FINANCIAL SERVICES

Kathy Underwood, CEO of Hanover-based Ledyard National Bank, has been elected to Tampa, Fla.-based TCM Bank’s board of directors. TCM is a subsidiary of ICBA Bancard.

Bar Harbor Bankshares, parent company of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, has named Debra Miller to its board of directors. She has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, and since 2013 has been the NH Community Loan Fund’s executive vice president strategic partnerships and philanthropy.

Bank of New Hampshire has announced that it now offers an eco-friendly, biodegradable debit card, made of renewable material that biodegrades in months instead of years.

Meredith Village Savings Bank has promoted Becky Reposa to assistant vice president, branch and business development manager for the Bank’s Gilford office, where she has worked in various roles since 1999.

Shantelle Sutkus has been promoted to business development officer at Merrimack County Savings Bank’s Bow office.

Northeast Credit Union has welcomed Kathy Hall as vice president of business development. She brings 27 years of financial industry experience to her new role.

Mark W. Wilson of Penacook has joined the commercial credit department at Franklin Savings Bank as VP, credit manager, bringing 27 years of experience in roles with Bangor Savings Bank, Merrimack County Savings Bank and Citizens.

NONPROFITS

The Black Heritage Trail of NH will hold its 16th annual Black New England Conference at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester from Oct. 21 to 22, focusing on topics related to the exploration of racialized access and historic exclusion to wealth. Visit blackheritagetrailnh.org/black-new-england-conference-2022 for more information.

Catholic Charities NH has appointed Ken Senus and Dean Christon to its board of trustees. Senus, of Londonderry, is the executive vice president, chief operating officer for St. Mary’s Bank, and Dean Christon, of Manchester, recently retired from the NH Housing Finance Authority after 33 years.

Portsmouth Elks Lodge No. 97 has awarded a $6,000 Beacon/Spotlight grant to support Portsmouth-based Step Up Parents, which provides financial assistance to relative caregivers who have stepped up to raise children of parents with substance use disorder. This year’s grant focuses on the plight of children who are the victims of the opioid crisis fallout, which has escalated due to the pandemic.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust recently donated $3,000 to the New London Conservation Commission to support the organization’s efforts to improve the safety of the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog boardwalk. The bog is home to a variety of flora and fauna and several species of birds including the eastern towhee, a species that has been in strong decline in New Hampshire.

UScellular has donated $30,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester to provide educational opportunities and experiences through the club’s K-12 STEM and academic enrichment programs. The funding will help the club purchase supplies throughout the year.

REAL ESTATE

A major downtown mixed-use development, including a boutique hotel and restaurant, has received its certificate of approval from a unanimous Portsmouth Historic District Commission. The 1 Congress St. project, proposed by developer Mark McNabb, involves renovating and restoring two historic buildings and constructing a three-story addition on what is now a surface parking lot.

A Salem poker room has been granted conditional approval by the town’s planning board to expand into a vacant former Kmart department store across the street from its current location. Plans for the new Chasers Poker Room at 161 South Broadway were approved for 490 electronic games and 160 table games, a total of 650 seats. It will continue to have tables at the original location as well. Anticipated business at the second Chasers spot is expected to help double charitable contributions, growing to $10 million for more than 40 local organizations, it estimated.

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

The Geisel School of Medicine has appointed Lisa McBride as associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, bringing with her expertise in URiM (underrepresented in medicine) faculty and student recruitment, health equity and diversity and inclusion strategic planning.

Agent Confidential, a new marketing firm focusing on the real estate industry, has been launched in Manchester. The firm’s cofounders are longtime marketing specialists Colleen Cowette and Ami D’Amelio, and the firm will serve independent real estate agents and brokerages with individualized strategic marketing planning and execution, including online and offline marketing, social media, video, print and promotional solutions. Cowette serves as strategic consultant and D’Amelio is the account director.

The master of science in project management and the graduate certificate in project management programs at Granite State College were recently reaffirmed by the Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs. Degree programs that achieve GAC accreditation must meet the global standards of accreditation, which include an assessment of each program’s objectives and outcomes, faculty and student evaluations, on-site and online resources, annual self-evaluation and proof of continuous improvements in the area of project management education.

