Posts Tagged ‘Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire’
Tuesday, February 10th, 2015
It’s that time of year again – the Business and Industry Association’s annual Small Business Day, taking place from 7:30 am – noon, on Friday (the 13th) at the Holiday Inn, Concord.
Now in its 10th year, the BIA partners up with us and the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center for discussions with small business owners from around the state and timely information that helps them to manage and grow their businesses.
Gov. Maggie Hassan has been invited to make welcoming remarks, followed by a panel discussion featuring the state’s top elected leaders: Senate President Chuck Morse; House Speaker Shawn Jasper; Senate Democratic Leader Jeff Woodburn, and House Democratic Leader Stephen Shurtleff. The state leadership panel will focus specifically on top small business issues of 2015 and how state elected leaders will resolve them.
Three educational sessions will follow. The first, Strong Businesses – Strong Profits – Strong Economy, will feature panelists Commissioner Jeffrey Rose, New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development; Kit McCormick, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center; and a representative from TD Bank. They will discuss the NH SBDC’s pilot program to help business owners pinpoint areas in their businesses that would benefit from targeted SBDC assistance, educational resources and accountability, ultimately helping to strengthen their bottom lines.
During the next session, New Hampshire’s Energy Crisis: How Did We Get Here and What Can We Do About It?, Maureen Callahan, business development manager for Usource Inc., and Emile Clavet, co-owner of Provider Power, will discuss the circumstances causing New Hampshire’s dramatically rising energy costs and strategies to address this critical challenge.
The final session, Update on the ACA: Obligations and Opportunities for Small Businesses, feature discussion the current environment surrounding the Affordable Care Act, requirements for business owners and opportunities to better control their healthcare dollars.
The cost to attend Small Business Day is $15 per person and includes continental breakfast. Register here or call 603.224.5388 x116.
Tags: Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Commissioner Jeff Rose, NH Division of Economic Development, NH SBDC
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on That Time Again: Register Today for Small Business Day
Thursday, January 31st, 2013
All sorts of good, interesting and useful news is crossing our desk this week, so without further adieu:
Hats off to the Hannah Grimes Center over in Keene, which received the first Champion in Action award of 2013, presented by Citizens Bank and WMUR-TV, in the category of strengthening communities. The prize includes a $35,000 grant.
 Hannah Grimes Center: Champion in Action Hannah Grimes, for which the center is named, was born in 1776 in Keene and lived on a farm in neighboring Roxbury. What she and her family could not produce on their land, they bought and bartered for from friends, keeping the 18th century economy moving and growing.
With her life as inspiration, the organization bearing her name began in 1997 as a retail marketplace for local products. More than 15 years later, it includes a business incubator providing office space for new and emerging businesses to start, grow, thrive and move out on their own.
Hannah Grimes’ Entrepreneurship Program is a six-month intensive program focusing on raising current businesses to the next level of operation. Graduates of the program report an average sales increase of 68 percent in one year.
The original Hannah Grimes Marketplace continues to grow and now supports more than 270 local artisans, cooks and farmers. The center recently established a partnership to strengthen and support the area’s growing regional food system, which will help improve farm income, create jobs in the food production industry, and stimulate economic productivity and food self-sufficiency in the region.
The Champions in Action program was launched in 2002 by Citizens Bank and WMUR to support nonprofit organizations in their efforts in local communities.
Congratulations to everyone at Hannah Grimes.
We’ve been talking trade a lot here at the Division of Economic Development because there is so much interest in the opportunities the world over has for New Hampshire companies.
For companies that have made the leap overseas, the International Trade Resource Center has a terrific seminar coming up on Feb. 13, International Marketing: Putting Your Best Face Forward. It’s a full day of tips including how to increase website traffic and using social media in other parts of the world.
Speakers include Nancy Clark, president of Glen Group in North Conway; Allen Voivod of Epiphanies Inc., in Gilford, and Wendy Pease of Rapport International in Sudbury, Mass.
Cost is $95 and includes breakfast and lunch. Go ahead and click over to register here.
(We’ll wait for you to come back.)
It’s lights, camera, action next week for an Amherst company, which will be featured on the popular television series, World’s Greatest, which is produced by How2Media.
Vibrac is a small manufacturer marking its 53rd year and it makes the world’s most sensitive torque measurement instruments, used in aerospace, military, defense, medical, bearing and the automotive industry.
We are especially pleased with this recognition, as our folks at the New Hampshire Procurement Technical Assistance program has worked with Vibrac. The piece is set to air Feb. 4 and 11.
“Very importantly, they are not resting on their longevity,” said GordonFreeman, executive producer of the show. “They continue to launch new product lines of precision measurement instruments to help multiple industries. That makes them a company we like to feature on World’s Greatest. We think their story will be meaningful to our viewers.”
We think so, too. Click on the media link above to see where it will air near you.
We’re heading over to the 8th annual Small Business Day next Friday, Feb. 8. Brought to you by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, the half-day event will take a look at federal health care reform, financing strategies for your small business, the new LLC act and an update on policy issues from legislators.
Gov. Maggie Hassan will also attend.
Cost is $15 and you need to register. Call 224-5388×116 or click here.
Lorna Colquhoun
Communications Director
NH Division of Economic Development
Tags: Allen Voivod, Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Citizens Bank, Epiphanies Inc., Glen Group, Hannah Grimes Center, How2media, International Trade Resource Center, New Hampshire Department of Resources & Economic Development, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, New Hampshire International Trade Resource Center, Rappaport International, Small Business Day, VIbrac, WMUR, World's Greatest
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on Economic Potpourri
Monday, January 30th, 2012
[This is a terrific annual event attended by business leaders from across the state – if you’re a business owner in NH, not only will you get to network with terrific people, you’ll also learn a lot too. We’re proud to be a part of it, and hope you’ll be there, too!]
