2024 New Hampshire 200

St. Mary’s Bank President and CEO

Our warmest congratulations to all of the New Hampshire 200.

As the nation’s first credit union, St. Mary’s Bank understands the importance of investing in the vitality of our communities. Because success is more than what we see on a balance sheet, it’s what we see in those we serve every day. Join over 90,000 individuals, families, and businesses who have discovered the St. Mary’s Bank difference.

Congratulations Ken Senus

Sarah

Custom Publications sarahekp@yankeepub.com, ext. 5128

Jodie Hall Creative Services Director jodieh@yankeepub.com, ext. 5122

Nancy Tichanuk Senior Graphic Designer nancyt@yankeepub.com, ext. 5116

Nicole Huot Senior Graphic Artist nicoleh@yankeepub.com, ext. 5116

Robin Saling Graphic Artist robins@yankeepub.com, ext. 5124

Karen Bachelder Sales Executive kbachelder@nhbr.com, ext. 5148

Cynthia Stone Sales Executive cstone@nhbr.com, ext. 5146

Ronnie Schlender Special Projects Sales Representative rschlender@nhbr.com, ext. 5150

Ren Chase Operations Director renc@yankeepub.com, ext. 5114

Paul Milone Sales and Events Coordinator paulm@yankeepub.com, ext. 5121

Paula Veale Business and Sales Coordinator paulav@yankeepub.com, ext. 5110 Morgen Connor Digital Operations and Marketing Manager morgenc@yankeepub.com, ext. 5149

New to the New Hampshire 200 — Everybody!

There’s something new about the New Hampshire 200: every single person on the list.

For the second edition, published in 2022, there was plenty of overlap from 2020. While the mission was to select “the 200 most influential people in New Hampshire’s private sector,” the list included a mix of alumni as well as upstart influencers who had not previously made the list.

This time, we started completely from scratch. Thus, the 2024 edition of the New Hampshire 200 comprises 200 business and nonprofit leaders in the Granite State entirely new to the list.

For the editing team, the greatest joy in producing this list was to learn more about the backgrounds of influential leaders. The path to success includes many twists and turns. Some served in the military, where they acquired leadership skills. Some were single moms when they decided to pursue a new career. Some took that great leap and launched their own businesses.

We know this list includes an extraordinary group of people who all are dedicated to making New Hampshire a great place to live and do business.

Do you know somebody who is making a mark on the Granite State who is missing from the list? We want to hear from you as we gather nominations for the next one. Send your suggestions to mikecote@yankeepub.com

Mike Cote Editor NH Business Review

Thank you to these outstanding organizations for sponsoring this year’s New Hampshire 200 reception:

The New Hampshire 200: How they were selected

When we decided the third edition of the New Hampshire 200 should feature only people new to the list, we recruited past honorees to help us to select them.

Some identified influential leaders we previously overlooked and or rising stars who have emerged over the past several years.

Some of the alumni offered so many great suggestions we informally referred to them as our “advisory committee.”

A special thanks goes to Matt Cookson, president and CEO of Cookson Communications; Sarah Palermo, campaign director for NH Campaign for Legal Services; and Dan Scanlon, senior associate at Colliers. Their contributions were invaluable.

A list of 200 influential leaders in a state of 1.4 million people is bound to exclude people worthy of recognition. While alumni helped us refresh the ranks, we immediately noticed some people missing from the

first two editions who deserved to be there.

While I’m still fresh into my first year as the editor of NH Business Review, I’ve worked in this market for more than a decade.

Likewise, Managing Editor Amanda Andrews, who regularly interviews Granite State leaders for our Down to Business Podcast, brings lots of community knowledge to the table.

The New Hampshire 200 also reflects nominations from Publisher Ernesto Burden, who has worked in this market his entire career. His vast knowledge of the Granite State is reflected in this list.

We’ve already heard of deserving leaders who did not make the list. That’s a good thing: We’re already thinking about the next one.

—MikeCote,Editor

Peter Rayno

FINANCE

Architecture, Engineering & Construction

Karl Dubay President

The

Dubay

Group Inc.

Education: University of Maine; Suffolk University; licensed professional engineer

Career history: Karl started his engineering career in Boston on projects from waterfront piers to mass transit systems. After meeting his future wife in Boston, he moved up to New Hampshire, where he focused on land development, opening his award-winning engineering, surveying and planning firm in 2009. In the past year alone, The Dubay Group has produced over 1 million square feet of industrial buildings and over 700 residential units in design and construction. Business lesson: Know your worth, and reinvest in your team. Keep that eye of the tiger always.

Most excited about: We have long-term employees that originally started with us as college interns. It’s heart-warming to help them excel, to earn their professional licensures, to see them manage and lead projects with pride and determination, to see them nurture relationships and have kids and be important parts of their communities.

Hobbies/passions: Playing the saxophone, from jazz combos to show bands. My style is old-school American songbook, funk, blues.

Industry advice: Take pride in your team’s quality design. Grow and lead using the (old) “Patriots’ Way”: keep innovating and challenging. Put the money back in, and know your worth. As engineers, be creative — hard work always pays off. Then, don’t stop — take it to the next level beyond the comfort level of your competition. Windshield, not rearview mirror.

Dennis

Mires President

Dennis Mires, P.A., The Architects

Education: University of California, Berkeley (BArch)

Career history: After school, Dennis served in the USAF doing architecture and retired after four years as a captain. He worked two years in Boston with a small architectural firm, moved to Manchester and worked for another small architectural firm for seven years before opening hs own firm in 1980. Since then, the firm has worked primarily in New Hampshire with public clients, institutional clients, nonprofits and commercial clients. Dennis says many of the firm’s projects have been recognized by its peers for design excellence.

Matt Mayberry Executive Vice President NH Home Builders Association

Career history: Matt is a Dover native and decorated Air Force veteran. He’s served as both a Dover city councilor and school board member. He was named Dover’s 2021 Citizen of the Year for volunteer efforts. Matt chaired the NH Human Rights Commission, then ran for U.S. Congress. For the past three years, Matt has been the NH Home Builders Association’s executive vice president.

Business lesson: Ask, “What question(s) should I be asking that I haven’t?”... and let them answer. You learn a lot by not talking.

Biggest challenge: NHHBA and stakeholders convinced 424 legislators of $72 million of home weatherization programs’ value. They unanimously passed legislation, with Gov. Sununu signing the law in my first year on the job!

Most excited about: NHHBA membership growth — 32% in three years.

Fun fact: I have two tattoos and am also a comic book movie geek.

Favorite story: During an open house, a woman walked in with a cropped AC/DC T-shirt and cut-off jean shorts and flip-flops. She was a millionaire and bought five houses through me that year. She told me she does it on purpose and gauges how she was treated. I treated her as I would treat anyone else.

Checked-off bucket list item: Visiting Sydney, Australia — fun ... but not as much as Rio de Janeiro!

Industry advice: You must earn success, work at it, and sometimes take the reins and lead.

Brian Pratt

Senior Project Manager/ Civil Engineer

Fuss & O’Neill

Education: University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Biggest challenge: Finding appropriate help. Most excited about: Transitioning the firm to the next generation and the opportunities and direction that may open up. We are also excited to continue to demonstrate the impact architects can have on climate change.

Hobbies/passions: Contemporary art in all its forms; my “weekend warrior” projects at my house and my camp, which serves as therapy.

Checked-off bucket list item: Enjoyed the visit and extended tour of the Glass House, Darien, Connecticut.

Industry advice: Continue to aggressively pursue sustainable practices and all that contributes to reducing our carbon footprint.

Career history: Brian started his career in 2003 as a junior engineer at True Engineering, which merged with CLD Consulting Engineers (CLD), later transitioning to a project manager. In 2017, CLD merged with Fuss & O’Neill. Over the past 20 years, he has designed and managed private land development projects ranging from small residential, to industrial, commercial and large mixed-use projects. In 2018, he joined the board of directors of Plan NH, a nonprofit specializing in helping NH communities revitalize their downtowns. Most excited about: I am excited to work on new projects that make a positive difference in NH. I enjoy working on high-profile, long-term, complex, multidisciplinary projects. Working with teams from a variety of different fields and guiding a project from concept through construction is very rewarding.

Fun fact: I have hiked all the state’s highest peaks — the “NH 48 4,000-footers,” list which includes hiking Mount Washington twice. I am halfway through the “52 with a View” and the “NH Terrifying 25” hiking lists as well. In total, I have hiked almost 150 mountains and approximately 600 miles.

Industry advice: Never be afraid to ask questions for fear of looking stupid. Be honest and let people know when you do not know the answer to a question. You are not expected to know everything. Some of the best skills I have acquired are knowing when and where to ask for help, and how to build a team that has the skills needed for a successful project.

Here to Help You Grow

We’re proud to help N.H. businesses grow and thrive with customized business banking solutions. Get in touch to learn more.

John Stebbins Chief Executive Officer

PROCON

Education: Georgetown University (BA), Virginia Tech (M.Arch)

Career history: John visited PROCON job sites with his grandfather growing up, working for the company during high school. After architecture school, he worked for a firm in DC before his dad asked him to return to New Hampshire to be a development project manager for his company, XSS Hotels. At XSS, projects included the Hilton Garden Inn at Patriot Place, the Row Hotel at Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts, and AC Hotel Downtown Boston. In 2021, John moved from XSS to PROCON as managing director. In 2023, he became CEO.

Business lesson: Flexibility and nimbleness amid technological advances, geopolitical changes and turbulent national politics is paramount to a business’ success.

Biggest challenge: The sudden passing of my father in 2021. Most excited about: PROCON employees’ creativity, resourcefulness and positive attitudes. Their commitment to excellence gives me confidence we can achieve continued and future success.

What keeps you up at night? Tightened land-use regulations in many New Hampshire municipalities will artificially constrict growth and increase costs amid heightened demand for new construction.

Industry advice: If you work hard and ask for help or advice, people will be more than willing to share their knowledge and give a helping hand.

Adam Wagner

Founder/Partner Market Square Architects

Education: Syracuse University, University of Denver

Career history: Adam has spent the last 23 years in architecture, working at firms from Boston to Portland, where he learned valuable lessons that he now applies to his own practice. His favorite project thus far is the Elliot at Rivers Edge in Manchester.

Business lesson: Surround yourself with people who are good at the things you aren’t. It doesn’t matter what business you are in; you can’t do it all, and there are always people who are better at things then you are. Lean into their advice and experience, and leverage the entire pool of knowledge that you have to work with.

Hobbies/passions: I have recently become fascinated with the study of horology, the art of making clocks and watches. I find the precision used in making these functional objects to be inspiring.

Checked-off bucket list item: Some college buddies and I hiked the Grand Canyon and spent two nights at Phantom Ranch. Despite the 106-degree temps, it was a wonderful way to reconnect with them in a majestic place that reminds you of how small we all are in a world so vast. Just remember that if you are hiking by headlamp, the bugs like the lights, and the bats like the bugs!

Randall Walter

Architect & Developer Lignin Group LLC

Education: Carnegie Mellon University; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne

Career history: Formerly a company steward and the lead architect of the design/build firm Bensonwood, Randall’s focus for the last two decades has been incorporating strategies to use predefined components with 3D software for design and construction. The result is an open-built design system that enables flexible and rapid design exploration with predictable (cost, performance and aesthetic) results. He champions design-build approaches, mass-customized strategies, parametric design and digital fabrication.

Randall says his current focus is transforming land and buildings to aspire to their highest and best outcomes. Compared to the traditional process where land and buildings are selected by clients to serve their needs, he applies a vertically integrated approach: purchasing, designing, permitting and building outcomes to fit land and existing structures with sensitive and appropriate results that integrate with their surroundings, while maximizing value and sense of place.

During his tenure, Bensonwood grew from 20 to 120 associates, while balancing design standards, client aspirations, craft and high-performance building outcomes, expanding the company from residential work into both commercial and education projects. His recent work involves the design and development of a mixed-use development in Keene that was historically a paintbrush factory, through the use of a form of construction known as mass timber.

Business & Professional Services

Daniel Cronin President, CEO CGI Business Solutions

Education: Bachelor of science degree in Business Administration, UNH

Career history: After spending 1991 selling accident and disability policies at Combined Services, Cronin worked at Bankers Life & Casualty, and later joined Foy Insurance in 1993 to focus on employee benefits, where he found his calling. In 1997, Cronin founded his own agency with a partner, Mike Gervino, then went solo in 2006 by purchasing his partner’s share of the business. At that time, Cronin employed 16 people; today CGI Business Solutions has more than 100 employees and is a full-service agency providing business solutions nationwide.

Most excited about: I am most excited about our unique position as a “one stop shop” for clients. We don’t report to corporate entities, and this permits us to truly cater to what is number one to us: our clients.

Fun fact: I love to cook! When I wasn’t playing sports growing up, I was in the kitchen with my mother, baking cookies and making fudge.

Hobbies/passions: I love playing competitive tennis, golfing with friends, hunting with my son, cooking in, and trying out new restaurants everywhere I go.

Industry advice: Always stay current, continuously try to learn. Be innovative and creative as possible in an effort to serve your clients better.

Kelli D’Amore Managing Director

Nathan Wechsler & Co. P.A.

Education: Southern New Hampshire University

Career history: Kelli started her career in public accounting with Nathan Wechsler & Co. as an associate in 1999. She started in a private accounting position and transitioned into public accounting. She says the firm has flexibly supported her while she raises a family. Kelli is Nathan Wechsler’s first female managing director.

Business lesson: People want to know that you care about them and their goals. If you take a genuine interest in your employees and colleagues, or in the business owners we have the privilege to work with, the path is much clearer and the outcomes feel good all the way around.

Most excited about: I am excited to see the opportunities the firm has going forward, but also what is in store for our young, ambitious and really fun employees and partners.

Fun fact: Riding a UTV on the trails in northern Maine and Pittsburg, NH. Hobbies/passions: Spending time with my two granddaughters, Maddie and Lucy. If there is an opportunity to play with them, that is my favorite place to be.

Industry advice: Find the area that gets you most excited and look for more of those opportunities. Public accounting firms are full of them, so be your own advocate. It is also important to take care of yourself — so life/work balance is critical to any successful career. If you don’t believe it, give me a call.

Nichole Davis

Vice President/Creative & Development Director

Hoyle, Tanner & Associates Inc.

Education: Southern New Hampshire University, New Hampshire Technical Institute

Career history: Since earning her degree in 2007 while balancing full-time work and studies, Nichole has charted a 17year career at Hoyle Tanner, becoming vice president in 2022. Nichole says she actively champions impactful initiatives alongside many nonprofits that mirror her resilience and dedication to personal growth and societal betterment. In 2022, she was in the New Hampshire Union Leader’s 40 Under Forty class. Business lesson: Venturing beyond comfort zones is key in business. Trying new things drives growth and innovation. Embracing the unfamiliar fosters resilience and creativity.

Most excited about: Amid changing community needs, integrating public input into our engineering projects is and will remain paramount. These solutions, shaped by diverse perspectives, will have a lasting impact, evolving to meet communities’ ever-changing needs for decades to come.

Fun fact: I’m deeply passionate about DIY home repairs. Whether welding handrails or crafting custom cabinetry, I’m deeply invested in many projects.

Hobbies/passions: Being beachside; crafting treats; golfing; home repairs

Industry advice: Embrace ‘yes’ — it’s the gateway to growth. Embracing new challenges fuels innovation. Unfamiliar paths often lead to unforeseen opportunities. Openness to challenges breeds strength and unlocks fresh solutions in our everevolving industry.

Shannon Herrmann

Senior Recruiting Manager

Alexander Technology Group

Education: Bentley University (BS)

Career history: Shannon has over a decade in staffing and five years in sales. For eight years, she’s volunteered with the NH Tech Alliance, currently chairs the TechWomen|TechGirls Initiative and serves on the alliance’s board of directors. In 2018, Shannon co-founded Women in Sales NH, a networking group for women’s professional growth. She was in the 2021 40 under Forty New Hampshire Union Leader class and the 2019 Nashua Telegraph class.

Business lesson: Making deep connections with everyone you meet is transformative. Approach each interaction — meetings, networking events and conferences — with the intent to forge new bonds. Genuine relationships create a supportive network, open doors to opportunities, and enrich personal and professional experiences.

Most excited about: As companies embrace hybrid and adaptable work cultures, unprecedented access to talented professionals emerges. In staffing, our commitment to genuine partnership with organizations becomes increasingly crucial in navigating this evolving landscape.

Hobbies/passions: Organizing our next family vacation, experimenting with new recipes, unwinding with a good book, volunteering, chauffeuring our 12-year-old daughter.

Checked-off bucket list item: Flying a plane from Manchester! Industry advice: We shape lives by building teams, growing careers and influencing technology. Stay adaptable and empathetic.

Genevieve Hoellrich Studio Owner

Humble Warrior Power Yoga

Education: E-RYT 500 (training); College

Lasalle; York University

Career history: Genevieve first worked in buying and distribution for Aldo Shoes in Montreal. Twelve years ago she moved to the U.S. to raise a family. In 2019 she opened Humble Warrior, and operates three studios in Manchester, Bedford and Exeter.

Business lesson: The most important business lesson I have learned is not to be afraid of making big moves and taking risks. Having an amazing team who instills growth mindset is key!

What keeps you up at night: The big moves. If they don’t keep you up, are they worth it?!

Industry advice: Always remember your “why.” Be authentically you, and always know your worth. Be involved in your community and share and spread love wherever you go.

Todd Horner Assistant Director Southwest Region Planning Commission

Education: Vassar College; University of Massachusetts Amherst

Career history: Hailing from southern Maine, Todd moved to New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region in 2009 to pursue a career in agriculture, spending most of the next decade operating an organic farm in Peterborough. His time farming instilled in him an interest in how people use, share and relate to land and the resources it provides. That interest prompted a transition into the planning field, where he finds himself digging into familiar issues: how people balance the productive use of land with its protection, how people organize built communities upon the natural landscape, and how people can cooperate to work towards shared prosperity.

Todd manages and contributes to projects in a variety of program areas at the Keene-based Southwest Region Planning Commission, including economic development, transportation, housing and broadband planning. He says he brings a wide range of skills to his work, including quantitative data analysis, data visualization, technical writing, public engagement, meeting facilitation, geographic information systems and spatial analysis.

Wendy Hunt

President & CEO

Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce

“Always remember your ‘why.’ Be authentically you, and always know your worth. Be involved in your community and share and spread love wherever you go.”

Genevieve

Hoellrich, Studio Owner, Humble

Warrior Power Yoga

Stephen Lawlor Shareholder

Nathan Wechsler & Co.

Education: Univesity of New Hampshire

Career history: Stephen started his career at Ernst and Whinney (now Ernst & Young) in Manchester. He began working at Nathan Wechsler & Co. P.A. in 1985, later becoming a shareholder of the firm in 1992.

Business lesson: Be honest, straightforward, respectful and responsive. There is always a person behind every transaction.

Biggest challenge: The pandemic was the greatest challenge in the last five years. Would the economy collapse, or would companies go out of business? How could I help clients stay in business and get the resources they need to survive?

Most excited about: What will the accounting firm of the future look like? What type of services will be needed in the future? I remember going from everything by hand to computers and how that changed the industry. How will the new technology change the industry and the world?

What keeps you up at night? The sheer volume of information that you need today vs. in the past. Am I missing something? Do I have all the facts?

Fun fact: I have a special needs daughter who is 28 years old, who I take to numerous plays — Disney on Ice, Jonas Brothers concerts, Disney shows, etc. She definitely keeps me young.

Hobbies/passions: I love to cook, enjoy the theater, family time.

Industry advice: Always be respectful to whoever you are dealing with no matter their status. Hard work yields results. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Education: University of Florida (BA), Stetson University College of Law (JD)

Career history: Formerly a Florida attorney, Wendy directed community development for a New Hampshire nonprofit before joining the Souhegan Valley Chamber board in 2012. She later directed the Milford Improvement Team and the Milford Pumpkin Festival. In 2017, Wendy became the Chamber’s CEO, forming the Greater Merrimack-Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce in 2020. In 2021, Wendy became the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce’s president & CEO. Wendy chairs the NH Small Business Development Center board, is the immediate past chair of the NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and serves on the board of the Business and Industry Association of NH.

Business lesson: Building relationships with colleagues, mentors and industry professionals will open doors to job opportunities, collaborations and career advancement.

Biggest challenge: Virtual meetings cannot fully replicate the richness and depth of in-person interactions.

Most excited about: As a chamber, addressing head-on the most pressing challenges businesses are facing, like workforce, childcare and housing. What keeps you up at night? Housing costs! How do we (as a state) retain our young talent when they cannot afford to buy their first homes?

Industry advice: Expand your circle of contacts regionally and statewide through collaboration with other organizations, state agencies and others.

Matthew Low

Chief

Operating Officer

Hoyle Tanner & Associates Inc.

Education: University of New Hampshire, Southern New Hampshire University

Career history: Matthew graduated from UNH in 1992, beginning work as a civil engineer for Storch Associates’ Manchester office. In 1995 he joined Hayashi Corp. of Bedford as a structural engineer, practicing there until joining Hoyle Tanner in 1999. He steadily progressed from senior engineer to his current position. Low also currently serves as adjunct faculty of the UNH Civil and Environmental Engineering Department.

Business lesson: Never be afraid to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Embrace the opportunity to do so.

Most excited about: Teaching at UNH for the past four years has exposed me to the passion of the new engineering generation, reenergized me and demonstrated that our firm, industry, and communities will be in good hands long after my career is over.

What keeps you up at night? High school and college enrollment declines will create a pronounced impact on the New Hampshire engineering workforce.

Favorite story: The movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” There is a little George Bailey in each of us.

Hobbies/passions: Singing and playing guitar in an acoustic duo — The Regular Gents — which performs in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Industry advice: You earn your paycheck from 9 to 5, but your career is created outside of the normal day.

Heather McGrail President & CEO Greater Manchester Chamber

Education: Brandeis University

Career history: Heather began her media relations and pharmaceuticals career with PR Newswire and Bristol Myers Squibb. Following those, she became involved in a grassroots community effort to build a member-owned Manchester Food Co-op. She discovered her affinity for community organizing, development and education, preparing her to lead the chamber for the largest city in the state. Heather was appointed to the Greater Manchester Chamber CEO role in May 2022, after five years of directing membership & community partnerships.

Business lesson: Build a balanced team of the “forest and the trees” — big picture thinkers and tactical talent who thrive in the details.

Fun fact: A few years ago, I ran into a farmer looking to offload a few baby bunnies. He claimed they were the same sex, and I took them home on the spot. He was wrong. I ended up with what my kids called “the bunny farm” — 17 bunnies in our house at once.

Hobbies/passions: Hiking; camping; running; kayaking; biking; races like tough mudders.

Checked-off bucket list item: Skydiving. An amazing experience; my only regret is that I didn’t buy the video.

Industry advice: Chamber leaders cannot take for granted that the community understands our work. Like all nonprofits, our industry must figure out how to express our mission and impact more effectively.

Luca Paris President/CEO

Greater Monadnock Collaborative

Education: Johnson & Wales University

Career history: Luca has owned restaurants since 1989, beginning with Gianluca’s Salumeria in New York City and later, Luca’s Mediterranean Café in Keene. The Keene chamber named the café “Business of the Year” in 2013. In 2014, Paris was named “NH Chef of the Year” by the NH Lodging and Restaurant Association. Today, Luca became president and CEO of the Greater Monadnock Collaborative Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2021.

John Mortimer Owner, Founder Millennium Running

Education: University of Michigan

Career history: A Londonderry native, John is the owner and founder of Millennium Running, launched in 2010, New England’s largest road race company. He previously served as cross-country and track coach at the University of Kentucky from 2008-2010, at Boston College from 2003-2008 and at Harvard University in 2002. He was a member of Team USA’s track & field team from 1997-1998, representing Adidas and Reebok.

Business lesson: A business is only as successful as the people who choose to work for it. Value employees more than profits.

Biggest challenge: As a business, we had to reinvent the road race format during COVID, creating guidance for our industry within the State of New Hampshire to safely produce events.

Most excited about: With $1.6 million raised for charity, we are excited about raising $2 million, then $3 million.

What keeps you up at night? I don’t sleep well the night before any race... First, I fear missing my alarm. Secondly, my mind turns over and over thinking about all the many details that need to come together to create a magical race day experience for our participants.

Hobbies/passions: Running... very fitting, I suppose.

Checked-off bucket list item: Run a marathon in Antarctica

Industry advice: Resist being transactionally focused, be relationally focused with customers and employees. Relationships mean more than sales.

Business lesson: Service is steps that can be trained and followed by having a checklist. Hospitality is going above and beyond.

Most excited about: Our goals to connect, communicate and collaborate with members are enhanced by our “Promote the Region” campaign, earning praise from other chambers and the state of New Hampshire.

Fun fact: I have episodes of my own culinary shows on YouTube, and have traveled to different states working with other chefs at live events. Checked-off bucket list items: I competed on Guy’s “Grocery Games” and won (Eggcellent Season 1, Episode 7). I cooked with Mary Ann Esposito at a live event in Keene and also on her show, “Ciao Italia!”

Industry advice: Chamber professionals are here for their community and their members. Not all see the value, so we have to create that value. Chambers of commerce have a service to give back to our members. No one owes us a membership. We owe them a value for their membership!

Richard (Rick) Peck

Independent Philanthropy Consultant

Richard C. Peck Consulting LLC

Independent Philanthropy

Education: University of Massachusetts, Lowell;; Baker College; American College of Financial Services

Career history: As vice president for development and philanthropy services, Rick led the NH Charitable Foundation’s philanthropy and donor services team, overseeing development, donor engagement and donor services. He served Dartmouth Hitchcock Health and Dartmouth College’s Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College as director of individual giving and gift planning. Rick also served Dartmouth College as an associate director of gift planning, working with alumni of the undergraduate college. Currently, he’s president of the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy.

Tricia Soule

Executive Director

New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts (NHBCA)

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Tricia has been the NHBCA’s executive director since 2019. She has significantly increased support for its programs. The organization was awarded the 2021 BIA NH Advantage Award for this work. Before NHBCA, Tricia worked in the insurance industry, owned an art gallery representing 40+ regional artists, was a design consultant at Company C and worked for three years at the Currier Museum of Art as its membership manager and development manager. Tricia was honored with a 2022 BIA Above and Beyond Award.

Business lesson: Perseverance is the key ingredient to success. It takes patience, tenacity and gumption to achieve your goals.

Business lesson: Provide value in what you do. Be additive. Connect others to whom they want to be connected but could not do so without you. Be part of the overarching solution as best you can.

Most excited about: Getting better at matching potential donors with potential nonprofit opportunities is always a challenge worth pursuing!

Fun fact: I’ve been doing improvisational comedy on stage for over 30 years.

Favorite story: “Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Frankl.

Checked-off bucket list item: Buying a “condotel” in Wells, Maine!

Industry advice: Find ways to make it easier for donors to donate impactfully, for nonprofits to represent themselves as best they can, and for professional advisors to make appropriate referrals of nonprofits to donors.

Congratulations Tricia Soule on being named one of NH’s top 200 influential leaders!

The NHBCA Board would like to thank you for your hard work, dedication, and innovation in supporting our mission to educate, motivate, and recognize business support and participation in the arts.

Most excited about: The arts are becoming more recognized for the vitality they bring to communities in every corner of the state. Seeing towns and cities fully embrace the arts and artists as central to their economic development plans is encouraging and inspirational.

Bucket list item: As a huge fan of Georgia O’Keeffe, the “Land of Enchantment” has been calling to me for decades. My husband recently retired, and we now have the opportunity to spend time between our beloved New Hampshire and my “spirit home” in New Mexico.

Industry advice: Arts and cultural organizations must be business-minded. We need to adapt and evolve to meet people where they are — especially the next generation of audiences and donors.

Benjamin VanCamp

Chief Collaborator & President Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth

Education: Springfield College

Career history: Benjamin’s career path has exclusively been in the nonprofit sector, working in river conservation, tourism and two chambers of commerce.

Business lesson: Business is more than products and services; it is largely relationship-driven. I focus my energy on making people feel welcomed and included at the Chamber Collaborative. Biggest challenge: Stepping into the leadership role at the Chamber Collaborative almost three years ago provided a whole host of challenges that allowed me to grow my professional skills. It is a job that continues to challenge me today.