GOVERNMENT

The NH Insurance Department has approved a rate proposal filed by the National Council on Compensation Insurance that will reduce voluntary loss costs by an average of 7 percent. The loss cost is the portion of an employer’s insurance premium that pays claims costs for workrelated injuries. Loss costs in the voluntary market have decreased in each of the last 10 years, according to the department, and more than 50 percent cumulatively during the period. The new rates will apply to policies starting on Jan. 1, 2023.

The NH Department of Revenue Administration has received a 2022 Federation of Tax Administrators Award for its strategic Meals & Rooms Tax Monitor Forward Audit Program that’s aimed at increasing compliance with the tax obligation and to ease the burden on New Hampshire’s restaurants. NHDRA also received an FTA award in 2020 for its development of a 12-month, customized communications plan to deliver core messages to key stakeholders.

HEALTHCARE

Tim Soucy, Catholic Medical Center’s executive director of community health and mission, has been named to the newly created position of vice president of mission integration. In the new role, Soucy will focus on growing and strengthening the services and opportunities that underscore CMC’s Catholic mission.

Southern New Hampshire Health, Nashua, has announced the election of four new members to its board of trustees: Craig Fitzgerald, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua; attorney Helen Honorow of Barry & Honorow PLLC; K. Brian McLaughlin, founder and managing partner of Granite Group Benefits; and Eitan Zeira of Hollis, who is currently leading efforts to develop a vaccine patch at DEKA Research & Development. In addition, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center has received a fourstar Overall Hospital Quality Rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the second consecutive year. CMS uses a five-star quality rating system to measure the experiences Medicare beneficiaries have with their healthcare system. Health systems are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 5 being the highest.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $500,000 grant to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester to support construction and improvements to CMC’s Emergency Department Behavioral Health Annex, which is aimed at helping to meet the growing behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment needs.

The renovation and expansion project will include a new Behavioral Health Annex with additional beds and rooms. The grant was announced by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who secured the funding.

Nominations are being accepted through Sept. 16 for NH Healthcare Heroes, an initiative that honors the dedication, courage and commitment of healthcare workers. To date, 21 winners have been named for their work and encouragement of others to consider a healthcare career.

ENERGY

SportStop of Brookline, an online retailer of lacrosse equipment, apparel and footwear, recently celebrated the launch of its new 64.8-kilowatt solar array located at its headquarters. The project was designed and installed by Brentwood-based Re-Vision Energy, a local, employee-owned solar company.

LAW

McLane Middleton attorney Jennifer L. Parent has been named to Benchmark Litigation’s Top 250 Women in Litigation for the fourth consecutive year. Attorneys named to the 2022 publication were chosen through several phases of research: namely, the review of their recent case work, peer review in which we consider how attorneys at peer legal institutions might rank them, and a consideration of client feedback on their performances.

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

The Winnipesaukee Flagship Corp. has announced that Jared Maraio has been promoted to general manager, succeeding Capt. Jim Morash, who has been the company’s general manager since 2000. Morash, who is also the company’s chief operating officer, will remain on the job while Maraio assumes day-to-day operation of the company. Maraio previously held the position of senior director of brand strategy for Global Protection Corp. and co-founded Phoenix Theatre Artists, a performing arts company, and Event Alchemy, an event planning firm.

ACCOUNTING

Jeremy Mosieur has joined the team at Nathan Wechsler & Company as an associate in the Keene office.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

UScellular has promoted Max Zurmuhlen of Alstead to sales manager at the Keene store located at 294 West Street. Zurmuhlen, who has more than seven years of wireless experience, joined UScellular in 2015 as a retail wireless consultant at the company’s Keene store. In addition, the company has promoted Alan Collins of Concord to store manager at the Belmont store located at 96 Daniel Webster Highway. Collins joined UScellular in 2011 and most recently served as a sales manager at the company’s Keene store.

TECHNOLOGY

Dr. Xifan “Jeff” Chen has been promoted to director of digital transformation at Microdesk, a digital delivery and management consulting firm that’s part of Symetri, Addnode Group. Previously, he was assistant director of enterprise asset management at the firm for four years.

Loftware, a cloudbased enterprise labeling and artwork management provider, has been honored with the Above and Beyond Award by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for its non-mandated assistance to veterans, such as differential or full pay to offset lost wages and extended health benefits.

Loftware employees Bob O’Connor, Mark Wick and Jennifer Rhode also received the Patriot Award for their efforts to support veterans.

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