manchester Fire Department; Richard Dryer, owner of Dryer Management, Inc.; Aaron Nolin, vice president of commercial lending at St. Mary’s Bank; and Ralph Sidore, previously vice president of planning and distribution for Pandora Industries. In addition, Jen Drociak, Ben Horton and Amanda Quinlan were elected to serve second terms on the board.
Seacoast Family Promise, a regional organization that serves families with children experiencing homelessness, recently welcomed Jessica Parker as its new executive director. Prior to joining Seacoast Family Promise, she served as the executive director for Step Up Parents, development and communications director for Hope on Haven Hill and development director for Cross Roads House.
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees recently presented more than $20,000 in donations collected through the Bank’s employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for a Cause, to 10 organizations serving communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Granite State first-quarter recipients include Contooscook Housing Trust and the Palace Theatre.
Avesta Housing, Northern New England’s largest nonprofit affordable housing provider, has appointed Jennifer Hawkins as the organization’s new president and CEO. With more than 20 years of expertise in affordable housing, community development and health equity, Hawkins most recently served as president and CEO of One Neighborhood Builders in Providence, R.I. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University and executive leadership certificates from the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.
Merrimack County Savings Bank is supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central and Northern NH with a $3,500 donation toward their summer camp program. With the funds, the Boys & Girls Clubs will host Junk 2 Funk, a four-day program that empowers youth through creativity, physical energy and individual expression.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Kathy Powers has been promoted to branch and business development manager of Merrimack County Savings Bank’s Nashua office. Powers has been with The Merrimack for the past two years, serving as a universal banker at the Hooksett branch and most recently as branch services manager in the Windham office.
The New Hampshire Bankers Association elected officers and directors for the coming year, including: chair, Jim Brannen, president and CEO of First Seacoast Bank; vice chair, Chris Logan, president and CEO of Bank of New Hampshire; treasurer, G. Frank Teas, president and CEO of Millyard Bank; secretary, Jim Kisch, president and CEO of Passumpsic Bank; Steven Byrnes, SVP/regional vice president for eastern NH at TD Bank; Lloyd Hamm Jr., CEO of River Run Bancorp and MHC and CEO of Newburyport Bank; Linda Lorden, president of Merrimack County Savings Bank; Josphine Moran, president and CEO of Ledyard Bank; and Tim Wade, regional president for M&T Bank.
Service Credit Union recently promoted Rob Derrickson to vice president of real estate, a newly created role designed to support the organization’s long-term strategic growth. Derrickson has been with Service CU for 11 years in roles such as originator, underwriter and leading manager.
HOSPITALITY
The Red Arrow Diner has been named the 2025 Hospitality and Tourism Business of the Year by Business NH Magazine and the NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. Carol Lawrence purchased Manchester’s Red Arrow Diner in 1987 and expanded the brand to additional locations in southern New Hampshire with her co-owners, George Lawrence and Amanda Wihby, over the past 15 years, including Concord, Londonderry and Nashua. The Manchester location celebrated 100 years in business in 2022.
HEALTH CARE
For the second year in a row, RiverWoods Durham has been recognized with the Holleran’s Choice Community Award for completion of their 2025 Resident Satisfaction survey. The award was given for the organization’s high-level engagement with their stakeholders, placing RiverWoods Durham at the top of the Holleran National Benchmark, which measures both resident and employee engagement in the senior living space via more than 156,000 resident and employee surveys, from over 300 organizations across 36 states, D.C. and Canada, completed within the last three years.
Elliot Health System has been selected to operate the Manchester location of The Doorway, a statewide program that connects people to treatment and recovery services for substance use. The transition will officially take place on July 1, 2025, in coordination with the NH Department of Health and Human Services.
Customers of Cigna Healthcare plans in New Hampshire now have access to ConvenientMD Primary Care clinics effective June 23. ConvenientMD recently established standalone primary care practices in Portsmouth, Manchester, and Exeter.
Lamprey Health Care and Gather have partnered to help address social determinants of health head on by tackling food insecurity and improving health outcomes in the community. This partnership will provide tangible solutions through accessible nutrition and preventive care through a bi-weekly Gather Mobile Food Market stationed at Lamprey Health Care’s Raymond location, ensuring that individuals and families receive fresh food alongside quality health care services.
On June 11, the Krempels Brain Injury Center celebrated its 25th anniversary supporting individuals living with acquired brain injuries by raising over $200,000 during a fundraising event. Since its founding in 2000, the Center provides services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay, therefore relying on private donations, foundation support, and community partnerships to bridge that gap in Medicaid coverage.
GOVERNMENT
The NH State Commission on Aging has launched a statewide effort, in coordination with Impact Consulting, to improve access to transportation for older adults, people with disabilities, veterans and others who face daily challenges getting where they need to go. The Community Transportation Needs Assessment will examine where services are working, where people are being left behind, and how the state can deliver better transportation options that support health, connection and economic stability. The project will analyze existing services, gather public input, and offer recommendations to strengthen coordination, funding and delivery across the state. The assessment will also explore both the cost of inaction and the potential benefits of targeted improvements. Special attention will be paid to how current funding flows through the system, including more than two dozen federal, state and local programs that support transportation in New Hampshire. Visit keepnhmoving.com to learn more.
LAW
The law firm of McLane Middleton has been recognized with six firm rankings in Chambers USA: A Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers in the categories of corporate/commercial, environment, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation: general commercial, and real estate. In addition, 23 firm attorneys were recognized: Steven M. Burke, Patrick C. Closson, Michael A. Delaney, Adam M. Dumville, Steven J. Dutton, Bruce W. Felmly, Viggo Fish, Joseph A. Foster, Wilbur A. Glahn, Dennis J. Haley, Scott H. Harris, Jack B. Middleton, Barry Needleman, Margaret “Peg” O’Brien, Jennifer L. Parent, Michael J. Quinn, John E. Rich, Mark C. Rouvalis, Richard A. Samuels, Gregory H. Smith, Michael B. Tule, Jeremy T. Walker and Mark A. Wright.
TECHNOLOGY
Retail Control Systems (RCS) of Lebanon, NH, announced that its Thrift Production Manager (TPM) has been named “Overall RetailTech Solution of the Year” in the 3rd annual RetailTech Breakthrough Awards, which recognizes standout retail technology companies and solutions around the world. Its cloud-based platform TPM helps thrift retailers process donated goods efficiently and profitably by simplifying complex processes by replacing manual pricing and handwritten logs with digital production records, barcode tagging and AI-driven pricing suggestions.
ARCHITECTURE
Lavallee Brensinger Architects recently welcomed Candice Barter as a principal of the firm. She has more than 20 years of experience designing complex health care environments that balance patient comfort, staff needs and organizational goals. Barter earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Boston Architectural College. In addition, the architectural firm also welcomed Michael Loffredo as a project manager with experience leading life science projects throughout the region, with expertise spanning programming and planning to construction and closeout. Loffredo earned a Master of Architecture degree from Roger Williams University.
Nashua Community College welcomes new president
The Board of Trustees of the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) confirmed Dr. James Keane as the next president of Nashua Community College (NCC), succeeding Lucille Jordan, who served as president of NCC for 27 years. Prior to his July 14 start date, Keane served as associate provost at Curry College in Milton, Mass. From 2020-2024, Keane served as vice president of academic affairs at Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass., and spent a decade as executive dean and campus CEO of the Michael J. Grant Campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, N.Y. He has held several positions including associate provost for undergraduate studies at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y., and continues to teach courses in education leadership, higher education administration and philosophy (ethics).
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