Most excited about: Our chamber is continuing to be relevant to the local business community. We are welcoming young entrepreneurs regularly into our membership. I am excited about the future of Portsmouth and its diverse economy.

Hobbies/passions: I love to be outdoors whenever possible. I enjoy mountain biking, hiking, camping, backpacking and exploring our beautiful state and country. I also serve on a local fire department as an EMT and firefighter.

Industry advice: Chambers of commerce must respond quickly to the needs of the community, and those needs can change in an instant. Be nimble, and take risks on new programs and new methods.

“Your mission is your true north — your compass. It helps you navigate difficult situations and take advantage of wonderful opportunities.”

Brian Bicknell, president, Manchester Community College

Sian

Beilock President Dartmouth College

Education: University of California, San Diego, Michigan State University

Career history: Before becoming Dartmouth’s 19th and first female president, Sian was president of Barnard College at Columbia University for six years and spent 12 years at the University of Chicago as executive vice provost and a professor of psychology. As a researcher, she focused on the brain science behind “choking under pressure” in business, education, and sports as well as how performance anxiety in math and science can be exacerbated or alleviated by teachers, parents, and peers. She’s delivered a TED Talk and written two books.

Biggest challenge: Declining mental health of young people. Supporting Dartmouth students’ well-being is a top priority.

Most excited about: Dartmouth is uniquely positioned to form strategic partnerships with industry, nonprofits and more that will strengthen our ability to build the leaders of tomorrow and to translate research and discoveries into real-world impact faster than ever before.

Hobbies/passions: Running through Pine Park just off Dartmouth’s campus; recently, skiing, for the first time in 20 years.

Checked-off bucket list: Seeing Taylor Swift perform.

Industry advice: Surround yourself with people who have diverse viewpoints and lived experiences. The best solutions and most learning happens when people who see things differently are at the table making decisions and having tough conversations.

Errik Anderson

Member of the Board of Advisors

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

Education: Dartmouth College

Career history: A member of the Board of Advisors for Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, Errik is a co-founder of Adimab, a Lebanon, NH-based biotechnology company that discovers monoclonal and bispecific antibodies for use by pharmaceutical and other biotech companies. Since its founding in 2007, the business has made over 450 discovery campaigns and over 55 clinical programs with more than 100 partners, some of which Errik was involved in as Adimab’s chief operating officer and vice president of operations until 2014.

Errik also co-founded Lebanon company Avitide to discover, develop, manufacture and supply affinity purification solutions to biopharmaceutical businesses. He was a former board member at Avitide. Since 2010, Errik has co-founded and independently created several other businesses in Massachusetts and California — Arsanis, Alector, Compass Therapeutics and, most recently, Alloy Therapeutics.

Besides being on the Tuck Board of Advisors, Errik also is an advisory board member for Dartmouth’s Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship. He is the owner and co-founder of the New England Free Jacks, a Major League Rugby team in Boston.

Brian Bicknell

President

Manchester Community College

Education: University of MassachusettsBoston, Fitchburg State College, Fairmont State College

Career history: Prior to being named president of Manchester Community College (MCC) in 2020, Brian served as MCC vice president of academic affairs from 2016 to 2019. He joined MCC following a six-year tenure at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston, where he most recently served as dean of academic affairs from 2004 to 2011. Prior to that, he was the dean of students at Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Business lesson: Your mission is your true north — your compass. It helps you navigate difficult situations and take advantage of wonderful opportunities. It centers the organization around that which matters the most.

Most excited about: Higher education is confronting the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence and extended reality. MCC just launched new degree programs — Computer Science AI for Cybersecurity and Computer Science Extended Reality — that will facilitate real-world job training for graduates. We just started a new substation technology program with Ever-source, will have a new outdoor renewable lab and are working with the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) to transform health care.

Hobbies/passions: I have three sons: William, Samuel and Benjamin. I love coaching baseball. I start each season teaching the sacrifice bunt — making a personal sacrifice for the betterment of the team.

Michelline Dufort

Executive Director

CEO & Family Enterprise Center

Education: Le Moyne College, Emerson College

Career history: Michelline’s career took off when she was named executive director of the culinary nonprofit Spinazzola Foundation in Boston at age 32. The Boston Business Journal named her to its 40

Under 40 List. She moved to New Hampshire in 2005 to run the NH Lodging & Restaurant Association. Nonprofit and tech association management led to her role today. At the CEO & Family Enterprise Center, she says the relationships she has with our business members are the most meaningful relationships of her career.

Business lesson: Running a business association is a business in itself. I’ve learned that if we want business leaders to invest resources and, even more so, their precious time in us, we must prove our worth every day.

Most excited about: In a world where face-to-face business relationships became almost nonexistent through COVID, there have been changes in how businesspeople interact outside companies. There’s something vital about in-person peer-to-peer interactions that makes business leaders richer for the experience. Strong membership associations are poised for those experiences.

Fun fact: I completely hiked all the NH 48 4000-foot mountains. NPR and the Wall Street Journal have featured a couple of my more adventurous hikes!

Industry advice: Find your joy. Work shouldn’t be considered a “four letter word.” Be dedicated to finding a way to combine the two. Don’t settle for less.

Peter Faletra

Executive Director

New Hampshire Academy of Science

Education: Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts, Boston University

Career history: Dr. Peter Faletra conducted bone marrow stem cell research and taught in Boston University’s accelerated medical school program. He co-founded a biotech company, inventing a novel method of producing large amounts of biomedical antisera. He spent two years in Washington, D.C., as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, and then eight years as the director of workforce development in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. He’s received national educational awards as a mentor to students from middle school through medical school.

Marc Eichenberger

Chief Business Development and Innovation Officer University of New Hampshire

Education: New York University, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania

Career history: Before UNH, Marc was COO of Allied Minds, an intellectual property, commercialization and venture firm. It “spun out” technologies from U.S. universities and labs. Before that, Marc was a senior principal at AT Kearney, a management consulting firm supporting Fortune 500 companies. He is a chartered financial analyst.

Business lesson: Competency and knowledge are only part of the equation. The people element is critical to any successful endeavor.

Biggest challenge: Resourcing. The “Great Resignation” made it difficult for us to attract and retain qualified individuals.

Most excited about: The university or academic sector is poised for significant transformation. Innovation, entrepreneurial mindset and integrated ecosystems will play key roles in delivering new learning and skills models.

Fun fact: I was born in Switzerland.

Favorite story: “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” by John Irving.

Hobbies/passions: Family; hiking; skiing; learning guitar

Checked-off bucket list item: In 2022, I completed the Haute Route, backcountry skiing six days from Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland.

Industry advice: It may feel uncomfortable, but seek growth opportunities, especially those outside your comfort zone.

Biggest challenge: Securing federal grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Most excited about: The New Hampshire Academy of Science has become a premier outreach for secondary school students in Northern New England to perform authentic research that will launch them into STEM careers. We expect to expand our research programs and our geographic reach.

What keeps you up at night? Retaining and supporting our workforce.

Favorite story: “Journey to the East,” by Hermann Hesse, for its theme — if you think you’re lost, you’re probably finding your way, and if you don’t think you’re lost, you probably are and don’t know it.

Industry advice: You are on this Earth to make a solid positive contribution and make people’s lives more enjoyable.

Jennifer Gillis Superintendent Manchester School District

Education: Endicott College, Franklin Pierce University, Plymouth State University

Career history: Jennifer’s mom was an elementary education teacher, and her dad was a high school principal. Her family memories center around her parents’ love of education and for doing right within a community. Jennifer’s education career followed a decade-long career in brain injury rehabilitation. She began in special education and then served as an assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent. She now leads New Hampshire’s largest public school district.

Business lesson: Be informed, kind, honest, curious.

Biggest challenge: Leading learning during a pandemic. Our team sought to provide access to food while also shifting to remote learning overnight.

Most excited about: District progress. We are actualizing goals within the strategic plan and look forward to the work on the long-term facilities planning project, dual language immersion, increased graduation requirements, aligned curriculum and professional development and a focus on student outcomes.

What keeps you up at night? Thinking of continued improvements and a means to move progress at a faster pace. We don’t get a do-over in the life of a learner. We must strive to make every day count.

Industry advice: Be informed, listen to data, take risks, build a solid team, and stay the course. In the end, you have to love your work.

Wayne Lesperance

President

New England College

Education: Old Dominion University, Northeastern University

Career history: Dr. Wayne Lesperance arrived at New England College in 1999 to serve as assistant professor of political science. After 17 years, he transitioned to NEC’s administration ultimately leading to his appointment in 2022 as president. He is a frequent media commentator on presidential elections and foreign policy. Among his publications, Wayne was associate editor of the “Political Handbook of the World” (2017-2020), a contributor to “Leadership and Legacy: The Presidency of Barack Obama” (2021) and “The New Islamic State” (2016), and author of “American Foreign Policy and the 2016 Election” in the Journal of Social Science and Modern Society (September/October 2016) in addition to other publications.

Business lesson: Whatever the challenge, remember, this too shall pass. Faith in colleagues whose commitment to the success of our community will lead to great outcomes.

Most excited about: Small, private colleges are uniquely situated to lead an effort to reestablish public confidence and trust in our industry. We are, out of necessity, nimble and entrepreneurial.

Fun fact: I saw the late Jimmy Buffet in concert dozens of times and own just about all of his music. He is missed. Fins Up!

Favorite story: “Don Quixote,” by Miguel de Cervantes

Industry advice: Be positive whenever possible. There’s enough darkness in the world already. Be a source of light.

Max Latona Executive Director

Center for Ethics in Society, Saint Anselm College

Education: Canisius College, Boston College, Boston College

Career history: Max is in his seventh year as executive director of Saint Anselm College’s Center for Ethics in Society and has taught philosophy there since 2001. Max is co-founder of Inti Academy, a nonprofit dedicated to underserved youth, and president of North Atlantic Futsal LLC, a small business partnership devoted to youth athletic programs. He led development of the NH Zoning Atlas. Business lesson: Develop good personal relationships, both within and outside of one’s own organization.

Biggest challenge: I’ve frequently had to make difficult decisions impacting the future of both the organization and myself.

Most excited about: The center’s Housing We Need initiative and our high school Ethics Circle program.

What keeps you up at night? Funding! We need the continued support and commitment of Saint Anselm and the community.

Favorite story: “The Death of Ivan Ilyich,” by Leo Tolstoy.

Hobbies/passions: Chess; carpentry.

Checked-off bucket list item: I played chess with a colleague on a ship deck while floating down the Danube through Austria’s Weissenkirchen Valley.

Industry advice: The best resource in directing a university center is a board of community leaders rendering guidance and support for initiatives.

Chuck Lloyd

Vice Chancellor

Community College System of New Hampshire

Education: Northeastern University, Plymouth State University, Keene State College

Career history: Dr. Chuck Lloyd most recently served as president of White Mountains Community College and maintained successive positions in CCSNH for over 20 years, including service in student life, enrollment management, academic administration and instruction, coaching and leadership research. He is also a professor for graduate-level leadership courses at Champlain College and New England College. Lloyd’s board roles include the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, Granite Edvance, Granite United Way, and the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs.

Business lesson: Build relationships before you need to leverage them. People make the place, not the reverse.

Most excited about: New Hampshire’s community colleges continue to serve as the workforce engine for the state. The future is bright with more families and employers choosing our community colleges to provide the relevant education and training to increase social and economic mobility. Checked-off bucket list item: I traveled to Wales to the exact address where my great-grandfather lived prior to emigrating to the United States. Industry advice: We often hear people say, “Go it alone.” I disagree — reach out, ask for help, seek guidance.

Marian G. McCord Senior Vice Provost for Research, Economic Engagement and Outreach University of New Hampshire

Education: Brown University, Clemson University

Career history: Dr. Marian McCord is the University of New Hampshire’s senior vice provost for research, economic engagement, and outreach. Before UNH, she was a professor of forest biomaterials and associate dean for Research at NC State University. She has over 25 years in development and characterization of protective and medical textiles.

Marian is a co-founder of Katharos Inc., providing phosphate filtration solutions for end-stage renal disease patients, and Vector Textiles Inc., dedicated to non-chemical vector protection.

Biggest challenge: Developing and implementing a testing and tracing program amid the pandemic. UNH set up a PCR testing lab, conducting over 1.5 million tests for all University System of NH campuses, enabling in-person learning starting fall 2020.

Most excited about: Developing an innovation district on UNH’s campus. What keeps you up at night? Increasing costs and declining enrollments across the country, particularly in New England.

Fun fact: During grad school, I was a DJ at the college radio station. Checked-off bucket list item: Visiting all continents but Antarctica. One of my favorite experiences was walking among gorillas in Rwanda.

Industry advice: Serve an institution whose mission aligns with yours.

Rajesh Nair

Founder, CEO EnCube Labs

Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; University of Kerala

Career history: Before starting EnCube Labs in 2014, Rajesh was a founding professor of MIT Sloan’s Asia School of Business after being a visiting scholar at MIT. He cofounded AccuSense in Shirley, Massachusetts — an airflow instrument design business — earlier in his career. He next founded and was CEO of Degree Controls in Milford.

Business lesson: Anticipate, don’t react. Be a risk manager, not just a risk-taker.

Most excited about: We can revolutionize education with artificial intelligence (AI), tailoring learning experiences based on individual strengths. What keeps you up at night? Many students face challenges in their curriculum and lack confidence in learning due to the learning loss during the pandemic. This results in heightened absenteeism and increased dropout rates, posing a threat to the future workforce’s skill readiness.

Fun fact: Due to an undiagnosed learning disability in my childhood, I multitasked out of necessity — juggling multiple subjects simultaneously. This inadvertently became an asset on my entrepreneurial journey.

Industry advice: Early AI adoption offers personalized, self-tuning learning in education, emphasizing STEM basics.

“Find your joy. Work shouldn’t be considered a ‘four letter word.’ Be dedicated to finding a way to combine the two. Don’t settle for less.”

Michelline Dufort, executive director, CEO & Family Enterprise Center

Mark Rubinstein

Chancellor

Community College System of New Hampshire

Education: University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University

Career history: After serving in various roles with UNH, Mark was president of Granite State College, an adult-serving institution now UNH’s College of Professional Studies. He is now the Community College System of New Hampshire chancellor.

Business lesson: We must remain mission-focused, engaged and responsive to meet students’ educational needs.

Biggest challenge: Growing cost pressures and distrust of higher education challenging us to continue demonstrating real value and return on investment — of finances, time and trust — for students and families, the state and other stakeholders.

Most excited about: Rapid pace of change, whether driven by technology and innovation, changes in the economy and industries, or through evolving circumstances and needs in people’s lives, will require that high-quality postsecondary education be made more accessible for working adults.

What keeps you up at night? We can’t afford to waste talent in New Hampshire , a state often described as aging and slow-growing, but which we also know to be innovative and entrepreneurial. We must find ways to ensure accessible high-quality educational opportunities for everyone.

Industry advice: It is incumbent upon us to innovate and adapt to changes in quality education so we can fulfill our mission into the future.

Laura Simoes

Executive Director

Nackey Scripps Loeb School of Communications

Education: Boston University, Hellenic American University

Career history: Laura has worked in policy positions for U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and served as communications director for the Episcopal Diocese of NH, the NH Charitable Foundation and the NH Division of Travel and Tourism Development. She co-owns Wash Street, a laundry services company in Manchester. Laura is a former Town of Hillsborough selectman and served two terms as a Commissioner on Human Rights for the State of New Hampshire. Biggest challenge: Promoting adult civics education, and media and information literacy in a way that excites and engages people, without making them feel like they are taking medicine (even though I believe this is the prescription for a better democracy).

What keeps you up at night? Thinking about how to better support the people we serve through Loads of Love at Wash Street, our free laundry services and community evenings for people experiencing homelessness.

Fun fact: I moved to NH at the age of 24 to start a business, with fellow NH 200 lister, Jayme Simoes. It was the second one we owned together.

Industry advice: Lead with your values, always. Find your North Star and use it to guide you. At the same time, be open to including other sector representatives in your nonprofit mission, including from government and business. Today’s adversary may be tomorrow’s ally — especially in nonprofit work.

Steve Thiel

Assistant Vice President of Community Impact

Southern New Hampshire University

Education: Baldwin-Wallace College, University of Central Florida

Career history: Steve began a career in partnerships with the Boston Celtics after graduate school until he joined SNHU to lead their sports partnerships portfolio. Fortunate, alongside great teammates, he now oversees the University’s community impact efforts, including the SNHU Center for New Americans.

Business lesson: In an increasingly chaotic world, focus on clarity over certainty.

Favorite story: The best recent fiction I’ve read was “The Overstory” by Richard Powers. The best nonfiction was “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson.

Hobbies/passions: Enjoy traveling, hiking, watching and playing basketball, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Checked-off bucket list item: I don’t have a singular bucket list, but visiting Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska was a breathtaking experience and one I will not forget.

Industry advice: Higher education is best delivered when it’s in consistent conversation with the communities it serves. Do what you can to build these community-based relationships.

James (Jim) Andrews President & Chief Executive Officer

Granite Shore Power

Education: Bentley University

Career history: Jim began in public accounting and was an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers. As Granite Shore Power’s president and CEO, Jim focuses on redeveloping existing energy assets and infrastructure to transition the region to the next generation of energy resources. He was an operating partner for Atlas Holdings, then CFO at Soundview Paper (now Marcal Paper), helping drive the financial turnaround of New Jersey’s only recycled tissue mill. As advisory firm Argus Management’s managing director, he optimized manufacturing and sourcing to increase the profitability of The Step2 Company as their CFO. Jim was a financial advisor for Tastykake and ReedGroup. He held several roles with Fisher Scientific, culminating as vice president of finance for its global Clinical Services business.

Business lesson: Clear and consistent communication between associates, customers, suppliers and stakeholders is crucial to leading and creating an organization that consistently outperforms its peers.

Fun fact: I hiked the active Santa Ana volcano.

Favorite story: “It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership” by Colin Powell. My favorite chapter is “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”

Industry advice: The energy sector should be thoughtful in generation resource transition and caution against overcommitting to a select few technologies that may cause unintended consequences.

Daniel Clapp

Co-founder/CIO Revision Energy Inc.

Education: Bachelor of Science, University of New Hampshire

Career history: Daniel previously worked in industrial hygiene, health and safety, banking and energy-efficiency fields, calling upon these experiences throughout his 15 years in dynamic renewable energy.

Among Revision Energy’s accomplishments, Daniel lists the NHBR BOB awards, NHBSR Cornerstone award, #1 Solar contractor in New England and top 10 solar contractor in the U.S., and Best Company to work for via Stay Work Play.

Business lesson: To fully empower your co-owners and then simply get out of the way. When hiring smart and values-aligned co-owners, it is only a matter of time before they do the job better than you.

Biggest challenge: Continuing to build your brand and your commitment to values during growth. Being proactive and deliberate about the ways we treat one another leads to a strong culture we are all proud to be part of.

Most excited about: We want to lead the clean energy transition in New England by thinking long-term, being strategic on where to deploy our resources, and investing in our workforce. Co-owners today will lead this employee-owned company tomorrow and into the future, well beyond my career.

Checked-off bucket list item: Creating a respected employee-owned business.

Industry advice: Stay focused on the long-term vision of how to generate, source, deploy and consume clean renewable energy in New Hampshire.

Brian Callnan CEO Community Power Coalition of NH

Education: University of Colorado Leeds Business School and Deming Center for Entrepreneurship; University of Vermont

Career history: Brian became CPCNH’s first CEO in May of 2023. He began his utility career in 2003 as an IBEW Local 300 Union employee working with energy efficiency valuation and power resource planning at the Burlington Electric Department in Vermont.

In 2007, he moved to Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VPPSA), a joint action agency of 12 Vermont municipal electric systems. He became VPPSA’s director of power supply and transmission in 2010 where he was responsible for all aspects of power supply and transmission, including representation of public power in municipal government, the state of Vermont and the ISO-NE stakeholder process.

He joined the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative in 2017 as its director of power resources and access, and later in 2019 as its vice president of power resources and access.

Nikki Delude Roy Northeast Area Lead/VP/Senior Consultant Verdantas LLC

Education: Mount Holyoke College (BS), University of New Hampshire (MS)

Career history: After seven years in environmental consulting, Nikki was a stay-at-home parent before teaching high school science. Experience in operations at Golder Associates led to her current position. At GeoInsight, she helped create Verdantas LLC, a national consulting firm.

Biggest challenge: Change! The last five years have included COVID, growing from a small to large firm, creating culture we are committed to building at Verdantas, and regulatory change.

Most excited about: We’ve learned we’re at our best when we embrace flexibility and ingenuity. Add to that, external influences like increased investment in Brownfields redevelopment and infrastructure funding; a focus on identifying and remediating emerging contaminants; and commitment to sustainability, resiliency and climate change planning.

What keeps you up at night? Hiring and talent. Undergraduate degrees are becoming less technical. We’re competing with other industries for a smaller pool of technical graduates. Our industry constantly balances rate increases our clients will tolerate with salary expectations of a competitive market.

Hobbies/passions: Horse riding

Industry advice: Innovate, team together in ways we haven’t to date, and actively listen and be kind amid a multiverse of challenges facing our industry.

Sam Evans-Brown Executive Director Clean Energy NH

Education: Southern NH Area Health Education Center; Bates College (BA)

Career history: Sam reported for New Hampshire Public Radio starting in 2011, researching and covering state agencies and the Legislature. In 2015, he conceived and launched Outside/In, a podcast focused on deep research into energy and environmental topics. In 2021, he left to launch Clean Energy NH, a nonprofit seeking to develop and advocate for transformative environmental policy, cultivating statewide energy stakeholder relations.

Business lesson: Maintaining positive culture is simultaneously the most important and the most difficult thing. Every new staff person you add effects the “company” culture.

Biggest challenge: National and international forces often dictate what is happening in New Hampshire’s energy landscape. Responding to the shifting discourse nimbly and skillfully can be more art than science.

Most excited about: Technological tailwinds make the clean energy transition inevitable. The only question is how fast we get there, and how much environmental and societal harm we can avoid getting there faster.

Fun fact: I speak Spanish with my kids.

Hobbies/passions: Family, skiing, biking, running, amateur carpentry/ home improvement

Checked-off bucket list item: Living abroad.

Industry advice: Be involved politically. When reasonable people step back, the unreasonable voices become louder.

Doug Foley

NH President of Electric Operations

Eversource

Education: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Anna Maria College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Career history: Doug’s entire career has been in the field of electric operations at Eversource since he joined in 1989.

Before coming to Eversource, Doug was vice president of Electric Operations for Eversource in Massachusetts. During Doug’s tenure as president, Eversource has received recognition with several Edison Electric Institute Emergency Recovery Awards that honored the company’s prompt response to major storms.

Business lesson: Any organization is only as good as its people.

Biggest challenge: Managing the pandemic, ensuring the safety of field workers who continually met the needs of customers; managing supply chain issues so we were prepared and ready to keep the lights on; facing four historic storms.

Industry advice: I like to say “experience the experience” — live in the moment and be present. There’s a difference between a job and career, so get involved, develop personally with additional education or training, volunteer and seek out teams with diverse backgrounds.

Fun fact: I am an Eagle Scout and still very active in Scouting, including with NH’s Daniel Webster Council. I serve on Special Olympics NH’s board. I’ve painted parking-lot pavement markings, driven streetsweepers, and have my CDL.

Most excited about: Energy is in the midst of an unprecedented transition. We have to be prepared to enable technology we may not even be aware of yet.

Eversource is proud in recognizing the NH 200 for their leadership in making New Hampshire a great place to live and work.

Bart Fromuth Chief Executive Officer Freedom Energy Logistics

Education: Bates College, Northeastern University School of Law

Career history: Bart has been with Freedom Energy Logistics since 2008, and serves on boards for organizations such as Clean Energy New Hampshire, McAuliffe Shepard Discovery Center, and the Childrens Scholarship Fund NH. He was a NH state representative from 2014-2018, and achieved the Inc. 5000 list in 2017 and 2018. He was a GOPAC Emerging Leader in 2015, an NHBR Business Excellence Award recipient in 2019, and was named to the New Hampshire Union Leader’s 40 Under Forty list in 2019.

Business lesson: Success is a team sport. I could not have achieved as much as I have without the assistance of friends, mentors, colleagues and connections I have made over the years.

Most excited about: The energy industry is currently experiencing an unprecedented wave of investment, innovation and transformation. Advancements in renewable and infrastructure technologies will drastically change the way we generate, distribute and consume electricity.

Favorite story: My favorite film is “Interstellar,” and my favorite book is “One Second After.” Both stories center around successfully adapting to radical and unexpected change.

Industry advice: Recent graduates looking to get into the industry: Evaluate job opportunities based on the experience and exposure, rather than the money you will make; your future self will thank you.

Neil Proudman President – New Hampshire Liberty Utilities

Career history: Neil has worked across all areas of the gas and electric energy delivery business. Joining British Gas as an apprentice in 1979, Neil rose through the ranks to become the Head of Gas Operations for Wales & The West of England. In 2003, he came to the U.S. on assignment for National Grid and has remained here ever since, becoming a US citizen in 2017 and joining Liberty in 2021 as President, NH.

Business lesson: As a gas apprentice, one of the most valuable and scalable business lessons I learned was that when using a jackhammer, you can either struggle and wrestle with it, or simply guide it and let the tool do the work.

Biggest challenge: Having worked at National Grid for 42 years, moving on and into my current role with Liberty. Adapting to and appreciating a different culture in a very different state and leveraging the skills and capabilities of the new team whilst bringing my ideas and experience to bear has been an interesting challenge. It has taught me a great deal, often by learning from my mistakes.

Industry advice: Think differently. We have an opportunity to shape the future of energy here in New Hampshire using our natural resources and our talent, working together to create a diversified energy portfolio that is good for our people, our businesses and our environment.

NH 200! Congratulations,

Bank of New Hampshire congratulates you on being recognized as one of the state’s most influential business leaders. We commend you for the incredible impact you have made through your hard work and leadership. From the jobs you provide to the products and services you offer; we share your passion in helping make our state an even greater place to live and work. When it comes to financing your business dreams — BNH has your back.

Mark Bodin President

Savings Bank of Walpole

Education:

The University at Albany

Career history: Mark started as a certified professional accountant for one of the “Big Eight” accounting firms in NYC. He worked in various roles at Paramount Communications and its Simon & Schuster subsidiary before moving to Vermont in 1994 and working for the Student Conservation Association (SCA) for 16 years as CFO, CFO/COO and COO. Bodin joined Savings Bank of Walpole in 2010 as treasurer before becoming chief financial officer in 2012, and president since 2018.

Business lesson: “Real” work relationships matter, and your staff are always worth your time.

Biggest challenge: Transitioning to president required a balance of humility and acknowledging you’re in charge. Learning how to most effectively use my team and actively communicate — especially through the pandemic — has been a fun and rewarding challenge.

Most excited about: Savings Bank of Walpole has very active staff and community engagement programs, and we are proving doing the right things, the right way has a positive business benefit. We see ourselves as a model.

Hobbies/passions: My now-grown children; hiking; kayaking, snowshoeing, skiing and just playing in the snow; volunteering with organizations

Industry advice: The first word in community banking is “community”. We exist to serve our communities and partnering with other organizations seeking to do the same makes us stronger.

Mamadou Dembele

Regional Market Manager

Bangor Savings Bank

Education: Furman University –Consumer Banking Associative Executive Banking School; University Aixen-Provence, Marseille, France.

Career history: Mamadou is the vice president and NH regional market manager at Bangor Savings Bank. In his current role, he is responsible for the growth and development of the bank’s eight New Hampshire branches, as well as overseeing its corporate giving for the New Hampshire region. Mamadou has over 17 years of banking experience, including investment, business and retail banking, as well as financial wellness. Mamadou is a board member of Portsmouth Music and Arts Center, a nonprofit providing music and visual arts opportunities for all in Seacoast New Hampshire. He is an advocate for New Americans; partnering with multiple NH nonprofits to provide financial wellness to their clients. Mamadou is also fluent in French and six African languages.

Business lesson: “If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” – Zig Ziglar

Fun fact: I am 6’3” but I am the shortest in my family.

Favorite story: The movie “300” from 2006.

Hobbies/passions: Drawing and painting; listening to music; playing musical instruments.

Checked-off bucket list item: I climbed the Statue of Liberty.

Industry advice: Care more about people than process; leadership is about helping people reach places they didn’t know they could go.

Michael Costa

President & CEO

Fiduciary Trust of New England

Education: Northeastern University, CFA Institute

Career history: Michael has held various roles in Boston and Manchester in his work at Fiduciary Trust. In 2014, he was asked to lead the formation of Fiduciary’s NH affiliate, serving as president and CEO since then. Michael is on several boards, including the Currier Museum of Art, the NH Business Committee for the Arts (NHBCA), and the Business & Industry Association (BIA) of New Hampshire.

Business lesson: We quickly recognized the importance of having “boots on the ground” in New Hampshire. Our team has grown considerably, becoming more engaged in local communities where we live and work.

Biggest challenge: We have been operating in Boston for over a century, but starting a new business and establishing ourselves as the premier provider of New Hampshire trust services has been an entrepreneurial experience. In a way, you can think of Fiduciary Trust of New England as a 140-year-old start-up!

Most excited about: We are uniquely positioned to benefit as clients from all states gain greater awareness of the New Hampshire Trust advantage.

Hobbies/passions: Spending time at my second home in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts; boating, fishing with family

Industry advice: NH competitors have been acquired by larger out-ofstate or offshore companies in recent years. We’ve remained an independent, privately-owned company focused on the best interests of our clients.

Brian Grip

State Government Relations

Executive Bank of America

Education: Stonehill College

Career history: In previous roles, Brian was the press secretary for 2nd District NH Congressman Judd Gregg, worked in government affairs for the Business & Industry Association, in advertising/marketing roles at the Broder Group in Concord, then in public policy for Shawmut Bank and Fleet Bank before finally joining Bank of America. Brian sits on the New England Council Board, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation Board, and the Ethics in Governance Forum Advisory Board for St. Anselm College, where he’s been for the past 30 years.

Fun fact: I am a native New Yorker — born in New Harford, N.Y. (outside Utica). Our family moved to Peterborough, NH, in the mid-60s after my father was hired to manage the former Honeywell/Computer Control operations. The building houses the Peterborough Middle School today.

Favorite story: “1776” by David McCullough. I am awed by his description of Henry Knox’s command moving cannons and heavy weaponry from Fort Ticonderoga, over a frozen Lake George, through the snow-covered Berkshire’s to the fortification in Dorchester. Powerful story about grit, determination and the founding of our country.

Industry advice: Work hard and stay focused on taking care of your customer and those around you who need help. Be kind and respectful to everyone, and don’t forget to give back to others in your life. “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48).

James Key-Wallace

Executive Director NH Business Finance Authority

Education: St. Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Southern New Hampshire University

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.

Business lesson: Build a strong team, a customer-service-focused culture and offer real value to partners and customers.

Biggest challenge: Managing retirements during organizational change, then recruiting and retaining a new workforce.

Most excited about: State government collaboration can better serve 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.

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.

Industry advice: Creating a culture where citizens’ needs are top priority is what leads to effective state government that people are happy to support.

A. Scott MacKnight CEO Triangle Credit Union

Education: Franklin Pierce University, Rivier University, Certified Credit Union Investment Professional from the Credit Union National Association

Career history: Scott has been employed by Triangle Credit Union for over 28 years and has previously held various positions within the company including teller, staff accountant, vice president of finance and CFO. Scott was assigned to an F14 Navy squadron on the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and completed two Mediterranean tours of duty. Scott also spent time as an auditor for a CPA firm reviewing Visiting Nurses Associations, hospice homes and other medical services.

Most excited about: Technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Artificial intelligenc, video tellers and automation have provided tools for our team to spend more time serving our members and less time on processes.

Favorite story: “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens celebrates generosity, compassion, charity and redemption. All of these are philosophies of leaders who empower and develop their team members as shareholders.

Industry advice: As important as it is to understand your cost of funds and balance sheet, it is equally (possibly more) important to define your company’s purpose. To flourish, you need to understand why you exist, who you exist for, what you do as a business and how you will succeed.

Sheryl McQuade Regional President, New England TD Bank

Education: Lehigh University, Western New England University

Career history: Sheryl’s 37-year career in New England banking has spanned roles in commercial and retail banking including sales strategy, commercial lending, credit underwriting, risk adjudication, retail store management and community engagement.

Business lesson: After many years working tirelessly to be the best banker for my customers, I realized there was a whole village behind me instrumental in delivering for me and my customers.

Most excited about: Building banking apprenticeship and internship programs for college graduates, individuals returning to/just entering the workforce and those desiring to change their field of interest.

Fun fact: My father was a symphony conductor, and my mother was a pianist and organist. I didn’t inherit the music genes; however, my daughter is a vocalist and music therapist. My son is self-taught on guitar and is a songwriter.

Hobbies/passions: Paddleboarding; pontoon boating; kayaking; e-biking; snowshoeing; hiking; traveling; pickleball; watching food shows while running on my treadmill.

Checked-off bucket list item: My son and I dove with sharks with a Discovery Channel Shark Week commentator in Cape Town, South Africa.

Industry advice: Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Take risks and be courageous with your career decisions. Trust your gut. Always be curious. And show your work and help others succeed around you.

Tod O’Dowd President Avery Insurance

Education: Kingswood High School, Wolfeboro; U.S. Navy five years active duty; Chubb and Wharton business schools.

Career history: In the Navy, Tod was awarded the Naval Air medal for flight operations including strikes, and direct combat support during the Gulf War. He also received the Navy Commendation Medal for acts of service during hostile ship search and interception action. He has served on several nonprofit boards. Tod is an examiner and course conductor for Professional Ski Instructors of America. His company has been recognized as a top NH family-owned business. Biggest challenge: Getting people excited to enter the insurance industry, working to keep building new generation talent by working outside our industry to other service or professional jobs.

Most excited about: Continuous technological growth offers potential ways to combat inflation and supply chain challenges in the insurance industry caused by climate, and is driving innovation in one of the oldest industries. What keeps you up at night? Ensuring our clients have received the best guidance on how to best protect their personal and business from the risks to them in a very litigious world.

Favorite story: “Change Your Life, Change Your Paradigm,” by Bob Proctor. Hobbies/passions: Skiing; tennis; golf; boating Checked-off bucket list item: Helicopter ski day in Telluride, Colorado.

Industry advice: Immersing yourself in continuous learning is critical to earning the confidence of your clients.

Kristy Merrill President & CEO NH Bankers Association

Education: University of South Carolina Career history: Kristy’s career first took shape as a state Senate legislative aide, supporting various committees including Senate Finance. During her nearly 15-year tenure at the State House, she was deeply involved in the public policy process, helping to address critical issues facing NH. She served as the Senate chief of staff for four years and minority policy director prior. Since then, she’s been leading the NH Bankers Association for nearly five years, serving banks daily as their advocate and providing education and training for member banks. Most excited about: Potential economic growth in the coming year by keeping taxpayer funds in-state, currently invested in the Public Deposit Investment Pool. Opportunities for banking to evolve with technology helping people achieve financial dreams, increasing access to financial services. What keeps you up at night? Regulators who don’t understand impacts of their decisions on consumers and community banks. Also, my dog Millie.

Fun fact: I’m proudly half-Filipino. My mother grew up in Giliga-on-Siaton in the Philippines. I’m the first in my family to receive a college degree.

Hobbies/passions: Restoring our 100-year-old home; hiking; snowshoeing; biking or anything else that gets me outside!

Industry advice: Don’t be afraid to tell your story! NH banks keep our economy strong through lending to families and small businesses. They enrich communities through supporting local civic and non-profit organizations.

Nathanael (Nate) Ortiz

AVP, Financial Center Manager

Bank of America

Education: Cambridge College

Career history: With 14 years in the financial services industry, Nate has only worked for two financial institutions — Align Credit Union in Massachusetts, and Bank of America for the past nine years. Within that time, he’s been a peer mentor to incoming talent and actively participated in the talent council, helping teammates with their career development.

Biggest challenge: Balancing family and dedication to career growth, considering my commitment to both. I must be present for work but also respect family time by not bringing work home.

What keeps you up at night? I self-reflect on two questions: “What did I do in the day to contribute to my personal growth?” and “How did I contribute to someone else’s growth?”

Favorite story: Graduating college as a first-generation college graduate.

Hobbies/passions: Youth empowerment is a passion for me since graduating high school. Being a mentor to the current and next generation is a passion for me as I use my own experiences to inspire and influence those around me. Checked-off bucket list item: Last year I drove my family from NH to Florida.

Industry advice: Be honest about what you don’t know. Commit to filling those gaps through constant learning and getting feedback. Learning is a career-long process. Too many people become afraid to admit they don’t know something.

Peter Rayno

EVP/Community Banking & Lending Director Enterprise Bank

Education: Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Mass-Lowell, Assumption University

Career history: Peter has been with Enterprise Bank for the past 19 years, joining when it first opened in NH. Enterprise has since opened eight branches throughout Southern NH, assisting thousands of businesses and not-for-profits. Before Enterprise, he spent one year with Granite State Development Corp and before that, he was with Citizens Bank for 15 years. He was NH Bankers Association’s 2018 Community Banker of the Year. Business lesson: Treat all clients and prospects with the very same level of respect, honesty and responsiveness that you would expect if you were the client.

Biggest challenge: The rollout and administration of the PPP Loan Program for our clients. It was a critical lifeline for them and required an “all hands on deck” approach from our team. I was incredibly proud of how our

Young people entering banking with enthusiasm and passion leave me feeling very optimistic about our future. Advances in technology that our industry has rolled out to keep up with demand, while also providing personalized service, also have me confident about our future. Throughout our careers, it will be tempting to think that we “have seen it all.” But, we never stop learning in our industry.

Nathan Saller

President & CEO

Bellwether Community Credit Union

Education: University of New Hampshire, Evangel University

Career history: Nathan began his career working for Ford Motor Credit Company. However, after a couple of years, he left to find a company where he felt that his efforts could make a tangible impact and where he could be part of a community. He joined Bellwether Community Credit Union (then Telephone Credit Union of NH) in 1997 as marketing director. After just over two decades of roles, Nathan was named president and CEO in October 2019.

Business lesson: Don’t sweat the small things. Focus on what you can control and influence and surround yourself with great people. At the end of the day, try to make a positive impact in others’ lives.

Biggest challenge: Becoming CEO six months before COVID-19 hit. My first-year plans went right out the window.

Transformative times in world history, especially World War II. While the macro events of the war are intriguing, I find myself drawn to personal stories of ordinary individuals thrust into extraordinary situations. As a leader, I’ve faced difficult decisions, but never under the pressure and weight of the life and death decisions that leaders make during wartime.

Hobbies/passions:

Industry advice: Credit Unions need to do better articulating the advantages that a local financial institution cooperative holds for consumers and small businesses.

Ken Senus President/CEO

St. Mary’s

Bank

Education: Utica College of Syracuse University, BAI Graduate School of Banking, Bank Operations and Technology Studies (Vanderbilt University), Certified Internal Auditor

Career history: Ken’s career began as an audit supervisor with Fleet Bank. He later became operations and IT director at Bank Rhode Island, before becoming CIO of Navigant Credit Union in 2009. He continued his career as COO for St. Mary’s Bank beginning in 2017, before being named its president/CEO in 2023.

Business lesson: Never be afraid to ask questions.

Biggest challenge: Managing a primarily in-person workforce remotely, and then returning them to a hybrid work environment. Keeping a positive organizational culture with employees throughout each phase matters for strong leadership. Most excited about: Local financial institutions need to conduct business with empathy, helping communities with financial journeys at every level. Even while we grow, St. Mary’s Bank can attentively assist local-level members. What keeps you up at night? Fraud! Helping the community and our membership recognize fraud is becoming more challenging as fraudsters find new ways to scheme. We can’t control members’ actions, but can offer education to inform them how not to become victims.

Industry advice: Create a peer group to discuss common issues and develop solutions. Your peers experience the same economic and market conditions, so don’t be afraid to talk challenges for fear of “giving away secrets.”

G. Frank Teas

President, CEO & Founder Millyard Bank

Education: Bryant College

Career history: Banking has been Frank’s primary focus since high school, with his strong desire to establish a community bank to meet the needs of the business community. His mentors have guided and participated with him in the establishment of two community banks. Along the way, Frank was a member of other successful organizations in the banking sector. His wife retired from her own successful banking career to raise the couple’s children, and he says his family has allowed him to devote the needed attention to ensure success. Business lesson: You should never be finished learning. It is OK to not have the answer to everything but rather know how to find the answer. Most excited about: We have some incredibly talented bankers and I look forward to their being an active part of our continued success. While balance sheets and income statements are important, fostering others’ growth is very satisfying.

Favorite story: The movie “The Shawshank Redemption,” and the perseverance of Andy Dufresne.

Industry advice: Always maintain a great perspective of the work you and your colleagues are championing. Be mindful that each task you perform and each relationship you develop will collectively and positively impact our great state.

Health Care

HEALTH CARE

Steve Ahnen President/CEO New Hampshire Hospital Association

Education: University of Kansas, University of Colorado-Denver

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 and 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.

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: 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: Health-care leaders serving their patients, organizations and communities in NH will help us serve today and long into the future.

Jill Berry Bowen

Interim President

Memorial Hospital MaineHealth, North Conway

Education: Saint Joseph’s College; University of Maine; Thomas College; Teleos Leadership Institute

Career history: Jill has a 30-year career as a hospital executive, most recently serving as the interim regional CEO for Appalachian Regional Healthcare in West Virginia and formerly the CEO of Northwestern Medical Center in Vermont. She currently serves as the interim president of Memorial Hospital MaineHealth in North Conway, beginning her role in June 2023 to succeed Art Mathisen. Jill has led executive teams for the past 27 years. Throughout her career, she has focused on mentoring leaders, leadership development, facilitating change, aligning priorities with executives and physicians in partnership, board relations, strategic planning, physician–C-suite partnerships, as well as developing programs focused on well-being and prevention.

Elias Ashooh

Director of Operations

Archways Community Resource Centers

Education: Providence College

Career history: Elias began his career due to his passion for assisting those with Type 1 diabetes. He joined JDRF, which works to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes, as their development coordinator. Elias says he realized the criticality of health insurance coverage, beginning work as an insurance broker to help those on Medicare understand their options and enroll in coverage. When Health Insurance Navigator funding became available, he wrote the grant to return an in-state presence of Navigators at Health Market Connect. Elias now works as the director of operations at Archways Community Resource Centers, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of those struggling with substance use disorder.

Biggest challenge: Thousands of Granite Staters were at risk of losing their Medicaid health insurance when COVID protections ended; Health Market Connect spread the word about our no-cost health insurance assistance. Most excited about: Continuing to help Archways grow its innovative programs through their federal and state contracts.

What keeps you up at night? Lack of affordable housing in New Hampshire.

Hobbies/passions: I am the counselor in training director at Camp Carefree, an overnight summer camp for children with type 1 diabetes. I was a counselor for five years and it’s where I met my wife!

Industry advice: Embrace innovation and be open to new ideas.

Jason Cole

Vice President & General Counsel

Catholic Medical Center

Education: Colgate University, Northeastern University Graduate School of Professional Accounting, Suffolk University Law School

Career history: Jason began public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers auditing financial services, nonprofits and pension plans. With his CPA license, he then was an assistant international controller at the State Street Corp. with its State Street Global Markets division. In law school, Jason took a job at Devine Millimet in Manchester, worked there for almost 11 years and became a shareholder. He became Catholic Medical Center’s vice president and general counsel seven years ago.

Business lesson: Think three or four plays ahead and look down the field, otherwise you’re just reacting.

Biggest challenge: Work/life balance.

Jill was a co-founder of RiseVT, a community-based movement aimed at engaging individuals, families, schools, organizations and communities on a journey to well-being. Having direct experience in the real world of leading, Jill says she wants to help individuals and teams chart their course for a fulfilling life in work with fun.

Most excited about: Opportunities for CMC to grow, expand capacity, compete with out-of-state providers and grow Catholic Healthcare in NH!

Fun fact: I saw most National Parks as a kid. My wife, Heidi, and I continue to take our kids to them. When I retire, I think I’d like to serve as a park ranger.

Hobbies/passions: Spending time with and supporting my children; golf; playing trumpet; hiking; skiing; gardening.

Checked-off bucket list item: Skydiving

Industry advice: Stick with it, take care of yourself and embrace change. Health care workers have experienced a lot, faced much change and adversity.

Carlene Ferrier Executive Director NH Nurses Association

Education: University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts

Career history: For 35 years, Carlene has worked in public health and community health in various settings, including ambulatory care, home and hospice care, public policy, correctional nursing and population health.

Favorite story: I met my husband at a boys’ summer sports camp. I was the nurse, and he was the BMX coach. It was love at first sight. Biggest challenge: COVID. The global pandemic amplified longstanding issues that have been challenging the nursing profession for decades, such as understaffing and workplace violence. Nurses have had little power over their work environments or protecting themselves. The pandemic shined a bright light on both the critical role they play in the health care system and within their communities. Sadly, they suffered physical, emotional and mental stress because of their powerlessness in not being in decision-making positions to address the pandemic or even protect themselves. This led to more than 100,000 registered nurses leaving the workforce.

What keeps you up at night? Gun violence. Firearms have been the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. for the past three years. A public health approach is needed to address this uniquely American tragedy. Business lesson: New Hampshire is a small state. When you collaborate, it becomes even smaller. Help someone now, and they will help you later.

Jennifer Gilkie

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

Dartmouth Health

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Jennifer began her career as a theater producer, then did fundraising and marketing in a variety of not-for-profit arts organizations in NYC. She joined American Express, leading events such as the Olympics and the U.S. Open Golf for the CEO. She was chief of staff for its president. Jennifer then went to work for the 2014 NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee. From there, she joined NewYork-Presbyterian, finding passion in health care. In 2016, she relocated to New Hampshire to continue her health care path at Dartmouth Health.

Business lesson: Being curious brings boldness. Asking questions understanding failure and success can foster confidence to take risks, inspire innovation, create collaborative conversations and think big. Don’t forget two words: Thank you.

Most excited about: Technology can revolutionize health care in every aspect and setting, but, it must be equitably delivered. New Hampshire will need to expand bandwidth infrastructure, especially in rural communities.

Fun facts: I was a theater major in college. I am very squeamish at the sight of blood. I’d never gone to a football game before Super Bowl XLVI.

Favorite story: “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,” by Anne Fadiman.

Industry advice: We must keep patients central to how health care is delivered. Care needs to be accessible, compassionate and understandable.

John Jurczyk President St. Joseph Hospital

Education: University of Connecticut (BS), Bryant University, Rhode Island Hospital, Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives

Career history: John held departmental and leadership roles at St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, Massachusetts, from 2003-2014, opening a state-of-the-art satellite radiation center in a secondary market of the hospital. He was next the president of Steward Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Massachusetts, from 2014-2017, moving from there to St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua in 2018 to serve as its president.

Business lesson: Ensure you do not sacrifice your integrity leading in a competitive business environment.

Biggest challenge: Maintaining business continuity during the pandemic. From supply chain issues to workforce challenges, collaboration at all levels of the local health care industry was the key to successfully continuing the important work for the communities we serve.

Most excited about: Expanding St. Joseph’s services in Greater Nashua. Hobbies/passions: Exploring new restaurants and cuisines; fitness; music and hope to learn a musical instrument when I retire.

Checked-off bucket list item: Serving as a hospital president after 42 years in the industry.

Industry advice: Health care leaders, think strategically while having strong command of operational metrics. Owning a strong portfolio of high-performing indicators is strategic. Relationship building is equally important.

Sally Kraft

Population Health Officer

Dartmouth Health

Education: Williams College, University of Michigan

Career history: Sally started her health care career as a pulmonary/critical care physician at Palo Alto/Stanford, California, and Madison Wisconsin. After practicing for 20 years, she returned to school and completed her MPH, assuming medical leadership of the Quality, Safety and Innovation Department at the University of Wisconsin Health system. In 2014, Sally joined Dartmouth Hitchcock and is currently Population Health Officer. Biggest challenge: Our hospitals and clinics need to learn how we can be partners with communities, working to improve community conditions and correct injustices so everyone has the chance to be as healthy as possible. Most excited about: Dartmouth Health’s focus on improving health equity, so each person can be as healthy as possible and our New England communities are prosperous and thriving.

Christopher Kennedy Vice President, External Relations Centene

Corp.

Education: Springfield College

Career history: Christoper Kennedy’s career has spanned multiple roles in politics and government affairs, including working for various local and state political campaigns in Massachusetts and eventually to the New Hampshire Senate. He previously served as the majority caucus director for state Senate Democrats and was the legislative director and deputy chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan when she was elected governor in 2013 until 2016, when he joined Centene Corp.

Business lesson: Take an interest in people. I think I learned it in that most venerable of leader-rearing institutions: the fourth grade.

What keeps you up at night? Workforce, workforce and workforce. The pandemic served to exacerbate an already alarming trend of workforce shortages throughout health care provider institutions. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans live in an area without sufficient access to primary care services, and we will face an additional shortage of 120,000 primary care practitioners in the coming decade. We have collectively underinvested in solutions to address this crisis. Industry advice: Find somebody smarter than me to take advice from and build a lasting relationship with that person. Life is all about relationships. (I borrowed that line from state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro.)

Jeff Levin President

Jeff Levin Coaching

Education: Dartmouth College, Boston College, Smith College School for Social Work

Career history: After graduating from Boston College, Jeff became a middle school English teacher in Carlisle, Massachusetts. He went on to work as a psychotherapist and later became Dean of Students at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vermont. Jeff is currently a life coach under his self-titled consulting business which he runs out of Bradford, NH. He is a co-founder and the president of the Reconnection Project, a program aimed at reducing stress and anxiety in school communities by working with teachers, parents and students.

Biggest challenge: Finding a way to reach young people without seemingly supporting the scourge of social media.

Most excited about: The chance to help millions of kids improve their mental health.

What keeps you up at night? Erosion of trust in our society. Lives were lost due to people refusing COVID-19 vaccinations due to lack of trust. Challenges ahead of us — climate change, the next pandemic — require us to restore trust and work together to find solutions.

Industry advice: We must continuously measure success by the value of the health care we provide. We must also learn how to work as humble partners in our communities to find solutions to the conditions that impact health such as homelessness, food insecurity, housing shortages, and loneliness.

Favorite story: “The Shawshank Redemption”

Hobbies/passions: Blues guitar and singing

Industry advice: Keep the faith!

Kate Luczko Senior Director HealthForce NH

Education: Southern New Hampshire University, Certificate in Leadership of NonProfit Organizations; University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Career history: Outside of HealthForce, Kate also hosts the “People, Place, & Purpose” podcast, helps buy and sell real estate and is a UNH adjunct faculty member. Previously, Kate was the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce’s president & CEO; Harvey Construction’s marketing and business development director; and Stay Work Play NH’s first President & CEO.

Business lesson: Take time to build relationships, get to know people, learn from them, and find ways to connect them with others.

Fun fact: I played piano, trombone, saxophone and the fiddle (violin) as a kid. In the late 1990s, I wrote letters to pipemakers in Ireland, eventually selected one and had custom Uilleann bagpipes made.

Hobbies/passions: Traveling; planning trips; being outside; kayaking; reading; garden work; cooking and baking; yoga; riding my Peloton; running; spending time with friends; tackling house projects; going on adventures.

Checked-off bucket list item: In June 2023, I ran my first full marathon at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn. — part of my goal to get to all 50 states before I’m 50 (I have seven to go!).

Industry advice: Health care is a tough place to be right now. But especially in NH, countless people are working really (really!) hard to make it better. If you want to help, please get involved, and if you’re in it, persevere!

Holly Mintz

Chief Medical Officer, Ambulatory Services Elliot Health System

Education: University of Washington, Upstate Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Arizona College of Medicine, UMass Amherst

Career history: In 1996, after completing her residency, Holly worked as a pediatrician in Manchester for 22 years. In 2007, she worked in a servant leadership role at Elliot Health System. A job as chief medical officer at Elliot in 2018 has led her where she is today. Holly also provides care in underserved countries.

Business lesson: Embrace the unexpected and always keep the true north of the organization at the forefront of intentions and actions.

Biggest challenge: Managing the COVID 19 pandemic. Our delivery systems needed to be changed often, sometimes overnight. Meeting the needs of the community and supporting staff challenges in such a dynamic environment sometimes seemed insurmountable.

What keeps you up at night? I worry about the demands of health care on all of our staff, clinical and non-clinical, especially in light of the workforce shortage. Moral injury has been a challenge for all in health care; I hope we can keep attracting people to our industry to meet the community’s need.

Hobbies/passions: Traveling; meeting new people and having new experiences.

Industry advice: Remember the purpose of your work, despite all the challenges. New technology will help us focus more on our patients. Be open to new experiences.

Celebrating Excellence at The Elliot

Elliot Health System proudly congratulates Dr. Holly Mintz, MD, MBA, on being named in New Hampshire Business Review’s New Hampshire 200 list for 2024. As Chief Medical Officer for Ambulatory Care Services, Dr. Mintz has been a leader of health care excellence for 27 years. Her dedication to enhancing patient care and her unwavering commitment to the community have earned her this well-deserved recognition.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Holly Mintz on this well-deserved honor and in celebrating her outstanding achievements in health care leadership.

Sue Mooney

President & CEO

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital

Education: Princeton University, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, The Dartmouth Institute, University of New Mexico

Career history: Sue joined Alice Peck in 2000 as a full-time obstetrician/gynecologist. In 2005, she left to pursue fellowship training as a Veterans Administration Quality Scholar and receive her master’s degree. Upon returning to Alice Peck, Mooney became its medical director of quality and ultimately chief medical officer before accepting her current role in April 2013.

Biggest challenge: Running Alice Peck during COVID. Before vaccines, I feared we would have an outbreak in senior housing.

Most excited about: Figuring out how to adapt new technologies and artificial intelligence to Alice Peck without compromising our culture of caring. What keeps you up at night? Housing, health care, childcare and just about everything else for entry-level staff is expensive. We’re doing what we can to pay a wage enabling people to thrive, but it’s challenging to keep up. Also, an increase in violence against hospitals and health care workers.

Fun fact: I was once a field geologist in environmental consulting.

Favorite story: “The Iliad”

Hobbies/passions: Golf; fishing; hiking; biking; skiing; snowshoeing; reading; raising tropical fish.

Industry advice: Health care is hard, but rewarding if you continuously focus on doing what is right for your patients and community.

Courtney Morin

VP, Actuarial & Underwriting

Northeast Delta Dental

Education: Clark University, Society of Actuaries

Career history: Courtney began her career at Northeast Delta Dental as an associate actuary. She earned credentials as a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Courtney graduated from Leadership New Hampshire’s Class of 2021. She was a valued member of the NH Medicaid Adult Dental Benefit Planning Working Group, helping to eliminate some of the barriers to establishing a dental benefit for adults on Medicaid. Courtney also serves on multiple community nonprofit boards.

Business lesson: You can’t be an expert at everything. Find the right team, and trust their contributions in their areas of expertise.

Most excited about: The adult dental Medicaid program brought dental benefits to nearly 100,000 Granite Staters in 2023, and we now have the opportunity to continue our work to improve access points and benefits for this program to ensure its success.

Hobbies/passions: I love spending time outdoors, particularly in the mountains. A hike in the woods recharges my soul. I’m currently working through the NH 4,000-footer list with my family, with about a quarter completed.

Industry advice: Aspiring actuaries: Make time to pass exams but also live your life. Make your mark by taking risks to improve life for your customers.

Joe Perras President & CEO

Cheshire Medical Center/ Dartmouth Health

Education: George Washington University

Career history: Joe has served in clinical and administrative leadership roles with the Dartmouth Health System for over 20 years.

He was previously chief medical officer and later CEO at Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center after working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He joined Cheshire Medical Center in 2023 as its newest president and CEO. In 2023, he chaired the American Hospital Association’s Rural Services Committee.

Stefany Shaheen

Presidential Appointee/ Council Member

President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition

Education: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Fairfield University

Business lesson: Live in fear of dysfunctional momentum for in departmental efforts or projects. Focus on building high-reliability organizations and not minimal viable products or services.

Most excited about: We have new operating characteristics in rural health care and Cheshire has the right leadership team and deeply committed staff to thrive despite post-pandemic challenges. The only constant in health care is change and Cheshire Medical Center is ready to lead and innovate in response to rural health-care needs.

What keeps you up at night? Making NH, particularly rural areas, welcoming and inclusive places to move to, work, and stay. This will require public/ private partnerships to create workforce housing, cultural opportunities and smart growth across the state.

Industry advice: For junior faculty and physicians — say “yes” to engaging on committees, quality improvement projects or administrative efforts.

Career history: Stefany is the founder of Good Measures Inc., a digital health company offering personalized health coaching and currently employs 50 people in New Hampshire. She has served on the board of trustees for the Joslin Diabetes Center and is also a founding executive director of the nonprofit Early Learning NH. Stefany previously chaired the Portsmouth Police Commission and served on the Portsmouth City Council. She is a New York Times bestselling author and is named the inventor on a patent she filed.

Biggest challenge: Parenting and protecting a child with Type 1 diabetes. My eldest daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 16 years ago and in the time following her diagnosis, I have dedicated myself to making life better for those living with diabetes.

Most excited about: Curative cell therapies for those living with diabetes. What keeps you up at night? Type 1 diabetes and helping my young adult daughter stay safe while she sleeps is what keeps me up at night!

Fun fact: I am a matron of the U.S.S. Manchester.

Hobbies/passions: I am currently training for the 128th Boston Marathon. Checked-off bucket list: Becoming a published author.

Industry advice: Listen while seeking to understand to maximize impact.

Joe Perras, MD President and CEO, Cheshire Medical Center

Sue Mooney, MD, MS President and CEO, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital

Sally Kraft, MD, MPH

Vice President of Population Health, Dartmouth Health

Jennifer Gilkie Chief Communications and Marketing O icer, Dartmouth Health

Kate Skouteris

Vice President, Regional Commercial Markets

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care/ Point32Health

Education: University of New Hampshire, Durham, Suffolk Law School

Career history: Kate has held numerous leadership roles with health-care leaders to improve NH health, including in leadership roles for the delivery of health care and currently a health plan, as well as law and public service.

Business lesson: Believe in yourself, but surround yourself with the right team. Biggest challenge: As a health-care leader, the impacts of the pandemic have been the biggest challenge, including costs, workforce shortages and access to quality health care.

Most excited about: Our “whole health” focus and creation of an integrated support model to get every Harvard Pilgrim Health Care member the health care they need, when they need it.

What keeps you up at night? Offering members access to quality health care throughout NH, especially rural communities with greater economic instability, geographic isolation, and less medical, dental, and mental care access.

Hobbies/passions: Yoga; tap dancing; beach walks; art; spending time with family and our dog.

Checked-off bucket list item: Traveling to Africa to visit local hospitals.

Industry advice: Health care presents the most difficult challenges that are the most rewarding to solve because the impact is so important.

Clyde White

President & CEO

NH Healthy Families

Education: Juris doctor, Tulane School of Law; Bachelor of Science in management, Tulane University

Career history: In 2010, Clyde became vice president of compliance for Peach State Health Plan in Georgia. Two years later he became vice president of Network Development and Contracting, growing Peach State’s Medicaid network of hospitals and physicians. Clyde was named senior vice president In 2015 and chief operating officer in 2018. In that role since 2020, Clyde has helped NH Healthy Families remain the state’s highest quality Medicaid health plan by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

Business lesson: Partnership is everything in business. No one really achieves on their own. You should be a good partner whenever you can and support those who are good partners to you. There are many brilliant people in the business world, but I have found that the most successful were the ones who were good partners to their stakeholders.

Favorite story: You can fall down but you can still win if you don’t stay down. Stay in the race.

Industry advice: I think we are blessed to be in an industry which provides essential services to the people we serve. We have to do everything we can to ensure they have access to high-quality health care.

Hobbies / passions: I am a proud member of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester.

Hospitality

Sandy Almonte Owner

Don Quijote Restaurant

Education: Hohokus Business School, Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey

Career history: Sandy has owned Don Quijote Restaurant for 23 years. When she moved to New England, her husband at the time wanted to start a restaurant based on seeing developments like Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and the civic center (now the SNHU Arena). They saw an opportunity to bring diverse cuisine into Manchester amid that growth. Before then, Sandy was an office manager for CAS Corp. for nine years in East Rutherford, New Jersey. There, she did a bit of everything — customer service, product support and support of sales personnel. Biggest challenge: Maintaining good staff. I try to create a sense of family, which helps create stability in their lives and helps with the restaurant’s operation. COVID made this very challenging. Inflation has also made it difficult keeping the restaurant affordable for my regulars.

Most excited about: I am continuously working to support my community. I’m proud that my voice is recognized and my business is integral to the health of my neighborhood. My investments in the restaurant in this area are more about helping people than profits.

What keeps you up at night? Cost of living for my staff. I invest in their housing as a support, which is why having consistency in staff is so important. But they have other challenges such as day care, impacting the quality of life for the children of my team.

Pam Bissonnette

Chief Operating Officer

Duprey Hospitality

Career history: Pam has been with the Duprey Companies since September 2000 — first as the director of sales for the Grappone Center, then rising through the organization to become the chief operating officer of Duprey Hospitality, overseeing the Grappone Conference Center and five hotels (Courtyard by Marriott, the Comfort Inn, the Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Residence Inn and Tru by Hilton). Whether she’s opening, closing or renovating a hotel, Pam successfully manages whatever business venture lies ahead in an extremely organized manner.

She thrives on watching the projects come to life and celebrates with her team who is responsible for “making it happen” under her leadership. It’s no surprise, then, that Pam has gained the trust and respect of the president and owner, Steve Duprey, becoming one of his closest advisors. She is a noteworthy individual in New Hampshire’s hospitality industry and through her volunteer work, including Dress for Success. As a board member of the New Hampshire Travel Council and New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association, Pam is known for her can-do positive energy that she brings to every effort.

Nicole Barreira

Director of Marketing & Menu

Development

Great NH Restaurants

Education: Southern New Hampshire University

Career history: Nicole began working in restaurants when she was 14 years old, beginning at a breakfast restaurant as a busser. She went through the culinary arts program at Alvirne High School in Hudson, and continued to work in food service while completing her culinary degree and the rest of college at SNHMC and Nashua Country Club.

She joined Great NH Restaurants in 2006. She currently chairs the NH Lodging and Restaurants Association’s board of directors and is on the board of FEEDNH.org. Business lesson: Seek many mentors. Some may not know they mentor you. Others will be deeply involved in your success and growth. Find these people and cherish the relationship.

Fun fact: I have five kids from less than a year old to age 14.

Favorite story: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” I have read it and listened to it many times. As I evolve and grow / age, its messages ring truer and truer and I appreciate the lessons / habits in different ways.

Checked-off bucket list item: My family is halfway through our tour of the 7 Wonders of The World, or 9 on our list!

Industry advice: Remember who we are and what we do. Keep focused on why you started in this industry and why you love it. We are the heart and soul of communities, built around the gathering of people, a place where celebrations, relaxation and joy happen.

Craig Clemmer

Director of Sales & Marketing

Omni Mount Washington Resort/ Bretton Woods Ski Area

Education: New England College

Career history: Prior to his tenure at Omni Mount Washington Resort, Craig was the director of sales at the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield, an innkeeper for the Spaulding Inn and the creative director for Silverback Creative in Wellesley, Mass.

Business lesson: Work harder than the other person, and you will reap the benefits of your labor.

Biggest challenges: Labor shortages, housing shortages and COVID.

Hobbies/passions: Skiing, golf and landscaping.

Checked-off bucket list item: Grandkids

Industry advice: Learn from a mentor who is vested in your success.

Steven Clutter Owner Chopscotch Hospitality

Education: The Culinary Institute of America

Career history: Steven started his culinary career at Stonehenge Inn in Ridgefield, Connecticut, from age 14 until college. He was sous chef at Le Coq Hardi in Ridgefield, before moving to New York to work as garde manager at River Café in Brooklyn. Steven next worked as the personal chef for TIAA Cref’s CEO. He moved to NH and became operations director and executive chef for C.R. Sparks Restaurant in Bedford. Today, he runs Chopscotch Hospitality, a group of three Manchester restaurants.

Bridget & Robert J. (RJ) Harding

Managing Partners

Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

Career history: Husbandand-wife duo RJ and Bridget Harding are the managing partners of Gilford’s Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, leading the venue’s daily operations for nearly 30 seasons. The couple remained as the Pavilion’s leadership after live music business Live Nation was brought on as a majority owner in 2017.

Biggest challenge: Restaurants’ uncertain future amid COVID; but most importantly, my staff’s fate was gut-wrenching. After some time, my workers are family. In the pandemic, some retired and some moved on. Replacing them is hard.

Most excited about: Persevering in Manchester, change in the city and being a part of the growth. We are blessed by support, and will continue to work very hard to become a group of restaurants that will enrich the community.

Favorite story: My family lived in Sri Lanka, and then Jakarta, Indonesia. We traveled to Africa, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Spain. My food palate was centered around prawns, curry and basmati rice.

Fun fact: I own a steakhouse and don’t eat steak.

Industry advice: Every day in our business is a gut check. Take care of your staff and then, in turn, they will take care of our guests. Repeat every day.

Evan Hennessey

Chef & Owner

Stages at One Washington

Education: Le Cordon Bleu at the Atlantic Culinary Academy

Career history: Together with his brother, Jared, Chef Evan Hennessey owns Stages at One Washington in Dover. As an award-winning chef, he has cooked alongside some of the best chefs in the country, training in classical French techniques. He now serves what he calls progressive New England cuisine, featuring locally farmed and foraged foods. In 2018, he won the Food Network’s “Chopped” series competition, and won the semi-final round for “Chopped Champions” and the “Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay” tournament. He is also a member of the Heirloom Harvest Project, a nonprofit that brings farmers and chefs together on sustainable agriculture and food sourcing initiatives.

Business history: The venue, originally known as the Meadowbrook Performing Arts Center, was founded by RJ’s father, the late Robert Leon Harding, in 1996. In 2019, the Lakes Region Chamber honored RJ and Bridget with the Irwin Award, named for the late business and tourism leader Bill Irwin, who founded Irwin Marine more than a century ago. Over the years, the venue, which once consisted of temporary seats and staging and room for lawn guests, has evolved into a covered pavillion area with 5,746 reserved seats and 1,850 general admission lawn seats. The venue also features the Magic Hat Stage, which hosts local musicians before and after the main stage concerts. Artists who have performed at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavillion over the years include Chris Stapleton, the Dave Matthews Band, Barenaked Ladies, Christina Perri, Foo Fighters, James Taylor, John Fogerty, the Moody Blues, the Zac Brown Band and Peter Frampton.

Business lesson: Be brave and vulnerable, and don’t be afraid to fail. Nothing great gets accomplished without pushing through the boundaries of comfort. Challenge the public. They want it.

What keeps you up at night? With rising costs of living and labor wages, our ability as a company to keep pace and still make money continues to get harder. At some point we can’t charge more for our product; the market won’t allow it. The gap and built-in flex in our percentages goes away. What does this mean for restaurants as a whole?

Industry advice: Seek out those who will continue to teach you and others, then, turn around and give that same experience and time to someone else. That’s how our industry grows positively.

Tracy Hutchins President Upper Valley Business Alliance

Education: Antioch University, Wheaton College

Career history: Tracy has spent 10 years as president of three chambers of commerce — Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce (now the Greater MerrimackSouhegan Valley Chamber), Hanover Chamber of Commerce and Upper Valley Business Alliance. Before working with chambers, she was director of two Main Street programs in Wilton and Milford and also did consulting for nonprofit organizations.

Biggest challenges: Supporting New Hampshire’s businesses has been my biggest challenge. Helping our businesses navigate the pandemic was the greatest challenge of my 20 years of working with businesses. Issues continue in lack of available housing, labor shortages and inflation that make our business climate challenging, especially for smaller businesses.

Fun fact: I started my career in the environmental field specializing in water quality.

Hobbies/passions: Kayaking, snowshoeing, painting and my dog. Checked-off bucket list item: I climbed the Great Wall of China.

Industry advice: Chambers of commerce are always changing to meet the needs of the business community. Seek out professional development opportunities, and stay on top of the issues affecting businesses and organizations in your region and state. The chamber of five or 10 years ago is not the chamber of today.

Michael Labrie Partner

The Labrie Group

Education: Saint Anselm College

Career history: Michael was a photographer through high school, and from college to present, is a self-taught artist in graphic and fine arts. He is a gallerist, collector of, and dealer in fine art. He is also a concert and theater lighting designer and operator.

Michael was a partner on MIDA Productions in the 1980s. Since the early 1990s to present, he has owned, developed and managed commercial real estate. Michael is a partner in The Labrie Group including Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, The River House, and The Atlantic Grill, renovating and repurposing historic properties.

Business lesson: My father taught me the following, and I have found it to be true time and again. When you find yourself in a negotiation, NEVER be the first one to speak.

Biggest challenge: The hospitality industry has been hit as hard as any other during COVID. Small business continues to be in the crosshairs.

Checked-off bucket list item: In 2017, I became a partner on the Cuban label Ansonica Records. I worked in a Havana studio on five separate occasions as a photographer and videographer; my work was published and aired in the U.S., and our albums were on Spotify.

Industry advice: Treat your employees like family and pay them well. It is far more difficult and costly to find and hire a valued employee than it is to hold on to one.

Jessyca Keeler President

Ski New Hampshire

Education: St. Lawrence University

Career history: Jessyca started in the ski industry at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid as a snow reporter, then worked for the Olympic Regional Development Authority’s corporate sponsorships department. That landed her at American Skiing Company, where she was director of partnership marketing. She worked with companies on sponsorships, PR, and marketing campaigns before joining Ski NH. She’s worked with people from all over the state and across different industries on numerous issues. She is most passionate about advocacy that will steer us toward a low-carbon future and hopefully the preservation of winter for generations to come.

Business lesson: Strong relationships, the willingness to listen to others, and working with the right people are critical for success.

Most excited about: The ski industry has proven to be very resilient in the face of climate change and other challenges. I see continued innovation and diversification as helping our industry weather challenges into the future. What keeps you up at night? Despite our ability to adapt to more erratic winter weather, increasingly warm temperatures during the winter season can make it more challenging to make snow and lead to people adopting other activities during the winter months.

Fun fact: When I have the time, I love to dance Argentine tango.

Industry advice: We’re stronger and can accomplish so much more when we work together, within the industry and with outside-industry partners.

Pete Labrie Co-owner

Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues LLC

Career history: Pete Labrie is the co-owner of The Labrie Group, a business and real estate developer in hospitality management overseeing several limited liability companies and a portfolio of four restaurants in the Seacoast, including Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues. Pete has been a board member for the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce’s Restaurant Week since 2017. Since 2004, Pete has been a manager and broker for River House Properties. Before that, he was a sales director for Newmarket International, offering software solutions for hospitality sales and marketing automation.

Business lesson: Always lead by example. If you are having a bad day, leave it at the door before coming into work.

Biggest challenge: Staffing declines have forced operators to be creative with menu engineering, employee scheduling and reduced hours of operation to keep their doors open.

Favorite story: In Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues’ first year, we booked Herbie Hancock to perform four shows. To get Herbie Hancock’s Fazioli grand piano into the restaurant, Jimmy’s had to close a main street, remove a picture window on the front of the building and crane the 1,200-pound, $365,000 piano through a thirdfloor window. The show must go on!

Checked-off bucket list item: Got my certification as a commercial, multi-engine, instrument flight instructor.

Industry advice: Do your due diligence and make sure you know what you are getting into personally as well as financially.

Amy Landers Executive Director Lakes Region Tourism Association

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Amy worked in the tourism industry from the age of 14 at area hotels, attractions and restaurants, and was hired into her first position after college at the NH Lodging & Restaurant Association, where she stayed for seven years in various roles. She then worked at the Capitol Center for the Arts to develop and implement a group sales department, and later took her current position at the Lakes Region Tourism Association, where she’s been for the last 24 years.

Angie Lane

Executive Director

Red River

Theatres

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.

Business lesson: Your relationships and connections are the most important aspect of your job and career. The people I work with keep me passionate about my job and industry, which provides me with the inspiration to learn more to better serve our members.

What keeps you up at night: The weather. It has one of the biggest impacts on our members and the tourism industry.

Bucket list item: Every year, I put together a bucket list of something in New Hampshire that I have not done with my family. The most recent that I checked off my list include: taking a cruise on the Millie B, visiting Star Island, riding with a sled dog team, taking a ride on the Cog, and going on a whale watch.

Industry advice: Always be positive, respectful and follow through with what you say. It is a small state, country and world; you never know who is going to know you. Always keeping good relationships is so important.

Kim Pickering

Executive Director

Western White Mountains

Chamber of Commerce

Education: Franklin Pierce College

Career history: Kim started as a seasonal employee of Ski NH. She joined the Western White Mountains Chamber board, then stepped into her current role. Kim, a Woodstock resident, serves on the Board of the NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the NH Travel Council, is a Trustee of North Country Center for the Arts at Jean’s Playhouse and is a Future Business Leaders of America coadvisor for the local high school.

Business lesson: Ask others for help, and reach out to others in your network. Build your community.

Biggest challenge: Stepping into a leadership role for the first time during a pandemic, forcing me to take a step back, evaluate and pivot. I grew as a leader, the chamber grew, and the community grew.

Most excited about: Being part of a strong group of diverse chamber directors has made me a better leader and in turn, made our Chamber, and state, better.

What keeps you up at night? Challenges facing small family businesses, local housing and childcare issues greatly impacting our local workforce.

Favorite story: “The Lorax,” by Dr. Seuss. Beyond sustainability and the environment, it’s about speaking up for what you love.

Industry advice: Pivot. Be open to change. Be open to collaboration. Look for ways to stay current, embrace technology and employment trends.

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.

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.

Charyl Reardon

President

White Mountains

Attractions Association

Education: Plymouth State University

Career history: Charyl joined the White Mountains Attractions Association in 1999, and over the years has handled all aspects of administration and marketing, from brochure distribution and membership, to operations, strategic planning and digital marketing. In 2019, she was promoted to president — the association’s third president since 1958. She currently serves on the boards for New Hampshire Travel Council, Granite State Ambassadors, Littleton Hospital Board of Trustees, Lincoln-Woodstock Friends of Recreation, and the Town of Woodstock Board of Selectman and Budget Committee.

Business lesson: I have learned that the foundation to good leadership is to remember and respect your roots — embrace and thank those who have helped you by sharing their knowledge and experiences. Also, celebrate and appreciate your team members.

What keeps you up at night? Staying relevant. There is a lot of competition for people’s time and money. It’s important to remain relevant in how we promote and inspire guests with adventures, to keep them visiting the state and the White Mountains for their fun and recreation for years to come.

Industry advice: Team members play a crucial role in the success and sustainability of any organization. Create a positive work environment, foster a culture of respect and collaboration, invest in their development and well-being, and celebrate with them.

Valerie Rochon Managing Director Portsmouth NH 400th Inc.

Education: Vermont State University, University of Vermont (Vermont Leadership Institute)

Career history: After years of tourism marketing and managing nonprofits, Valerie was the Stowe, Vermont Area Association’s executive director and international marketing director from 1993-2017. From 2010-2021 she was president and tourism director of the Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth. Beginning in 2021, she served as managing director of Portsmouth NH 400th Inc., the city’s nonprofit celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2023.

Business lesson: It takes a village. Anything worth doing requires surrounding yourself with the members of the village who have passion to do the work to make the mission successful while developing deep respect for their talents.

Biggest challenge: COVID — keeping staff on, laying them off, juggling nonprofit finances, doing whatever was necessary to keep businesses in business. Secondly, shifting from paid staff to volunteers has taught me differences in management challenges and expectations.

Fun fact: When I was younger, I competed in synchronized swimming.

Hobbies/passions: Grandchildren; skiing; walking; gardening; socializing.

Industry advice: For tourism marketing, the goal is to balance the positive economic impact of inbound tourism with the needs/wants of residents, the infrastructure and the Earth. For nonprofit management, always do what is most right for the business and the community you serve.

Justin Bernatchez Executive Chef LaBelle Winery

Education: Culinary Arts Le Cordon Blue, Atlantic Culinary Academy

Career history: At age 15, Justin was first a dishwasher. At 16, he was learning how to be a line cook. By age 25, Justin attended culinary school and continued as a line cook after graduation before landing his first sous chef role. He rose through the ranks in various chef roles at New England resorts and country clubs before being hired as LaBelle’s banquet chef. After two years, he became executive chef, overseeing two restaurants, three ballrooms, private dining, the market and over 700 events annually. Business lesson: Be stern but fair with people. Being patient and getting to know others individually makes them feel included, in turn making them want to work for you.

Christopher Viaud Owner

Northern Comfort Dining Group

Education: Johnson & Wales University

Career history: Chef Chris Viaud opened Greenleaf, Ansanm, Pavilion in Wolfeboro, and Culture in Milford, NH, and started a catering company. He was part of the opening team as chef for the nowclosed Cabonnay restaurant in Manchester. In prior years, he also worked as chef for Deuxave, a finedining French restaurant in Boston. He is a James Beard Award semifinalist and a Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” alumni.

Biggest challenge: Finding balance between working and wanting to achieve my goals and learning to take time for myself and spend time with loved ones. There’s always something needing to be done or things needing to be addressed between my businesses, making it difficult to hit the off switch.

Hobbies/passions: Collecting sneakers; biking playing sports; kayaking. Most excited about: The potential for a more diverse food offering. With chefs like myself who are willing to push the boundaries of creative concepts and focus more on food that tells a story, helps to inspire consumers and aspiring cooks and chefs to be more comfortable with experiencing something new and stepping out of their comfort zone.

Business lesson: Don’t be afraid to ask for help when needed. When starting a business at any point in your career for the first time, you are not expected to know it all. Lean on the support of those around you who have the experience and learn from each opportunity.

Biggest challenge: Ever since the pandemic, staffing kitchens has been a real problem. Professionals left the industry to pursue other opportunities. Most excited about: Continued growth of the company as a whole. Also, working with local high schools and their culinary programs to help them grow personally and professionally and be able to provide them jobs in the future.

Hobbies/passions: Working on my house; being with my wife and our two teenage daughters.

Industry advice: Put in time and effort for your future. Stay passionate. Find ways to stay excited about food. Surround yourself with others who have the same passion to stay motivated.

Scott Hayward Owner Tupelo Music

Hall

Education: Wake Forest University

Career history: Most of Scott’s businesses since college were in construction and landscaping-related industries. He entered the concert-promoting business after purchasing a Londonderry building housing a small coffee-house venue. His business has won more than 40 different “Best of NH” awards.

Business lesson: As a college athlete, I regularly ran 100+ miles a week. My biggest takeaway was perseverance and getting through stress. Employees, inflation, customers, supply chains, data security, and other issues are always present and can be extremely challenging. Those who persevere and believe in themselves can get through these challenges.

Biggest challenge: With staff help, we were able to collaboratively devise a way to stay in business during COVID and keep everyone working. Our “Tupelo Drive In” outdoor concert series received countrywide attention for being the first nationally to do this, covered in Rolling Stone Magazine, The Washington Post, and many other publications. We hosted 115 concerts in our parking lot, turning our biggest challenge into big success.

Fun fact: I ran a 4:04 mile in college.

Checked-off bucket list item: My wife and I purchased a home in the Bahamas, and we’ve been spending winters there since 2020.

Industry advice: Protect money from advance ticket sales because it will be needed to pay many expenses before the profit can be taken from it when the show does eventually take place.

“Be kind. Offer assistance to those who do not expect it or deserve it. Work hard, play harder. Fake the day, seize the night and sleep when you die.”

Steve Cohen, Senior Partner, Devine Millimet

Will Craig Government and Public Affairs Advisor

Bernstein Shur

Education: Suffolk University Law School, George Washington University

Career history: Will’s prior jobs include government affairs and community relations manager at Eversource, director of economic development for the city of Manchester, policy director in the Office of Gov. Maggie Hassan, political director for Maggie 2012, and majority director and legislative aide in the state Senate. He chaired the Manchester Development Corporation, the city’s economic development organization, served as a board member of the NH Small Business Development Center and NH Lodging and Restaurant Association, and was a member of the state Ballot Law Commission. Will is currently chairman of the Nashua Chamber’s Advocacy Committee and a member of the chamber’s board of directors. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the Manchester chamber’s Leadership Program.

Business lesson: To listen before speaking. I’ve had the benefit of working with some very smart and talented people who have taught me a lot over the years.

Most excited about: I’m thrilled to have recently joined Bernstein Shur. I’m excited to work along-side the state’s best and brightest legal and political minds to achieve successful outcomes for our clients.

Industry advice: Remember to treat people fairly, and don’t be afraid to reach across the aisle to get things done.

Steve Cohen Senior

Partner Devine Millimet

Education: University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, Boston University School of Law

Career history: Steve cut his teeth as a CPA at Arthur Anderson, but grew them as a young corporate lawyer at Devine Millimet. He sharpened them as a mergers and aquisitions lawyer, but says he’s learned during 43 years of M&A work that sharp teeth are not needed to be a good lawyer.

Fun fact: My office contains mounted wood ducks, eider and timber doodle, autographed photos of Ted Williams, Carleton Fisk and Big Pappi, my three favorite guitars and an amplifier beside my desk, several decoys, baseball bats, antique clocks, wood carvings and photos of my seven grandchildren.

Favorite story: I met famed economist Milton Friedman as a freshman at the Wharton School. I was fascinated with his passion to prove or disprove the Loch Ness Monster’s existence, and diversity of personal interests.

Hobbies/passions: Fly fishing around the globe with clients and friends, winter sea duck hunting in down east Maine, cross-breeding and giving away my prized daylilies and playing with our seven grandchildren.

Checked-off bucket list item: Catching, tagging and releasing a 300-pound blue marlin off Hawaii’s coast with my son, youngest daughter, sonin-law and future son-in-law, and not having my will mature simultaneously.

Industry advice: Be kind; offer assistance to those who do not expect it or deserve it. Work hard, play harder. Fake the day, seize the night and sleep when you die.

Jamie Hage Shareholder

Rath Young and Pignatelli P.C.

Education: Hamilton College, UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, Admitted to practice law in New Hampshire in 1978 and in Massachusetts in 1979.

Career history: Jamie started solo legal practice in 1979 in Manchester, eventually growing to a midsize firm. His practice has encompassed a wide variety of business and civil litigation matters. In 1998, he joined national law firm Nixon Peabody as a partner in the business litigation and intellectual property practice groups. Ten years later, he returned to NH to co-found Hage Hodes PA. In 2022, his firm joined Rath, Young, and Pignatelli PC, where he is a shareholder and member of the business and finance and litigation groups.

Business lesson: The importance of effective and direct communication is critical in the practice of law. Clear and concise communication with clients, colleagues, adversaries and the courts is essential for building trust, managing expectations and achieving successful outcomes.

What keeps you up at night? Threats to democracy, including erosion of civil liberties, disinformation, electoral interference and political polarization.

Favorite story: I attended the original Woodstock Music Festival in 1969 and loved every minute of it, despite the rain, mud and shortage of food.

Hobbies/passions: Playing golf, tennis, cycling, rugby and crew; classical, jazz and blues music; playing piano and blues harmonica.

Industry advice: Prioritize continuous learning and stay updated on all legal developments.

Heather Krans Partner/Co-founder Pastori | Krans PLLC

Education: University of Vermont, Emory University School of Law

Career history: Heather is a nationally recognized family law attorney with 25 years of experience. She often represents clients in high-asset and complex divorce cases, including those cases involving the valuation and division of business interests and other complex assets. In 2017, Heather and her law partner, Terri Pastori, started Pastori | Krans, a litigation firm in Concord. In just six years, the firm has more than doubled in size, and continues to expand.

Business lesson: It is impossible to be an expert in all things law practice related; hiring a consultant can save countless hours of research, ensure that you avoid costly mistakes, and engender confidence in the business decisions that you make.

Biggest challenge: Learning to manage a law firm while simultaneously maintaining an active litigation practice. In other words, wearing both a “law hat” and a “business hat.”

Hobbies/passions: I minored in studio art in college, and in recent years have gotten back into art by starting my own art collection.

Checked-off bucket list item: I recently went to the famous art fair Art Basel Miami Beach, which had been on my bucket list for at least a decade!

Industry advice: Find mentors who truly care about your success. Anyone you connect with and admire can be a mentor.

Dawn McKinney Policy Director

NH Legal Assistance

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Dawn has spent the last 20+ years doing policy work at the state and national level in NH and D.C. Before joining NH Legal Assistance, her focus was health care policy. NHLA is a nonprofit law firm providing civil legal aid to low-income and older Granite Staters to protect their safety and basic needs. She says she enjoys leading policy work at the State House with a team of incredibly passionate and talented advocates. NHLA’s policy priorities include housing stability, securing public benefits, juvenile justice and protecting domestic violence survivors. Business lesson: When you do something you love with good people, it hardly feels like work. You just do what you can each day and keep fighting the good fight.

Biggest challenge: Policy change can be slow and incremental. That can be hard to accept when you see people in your community struggling in the meantime.

Fun fact: I recently started rowing with Concord Crew. There’s no better way to start the day than watching the sunrise on the water.

Hobbies/passions: Spending time with family and friends; rowing; volunteering; travel.

Industry advice: Learn from people with lived experience, identify solutions to the systemic problems they’ve encountered and surround yourself with smart, passionate people who will get the job done.

Ovide Lamontagne

Teresa Rhodes Rosenberger Jim Merrill

“Invest in yourself, hone your craft, and become an expert in your practice area... Hold your holistic being sacred, building a life of purposeful, meaningful and balanced work.”

Ramey Sylvester, director, McLane Middleton

Emily Penaskovic

Attorney, Shareholder

Sheehan Phinney Bass & Green, PA

Education: University of New Hampshire, University of Connecticut School of Law

Career history: Emily is a corporate attorney representing entrepreneurs and high-growth companies across the business lifecycle, from guiding founders at the earliest stages, to assisting with equity and debt financings through the growth stages, to negotiating later-stage exits. Through Sheehan Phinney’s Boost for Startups program, she helps startups with critical legal needs, connecting them with valuable resources. She’s on the NH Tech Alliance Board of Directors chairing its Startup Committee.

Business lesson: Discover your passion, pour yourself into that, and the rest will follow.

Most excited about: The impact that technology has on the legal field. Law firms are becoming more innovative, and that will be a major value-add to both the clients and the lawyers that work there.

Fun fact: I have lived in Hungary, the Netherlands and Hawaii. I would not trade these experiences for the world, but I am also so glad that I ultimately landed in Portsmouth — an unbeatable community.

Hobbies/passions: Running; biking; skiing; hiking; surfing.

Industry advice: Seek out colleagues or individuals in your network who are in the position you aspire to be in someday, and foster those relationships. When the opportunity arises, return the favor by mentoring others.

Katherine Morneau Founding Attorney Morneau Law

Education: UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, Franklin Pierce University

Career history: During law school, Katherine worked with several legal nonprofits including NH Legal Assistance, Disability Rights Center and the NH Public Defender’s Office. After practicing with two small firms in Nashua, she opened her own law firm in 2012 to focus on family, parenting, divorce and estate law. Katherine has received several professional awards such as Rising Star Young Professional of the Year from Stay Work Play; Young Professional of the Year from the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce; and the Ted Jordan/Joseph Gall, Jr. Humanitarian Award from the Nashua Bar Association.

Business lesson: When growing a business, surround yourself with people who have different talents than you.

Most excited about: I see a lot of interest in family law that many students learning alternatives to adversarial divorce had not thought about before. The more out-of-court options we can offer families, the better.

Fun fact: This is my 27th season on the Bretton Woods Ski Patrol. Checked-off bucket list item: Visiting the Galapagos Islands. Swimming with sharks, walking with giant tortoises and seeing the blue-footed boobies up close was unbelievable.

Industry advice: Many people retiring will cause an attorney shortage in the next five to 10 years, allowing us to look at our legal system to see how we can improve how things are done in all aspects of the law.

Michael Pignatelli Shareholder Rath

Law

Education: University of Massachusetts; Boston College Law School

Career history: A founding shareholder of Rath Young Pignatelli, Michael leads the law firm’s litigation practice group, specializing in business and commercial litigation matters, medical malpractice defense and professional administrative actions. He has represented clients on both sides in personal injury and product liability matters.

Michael is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and has achieved Martindale Hubbell’s highest peer review rating of A-V. He’s been deemed one of America’s best lawyers in the areas of business litigation and medical litigation, in Super Lawyers Corporate Edition and Super Lawyers of New England. In private practice, Michael has achieved a record in trying numerous civil jury matters and negotiating substantial settlements in lawsuits involving environmental claims, business disputes, class-action suits, medical malpractice, professional liability, personal injury, product liability and professional liability litigation. Much of his work has been in complicated multi-party litigation. Before entering private practice, Michael was a NH assistant attorney general and chief of the Criminal Justice Division. He is a former Nashua police commissioner, past member of the NH Judicial Council, and past member of the Nashua Board of Aldermen.

Michael is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the NH Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute.

John H. Sokul Jr. Partner Hinckley Allen

Education: Duke University School of Law, College of the Holy Cross

Career history: John practices commercial real estate law in NH and Massachusetts, starting at a large Boston law firm, then was president for eight years at a mid-sized NH firm. In 2007, he joined Hinckley Allen, where he’s chaired its real estate practice and currently serves on its Executive Committee.

Business lesson: Constantly think about how to make your clients’ lives safer, easier and better. Provide actionable insights and counsel. Be attentive and user-friendly. Simplify whenever possible. Surround yourself with good people and challenge and empower them.

Most excited about: Hinckley Allen is well poised for the future given its great people and encouraging, entrepreneurial culture. I never lack ideas and receive excellent support in converting ideas into action.

Favorite story: “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” by NH native John Irving. I have also read and reread “The Catcher in the Rye” about 20 times.

Hobbies/passions: Spending time with family; taking photos at Plaice Cove in Hampton; golfing; skiing; traveling.

Industry advice: The legal profession is challenging and stressful: Have some fun along the way. Treat everyone with respect. Every year, create a list of the top 10 people to you and your practice — stay in touch with them. Bringing a positive, can-do attitude every day is 80 percent of the battle. Recognizing and seizing opportunities is the other 20 percent.

Ramey Sylvester

Director

McLane Middleton

Education: University of New Hampshire School of Law, Andrews University

Career history: Ramey was first a temp contracts administrator/legal counsel for Stonyfield Farm. She served as assistant general counsel to AmeriFirst Home Mortgage. Currently, she is a director at McLane Middleton and a member of Service Credit Union’s Supervisory Committee. She sits on the board of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and is participating in Leadership New Hampshire. Ramey was in the Union Leader’s 40 under Forty in 2022. She received the Jack B. Middleton Pro Bono Legal Services Award, and has been recognized as a New England Super Lawyers Rising Star and Best Lawyers in America Ones to Watch.

Congratulations to Emily Penaskovic. We applaud her incredible efforts in the business community. Congratulations

Emily B. Penaskovic 603.627.8149

epenaskovic@sheehan.com

Corporate Law

Emily is a member of the firmʼs Corporate Group. She represents companies across the business lifecycle, from guiding founders at the earliest stages, to assisting with equity and debt financings through the growth stages, to negotiating later-stage exits. Through Sheehan Phinneyʼs Boost for Startups program, Emily helps startups with their most critical legal needs and connects them with valuable resources.

sheehan.com

Business lesson: Purposefully choosing to be “last in the room,” professionally or socially, develops key partnerships, enhances your knowledge base, and discerns strategic growth opportunities.

Most excited about: One key to McLane Middleton’s success is our people.

Favorite story: My paternal grandmother, born in Grenada, sold everything to immigrate with her children to the U.S. Her legacy continues, including raising successful children and establishing the foundation for me to become who I am today.

Industry advice: Invest in yourself, hone your craft, and become an expert in your practice area. Find good mentors and surround yourself with really smart collaborators. Hold your holistic being sacred, building a life of purposeful, meaningful and balanced work.

Manufacturing

Cesar Arboleda Owner LaBelle Winery

Education: University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Career history: Cesar began his career out of college in IT/data management at Sun Microsystems, where he stayed for more than a decade, then worked at Fidelity Investments in IT. He eventually took the leap into entrepreneurship in owning LaBelle Winery alongside his wife, Amy LaBelle.

Biggest challenge: Navigating the deep challenges presented to the hospitality industry by COVID and the resultant business shutdowns has been my biggest challenge, both personally and professionally, as we worked tirelessly to save the company, all while homeschooling our two young sons.

Fun fact: I am an immigrant son of factory workers, born in Medellin, Colombia, and have only been in the United States since I was 7 years old.

Hobbies/passions: I most enjoy spending my free time attending, coaching and announcing for my two boys’ sports teams every chance I get. I never miss a game, practice or opportunity to volunteer.

Checked-off bucket list item: In 2019, I was grateful to finally go to see my NFL Team — the Dallas Cowboys — play at AT&T Stadium, and we even got a private tour of the facility. My favorite part of that visit was being in that stadium and seeing my favorite team with my family. My wife surprised us with a hotel room overlooking the stadium!

Industry advice: In hospitality, it is vital that business owners never forget to take care of their employees first, and they will take care of your customers.

Adria Bagshaw

Vice President

WH Bagshaw Company and Walter Bat Company

Education: UNH’s Whittemore School of Business & Economics (now the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics)

Career history: Adria co-owns the WH Bagshaw Company, where she has worked since 2004. Since 1870, they have provided specialty pins as a shop manufacturer, and expanded to Swiss-style machining in 2005. In 2021, they opened the Walter Bat Company, producing high-quality wood bats, and in 2022 opened a 10,000-square-foot baseball and softball training center for the local community.

Business lesson: It’s so important to work ON — not just IN — your business. Attending conferences through our trade organization re-energizes us and helps us keep focused on our strategy and long-term goals. Accountability through peer groups, even informally, are so important. What keeps you up at night? We think of our employees as an extension of our family. Knowing you are responsible for the livelihood of dozens of families should not be taken lightly. We became a Recovery Friendly Workplace in 2018, and continue to make investments in supporting our employees’ mental health.

Industry advice: Embrace change and make sure you’re constantly innovating. Continue to improve your benefits and programs for your employees, your administrative processes and, of course, your core business. Get involved in your trade organization, and make sure you’re not only learning from others but giving back to future leaders.

Aaron

Bagshaw Chief Visionary Officer & President

WH Bagshaw Company

Education: Springfield College; Alliant International University

Career history: Aaron is the fifth-generation leader of the WH Bagshaw Company, which he co-owns with his wife, Adria. He is president, but his business card also reads

“Chief Visionary Officer.” Aaron’s focuses are sales, marketing and technology. He says his passion for manufacturing and innovation is evident with WH Bagshaw’s more than 150-year-old machine shop, comparing it to a startup.

Business lesson: Don’t be afraid to ask for money. Keep a keen eye on costs vs. what you’re selling your product/service for. If and when it makes sense to make adjustments, be honest with customers.

Biggest challenge: COVID — navigating daily changes and keeping employees safe was a massive undertaking.

Most excited about: Doubling the revenue of our company over the next five to 10 years. Thinking about resources and talent we will need.

What keeps you up at night? Growing our business over five to 10 years!

Fun fact: I’ve raced bicycles since age 14 and still race today. I started a high school cycling team, two collegiate teams, then a semiprofessional team.

Favorite story: At one point in 1920, the WH Bagshaw Company had a single order for phonograph needles — 1,750,000,000 of them.

Checked-off bucket list item: Owning a seasonal home in Vermont.

Industry advice: Surround yourself with great people.

Ron Cohen

President & CEO

Sig Sauer Inc.

Education: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Career history: Ron joined Sig Sauer Inc. in 2004 and became president and CEO in 2005. His dedication, vision and passionate leadership has evolved Sig Sauer into a defense product provider of firearms, ammunition, electro-optics, suppressors, airguns and training. Under his leadership, Sig Sauer has designed, engineered and brought to market innovative and technologically advanced products in the industry and become the largest small arms provider worldwide. Cohen has spent over 30 years in various leadership positions within the industry, and served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a combat field commander.

Business lesson: Lead the business from the front line. Show your teammates that you’ll out-work anyone. Embrace your mistakes and correct course as a new picture emerges. Sweat the details and never settle!

Biggest challenge: Keeping the entrepreneurial passion, spirit and drive in a company established in 1751.

Fun fact: Our employees are a great source of pride for me, with one-third of our workforce comprised of military veterans and/or former law enforcement. Sig Sauer operates in 16 U.S. locations, three states, four global sites, with thousands of employees around the world. I write handwritten notes to each employee on their company milestone anniversaries, to celebrate their achievements and contribution to our success.

“In a world of constant change, resilience and commitment prove more valuable than constantly seeking greener pastures. Stay strong, stay committed and success will follow.”

Alice Molteni Taylor, VP of sales BioProcess Global corporate accounts, Foxx Life Sciences

Ben Fisk Owner

Ben’s Sugar Shack

Career history: Ben’s Sugar Shack produces 100 percent pure maple products from its location in Temple. Owner Ben’s passion for making maple syrup started when he was 5 years old while visiting a maple sugar house on a field trip in preschool. The next day, he and his father created their own homemade evaporator and hung 13 sap buckets. Although that first year only produced less than a gallon of syrup, within 10 years, at age 16, Ben won the Maple Producers Carlisle Trophy for the best syrup in New Hampshire.

Now, Ben’s Sugar Shack has grown to include two sugar houses, a variety of pure maple products and a customer-focused staff. The company has experienced growth in both the wholesale and retail markets, while continuing to focus on producing the finest maple products in the world, from 100 percent pure maple syrup and maple candy to maple cream, maple sugar and even maple cotton candy.

Tony Fernandez President & CEO

NH Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Education: St. John’s University; New Jersey City University

Career history: Tony has spent over 45 years in the manufacturing sector servicing the metals, plastics, chemical and construction industries. Originally starting his career in the financial arena, Tony transitioned into operations and has held the position of general manager, president and CEO for the past 25 years. Leading companies in the three different geographic regions allowed Tony to gain a unique perspective of business and the effects regional culture contribute. As a staunch advocate of manufacturing, Tony has served on regional boards in Wisconsin, Florida and Massachusetts, developing training programs and public partnerships.

Prior to his appointment as at NHMEP, Tony maintained a very active business profile serving as the owner of Northside Consulting Group LLC, working at American International College teaching master’s-level courses in business management and serving as the Western Mass. chapter chair of SCORE/SBA. Volunteering and business networking are a passion that Tony still pursues, and is very active promoting workforce development and entrepreneurship, particularly for the underserved.

Tony holds an MBA in finance from St. John’s University and a dual bachelor’s in accounting and economics from NJCU. He is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt, a certified business mentor, Excel-certified and has successfully championed three ISO implementations.

Gordon Gilroy Owner

Summit Packaging Systems

Education: Trinity College

Career history: Gordon’s career began as the aerosol industry was just beginning. After learning the valve business, Gordon began working for Precision Valve in 1953, eventually becoming vice president of sales.

After 22 years at Precision, Gordon bought the valve company Scovill. Gordon challenged his employees to come up with a new company name. An employee’s wife thought of “Summit,” after an actuator that had an “S” imprinted on it. Summit Packaging Systems sold 150 million units its first year; in 2023, it sold 5 billion units.

Business lesson: Control your ego and worry about five years from now, not next week.

What keeps you up at night?: Thinking of ways to keep the company in the forefront of the valve industry.

Fun fact: I was born in Canada.

Industry advice: Control your ego and keep out of debt.

Jon Greer President Wire Belt

Education: Bates College, Seattle University

Career history: After trying to make the Olympic Rowing team, Jon eventually focusing on manufacturing and online marketing. Upon graduating college, a Seattle professor and former partner at Accenture hired him to do change management. Jon joined Wire Belt in 2018 with the plan to take over.

Business lesson: Listen (and I’m still learning it).

Biggest challenge: Developing an accurate understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. Our customers, employees, and competition all see it a little differently.

What keeps you up at night? I hope NH continues to be a place where we can successfully run a manufacturing operation and be globally competitive while taking great care of our employees.

Favorite story: We have employees from Bosnia, East Germany (before the wall fell), Cambodia, Thailand and more. Many have amazing stories.

Hobbies/passions: Rowing; hiking; backcountry skiing; Nordic skiing; good food with friends.

Checked-off bucket list item: Living at the Olympic Training center while in selection for the Olympic team.

Industry advice: Listen, ask questions, and consider what’s going well before taking action.

Rod Harl President & CEO Alene Candles

Education: University of California, Berkeley, Harvard Business School

Career history: Rod spent several years with Merck & Co. Inc. in their vaccines business. After MBA school, he cofounded a startup for small manufacturers to communicate with sales channels. In 2008, he and his business partner purchased Alene Candles, creating two new factories over time and expanding products as employment grew from 75 to nearly 500 people.

Business lesson: My parents — each born on Iowa farms in the Great Depression — told me that work didn’t count unless it was hard and unpleasant. But value creation doesn’t have to be hard, especially if you’re doing something you enjoy.

Biggest challenge: Political, economic and medical contexts have been constantly shifting, with no playbook to follow. Constant reinvention has been exhausting, forcing focus on what doesn’t change: our people, customers and competencies.

Most excited about: Artificial intelligence and robotics will dramatically shift human productivity and quality of life, changing whole industries along the way.

Fun fact: Growing up I was told to take classical piano for 10 years; I now appreciate that training as a relaxing escape.

Industry advice: Invest in your employees’ emotional well-being. Manufacturing has high levels of depression and anxiety among its workforce.

Peter Hansel

Chair of the Board

Filtrine Manufacturing Co.

Education: Princeton University

Career history: Peter worked briefly as a research assistant for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council before joining Filtrine Mfg. Co. in 1973, a 122-year-old manufacturing business that has been in the Hansel family for five generations. He spent five years in California as a Filtrine salesman, then moved back to Keene in 1979, where he and his wife, Bridget, raised four children. He served as president for 20 years before retiring in 2020 and continues to serve on Filtrine’s board. Peter also served on multiple nonprofit boards and city positions. Filtrine was chosen as one of Forbes 25 Small Giants for 2019.

Business lesson: Quality and profitability are much more important than quantity and high revenue.

Biggest challenge: Surviving through COVID and finding a skilled workforce. What keeps you up at night? I have faith but hope that Filtrine’s new leadership will find ways to attract and keep the same close-knit workforce we have been blessed with for years.

Fun fact: I learned how to needlepoint from my grandfather and still enjoy doing it.

Industry advice: The refrigeration industry needs to make a rapid, smooth transition toward refrigerants with zero global warming potential. Climate change is real and mostly caused by humans. Future generations are counting on us to take action.

Julie Lenzer Chief Innovation Officer Advance Regenerative Manufacturing Institute

Education: Computer Science from Texas A&M, Stanford University, University of Maryland

Career history: Before ARMI, Julie was the University of Maryland’s chief innovation officer, overseeing technology transfer and the Small Business Development Center. In 2014, Julie was appointed director of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the U.S. Economic Development Administration. As a senior advisor to the U.S. secretary of commerce, she led the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship and was tapped to represent the U.S. as the innovation lead at the G20 in China.

Business lesson: Hire for cultural fit; skills can be learned but cultural fit is harder to change.

Biggest challenge: Receiving my master’s degree in machine learning. Most excited about: ARMI and its members are solving hard problems to disrupt how we treat chronic disease and traumatic injury. We can see regenerative solutions reaching patients soon.

Hobbies/passions: For 10 years I’ve served on the board of the Girls Scouts of Central Maryland and am currently board president.

Industry advice: The Manchester-Nashua ReGen Valley will be THE place to be if you’re looking to start or expand your regenerative manufacturing.

Brad Sterl CEO Rustic Crust

Career history: Brad has been in the food manufacturing and sales business for over 25 years, focusing primarily on producing clean, all-natural and organic pizza for both retail and food-service applications. He has built a growing a business from inception to the company it is today with nearly 160 employees and products sold nationwide. Brad is now focused on creating jobs and building a sustainable business in a smaller community of New Hampshire, offering opportunities of growth to a variety of employees.

Alice Molteni Taylor VP of Sales BioProcess Global Corporate Accounts Foxx Life Sciences

Education: Universita Statale of Milan, University of California in San Diego

Career history: During college, Alice had the chance to move to San Diego and work on Alzheimer’s disease, later publishing a paper, then changed her career into a sales focus. She joined Foxx in 2015 and became business development manager for the BioProcess department globally. Alice was later promoted to VP of BioProcess Sales to build a global team for the BioProcess Department.

Biggest challenge: These last five years have been a huge challenge. We had to face an exponentially increased demand from all the pharma companies in the market, with a disrupted supply chain. On a personal level, I had to spend over 19 months away from my family in Italy, because of the COVID travel restrictions. On the immigration side, I had to overcome the last step obtaining my citizenship while all the processes got delayed during the COVID crisis.

Fun fact: My husband and I, in addition to working at Foxx, also have a YouTube channel, “How to Have Fun Outdoors,” to promote work-life balance, where we share our outdoor adventures all over the world.

Industry advice: The biotech and pharma market is growing exponentially, with a new focus on cell and gene therapy. We need to keep ourselves updated on all the new technology and requirements that this new type of science is bringing to our table. It will be exploding soon!

Michelle Thornton Director of Marketing and Business Development LaBelle Winery

Business lesson: Take care of your team first! Building and supporting a strong team is critical to any business. Always be a good steward to the environment, and make sure you have a long-term vison of your environmental impact with a strategy of improvement.

Biggest challenge: Dealing with a fire that caused total loss to our business was a big challenge, but dealing with COVID and the effects of the economic changes have been a bigger challenge — with increases in cost of goods, utilities and labor, coupled with the fast change of the economy.

Fun fact: In my early days, my job was in commercial urchin diving.

Industry advice: Stay focused — don’t let short-term issues distract you from the long-term vison. Maintain transparency. Never be afraid to perform the least-liked job in the organization.

Career history: Michelle is LaBelle Winery’s director of marketing and business development. She has held past roles as director of sales and program development and general manager. Michelle’s background includes positions at the Currier Museum of Art, Bedford Village Inn, and various roles in finance and marketing. Business lesson: In a world of constant change, resilience and commitment prove more valuable than constantly seeking greener pastures. Stay strong, stay committed and success will follow.

Biggest challenge: Witnessing the arduous journey of individuals recovering from the pandemic’s impact on both their professional and personal lives. What keeps you up at night? The excitement of countless opportunities and the desire to experience all the incredible things in life. Balancing the quest for excellence with the abundance of possibilities creates a restless mind, craving more hours in every day!

Favorite story: “It’s a Wonderful Life,” for its timeless themes of hope, selflessness and the profound impact one person can have on others.

Industry advice: Prioritize customer experience. Cultivate a genuine connection with patrons, embrace innovation without sacrificing tradition, and consistently deliver quality. Adaptability and a passion for service are keys to thriving.

Media & Marketing

Mel Allen Editor Yankee Publishing

Education: Syracuse University, Boston University

Career history: Mel joined Yankee Magazine in 1979 as a writer and editor.

He’s been an adjunct writing teacher since 2000, first at UMass Amherst’s undergraduate journalism program, then at Bay Path University’s MFA program in creative nonfiction.

Business lesson: Let everyone know how you value their work.

Biggest challenge: Producing the best print issue for readers now and in the future, with a sharply reduced budget.

Most excited about: With Yankee’s custom business featuring video, digital and print, we aren’t waiting for events to overtake us by surprise. What keeps you up at night? Job security of dedicated staff in a time of financial uncertainty.

Favorite story: Joseph Mitchell profiles from The New Yorker. One of the most influential writers in my life was baseball novelist John R. Tunis, and Ernie Pyle’s war reporting made me want to be a writer.

Hobbies/passions: Hikes, adventures with sons; coaching baseball for years; now, long walks with my wife, Annie; splitting wood; keeping company with our 14-year-old Jack Russell.

Industry advice: Don’t lose sight of the fact that people have yearned for stories that matter for thousands of years. Reimagine how to best tell those stories in a way that artificial intelligence never will.

Carol Connare

Editor

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Yankee Publishing

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: After graduating from UNH, Carol became a newspaper reporter and folk music reviewer and columnist. She wrote a guidebook called “New England Camping” in 1995 -- after which Yankee Magazine hired her as a travel editor -- and spent the next six years working on many facets of the magazine. She worked for two decades in higher education as a communication and development director, mostly at the UMass Amherst Libraries. She rejoined Yankee Publishing in 2023 to become editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Business lesson: Hire great people. That doesn’t always mean the most qualified person, because skills can be learned. Hire people with different perspectives and viewpoints. Kindness, humility and a sense of humor are other important qualities I look for in prospective team members.

Biggest challenge: Supporting flexible work styles and making them effective for people and the company. As a leader, I aim to ensure my team members thrive, so I’ve had to learn how to accommodate hybrid work that supports camaraderie and collaboration.

Fun fact: In my 20s, I lived some summers on the banks of the Yukon River in Alaska, subsistence fishing for salmon and taking care of 90 sled dogs.

Most excited about: Demand for our expertise! We’ve seen a desire for fresh takes on trusted knowledge about the Earth — just what is found in every edition of the Almanac.

Lisa Carter CEO/Founder Drinkwater Marketing

Education: State University of New York

Career history: Lisa spent 20+ years in garment manufacturing, working for apparel and footwear brands such as Bugle Boy jeans, Limited Brands, Victoria’s Secret and Timberland. Her product development experience awarded her a senior manager position at Staples Inc., to lead a team deveoping private label products for the Staples brand.

Business lesson: Find a niche and develop expertise in that niche. Focus on 10% of your audience, and they will tell the other 90% about your expertise.

Biggest challenge: Adequate funding to accelerate our growth in the markets, despite growth in the last five years.

Most excited about: New tech, artificial intelligence and helping my team’s productivity.

What keeps you up at night? 2023 was challenging — increased interest rates and lack of liquidity in the market affected industries we worked with.

Favorite story: My mother and father purchased the home where my grandmother was employed as a maid. Afterward, it was the first time my grandmother walked through the front door versus the servants’ entrance.

Hobbies/passions: Exploring new restaurants in the state.

Checked-off bucket list item: Wine tours in Napa Valley, California.

Industry advice: Many tools of technology are replacing some of the services we offer as marketers. My advice: Be flexible and innovative.

Lisa Cramb

Senior Vice President

Montagne Powers

Education: Southern New Hampshire University, Franklin Pierce University

Career history: After work for Pneutronics, Lisa became communications manager for White Pine Software in Nashua. She was briefly in communications for Concord Hospital, then freelanced from home while managing her family’s electrical contracting business, D.H. Cramb Electric in New Boston. She joined Granite State Independent Living as communications manager, then Daniel Webster College before its 2008 acquisition by ITT. Upon the acquisition, Lisa joined PR firm Wedu, then moved to Montagne Powers in 2016.

Business lesson: Building and maintaining strong relationships with people in your field.

Biggest challenge: Balancing my busy career with being my 91-year-old mom’s primary caregiver.

Most excited about: We’ve built an exceptional team over the past several years, and continue to bring on fantastic clients in various industries. Fun fact: I was the first girl to play for my local ice hockey club, the local youth league, and also the first to play local Little League baseball.

Hobbies/passions: Family and friends; traveling; reading nonfiction; ice hockey; golfing; running; hiking; watching sports; preparing and sharing meals; exploring New England — especially Maine’s coast.

Industry advice: Be curious and open to learning new things. Never stop growing professionally and personally.

Ami D’Amelio CEO & President Just Flow Events & Marketing

Education: University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana

Career history: Shortly after moving to New Hampshire in 2003, Ami started her local career at SilverTech and Print Savvy, before launching Just Flow Events & Marketing in 2010. Ami is currently serving on the board for the Manchester Historic Association.

Biggest challenge: Learning to delegate and trusting the process to support continued growth, both for the company and the team. Part of this challenge is finding and hiring the right individuals who will complement the company culture and provide the bandwidth to delegate tasks.

Fun fact: In 2023, I began a journey to run a half marathon in all 50 states, which grew from my training for the 2024 Disney World Dopey Challenge, which includes running a 5K, 10K, half marathon and marathon over four consecutive days.

Hobbies/passions: Outside of spending time doing anything with my four children, my favorite activity is cheering them on in their various sports and other pursuits. I also love planning parties and get-togethers, surrounding myself with all my favorites!

Industry advice: Make connections with others in the industry and work together for the greater good. There are so many remarkable professionals in New Hampshire with a vast amount of knowledge and insight. Our industry can be very competitive, but we are all just people trying to make a difference.

Clark Dumont Principal & Counselor Dumont Communications LLC

Education: The American University; M.S. Syracuse University, Newhouse School of Communications; Duke University, Fuqua School of Management; Harvard University, School of Public Health; Army War College

Career history: Clark started his career in broadcast journalism in Washington, D.C. (WMAL-AM) and New Hampshire in Keene (WKBK, WKNE), Rochester (WWNH) and Manchester (WFEA and WGIR). He would go on to have a storied career working in communications for such companies as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NH, Nevada Cancer Institute, BAE Systems and MGM Resorts International. In 2018, he created Dumont Communications to provide consulting in organizational development and strategic communications, leadership coaching, executive communications, crisis communications and media relations.

What keeps you up at night? The erosion of civic capital undermines the benefits of a community that thrives through the common good. Ironically, we communicate more today than in history, but we struggle to connect, understand and agree that together we can achieve more.

Fun fact: My maternal ancestors came to Amherst during the potato famine. I have communications, broadcasting and news in my blood. My parents were in print, radio and TV news. Our son is in health care communications.

Business lesson: To meet the needs of stakeholders, positive attitudes and strong emotional intelligence are essential to see, understand and address the changes in our business environment. As a perpetual student, we can serve as a knowledgeable and trusted solutions resource.

Lisa Cramb

Clark Dumont

Jeff Eisenberg

President & CEO EVR Advertising

Education: Vanderbilt University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Career history: Jeff’s first job out of graduate school was with the Philadelphia Phillies for nine years. It launched 30 years in professional sports, including jobs as vice president with both the Milwaukee Brewers and Buffalo Sabres and as president of the Manchester Monarchs. In 10 years, the Monarchs became an iconic statewide brand and attendance thrived. He was honored as the AHL Executive of the Year in 2004 and was inducted into the NH Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010. He bought EVR Advertising in 2010. Business lesson: Transformational leaders share power and inspire others to lead.

Most excited about: Digital marketing has completely altered the landscape and it continues to evolve. Artificial intelligence is already making an impact on our everyday work. Marketing favors companies that are agile and adapt quickly.

Fun fact: At 12, I was the clubhouse boy for the AA Southern League Memphis Blues baseball team. Then in college, I interned with the Athletic Department. While in graduate school, I was in management with the AA Eastern League Holyoke Millers baseball team.

Industry advice: Constantly refine your skills, embrace innovation and measure results to drive continuous improvement. Harmoniously integrate your work into your life. Blend work and personal life seamlessly.

Joe Graham President, NH iHeartMedia

Education: University of Massachusetts

Amherst

Career history: First a retail supervisor in food brokerage, Joe worked at two of the larger ad agency holding companies, focusing on integrated marketing, merging brand awareness campaigns with trade and local marketing execution. This led him to become the Chancellor Marketing Group’s managing supervisor for NYC and Chicago. Joe has served in many capacities in New York City, Connecticut and NH for what is now iHeartMedia.

Business lesson: Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to “eat a live frog” — your biggest, most important task — you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that it is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long.

Biggest challenge: Finding and hiring salespeople who can meet my existing iHeartMedia NH sales team’s standards. We need people who will embrace evolving technology, be fearless, creative, and most importantly be a good person.

Most excited about: iHeartMedia’s reach allows our team in NH to provide marketing solutions to our local clients in NH as well as to Global Companies HQ here in NH such as Timberland, Sig Sauer, Planet Fitness, and others.

Favorite stories: “Rent,” the rock musical by Jonathan Larson, and the movie, “August Rush.”

Industry advice: We need to work together to keep our industry relevant in the marketing mix of advertisers.

Peter Frid President & CEO NH PBS

Education: Syracuse University, Rhode Island College

Career history: Peter has been the president and CEO of New Hampshire Public Television for the past 28 years.

In addition, he has served as vice chair and a professional director on the PBS Board of Directors and on special policy panels for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He is past chair of the National Education Telecommunications Association, former co-chair of the Organization of State Broadcast Executives, and former chair of the board of the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters. He was NHAB’s Broadcaster of the Year in 2016.

Peter is a graduate of Leadership New Hampshire and Leadership Corpus Christi. Within the community, he has served as president of Great Bay Rowing, as chair of the New Hampshire Travel Council Board, as a director of the NH Business & Industry Association, and as a trustee of Riverwoods at Exeter. He lives in Madbury with his family.

Brook Holmberg

Vice President, Publisher

Yankee Publishing

Education: Principia Colleg

Career history: Brook has worked at Yankee Publishing since 2004, beginning there as consumer marketing director for Yankee Magazine and The Old Farmer’s Almanac. In 2008, he became vice president of marketing. In 2012, Brook became the publisher of Yankee Magazine. He also manages consumer marketing for the NH Group and Family Tree magazine. Since becoming publisher, Yankee Magazine has launched NewEngland.com, as well as a national television series, “Weekends With Yankee” with Boston’s WGBH-TV.

Business lesson: Asking the right questions is more important than having the right answers.

Biggest challenge: Growing Yankee’s business by 15% despite inflation and supply chain challenges, which speaks volumes to the dedication and hard work on display by Yankee staffers.

Most excited about: Success for Yankee means change, and our business will look a lot different in five years than it does today.

Fun fact: A native Minnesotan, I moved to Boston in ‘92 before moving to NH in ‘04. I’m not technically a Yankee, or even a New Englander, although I publish the region’s oldest, and most prestigious, magazine. Go figure!

Favorite story: Tolkien is my comfort food (only the LOTR movies).

Hobbies/passions: Paddleboarding; hiking; skiing; raising my children.

Checked-off bucket list item: Living in Italy for a semester in college.

Industry advice: Tell a story worth hearing and worth paying for.

Steve Leone Publisher Concord Monitor

Education: University of Rhode Island

Career history: Steve started as a reporter at the Newport Daily News in Newport, Rhode Island. He’s held pretty much every other job in a newsroom since, other than photographer. His portfolio spans newspapers in Virginia, Maine, California and New Hampshire. Steve was at first editor of the Concord Monitor in 2014 and became publisher and vice president of news for its parent company, Newspapers of New England, in 2020.

Business lesson: Leading a business relies on many of the same principles as being a good journalist. Be honest with yourself and others. Build trust. Listen. Follow the facts. And understand that words matter.

Biggest challenge: Becoming publisher during the pandemic. For everyone, it was a time of extraordinary uncertainty, but one that required resolve, patience and innovation from all staff. We’ll look back proudly on all we accomplished during these years.

Most excited about: Wondering how the news industry will evolve to meet the needs of the future.

What keeps you up at night? Questioning: How do we cut through the noise and give New Hampshire residents information they trust and value? How do we make their lives better? How do we reach the next generation with news that will help them make informed choices?

Industry advice: Journalism is both a civic mission and a business. But to do it well, we must pay attention to our industry’s trends and our audiences.

Kristen Lestock Vice President of Communications & Client Engagement Cookson Communications

Education: Southern New Hampshire University

Career history: Kristen is a communications professional who’s led PR, events and promotional campaigns, placing stories locally, regionally and nationally. For more than 16 years, she led the corporate communications team at NH Motor Speedway through creative publicity and promotional efforts that put a spotlight on the host of the only NASCAR National Series race in the region. In 2021, she switched gears and joined Cookson Communications.

Biggest challenge: Trying to make a publicity splash by navigating the ever-changing media landscape. With reporters moving around, media outlets cutting back and the decline in in-person events, PR professionals have had to become nimble and creative.

Most excited about: The continuous trend of new and exciting projects and partnerships for meaningful work within the community such as working in the education and nonprofit sectors.

Fun fact: I earned an undergraduate and graduate degree in four years.

Hobbies/passions: Traveling; going on new and exciting adventures.

Industry advice: Treat every relationship as a networking opportunity. First impressions last a lifetime. Staying connected through relationships can be the difference to making things happen.

Dan McClory Publisher Valley News

Education: State University of New York at Oswego

Career history: Dan worked four years for Park Communications in Ithaca, New York, at two daily newspapers and the corporate office. Since 1989, he has worked for Newspapers of New England (parent company of the Valley News) serving as controller, general manager; and spent the last 11 years as publisher of the Valley News. In addition, Dan has been the CFO/chief operating officer at Newspapers of New England for the last 15 years. Biggest challenges: Our industry has changed significantly in the last several years. The difficulty in hiring has impacted all facets of our business. It’s difficult to find and retain staff with housing costs.

Most excited about: Technology changes will continue to offer opportunities to implement new and exciting ways to get local news to readers, including those who are out of area for extended periods.

What keeps you up at night? Getting the paper delivered. Now relying on USPS for some deliveries is a large concern. Getting a home-delivered product to consumers six days per week, 52 weeks a year consistently, is daunting. Checked-off bucket list item: Family trip to Ireland and London, where I played golf with my son.

Industry advice: Local journalism is something to be proud of and is critical to our community’s health. Listen to your readers and staff. Be willing to adapt and try new things. It is better to take a risk and fail than become irrelevant.

Tim Messina CEO Events United & Studio Lab

Education: Plymouth State University

Career history: Tim was first a busboy at Bertucci’s in the Mall of New Hampshire at age 16, then worked for a landscaping company. He later started Events United & Studio Lab to improve the quality of relationships in the entertainment industry.

Tim aims to compete with entertainment companies by building respectful and encouraging relationships with customers, employees, unions and others. He considers his accomplishment in building respectable brands has grown from his core beliefs: that every human needs encouragement, they are worth caring for, and excellence matters.

Biggest challenge: Growth. Everything changes with growth. People’s perception of our company has changed, expectations of our capabilities have changed and how our company operates has changed.

Most excited about: Creating the next “wow” moment in entertainment, deeply moving and inspiring the audience.

Hobbies/passions: Dirt biking; finding and exploring Gold Rush-era mines.

Checked-off bucket list item: Raising a family on a farm with my beautiful wife, Lauren, and five children.

Industry advice: Put your competition in the rearview mirror. Focus on what you do, on what drives you, and on what someone else needs. True innovation comes from within you; focus on that and build it. Surround yourself with people who understand and love your vision and take them on the road trip with you. If you want to accelerate, let them drive once in a while.

Brendan McQuaid President New Hampshire Union Leader

Career history: A New Hampshire native, Brendan is a fourth-generation newspaperman. He grew up in Manchester and began working at the New Hampshire Union Leader part-time in 1997. Before returning to the Union Leader in 2008, he worked for C-SPAN in Washington, D.C. He has served as the Union Leader’s president and publisher since 2019, taking over from his father, Joseph McQuaid. Brendan also serves as president of the New Hampshire Press Association, where he is active in legislative affairs, and as president of the national Independent Newspaper Group. He lives in Manchester with his novelist wife, Jessica, and their two basset hounds.

Lucas (Luke) Meyer

Catalyst Advocacy

Principal

Education: Denison University

Career history: Lucas’ campaigns and advocacy coalitions in NH include U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas’s re-election in 2020 and the NH Campaign for Voting Rights/Fair Maps Coalition. Previously, Lucas served as the caucus director for the NH Senate Democratic Caucus, overseeing the 2016 Senate campaigns. Lucas managed Chris Pappas’s Executive Council campaign in 2014. Before that, he was the NH Democratic Party’s deputy communications director. Lucas began his career with the NH state Senate race for Democrat Andrew Hosmer. Lucas was president of the NH Young Democrats for five years and currently chairs 603 Forward, a nonprofit he co-founded dedicated to educating, engaging, and recruiting next-generation leaders across NH. He serves on the NH Advisory Board for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and is a Leadership NH alumnus. Business lesson: Optimism is a skill that should be trained. Invest resources in exceptional leaders/partners/staff.

Most excited about: Inspiring, dedicated young leaders serving in town or city offices across our state.

Favorite story: “War Is a Racket” by General Smedley Butler

Checked-off bucket list item: I sailed a two-masted research brigantine around the Caribbean for my college semester abroad.

Industry advice: Do your best to maintain short-, medium-, and long-term plans. There’s a lot of utility in knowing where you’re heading and why.

Meredith Noyes Cookson Communications Chief Creative Officer

Education: Syracuse University

Career history: An award-winning designer and brand builder, Meredith has spent her career helping companies tell their stories. Her early experience started in New York City with internships in fashion and magazines, followed by creative roles at agencies in New Hampshire and Boston. Before merging with Cookson Communications in 2016, she owned a freelance design agency. Along the way, she has worked on creative for household names like Charmin, Naked Juice, Jack-in-the-Box, MegaFood and Petco. In her current role, she leads Cookson’s creative team, generating unique concepts and visuals for clients. In addition, Meredith volunteers as an illustrator for The Superhero Project, where kids with serious health challenges art-direct their own superhero designs.

Business lesson: You can’t do it alone. It’s impossible.

Biggest challenge: Balancing my creative ideas with practical application and letting go of emotional attachment to work.

Fun fact: I interned for the fashion designer Betsey Johnson (another Syracuse grad) during the summer of 1998 in New York City.

Hobbies/passions: Riding horses four to five days a week, practicing yoga as often as possible and catching films — in theaters.

Industry advice: Take risks, but don’t be afraid to abandon an idea that may not be working. Criticism is always an opportunity for growth. Develop your own creative projects outside of work where you can freely experiment. Have a non-creative hobby, preferably something physically active.

Liz Purdy President MEP Strategies

Education: UNH Whittemore School of Business & Economics, University of New Hampshire

Career history: Liz runs a successful public affairs and management consulting firm that provides strategic communications and grassroots advocacy services.

Earlier, she managed John Lynch’s first gubernatorial campaign. She has also served as an advisor to Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, leading public policy campaigns that include protecting New Hampshire’s historic marriage equality law from repeal. She’s a past recipient of the New Hampshire Union Leader’s Forty Under 40 Award and a board member for the NH Business Finance Authority.

Biggest challenge: Having recently battled cancer, I’ve been able to recenter my life around health & wellness. It’s helped me become more focused and more appreciative of opportunities to make a difference personally and professionally.

Fun fact: I run a nonprofit softball league that helps female athletes build skills to compete on & off the field, while also developing important life skills. Hobbies/passions: New England sports, particularly the Red Sox. Both my daughters play softball. My oldest is a freshman on the Babson College team.

Industry advice: Building quality relationships rather than building a big Rolodex. Take time to get to know your clients and others who work in the field. Support one another, mentor the next generation and make sure you leave the state better than when you found it.

Sherin Pierce Publisher

The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Yankee Publishing

Education: Mount Carmel College in Bangalore, India; Bangalore University in India; Fairleigh Dickinson University

Career history: Sherin is publisher of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She leads a team responsible for the long-term strategic planning of the Almanac brand, including new product development, editorial oversight, and management of the book’s finances and ancillary businesses. She oversees the Almanac’s promotions and marketing, including its expansive social media channels. Sherin has often been recognized for her forward-thinking leadership, including being named one of FOLIO’s Top Women in Media.

Business lesson: Treat others well — better than you expect to be treated.

Biggest challenge: Constant consolidation. In the publishing industry, this consolidation includes in paper suppliers, fulfillment houses, printers, distribution, publishing houses, retailers and more. It’s all up and down the line and, when consolidation happens, there are fewer choices and options to produce and sell your product.

Favorite story: “The Boys in the Boat,” by Daniel James Brown.

Hobbies/passions: I’m a mad cyclist, yoga maven, and outdoor enthusiast. Any day where I’m able to move and be in nature is a good one.

Industry advice: Be resilient, be resourceful, be flexible and never back down.

Jim Schachter

President & CEO

New Hampshire Public Radio

Education: Columbia University (BA)

Career history: Starting work in Jacksonville, Fla., Jim joined The Kansas City Star. Later the Los Angeles Times’ business editor, Jim shared in the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 civil uprising. For 17 years, he was a New York Times editor, rising to the role of associate managing editor. Jim entered public radio as vice president for news at WNYC, the nation’s biggest public radio station. Jim joined NHPR as president and chief executive officer in October 2019.

Business lesson: Tomorrow is going to present a challenge you didn’t expect. Focus on building your organization’s resilience.

Most excited about: NHPR’s vision — that through trustworthy journalism, we will enrich lives and help build stronger communities in NH and beyond — inspires me and my colleagues daily.

Fun facts: I sing in the choir and teach religious school. I was someone’s phone-a-friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. I once introduced “Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” live from the stage of Carnegie Hall. I think I heard my childhood piano teacher rolling over in her grave.

Favorite stories: Book — “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Movie — “Moulin Rouge.”

Checked-off bucket list item: Driving Maui’s Hana Highway.

Industry advice: Invest in original reporting. Seek out diverse voices and viewpoints. Trust users’ intelligence. Approach topics with curiosity and an open mind.

Jayme Simoes CEO Louis Karno & Company Communications

Education: Boston University

Career history: Jayme H. Simoes is the driving force behind Louis Karno & Co. with strategic vision and leading innovative marketing endeavors, which he established in 1999 and grew from two clients to more than 30. He has been honored with the Advertising and Public Relations Award from the NH Travel Council on two separate occasions. Jayme has assumed the role of past president for the Public Relations Society of America-Yankee Chapter. He has lent his expertise to numerous local and statewide nonprofit boards, including influential contributions to the Concord Chamber of Commerce and the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire.

Business lesson: In business, you have to work to defeat racism. With determination, good partnerships, and a sense of true north guiding us, we are breaking down walls of racism and intolerance.

Fun fact: I stumbled into public relations. I joined Boston University’s Edward L. Bernays PRSSA Chapter. As chapter president, I got to spend a lot of time with Bernays, who was alive at 93 and whom I learned about in class.

Favorite story: “The Mediations,”by Marcus Aurelius.

Hobbies/passions: Collecting old radios, spending time with my family, Portuguese castles and culture.

Industry advice: We in communications cannot forget the significance of reading a newspaper. Real reporting holds a crucial place in the realm of civic engagement of our republic.

Travis York

CEO

York Creative Collective & GYK Antler

Education: Boston University

Career history: Travis was drawn to the marketing world because of an opportunity to innovate in the digital arena. Today, he serves as CEO and owner of the integrated creative agency GYK Antler and video production company Big Brick. He is a serial creative entrepreneur, angel investor and advisor for YCC ventures like YORK Athletics Mfg., Noble & Cooley Drum Co. and TorchPro and numerous tech companies and consumer brands. Travis is a real estate developer and the owner of Manchester, NH-based properties like the R.G. Sullivan 7-20-4 Cigar Factory building, Shoppers Pub + Eatery and Queen City Center, which will open to the public in summer 2024.

Business lesson: A career is a marathon, not a sprint.

Most excited about: Continuing to partner with brands that value creativity, craft and quality, and authenticity. We’re not interested in companies with a manufactured idea; we look for real consumer draw and stories to tell that create truly meaningful connections with an audience.

Fun fact: York is a longtime hardcore metal music fan and former DJ and artist manager.

Hobbies/passions: Playing guitar, visiting dive bars and taking over the jukebox, traveling the world, and attending live sporting events and concerts.

Industry advice: It’s not enough to just accept that change is a constant in marketing. You have to be willing to put in the effort to continuously learn and improve to take control amid all the changes and stay ahead of the curve.

Andrew Vrees

President and General Manager WMUR

Education: University of Southern California

Career history: A Granite State native, Andrew Vrees is the president and general manager of WMUR, the Hearst Television station in New Hampshire. In his current role, Andrew oversees all aspects of WMUR-TV, WMUR.com, the WMUR app, and WMUR’s social and streaming sites. Andrew has worked for Hearst Television for more than 22 years. His previous roles include vice president of news, Hearst Television, where he helped guide the company’s news division; news director, WCVB, Boston, where he led the news department; news director, WMUR, New Hampshire, where he also led the news department; and assistant news director, KOAT, Albuquerque. Before joining Hearst, Andrew worked in newsrooms in Alaska, Oklahoma and Ohio.

Will Arvelo Executive Director

Cross Roads House

Education: University of Massachusetts

Boston

Career history: After 33 years working between several Boston-area and New York colleges, Will became NH Technical Community College’s president. From 2007-2009, Pease Tradeport’s Airforce Hospital was renovated. NHTCC moved to that facility, rebranding as Great Bay Community College. Will oversaw the development of a satellite campus in Rochester. In 2018, Will joined the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs as economic development director. He’s now executive director of Cross Roads House, NH’s second-largest homeless shelter.

Business lesson: Have a vision and think big picture before focusing on details. Take care of people — our strongest and most important assets.

What keeps you up at night? Housing unaffordability; growing homelessness; the mental health crisis; intolerance of difference in others; breakdown of our health care; potential political instability.

Fun fact: I’m a former motorcycle mechanic. I’ve built intricate doll houses and wooden ship models. I’ve traveled to more than 30 countries, including Greece, Italy, Chile and Costa Rica.

Favorite story: Stories involving those who act selflessly to improve communities, like Mahatma Gandhi, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Harriet Tubman, Mother Teresa and Frederick Douglass.

Industry advice: Fight, fight, fight for what is right. Housing and food access are human rights.

Joy Barrett CEO Granite State Children’s Alliance

Education: Northeastern University, Marist College

Career history: As CEO of the Granite State Children’s Alliance (GSCA), Joy feels it is a privilege to improve the well-being of the most vulnerable children. She provides leadership for Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) in Belknap, Cheshire and Hillsborough counties. She serves as the NH representative of the National Children’s Alliance, providing resources to the state’s CACs. Joy has also served as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Nashua/Greater Salem and as coordinator of the Economic Opportunity Center, a program of Southern NH Services.

Julie Baron President & CEO Make-A-Wish New Hampshire

Education: Vermont State University; Harvard Business School; Duke School of Business; Make-A-Wish Leadership Program

Career history: Julie became Make-AWish NH president and CEO in 2004. She was formerly the American Cancer Society’s senior vice president of field operations for its New England Division. She was elected by her peers to serve on the Council Leadership Team in 2016. Julie served as a CEO advisor to the National Make-A-Wish America Board of Directors. Julie currently sits on the Board of Leadership Lakes Region. She graduated from Leadership New Hampshire and Leadership Lakes Region.

Business lesson: Inspiring others to greatness is the path to accomplishing incredible things. Leadership is about inspiring others and providing them with the tools they need and running toward your dreams together. Valuing and having the right people on your team is the secret sauce.

Favorite story: “Field of Dreams.”

Checked-off bucket list items: In 2000, my husband and I created a list of items, each picking 10 things. Over the years we’ve had so much fun accomplishing our list, from sitting on the statue of Lincoln on the Fourth of July to owning a saltwater fish tank. Our biggest smile was in 2016 when we crossed off spending time in every state, no drive-throughs or quick touchdowns included. You will be happy to know our favorite state is still NH.

Industry advice: Believe in yourself and believe in others.

Biggest challenge: Wanting to do so much more (and quickly) to improve Child Advocacy Centers, but needing to first find reliable funding streams to sustain critical services.

Most excited about: Reshaping wrap-around healing services provided to child abuse victims at Child Advocacy Centers. With the development of expanded behavioral/mental health services co-located on-site at CACs across NH, we are transforming how we provide justice, healing and hope to children and their caregivers.

Industry advice: “Rise up, show up and just say ‘yes!’ ” Opportunities are all around us. Get involved, be engaged, be genuine and love what you do. Surround yourself with supportive and wise people and don’t let anyone dull your shine. Be strong, trust yourself and stay the course to follow your dreams!

Alan

Cantor Principal

Alan Cantor Consulting

Education: Harvard University

Career history: Alan has worked with New Hampshire nonprofits his entire career, first at the Mayhew Program, then at the NH Charitable Foundation and the NH Community Loan Fund. For the last dozen years, he worked as a consultant to the sector running his own firm.

Most excited about: Nonprofit staff members are creative, dedicated, resilient, and under enormous pressure to balance their budgets, to fulfill their mission, to keep the lights on. They somehow manage to pull it off — through ups, downs and pandemics.

What keeps you up at night? I love donors who give unrestricted money and contribute generously. I fret about well-intentioned donors who, instead of giving directly to organizations, set up permanent foundations and funds to house their money. That defers the impact.

Fun fact: I grew up on a chicken farm — not a handful of heritage hens, but a working farm of 30,000 layers. My dad would be upset if I described him as chicken farmer — he was an egg farmer. (Don’t ask!)

Industry advice: Be brave, and ask for the money you need, not the money donors are at first inclined to give. Pay your staff a living wage — they work hard! And imagine the organization you want to be — and figure out how to get there.

Tanna Clews CEO and President NH Women’s Foundation

Education: Smith College, Northeastern Law School

Career history: Tanna started her career working on state and federal political campaigns before transitioning to nonprofit management and consulting. Before joining the Women’s Foundation, Tanna was an executive and strategic consultant advising and leading initiatives at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire Department of Education and Community College System of New Hampshire. Before that, she served as executive director of Educate Maine and of the La Napoule Art Foundation. Business lesson: Make room for other women at the table. Most excited about: As the only community foundation in the Granite State focused on gender equality, the Women’s Foundation has an incredible opportunity to leverage and deliver more investment to the organizations serving women and girls across the state. Nationally, organizations serving women and girls only receive 1.9% of total philanthropic dollars. The Women’s Foundation wants to change that statistic.

Ryan Clouthier Chief Operating Officer Southern New Hampshire Services

Career history: Ryan’s career began in high tech until the company he was working for relocated to Colorado. He stayed rooted in NH and in 2004, became an energy auditor with SNHS. He was promoted to weatherization director in 2007 and by 2013, earned the title of energy director, overseeing all energy-related programs. In 2018, he was promoted to chief operating officer and is responsible for the management of more than 60 programs and is also a contributing member of the executive management team.

Biggest challenge: Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m proud to say SNHS remained open and available to our clients the entire time, and I am grateful to staff and clients for all their cooperation.

Hobbies/passions: Pickleball, first recreationally, but later competitively during the pandemic. I now play mixed and women’s doubles in tournaments including the 2023 USA Pickleball National Indoor Championships in Atlantic City and the 2024 Amateur Invitational Championship in Dallas.

Industry advice: Move away from a culture of scarcity. If you lead with “can we afford it,” you will be limited by the past. If you begin with “what can we do/dream/be,” you will be poised for future growth.

Matthew Cordaro

CEO

One Sky Community Services, Inc.

Education: Middlesex Community College, University of Massachusetts Lowell, University of New Hampshire

Career history: Matthew’s career has focused on supporting individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities, acquired brain disorders, foster care and case management. He founded a behavioral health business in Florida and merged with a larger company, becoming vice president of Behavioral Services. Relocating back to NH, he provided nonprofit consulting services. He was next the CEO of a Brookline, Massachusetts, behavioral-health business. Matthew then became the Seacoast Treatment and Stabilization Center’s executive director. In 2020, he became CEO of One Sky Community Services.

Business lesson: Communication matters. Be kind, clear and direct. Focus on being positive and collaborative.

Biggest challenge: Managing through changing regulations, management systems and partnership organizations while maintaining services without disruption or loss of quality.

Most excited about: My team members, who come to work every day excited to support others in living their best lives.

What keeps you up at night? Changing regulations, funding and the types of services people receive.

Fun fact: I climbed the Great Wall of China.

Industry advice: Continue to focus on the individuals and families we support.

Most excited about: Our new partnerships to enhance program services, especially around workforce, education and child development. New innovations in our whole family approach to streamline services to clients. We’ve launched a Parent Leadership Training Initiative and Nurse Leader and Nurse Educators Pilot

What keeps you up at night? Current lack of affordable child care, affordable housing and affordable education.

Checked-off bucket list item: Ice fishing in the Lake of the Woods in Canada. I did so as part of a magazine article that followed me and my brother.

Industry advice: Find what makes you most passionate in your organization’s mission and always stay committed to being part of the solution.

Julianna Dodson

Deputy Executive Director

Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship

Education: Columbia International University

Career history: Julianna taught English overseas in Pakistan and Rwanda. She got her enrolled agent designation and from 2012-2023, through both self-employment and working for two firms. She has run a personal budgeting and money-management consulting venture. While running that, Julianna joined the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship as its national programs director in early 2021. She has since become the deputy executive director, where she oversees all operations and programming of the center.

What keeps you up at night? Divided communities/polarization, treatment of our home planet, and climate change. The work I have done and want to do is valuable, but it’s not even close to enough.

Fun fact: I was homeschooled with my six siblings until high school. My dad built monolithic domes, and we would travel with him wherever he was building at the time. On these trips we would live in anything from the back of a semi-truck, to a barn in the woods without running water, to motels or trailers, etc.

Hobbies/passions: Designing new ways of doing things (social structures, politics, etc.); tending the land; painting; dancing; sewing; learning new languages and music; reading; volunteer work including leading remediation of a brownfields property in Spofford; supporting asylum-seekers through Project Home.

Nathan Fink Senior Director of Advancement New Hampshire Children’s Trust

Education: University of New Hampshire; University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Career history: A parent of two, Nathan hosts and produces “New Hampshire Family NOW,” a podcast on parenting in NH for NH Children’s Trust. He was a former visiting assistant professor at DePaul University, and a former grant writer for the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester. Business lesson: Success is a function of curiosity, a commitment to learning, and deeply valuing those around you.

Biggest challenge: We can get lost in the workflows and outputs. Placing family at the center of decision-making can ground your perspective. Most excited about: Investing in families means thinking upstream about opportunities to create strength and resilience before challenges occur. What keeps you up at night? Our impulse to wait until challenges arise comes at the expense of our children, caregivers and communities. Challenge represents a small fraction of what lay beneath the surface, and by the time we see it, we’re already late.

Fun fact: Humor is how I process 99% of what happens to me in life. Except when I was attacked by a bullshark. That remaining 1% I reserved for panic.

Favorite story: “The Night in Question,” by Tobias Wolff.

Industry advice: Everyone you meet is part of a positive and lasting impact. Be as present as possible in your conversations. Valuing others is the only superpower you’ll ever need.

Christina FitzPatrick State Director

AARP New Hampshire

Education: Harvard University; Princeton University

Career history: Prior to assuming her current role, Christina spent 15 years in AARP’s national office, where she provided expert analysis and guidance to AARP senior leadership about public policy issues.

During her career, she has focused on public policy related to financial security, identifying ways to strengthen the Social Security program, promoting fair and efficient tax policy, and ensuring the smooth functioning of labor markets that balance worker protections with employer needs. Before that, she served as a policy analyst for the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, the National Women’s Law Center, and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Biggest challenge: In 2022, I moved to New Hampshire from Washington, D.C., to take my current job. While I had worked for AARP for many years, I had never before worked in a state office or held a management position. And I didn’t know anyone in the state.

Fun facts: I grew up in Louisiana. I once won first prize for my chocolate chip cookies at the Sugar Cane Festival. I was the captain of my high school and college volleyball teams.

Hobbies/passions: Reading fiction; trying out new recipes; getting outside; playing board games with family.

Industry advice: Take the long view and celebrate progress. Creating change is difficult, and it can be easy to feel discouraged. When that happens, take a step back, zoom out and acknowledge the change that has happened.

Jean Hakuzimana Founder NH Songa

Education: The Carsey School of Public Policy; National University of Rwanda/ School of Journalism and Communication

Career history: Jean is the founder and director of NH Songa. He’s published over 50 articles telling stories of immigrants and non-immigrants, encouraging others to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion. He organized the Immigrants in NH’s Workforce conference to connect local businesses and NH’s immigrant community. As deputy editor of Amjambo Africa in Maine, Jean has built a conduit of information for the state’s newcomers. He produces and presents several multilingual shows. Jean is deputy director of Let There Be Light International, a refugee resettlement case manager for Ascentria Care Alliance and communications specialist for the United Nations Program for Development.

Business lesson: There is always untapped potential within someone. All you often need is encouragement to unleash it.

Biggest challenge: Leaving a decade-long career in Africa to start a new chapter in New Hampshire.

Most excited about: The potential to become a hub for immigrant empowerment and that rhymes with the current business climate.

Fun fact: I credit all to God.

Favorite story: “Things Fall Apart,” by Chinua Achebe.

Checked-off bucket list item: Coming to America

Industry advice: Make an extra effort to listen to people

Chief Operating Officer Strategic Growth Initiatives Director

Melanie Sanuth

Ryan Clouthier

Elaine Hamel Founder, Executive Director Girls at Work Inc.

Education: Studied art and psychology

Career history: For 20 years, Elaine was a general contractor specializing in residential renovations. She enjoyed designing with homeowners, teaching them “how to’s” to nurture empowerment and getting kids involved at the same time.

Biggest challenge: Maintaining a balance between work and life. I had someone in my life who “saved me” as a kid. I didn’t realize it until she passed away when I was in my 20s. Now I pay it forward, loving kids unconditionally and teaching them to believe in themselves like she did for me.

Most excited about: Our incredibly awesome team is dedicated and excited about what we do daily, and plan to tackle much more. Our new relationship with Alnoba in Kensington has changed the game for us. We are well positioned for an exciting future empowering more girls than ever before.

What keeps you up at night? The potential of having a team who believes in our mission, and how much we all want to empower underserved girls.

Fun fact: I love opera.

Hobbies/passions: Feeding the birds and building. I taught volunteers how to build homes for others who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. I hope to find land and a crew to build shelter for folks in need.

Industry advice: Be ready for endless obstacles; find people whose values and growth mindset align with yours. Give it everything you got.

Henry Harris

Manchester Managing Director International Institute of New England

Education: Rivier University; University

of New Hampshire

Career history: Henry is the managing director for the International Institute of New England’s (IINE) operations in Manchester, and has worked with at-risk youth and families for more than 20 years. As a clinical foster care social worker, Henry specialized in a unique blend of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and outdoor adventure-based learning techniques helping to create positive experiences and life skills for youth in crisis.

When he worked for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Henry was the director of the Franklin Family Resource Center (now Archways Franklin), located in each of the city’s schools. The centers ran year-round, providing K-12 after-school programming and provided families and individuals with mental health counseling, financial education workshops and connected people to supports and resources in the community.

Before joining IINE, Henry was the client services director for Southern New Hampshire Services/Community Action and worked to create a strong referral network of community partnerships across Hillsborough and Rockingham counties that help support and empower low-income families to thrive. Henry lives in Manchester with his wife and son.

Karina Kelley Co-Founder

Kelley Stelling Contemporary

Education: Plymouth State University

Career history: Karina worked in marketing and graphic design for several years before starting Kelley Stelling

Contemporary with her business partner Bill Stelling in 2017. They moved to a site-specific pop-up gallery model in 2019, staging art shows throughout southern NH.

Business lesson: If your current iteration is not working — change it. We are having a lot more fun staging pop-up gallery events throughout the year versus a static gallery space.

Biggest challenge: Figuring out the right number of art shows. We went from about 12 shows per year to two to three, allowing us to be more selective and focus our passion on a specific project.

Most excited about: New art galleries have popped up in the last year, especially in Concord. I am excited to collaborate or support each other’s efforts.

Fun fact: I am a volunteer docent at the Frank Lloyd Wright houses owned by the Currier Museum.

Hobbies/passions: We have rescued five dogs over the last 10 years (not all at once!), and we have two currently. I love all things Italian — from the food, to the movies, to speaking the language. I try to travel to Italy every year.

Industry advice: Work with artists who you believe in and trust your taste. Supporting artists and giving them a venue to show their work is such a privilege.

Clement “Nsenga” Kigugu Executive Director Overcomers Refugee Service

Education: University Libre de Kigali (Rwanda, Africa)

Career history: Clement first started his career at the Gira Impuhwe Institute in Rwanda, where he provided supports to victims of genocide, war and HIV. After continuing to work for people with HIV in Rwanda, he worked as a direct support associate at Easterseals in Bow, followed by stints at Language Bank and Ascentria Care Alliance. He founded Overcomes Refugee Services in 2017, supporting refugees, immigrants and low-income families.

Business lesson: I have learned that adaptability is a cornerstone of sustainable success in the ever-evolving business landscape. I structured the organization in a way I think will meet the needs of the people I wanted to help, but there were some challenges that made me adjust strategies and encouraged me to the innovation that leads to the development of new services.

Biggest challenge: Continuously sourcing funds to support the programs and activities is a major challenge. Balancing financial stability with fulfilling the organization’s mission can be tough, ensuring long-term sustainability without compromising the core mission.

Most excited about: The positive impact that Overcomers had in our community that we serve. The education that ORS offers allowed many people to change their lives. Overcomers established partnerships and collaboration with other organizations, agencies and businesses to increase resources and access to opportunities or funding.

Derek Lucci Founder Open Sky Inc.

Education: UNH, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Yale School of Drama

Career history: Derek is fascinated by people — what they do, how they succeed and why, and how their lives are shaped by their decisions. Derek is driven to create, perform and teach, while cultivating the capacity for others to do the same. Derek started performing at The Palace Theatre in fourth grade. After graduating from UNH, Derek toured with a Boston company, then worked in TV, theater and film as actor, writer and director in New York City. At NYU / TISCH School of the Arts, Derek created a training progression for actors that is the basis for the Open Sky program. Derek is creating a theater and dance piece about George Balanchine called “The Scattering,” which will premiere at the Guggenheim.

Ahni Malachi Executive Director

NH Commission for Human Rights

Education: Georgia State University, Liberty University

Career history: Before her current role, Ahni was the public service manager at WMUR where she produced public service announcements providing over $2 million annually of “inkind” airtime for local nonprofits. Ahni has received numerous awards from the NH Association of Broadcasters, including an Emmy award for PSA production in 2018.

Business lesson: Care is the most necessary resource. It is the catalyst of both conservation and change. We must be mindful of and generous with our care.

Most excited about: With support of our funders and NH Service to Science’s reporting, we want to expand our model as a New Hampshire export, growing Open Sky into a new state within the next two years.

Industry advice: An artist listens to the world and responds with their work. Listening to the world can be easy to skip or lose sight of once you find some success.

Business lesson: In life and in business, a simple adage rings true: Look both ways before you cross the street. Look at the flow of the situation you find yourself in and listen to wise counsel providing guidance for your next steps. Then make your move toward the best outcome for yourself and especially those you are responsible for leading.

Most excited about: The NH Commission for Human Rights is uniquely poised to connect various business sectors in the fight against discrimination. Through outreach, education and training, the message of ending discrimination has the ability to reach across every aspect of a person’s life to include where they work, where they live, their children’s education and places of public accommodation.

Industry advice: Always ask why. Be curious, be kind, and try to look at things from the other people’s perspectives, especially when you don’t agree. It doesn’t mean you will change your mind; it simply means you are genuinely willing to listen.

Nancy Mellitt Director of Development New Hampshire Food Bank

Education: Concord High School

Career history: Nancy’s career has covered a wide variety of services, working or volunteering for multiple nonprofits. Those include Rape & Domestic Violence Crisis Center, United Way, Plus Time NH and volunteering for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central & Northern NH and Centennial Senior Center. She spent several years at NH Hospital and as a paralegal before settling at NH Food Bank. Nancy has earned a Woman of Achievement Award from the Business & Professional Women’s Association, the Russell Martin Volunteer of the Year and received a Citizen Letter of Appreciation from the Concord Police Department. Business lesson: Active listening skills can bring numerous benefits to you — building trust, creating strong relationships in the workplace and with clients, improving communications, assisting in conflict resolution and more. Biggest challenge: Ever-changing economics have brought increases in needs, requiring more fundraising to meet demand. COVID saw a tremendous increase in need, but also, increased funding resources. Needs are still high and funding resources haven’t kept pace.

Hobbies/passions: Cooking; baking; golfing; gardening; reading; birding Checked-off bucket list item: Traveling to Ireland and exploring my ancestry, meeting and visiting with relatives on my maternal side.

Industry advice: Find and pursue a career you’re passionate about. A significant amount of time is spent working, so choose a path that brings you excitement, meaning and purpose. You will be glad you did.

Christine Phillips Co-founder and Executive Director Friends of Aine

Education: Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMass Dartmouth)

Career history: Christine says her life, not just her career, is divided into two time frames: life prior to her daughter Aine’s death, and life after she died. Christine’s career prior to that was 10+ years in the software industry, seven of which as project manager for Unisys Corp. Her career allowed her to travel all over the world, but then she later became a stayat-home mom. After Aine’s death, Christine and her husband, David, dedicated their lives to their family’s survival, their daughter, Bella, and Friends of Aine. Biggest challenge: Keeping up with the need for our services has been the biggest challenge. Our outreach has grown further into the community via our peer-to-peer support groups, our grief backpack initiative and community collaboration. One in 12 children in NH will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. And the numbers are growing due to the increasing number of deaths by suicide and overdose.

Randy Pierce President & CEO Future In Sight

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Randy’s engineering background with Digital Equipment Corp. established the essential problem-solving foundation of his life. He unexpectedly became blind, inspiring a focus and vision on community needs, so he founded “2020 Vision Quest.” That led to his present career as the president and CEO of Future In Sight. He says it is fulfilling to ensure there are teaching, tools and services able to transform the lives of the 28,000 people in NH who experience profound sight loss or blindness.

Business lesson: Proper positive attention to staff is essential before you can ensure proper positive attention for clients.

Biggest challenge: Exciting and inviting positive steps to culture amid a staffing crisis requires patience and steady demonstration of deserving the trust essential to those changes.

Most excited about: Friends of Aine has great vision and an amazing staff to carry it out. With smart, sensible business and strategic planning, working in harmony with our passion and compassion, we are and will continue to be a vital service in the continuum of care for the mental health and well-being of the children in our state.

Industry advice: Remain consistent and passionate; keep the mission at the forefront of everything you do and all the decisions you make.

Melanie Sanuth

Director of Strategic Growth Initiatives

Southern New Hampshire Services

Education: University of New Hampshire at Manchester

Career history: Melanie has worked in various business sectors throughout her career. In nearly three decades she has learned, grown, and gain experience within the big box retail environment, real estate development, municipal government, and most recently, the nonprofit arena. In connection with some of this work, she has also served on various boards and committees and says she’s been fortunate to meet and get to know many interesting people along the way.

Business lesson: Change is inevitable! Change is hard! Change is where some of the most meaningful lessons have emerged.

Fun fact: I generally consider myself an introvert.

Hobbies/passions: Traveling. When I am closer to home, I enjoy upcycling and creative reuse projects.

Checked-off bucket list item: Traveling to Europe.

Industry advice: One person can make a difference, no matter how big or how small, it all counts. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and speak up.

Most excited about: The opportunity to create confidence, competence and connection for the blind and visually impaired of NH invigorates me. Working with a team of equally passionate people encourages me for a better Future In Sight.

Fun fact: I was awarded “Best Eyes” in school!

Industry advice: Competence is the best advocacy, transparency gifts you control over all the messaging and kindness is king. Delegate to promote growth, not avoid responsibility. Put off procrastination and do the work now.

Kim Shottes

Executive Director

The PLUS Company

Education: North Adams State College (BS), University of Hartford

Career history: Kim began as a career counselor at an employment training center in Lawrence, Mass., assisting unemployed/ underemployed individuals in finding careers. She then worked as a planning and development director for the organization. After 10 years, Kim transitioned to Gateway Community Services working as an administrator for family support services and vendor liaison. For the last 29 years, she has been the PLUS Company’s executive director, supporting over 400 individuals with disabilities and their families in the Greater Nashua and Lower Merrimack Valley Mass areas.

Business lesson: Accept responsibility for your actions and learn from your mistakes.

Biggest challenge: Reinventing business to ensure quality support and services continue to be delivered to our customers and their families, most importantly ensuring everyone’s needs are met.

Most excited about: Due to staffing shortages, the industry has begun to identify many innovative ways to deliver services including technology, housing and transportation. It often allows for more independence and the empowerment of individuals with disabilities.

Industry advice: During times of challenge, do not lose sight of the organization’s mission and purpose. Always determine the impact on your constituents and staff.

Justin Spencer Founder & CEO Chaos & Kindness

Career history: Justin is the founder and CEO of Chaos & Kindness, which launched in 2016 as a television show dedicated to showing the chaos of his rock band, Recycled Percussion, integrated with spreading kindness across the world. It can be seen on WMUR-TV in New Hampshire and Amazon Prime worldwide.

The show won an Emmy Award in 2019, and Justin and his team expanded the brand by opening a line of Chaos & Kindness retail stores. He says Chaos & Kindness is now an innovative brand and movement. Justin and his team believe it is powerful when Chaos & Kindness come together. In 2007, Justin launched LegacyX, a program with a mission to teach people that they have the drive to meet any goal or make any change within themselves, from building a business to stopping addiction and everything in between. Taking these principles and wanting to make a greater impact in the world, he created the Recycled Percussion Foundation.

Julie Taub

Co-founder, Executive Director Swim With A Mission

Education: Skidmore College

Career history: Passionate in serving her community, Julie has worked at not-forprofits like the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire. After many years of volunteering at other nonprofits, like the Granite State Children’s Alliance and the Derryfield School, in 2017, Julie and her husband, Phil, started Swim With A Mission. In seven years, along with its board, SWAM has raised over $12.5 million for Veterans.

Business lesson: Build a great team and delegate! You cannot be successful and reach your goals alone. Surround yourself with like-minded people with the same passion who want to succeed. It takes a village and our village is strong!

Biggest challenge: Getting people to understand what we were doing and seeing what is possible after we started SWAM in 2017.

Most excited about: Just getting started helping veterans get services that they need and to lower the rate of suicide within the veteran community. If everyone works together, we can make a significant difference.

What keeps you up at night? The suicide rate among the veteran community. We are losing way too many veterans, and we need to do everything we can for those that have sacrificed so much.

Hobbies/passions: Cooking, entertaining and playing tennis!

Industry advice: Think big! It’s great to set high goals — it may not be easy but it’s worth it in the long run.

Philip Taub

Co-founder, Board Chair

Swim With A Mission

Education: George Washington University, Boston University

Career history: Philip is a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Nixon Peabody LLP.

For the last 29 years, he has represented private and public companies that buy and sell businesses, volunteered with charities and invested in businesses, like co-founding Primary Bank. Then in 2017, he and his wife, Julie, co-founded Swim With A Mission. SWAM has since raised more than $12.5 million to support veteran service organizations.

Business lesson: The “only easy day was yesterday.” Never rest on your laurels. Keep pursuing excellence! It will pay off.

Biggest challenge: Veteran suicide rates continue to increase. Too many veterans aren’t finding the services they critically need. Our freedom is not free. It comes at a heavy price!

Most excited about: SWAM’s annual summit brings together stakeholders serving our veterans to communicate, share ideas and build trust and relationships. Fewer veterans are being left behind as a result.

Fun fact: I was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Southern Africa.

Checked-off bucket list item: I swam the length of beautiful Newfound Lake with Navy SEALs and a great local swim group.

Industry advice: For nonprofits, think big. Surround yourself with people who share your passion and also think big. Together, a small group of passionate people can accomplish anything!

One Sky Community Services is proud to offer vital and comprehensive services and support to individuals with developmental disabilities and acquired brain disorders.

Affordable and secure housing is a critical and urgent need for this vulnerable community in New Hampshire.

Please join us in finding housing solutions, through your donations and in-kind contributions.

Cecilia

Ulibarri Co-Founder & Executive Director Positive Street Art

Career history: Cecilia co-founded Positive Street Art in 2012 and served in the mayor’s office promoting diversity. She coordinated events for the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce and was the first Latina president of Rotary Club of Nashua West. Honored with accolades such as Rising Stars, Nashua’s 40 Under 40, and Young Professional of the Year, Cecilia aims to be a driving force for positive change in Nashua.

Business lesson: Adhering to traditional methods isn’t always the best approach. To truly innovate and move forward, one must be open to exploring new strategies and thinking creatively beyond conventional boundaries. Biggest challenge: Balancing my career achievements with personal creativity. My dedication to work has often overshadowed my personal time and creative pursuits.

Most excited about: Our organization is excited to continue to use art as a vessel for change, to bridge gaps and build stronger creative communities.

Favorite story: My treasured narrative revolves around my activist ancestors, shaping my journey through advocacy, resilience, and positive change. Born into a family of organizers, their collective legacy continues to inspire and shape the path I tread today.

Industry advice: In the dynamic industry of art, resilience is paramount. Don’t give up in the face of challenges; instead, embrace the transformative power of the arts as a catalyst for positive change. Let creativity be your guiding force on the journey ahead.

Michelle Veasey Executive Director

NH Businesses for Social Responsibility

Education: University of Denver, University of New Hampshire

Career history: Michelle spent the first 20 years of her career in high tech, designing and developing decision support software for Fortune 500 companies. It was fast-paced and exciting work, but as a mom of two young girls, she says she realized that she wanted to address environmental challenges. When the ED role at NHBSR opened in 2011, she took the opportunity, knowing that businesses were the key to moving positive change forward.

Business lesson: Don’t be afraid to ask busy people to get involved in a role or a project. They’re the ones getting things done.

Biggest challenge: There are so many important issues that negatively impact our communities and those issues ultimately affect businesses’ ability to succeed. Business cannot thrive in communities that aren’t.

Most excited about: Leading businesses have changed their focus from maximizing shareholder value to creating shared value for all stakeholders. Regardless of the negative messaging some push, businesses are deeply engaged and building diverse, inclusive, and innovative workplace cultures. Hobbies/passions: Pickleball; knitting; reading; snowshoeing; skinning skiing (beginner!); and at 60, I took up paddle boarding.

Industry advice: Past conference speaker Simon Mainwaring shared advice for business leaders that I refer to often... “What legacy do you want to live? Lead with it. Live your truth.”

Borja Alvarez de Toledo President/CEO Waypoint

Education: University of Comillas (Madrid, Spain); Boston University; University of Massachusetts

Career history: Borja started working in intensive home-based programs 30 years ago. Originally from Spain, where he developed a private practice in individual, family and couples therapy, he worked as an adjunct professor at The University of Comillas. In 1998, he moved to the U.S. to work at the Guidance Center in Cambridge as a director of an intensive home-based program and was promoted to various management positions. In 2010, the Guidance Center merged with Riverside Community Care, and Borja was promoted to oversee a newly created Division of Child and Family Services. In 2013, after a three-month nationwide search, Waypoint offered Borja the position of president and CEO.

Suzanne Brunelle Shareholder Devine Millimet & Branch, Professional Association

Education: Rivier University, Suffolk University Law School

Career history: Previously a private practice lawyer in Boston, Suzanne joined Devine Millimet in 2014. She chairs Devine’s Real Estate Practice Group, sits on its board of directors and is the vice chair of the Londonderry Zoning Board of Adjustment. Suzanne fills the governor-appointed attorney member of the NH Real Estate Commission. She is a member of the Southern NH Planning Commission and the NH Commercial Investment Board of Realtors and its charitable arm CIBOR Care. She was prior chair of the Manchester Development Corp. and prior member of the Capital Regional Development Corp., earning distinction and awards within the real estate industry.

Biggest challenge: Recruiting staff for a nonprofit organization that is unable to compete with the for-profit sector in compensation and benefits. Level funding in many of our state contracts also depresses our ability to compensate appropriately or give raises.

Most excited about: More recent focus on prevention models will result in less children failing the system.

Hobbies/passions: Skiing; biking; golfing; movies and classical music. Checked-off bucket list item: Heli-skiing

Industry advice: Creating a culture of support, learning, professional development and psychological safety increases your retention, job satisfaction and quality of the care provided.

Denis Dancoes Executive Director Cushman & Wakefield

Education: Bentley University

Career history: Denis interned at Cushman & Wakefield (C&W) his senior year at Bentley and began his career with PKF Consulting, a boutique hotel valuation company. He moved back “home” to C&W, working in its Boston valuation advisory (commercial appraisal) division. Denis then transitioned to C&W’s brokerage services division in 1994, advising and representing both occupiers and owners of office and industrial properties as well as commercial and industrial land sites in the New England region.

Business lesson: Know your audience, but at the same time, acknowledge that you likely have no idea what the person standing right in front of you is dealing with professionally and personally at that moment. Recognize the significance of both your IQ and EQ.

Biggest challenge: Finding the right solution to advise clients on best practices for their office space utilization/occupancy needs has been a top challenge and continues to evolve. To borrow a serious phrase from one of the “The Muppet Show” creators, “We work in service of the best idea.”

Fun fact: I am a Marine Corps infantry veteran of the Gulf War, deployed to the Kuwait Theater of Operations in 1990. During a joint Marine Corps/ NATO training evolution in Norway, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gen. “Stormin’” Norman Schwarzkopf during one of his briefings.

Industry advice: Before you are done, every day, always make one more call.

Business lesson: Enjoy work and client relationships. Answer phone calls or return them quickly. Focus on clients’ interests and deliver with a human touch.

Biggest challenge: Finding talent with the experience we require.

Fun fact: My family moved from the New York metropolitan area to NH as my father was concerned I would become a professional ballerina.

Favorite story: “The Little Engine That Could” by Watty Piper.

Industry advice: Law is either highly rewarding or extremely frustrating if you don’t love it. The right area of law for you is out there, you just have to strive to find it.

Jennifer Delisle

Metropolitan Broker Associate

Luxe Living Real Estate Powered by Keller Williams Realty

Education: University of New Hampshire, Broker Associate License, Real Estate Salesperson License

Career history: Jennifer has been a Realtor and broker associate for 17 years, specializing in residential real estate. Selling over 550 homes in her career, she’s in the top 3% of her Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan office. In 2024, she’s launching Luxe Living Real Estate. Jennifer was the cofounder of Inspire Realty Group. She’s a member of KW Luxury, and KW Relocation and is a board member of NH Young Housing Professionals.

Business lesson: Take the chance to follow your dream, despite what others may think.

Biggest challenge: Balancing business with family. I’ve learned to timeblock my work schedule and utilize leverage in my business, so I can be there for what matters most.

Most excited about: Launching my new team in 2024 has been a goal of mine for years. I’m excited to offer a luxury experience — for every price point — so all of our clients have an exceptional experience before, during and after the real estate process.

Hobbies/passions: Cheering on our kids at their sporting events; golf; walking on the beach; Disney.

Industry advice: Success is boring. Doing the same thing every day leads to results and success. You don’t have to be the smartest in the room, but you have to work the hardest.

Ryan Hvizda Owner, Realtor Hvizda Realty Group

Education: Syracuse University

Career history: Ryan has been in real estate for 10 years. Before that, she was a founding art teacher at a charter high school and had a short stint as a farmer.

Growing her real estate business and volunteering in the community has been a highlight of her working career so far. She was part of the Union Leader’s 40 under Forty Class of 2020.

Business lesson: Your business will grow to the extent that you do. To keep growing, you have to make personal development, leadership and growth your priorities. If you stop growing, learning and developing as a person, so will your business.

Biggest challenge: I have chronic Lyme and mold sickness, so learning to balance rest, healing and self care time with my strong desire to achieve, overwork and drive hard and fast toward a goal has been an ongoing challenge. Favorite story: “The Overstory” by Richard Powers. I have spent a lot of time with my husband in a van adventuring around North America and have seen firsthand the varying degrees of deforestation of our forests, so this story really spoke to me.

Hobbies/passions: Hiking, being in nature and surfing in Barbados. Industry advice: Real estate is a relationship business. If you focus on community and building a better future for any and everyone your business touches, your business will prosper.

William Kanteres President Kanteres Real Estate

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: A third-generation real estate broker, Will started in residential sales and then added commercial and investment sales as his area of expertise. Working with family and having a strong support team has enabled him to put time and energy into civic volunteerism. Will has worked on the national campaign staff of four presidential candidates. He says that work reinforces the importance of planning and attention to detail while working toward goals.

Business lesson: Never compromise on the quality of your service, and always focus on the long-term impact of your actions.

Most excited about: The unbelievably tight real estate market has raised the degree of difficulty of completing a successful transaction. I am excited about rising to meet that challenge. We are not intimidated by this challenge as we operate with a small, highly qualified staff with years of experience in difficult markets.

Hobby/passion: I am obsessed with Ancient Greek history and the theft of the Parthenon Marbles by Lord Elgin in particular. I hope to see the sculptures returned to their rightful place at the Acropolis Museum in our lifetime. Checked-off bucket list item: Going on the road as a tour manager for a rock ’n’ roll band.

Industry advice: Service is paramount. Market conditions constantly fluctuate, but client demand for excellent service never wavers.

“If you focus on community and building a better future for any and everyone your business touches, your business will prosper.”

Ryan Hvizda, owner/Realtor, Hvizda Realty Group

Benjamin Kelley Principal Kelley Family

Properties

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Kelley worked at Brady Sullivan Properties as a commercial broker from 2006 to 2018. In 2006, he started investing in real estate, slowly ramping up his portfolio by investing in smaller multifamily and commercial properties. In 2013, he had a few deals that became the foundation of what’s now the company’s portfolio. Biggest challenge: Figuring out where we want our “ceiling” to be as a company. It’s not natural to make decisions that may limit growth, so fighting against that instinct. I thoroughly enjoy the process of development from deal procurement through design and construction, and the asset management side once stable. But the business administration side of running a company I enjoy less, so recognizing that and governing ourselves to be picky about when and where we invest, rather than just growth for growth’s sake, has been a challenge — I am a natural deal junky.

Favorite story: “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth & Happiness” is one of my favorite business/personal growth books that I keep picking up and coming back to.

Industry advice: The wonderful thing about real estate investment and development is that there are so many models and different ways to find success. I’ve fallen into a certain pattern recognition of deal types I enjoy and find profitable, but what works for one person doesn’t work for everyone. My advice would be to understand the numbers, hone your vision, and to remember that you make money “on the buy.”

Michael Martin Founder, Chief Consulting Officer MDM Ventures

Education: Saint Anselm College

Career history: Michael ran a footwear division globally and was named an SGB Magazine 40 Under 40 winner after sales and management in snow sports and athletic shoes industries. Early in the pandemic, he joined Pinnacle Mortgage Corp. as COO. He started MDM Ventures to help others succeed in business, and has spoken at universities and business conferences. He currently co-hosts the podcast “Business Matters” with Tim Roberts. In 2017, he helped launch Saint Anselm College’s Center for Ethics in Society. Michael has run a pediatric oncology fundraiser benefitting children in NH since 1997.

Bob Rohrer Managing Director Colliers

Education: New England Law, College of the Holy Cross

Career history: For the past 28+ years, Bob has been a principal or managing principal of Colliers.

Business lesson: My first boss and mentor’s philosophy was that perseverance was the key to success. She had a print on her office wall that went something like: “Perseverance is the key to success, not intelligence alone. Many smart individuals falter without the endurance to weather challenges and navigate the winding path to achievement.” That has stuck with me.

Business lesson: Have patience with yourself and others. Maintain focus on the goals of the business, and communicate the strategy of attaining those goals clearly and often.

Biggest challenge: Making sure people stay focused on goals and tasks despite distractions. Keeping the mission clear, focused, and communicated consistently and persistently starts with me. Being sure I am “all in” is important and takes ongoing effort.

Most excited about: There are always opportunities to help businesses, consumers or both. Keep eyes and ears open, or move farther geographically. Checked-off bucket list item: Vacationing in Peru — hiking, exploring, camping and sandboarding.

Industry advice: Keep looking for growth opportunities internally and externally. Ask how you can help others. When doors open, step through.

Kevin Smith

Owner/Consultant

Smith Horizon LLC

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Kevin is currently a self-employed real estate development consultant. He previously served as Londonderry’s town manager for nine years, overseeing the fastest-growing community for economic development. The town increased its property value by over $2.2 billion in that time. Gov. Chris Sununu appointed him chairman of the Pease Development Authority from 2017-22. Kevin was a candidate for governor in 2012, and for U.S. Senate in 2022.

Fun fact: When the TV show “Dawson’s Creek” was all the rage, I would often get mistaken for the lead character, James VanDerBeek, being asked for autographs. It even landed me on “Live! with Regis and Kelly.”

Favorite story: The movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and its message of giving back and counting one’s blessings. The quote at the end is a favorite: “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”

Hobbies/passions: I love Jimmy Buffett’s music — you might even call me a “Parrothead.” I have a Margaritaville-inspired tiki hut in my backyard! His legacy of fun and escapism will forever live on in his music.

Checked-off bucket list item: After dreams of going to the three Triple Crown races, last year, three buddies and I attended the Belmont Stakes.

Industry advice: Do as much due diligence as you can before entering into any project. Seek the wise counsel of those who have gone before you in the industry who have had both successes and failures.

Biggest challenge: Navigating the acute changes that COVID/post-COVID brought to our industry was a challenge. Work from home, inflation and interestrate spikes, all conspired to bring quick change to an industry used to slow transitions.

Most excited about: I believe there will be a lot of opportunity in our industry in the coming years. As mentioned above, a rapid socioeconomic change impacted commercial real estate. Where there is change, there is often opportunity.

What keeps you up at night? At this point, my achy knees and sore back are the only things that occasionally keep me up at night.

Industry advice: Don’t wait for change to come to you. It is important to be out in front of market changes. Additionally, it is important to never lose sight of business development.

Robert Tourigny

Executive Director

NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire

Education: University of Maryland, University of Maine, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Career history: Robert has over 30 years of experience in housing and community development, including 19 years as the executive director at NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire, 10 years with a community action program in Southern Maryland and three years at Coastal Enterprises in Maine having developed nearly 1,500 units of affordable housing totaling investments of $178 million. He has served on numerous local, state and national boards and advisory committees including the NH Community Development Finance Authority and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.

Biggest challenge: Overcoming opinions and attitudes of those who establish land use policies and regulations around growth management that impact our work. Educating community leaders on the importance of having a balanced housing supply has been essential.

Most excited about: For years, it seemed like we were the only voice advocating for affordable housing. Today, nearly everyone is impacted by high prices and supply issues, so we have other businesses, local officials and higher education all speaking out on behalf of our industry.

What keeps you up at night? The costs of creating affordable units.

Hobbies/passions: Hunting and fishing.

Industry advice: Stay passionate, and don’t be discouraged by obstacles you encounter. Pay attention and learn from others but think creatively.

Investment in the future of NH

Become a member of New Hampshire’s leading business advocate

As the statewide chamber of commerce and state manufacturing association, no other organization in New Hampshire has as broad a reach to shape public policy or as extensive of a business network through which to engage and meet fellow leaders.

Ready to join the Business & Industry Association? Get started at BIAofNH.com/join or email mail@biaofnh.com.

Alex Bellman COO

Bellman Jewelers

Education: Southern New Hampshire University

Career history: While in high school, Alex led marketing initiatives for CertaPro Painters, and founded his own duffle bag company. He also held a sales role at Bellman Jewelers and worked as a full-time project manager for Wasabi Ventures. Currently, he is the chief operating officer at Bellman Jewelers, leading all business strategy, growth operations and sales team management.

Andrew Georgevits Marketing Representative, LaBelle Winery Sales Representative, Off the Vine Owner, Andrew’s Auto Detailing

Education: New Hampshire Technical Institute, Arizona State University

Most excited about: Innovations that I’ve implemented at Bellman’s, including investing in a high-quality 3D printer, which allows us to create 3D renderings of custom pieces of jewelry in under 24 hours, so that our clients can physically try on the piece before purchasing. We’ve also invested in a laser, which allows us to make, oftentimes, same-day repairs to people’s most prized possessions. Favorite story: My grandfather passed away when my dad was only 18 years old. My dad used his last remaining money to buy gold chains from a wholesaler and started selling them out of his living room and door-to-door, until he had enough money to open his first store in the basement of an old Victorian in Manchester — the building we’re still in today.

Industry advice: “Adapt or die.” I know that can sound intense, but it’s true. If we’re stuck in our ways and refuse to evolve as things move around us, we will not progress forward.

Career history: Andrew has served as a marketing representative for LaBelle Winery since 2004, where he provides in-store demonstrations and samples as well as reorders products for the winery. He has also worked as a sales representative for Off the Vine, offering in-store demonstrations and product sampling. He runs a business of his own, Andrew’s Auto Detailing.

To learn more about our multi-platform underwriting and sponsorship opportunities, visit nhprcorporatesupport.org

Timothy McGrath President & CEO Connection (PC Connection Inc.)

Education: New Hampshire College, Babson College

Career history: In 2011, Timothy became president and chief executive officer of Connection, a Fortune 1000 global-solutions provider with more than 2,600 employees throughout the U.S. He heads the strategic direction of the company and leads Connection’s sales subsidiaries for business, enterprise and the public sector. Before CEO, Timothy was the company’s president and chief operating officer, executive vice president and senior vice president of PC Connection Enterprises, and president of the company’s subsidiary focused on small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Business lesson: Having spent most of my career in technology, you learn very quickly that technology is constantly evolving. Adapting to those changes and market conditions is critical to your success.

Biggest challenge: Quickly adjusting how and where our staff worked, how we engaged with partners and served customers.

Most excited about: Artificial intelligence offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to leap forward — for our customers and for Connection. We are focused on delivering this pivotal technology in a meaningful way.

What keeps you up at night? For Connection, in our 43rd year, I worry more about complacency and talent acquisition than I do market competition. If you take great care of your customers, you should sleep well at night.

Industry advice: Work hard, never stop learning, stay close to your customers and your employees, and always treat people with dignity and respect.

“Work hard, never stop learning, stay close to your customers and your employees, and always treat people with dignity and respect.”

Timothy McGrath, president & CEO, Connection

CELEBRATING NEW HAMPSHIRE’S VISIONARIES

Congratulations to the leaders and innovators on the New Hampshire 200 list!

Connection is proud to support you and your teams with the technology to realize your vision— from cybersecurity, AI, and managed services to digital workspace and multicloud solutions.

TIM McGRATH Connection President and CEO

Bob Ray CEO Margaritas

Education: Bates College

Career history: After working at restaurant jobs almost exclusively early on, Bob was later connected to John and Dave Pelletier, which led to 20-plus years of being part of the Margaritas team. After being the VP of operations, he left Margaritas in 2013 and spent a few years with Northwestern Mutual. He returned to Margaritas as director of human resources in 2018, until his transition to CEO a couple years later.

Business lesson: Be passionate about the details and always strive for perfection, even if it’s unattainable. While staying focused on the basics, always be open to new ideas and opportunities.

Most excited about: We just opened a new location in Brunswick, Maine, and are looking for our next opportunity. We are also developing new recipes for 2024 and will be delivering new flavors and bringing back some old favorites. With Cancun Pizza also expanding, we have a lot going on!

Hobbies/passions: I love basketball. Twenty-five years of men’s leagues in the Seacoast has connected to so many people. Also, it has been fun to coach recreation ball and be part of that with my kids. I also spend time in the mountains when I can. Completed hiking NH’s 48 4,000-footers this year.

Industry advice: Stay focused on what you do best. Keep the mission clear for your team. Whether you have one restaurant or 20, set your teams up for success by clearly defining what that looks like.

Luis Alvarez

Former VP, Organ Manufacturing

United Therapeutics

Education: United States Military Academy at West Point; Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Career history: Luis has over 20 years of work experience in bioengineering, cell biology and regenerative medicine.

From 2017-2023, he was vice president of organ manufacturing for United Therapeutics, a public biotechnology company that aims to create an unlimited supply of transplantable organs, working at its Manchester facility. He is now solely the CEO and founder of Theradaptive, a biotech company that develops therapeutics for tissue regeneration and repair. Luis’s doctorate focused on protein engineering to enable targeted delivery of therapeutics using biomaterials as a vehicle. His core competencies include leading multidisciplinary teams, innovating cutting-edge solutions in therapeutics design, and advancing the field of organ and tissue engineering.

Luis says he is passionate about creating a positive impact on human health and well-being, and he seeks to collaborate with diverse and talented professionals who share his vision and values. As an Army veteran, he says he is also committed to bringing new therapies to the clinic that address the needs of wounded service members.

Peter Antoinette

President & CEO

Xibus Systems Inc.

Education: Tusculum University

Career history: Peter worked in medical sales positions at Pfizer and CR Bard. He spent 15 years at Millipore as its general manager of biosciences. He was next the CEO of CRI, a photonics company. He then was the lead founder of Nanocomp Technologies in Merrimack, manufacturing cutting-edge carbon nanomaterials. Currently, Peter is CEO of Xibus Systems and has bioengineered nanotechnology detection of food-borne pathogens. He was formerly a member of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s Small Business Advisory Council and director of the New Hampshire High Tech Council. Peter chaired the Industrial Advisory Board for the Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing in Boston. He was on the Executive Advisory Board for UML Nanomanufacturing Center. He represented New Hampshire on Natick Soldier Center’s Technology Board, and served on President Obama’s Nanotechnology Advisory Panel.

Business lesson: Persistence, persistence, persistence...

Favorite story: “Endurance,” the account of Ernest Shackleton’s expedition to Antarctica in 1914, a time before radio, where all survived despite being shipwrecked in ice. Remarkable leadership in the face of overwhelming odds.

Hobbies/passions: Golf; woodcarving; fly fishing; recently, getting a holein-one in golf playing with my son-in-law as a witness. Priceless!

Industry advice: Simultaneously address scale with cost reductions while developing value applications in energy, medical, and finally, industrial usage.

Lisa Bruinooge King

Lisa Bruinooge King, from the rest of the team at Cross Insurance, on being named one of New Hampshire's Top 200 Influencers!

Cross Insurance is a family owned insurance agency with over 50 branches throughout the Northeast. With over 1,000 employees and counting, our friendly and knowledgeable team is ready and capable to provide insurance solutions to fit your unique situation.

Senior Account Executive Cross Insurance Agency

Education: Northeastern University; Certified Insurance Counselor; Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist

Career history: Lisa embarked on her insurance career as a janitor at The Sadler Insurance Agency while simultaneously pursuing her college education. She ascended the professional ranks and eventually became a co-owner of Sadler, working alongside her family. A pivotal merger with Cross Insurance in 2012 enabled Lisa to specialize her book of business within the technology and life-sciences sectors. She chairs the NH Tech Alliance’s Product of The Year event. Her dedication to the NHTA extends to over 22 years of voluntary service, further underscoring her passion for the technology ecosystem.

Business lesson: Do the right thing and good things will follow!

Fun fact: I am a self-taught ukulele player.

Hobbies/passions: Snowboarding; mountain biking; hiking; rock climbing. It may seem surprising that a risk manager would partake in these activities, but I approach each of these pursuits with a strong commitment to safety!

Checked-off bucket list item: I completed both the Marine Corps and Chicago marathons. My focus has shifted to the marathon of raising my kids!

Industry advice: Insurance should be called a practice. You are always learning and growing, and insurance is always changing and evolving. Never stop learning, volunteer as often as you can, mentor those who are starting, and don’t forget how to use a phone (and I’m not talking about texting).

Tom Daly Chief Executive Officer Big Network Inc.

Education: Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bentley University

Career history: Tom was a network engineer at G4 Communications in Manchester during the early Internet days. He co-founded Dynamic Network Services (Dyn) as chief technology officer, building an infrastructure supporting Twitter, Netflix and Amazon that was sold to Oracle in 2016. Tom joined Fastly as its SVP of global network infrastructure to build a content delivery network supporting services like Spotify, AirBnB, and Pinterest. Its initial public offering was in May 2019. He recently joined Big Network as CEO with a mission to enable Internet service providers to deliver on a promise of “Unbreakable Internet” to their most important customers.

Business lesson: As a leader, the people who work for you make a conscious decision to work with you. You must fearlessly support, nurture and grow your people so that they are always coming back.

Most excited about: Large language models, or artificial intelligence, are set to change the way we learn, work and relax. Generative AI will speed up the pace of innovation and change exponentially.

Hobbies/passions: Helping my kids with academics, supporting their passions for team sports; boating; jet skiing; snow skiing.

Industry advice: Keep it simple; stop with the complexity; keep your mother in mind. There is reliability and resilience embedded in simple and elegant systems.

Bryan Lord

President and CEO

Pristine Surgical

Education: University of Pennsylvania; Notre Dame Law School; Concordia College

Career history: Bryan is the president and CEO of Pristine Surgical, a medical device company with a mission to simplify endoscopy. Prior to joining Pristine Surgical, he co-founded Orthopedic Venture Partners, an investment fund that invests in disruptive orthopedic technologies; New Venture Advisors, a corporate development and venture services firm; and the Innovation Alliance, a coalition of high-technology companies focused on strengthening intellectual property rights. Additionally, he served as an executive at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and AmberWave Systems Corp., an advanced semiconductor spin-out from MIT.

Business lesson: The key to business success is alignment — with customers, capital providers, employees, the board ... everyone. Seek alignment.

Biggest challenge: Navigating a development-stage tech company through COVID.

Most excited about: We’re changing the future of endoscopic visualization.

Fun fact: I’m a super proud, 3x world champion #girldad Industry advice: Patients and patience. Focus always on improving patient care and have patience. It takes time to develop a game-changing medical device.

Julie Demers Executive Director

NH Tech Alliance

Education: High Point University; University of New Hampshire

Career history: After being Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s program director, Julie pursued a master’s degree at UNH while working full-time, co-owning a small business in downtown Manchester. Her public relations work at UNH led her to serve as a technology sector workforce advisor for the NH state government. She is NH Tech Alliance’s first full-time executive director, starting in 2019. During the pandemic, Julie maintained the organization’s financial viability through innovative revenue-generating programs and budget management.

Business lesson: In NH, you’re likely never more than a degree of separation (or two) away from a major decision-maker, so strong relationships are key to professional success.

Biggest challenge: Rethinking our value-add to our membership and the state as a whole. We reimagined programming and were very mindful of fostering more community-driven collaboration within the sector, growing and evolving amid the pandemic. Most excited about: Becoming the epicenter for the manufacturing of tissue and organs. The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute’s goal is to advance tissue engineering, and the bioeconomy nationally has potential to transform this sector and NH’s economy.

Hobbies/passions: Hiking; running; wakeboarding; snowboarding; meeting gym friends; watching my kids discover their passions.

Industry advice: Be authentic, and learn from others’ success.

Drew Matter

Vice President

Mikros Technologies

Education: Georgia Institute of Technology, Westminster Theological Seminary, Dartmouth College

Career history: Drew began his engineering career at NASA-Johnson Space Center, developing tooling for spacewalks on board the International Space Station.

As vice president at Mikros Technologies, Drew oversees design development while meeting the evolving needs of the company’s strategic partners, ensuring that Mikros is a long-term development partner.

Business lesson: Peter Drucker’s notion that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” is a guiding force for me. It is the dedication of our people and the commitment of our team that makes our business strategy successful. Leaders need to be convinced of the value of each employee and invest in them.

Most excited about: The tech sector is booming now, and artificial intelligence systems are opening up a new way of doing business. Mikros can provide “best-in-class” thermal management solutions for the chips powering the AI revolution, and our future is bright. Our challenge now is to “skate to where the puck is going.”

Fun fact: A project I developed at NASA — the EVA Crewlock Bag, a tool carrier for spacewalk hardware — is still used on the International Space Station.

Industry advice: Keep your eyes on the horizon and your hands on the wheel. If you chase every trend or competitor, you will waste valuable resources. Set a strong but agile long-term strategy, anchor it in scientific principle and seek to provide strong value to your clients. Then hold fast.

Richard McFarland

Chief Regulatory Officer Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute

Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Career history: Richard was an immunopathologist on the faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, before moving to the Center for Biologics at the U.S. FDA to review innovative bio-technology products. After almost two decades there reviewing and working on policy questions about how to review products including cells and tissues, he moved to Manchester in 2017 as ARMI’s first employee after the firm received its initial Department of Defense grant. Biggest challenge: Helping launch nonprofits dedicated to doing their part of creating the regenerative medicine industry.

Most excited about: The potential ARMI has to move the scientific field of regenerative medicine forward to an industry centered in the ReGen Valley even though I believe that this is the most likely place for it to be born. What keeps you up at night? All the details and uncertainties inherent in achieving the audacious goal of establishing the global epicenter of such a transformative industry as regenerative medicine in the ReGen Valley.

Fun fact: My first scientific paper was on the periodical cicada (“Spontaneous, field tested and tethered flight in healthy and infected Magicicada septendecim L”) in 1983.

Industry advice: Don’t be afraid to think big, but be aware that our industry requires expertise from many fields. No one can be an expert in them all. Find trusted collaborators, and value their advice and expertise in their field.

Flo Nicolas Cofounder/COO DEI Directive

Education: Massachusetts School of Law (JD); College of the Holy Cross (BA); State Bar Admission Member — Connecticut Bar Admission

Career history: An attorney and tech thought leader, Flo boasts over a decade of expertise in tech operations and commitments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). As a TEDx Speaker and the creator/host of “Get Tech Smart” and “Get Resource Smart” TV shows, she actively supports the New Hampshire 1L Diversity Internship Program.

Business lesson: Fear of leaving your comfort zone is a recipe for failure.

Endure rejections; a single “yes” can be a breakthrough.

Biggest challenge: Developing the courage to decline opportunities misaligned with my goals. Securing financially rewarding opportunities. Most excited about: Growing recognition for the importance of workplace culture, inclusion and mental health.

What keeps you up at night? About 40% of businesses fail in the first three years.

Favorite story: Viola Davis’s memoir, “Finding Me.”

Hobbies/passions: Exploring new restaurants; cooking; mentoring STEM and law professionals; volunteering on nonprofit boards.

Checked-off bucket list item: Growing up from humble beginnings, having my own house is a dream come true.

Industry advice: Prepare for tough times; expect moments of demoralization and financial stress. Build a solid support system and seek help if needed.

Paul McKeon Founder, Prophetic Capital Partners

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Paul founded

Prophetic Capital Partners in Portsmouth following his departature from B2W Software, a company he founded and led for nearly 20 years that was acquired by Sunnvale, California-based tech company Trimble in 2022.

Prophetic Capital Partners is a specialized private equity firm that helps small and medium-size business entrepreneurs maximize their business value and be effectively positioned for a liquidity event.

Paul’s original vision for B2W Software, for which he served as CEO, was to create a specialized software tool to replace pencil and paper in estimating the cost of construction jobs before bidding for a project. He founded B2W Software in 1993 to create this tool, which would go on to grow to more than 100 employees by 2022, with the majority based in Portsmouth.

Over the years, B2W grew to become a market leader in the heavy civil construction space, serving thousands of customers across North America.

Mike Rizzo

Chief Executive Officer

Admix Inc.

Education: University of Pittsburgh, Pepperdine University

Career history: Mike started his career in a sales role in Philadelphia, then was promoted to start up and run the West Coast regional office of a Midwest industrial manufacturer. In 1997, he was promoted back to New Hampshire with the American division of a Swiss manufacturer, becoming president in 2001. Since then, Mike has led multiple employee-owned manufacturing companies and is a director on other industrial company boards. Mike is currently CEO of Admix in Londonderry.

Business lesson: One of my Pepperdine professors advised me to never get too excited about positive performance and too negative about poor performance. When things are going well, take time to understand why. In down times, analyze why, take swift corrective steps and aim toward improvement.

Biggest challenge: Society has changed, and along with it, so have people’s expectations on work/life balance, location and frequency of being in the office vs. working from home.

Most excited about: As an employed-owned company, our value has grown substantially for several years, and while we cannot perfectly predict the future, our long-term vision for improving shareholder value has us very excited.

Industry advice: We are a different company than at our founding 35 years ago. We plan to continue to evolve to stay nimble, lean, and ultimately serve our customers using our values as our guide.

William Salas Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer

Applied Geosolutions

Education: University of Vermont; University of New Hampshire

Career history: Dr. William Salas has more than 30 years of experience in environmental science and business leadership at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of New Hampshire and Applied Geosolutions (AGS). He is highly regarded throughout the industry for his expertise in remote sensing and biogeochemical modeling.

William is also a cofounder of Dagan Inc., established in 2018 when a group of scientists and data analysts spun off AGS’ research and technology to help support resilient agriculture practices at scale. In 2020, Dagan merged with FluroSat to form Regrow, focused on integrating the industry-leading expertise of FluroSat and Dagan to drive resilient agriculture adoption across the supply chain. Regrow’s digital platform combines agronomy and scenario planning with monitoring, reporting and verification.

William is an active member of many panels, including the Scientific Advisory Panel for the ALOS Kyoto and Carbon initiative under the auspices of the Japanese Space Agency NASDA. He has also served on the Global Observation of Forest Cover High Resolution Design Team and co-authored the final design document on the role of high-resolution optical and radar systems for the operational monitoring of global forests.

Maureen K. Toohey

Founding member, Toohey Law Group LLC, 2007

Deputy Executive Director and Secretary, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI)

Education: U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland; University of Virginia School of Law

Career history: With ARMI, Maureen manages its mission to support the burgeoning biofabrication industry. By creating a public-private partnership of more than 180 members, Maureen makes practical the large-scale manufacturing of tissues, tissue constructs and organs. At Toohey Law Group, Maureen focuses on the strategic protection and transfer of intellectual property rights, prosecution of strategic intellectual property portfolios and high-stakes intellectual property litigation. Before founding Toohey Law Group, Maureen served as general counsel for DEKA Research & Development Corp.

Fun fact: Maureen practiced patent litigation in biotechnology and clerked for former Chief Judge Randall Rader of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C.

Hobbies/passions: Volunteer advisor to FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology); fundraises for the SEE Science Center in Manchester; is secretary of FIRST Global, a nonprofit for world-wide robotic “Olympic-style” competitions; and serves on several nonprofit boards including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Greater New England Chapter. Maureen is active in the Federal Circuit Bar Association, AIPLA, and IP Law Section of the ABA.

Carla Vanderhoof Cofounder, Chief Design Officer Propensity

Education: Keene State College

Career history: Upon earning her master’s degree, Carla became a teacher and taught at schools in NH and Massachusetts for six years. After having children, Carla and her husband together founded their first company, Addapptation, where she held multiple creative roles. She is currently chief design officer and head of product at Propensity, the couple’s second startup.

Business lesson: It’s critical to know what stage you’re in as a business, and know what the next milestone you should be working toward. Sometimes this is very challenging because you may think you are in a different stage than you are due to false business signals, so understanding when you have hit your milestone is also important.

Most excited about: I am very excited about this upcoming year for Propensity. It has only been about a year since we launched our ABM Platform, and we are growing quickly. We solved the challenges that our past startup faced and now we are facing new challenges, like scaling a high-growth organization!

Hobby/passion: Riding horses. I have a love for the equestrian world and we recently welcomed our first horse to our family, a beautiful Friesian named Bouke.

Industry advice: Understand the phases of startups and which phase you are currently in. If you don’t know where you are, you can’t know where you are going.

Sumner Vanderhoof CEO Propensity

Education: University of New Hampshire

Career history: Sumner is a venture-backed entrepreneur and three-time founder, with a senior leadership role at a company acquired by a Fortune 500 Bank.

Business lesson: Understand a market so thoroughly that opportunities to build something of value that doesn’t currently exist are identifiable. Accurate market gap analysis is key to building something valuable that can grow quickly.

Biggest challenge: Running a venture-backed startup. Your business is the underdog in a competitive environment. Building something of discrete value to customers that’s high growth is very hard.

Most excited about: B2B sales and marketing have completely changed lately. It’s harder than ever to differentiate a business and acquire customers through traditional sales and marketing channels. That opens up many new opportunities to companies like ours who can create innovative ways to help our customers grow their businesses.

What keeps you up at night? There’s always something new at each phase of growth of a startup to keep you up at night. Whether finding the right sales pitch, building new product features or finding new hires to help you grow, every 90 days there’s a new challenge.

Industry advice: Identify market opportunities that exist. Lay out the entire field of competition and gaps they don’t serve. Then, find where opportunity exists and execute like crazy to fill the gap.

Steve Ahnen

Mel Allen

Sandra Almonte

Lou Alvarez

Borja Alverez del Toledo

Errik Anderson

Jim Andrews

Peter Antoinette

Cesar Arboleda

Will Arvelo

Elias Ashooh

Aaron Bagshaw

Adria Bagshaw

Julie Baron

Joy Barrett

Nicole Barriera

Sian Beilock

Angie

Julie Lenzer

what makes you so special?

Make sure your prospective customers know what differentiates you from your competition.

The best marketing plan is a comprehensive one, and Yankee Custom Marketing will help you implement an effective, integrated strategy to reach your target audience and stay competitive:

n Web Development & SEO

n Sponsored Content

n Video & Podcasts

n Ecommerce

n Social Media

n Custom Magazines

YCM will help your business stand out.

www.YankeeCustomMarketing.com

ernestob@yankeepub.com

Innovative thinking is always in business.

Congratulations to the 2024 New Hampshire 200 Most Influential Business Leaders.

At Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a Point32Health company, we recognize the outstanding endeavors and achievements of our local business leaders. It takes dedication to be a driving force in this economy, and these efforts help keep New Hampshire thriving.