Small Business Day is an opportunity for small business owners and managers to meet New Hampshire’s top policy-makers, learn more about legislative issues that could affect your bottom line, and receive valuable information about tools to help your company grow and prosper. This event is presented in partnership with the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center and local and regional chambers of commerce and business associations and is sponsored by Public Service of New Hampshire, Bank of America and media sponsor NH Business Review.
PRELIMINARY AGENDA
7:30 a.m. – Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:00 a.m. – Welcoming Remarks
8:15 a.m. – Legislative Leadership Panel
What are the top small business issues facing the 2012 New Hampshire Legislature and how will our state’s top elected leaders resolve them?
9:05 a.m. – How do I do business with the state?
New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Linda Hodgdon will explain how to go about supplying the state with everything from pencils to pens, computers to calculators, & almost everything the state purchases.
9:55 a.m. – NH Employment Security Presentation
New Hampshire Department of Employment Security Commissioner Tara Reardon will provide an overview of what kinds of information is available in the Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau (ELMI), about its NH Working programs and how they can help businesses find the right applicant.
10:45 a.m. – Break
11:00 a.m. – Strategies for financing your business
Securing capital for your operation can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. However, it gets a lot easier if you know the resources that will be the best fit for you and your business. Come hear from commercial lenders, and representatives from alternative lending programs for finance options compatible with your growth.
11:50 a.m. – Closing Remarks
Cost is $15 per person and registration is required. To register, call 224-5388 x113 or visit www.nhbia.org and click on January 31 on the events calendar.
Tags: Bank of America, Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Department of Employment Security, Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau, Linda Hodgdon, New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services, nh, NH Working, PSNH, Small Business Development Center, Tara Reardon
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on Attend the 7th Annual Small Business Day at the State House
Monday, January 9th, 2012
Strategies for securing business financing, tips for how to do business with the state, a look at this year’s top policy issues from the state’s top legislators and more will be the focus of the Business and Industry Association’s 7th Annual Small Business Day at the State House event to be held Jan. 31 at the Holiday Inn, Concord from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.
 The annual small business event, held in partnership with the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC), New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, and local and regional chambers of commerce, is meant to engage small business owners and managers in public policy discussion and debate, as well as provide them with practical and relevant information to help manage and grow their business. Small Business Day is sponsored by Public Service of New Hampshire, Bank of America and media sponsor New Hampshire Business Review.
Small Business Day at the State House will begin with a panel discussion with some of the state’s top elected leaders: Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, Senate Democratic Leader Sylvia Larsen and House Minority Leader Terie Norelli (expected). The state leadership panel will focus specifically on top small business issues of 2012 and how state elected leaders will resolve them.
Two presentations will follow the legislative panel. First, New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Linda Hodgdon will explain the ins and outs of doing business with the state. Small business owners interested in supplying the state with everything it needs to function, from pencils and pens to computers and calculators, will learn how to engage in this process.
Next, New Hampshire Department of Employment Security Commissioner Tara Reardon will discuss the recently enacted NH Working programs and how they can help small businesses find the right job applicants. She will also provide an overview of the Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau (ELMI), the type of information available through ELMI and how small businesses might use it to their advantage.
Following a short break, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Chris Way will moderate a panel discussion called “Strategies for Financing Your Business.” Small business owners who feel like securing capital can sometimes be an uphill battle will hear from a panel of commercial lenders and representatives of alternative lending programs about financing options that may be open to them and help their business meet its growth objectives.
Gov. John Lynch has been invited to make closing remarks.
Participating chambers of commerce include the Exeter Area, Greater Peterborough, Hampton Area, Hanover Area, Lakes Region, Merrimack, Mount Washington Valley, Northern Gateway Regional, Plymouth Regional, Waterville Valley Region and Wolfeboro Area chambers of commerce.
The cost to attend Small Business Day at the State House is $15 per person and includes continental breakfast. To register, visit nhbia.org, Events or call 603-224-5388 x116.
Tags: Bank of America, Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Chris Way, Jeb Bradley, Linda Hodgdon, New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Department of Administrative Services, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, New Hampshire Employment Security, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center, Public Service of New Hampshire, Sylvia Larsen, Tara Reardon, Terie Norelli
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on Seventh Annual Small Business Day Slated for 1/31
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
“Growth Through Collaboration” is the theme of the Ninth Annual Governor’s Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit to be held Wednesday, December 7th from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel in Manchester.
 Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer and Principal of Patriarch Partners, LLC will speak on “How to Save American Manufacturing” at the 9th Annual New Hampshire Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit on December 7th at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel in Manchester. The annual event is presented by the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the New Hampshire High Technology Council and will bring together state and national leaders of business and industry who, in thought-provoking presentations and workshops, will focus on how New Hampshire’s high tech and manufacturing industries can stimulate growth through collaboration.
“Manufacturing and high tech sectors continue to be very important to New Hampshire’s economy,” Gov. John Lynch said. “We have a successful economic strategy in place here in New Hampshire that has allowed us to be a national economic leader. That is why it is important we continue to work together to ensure we are making the right investments as a state to strengthen our economy for the future.”
Speakers at the summit will include Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer and Principal of Patriarch Partners, LLC; economist Dennis Delay of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies; and Roger Kilmer, Director of Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology. Tilton, whose company bought and reopened the former Fraser Papers paper mill in Gorham in May as Gorham Paper and Tissue, will speak on “How To Save American Manufacturing;” while “Smart Manufacturing/High Technology – NH’s Leading Economic Sector” will be the subject of Delay’s address. Kilmer, the keynote speaker at the summit luncheon, will address “Becoming a Next Generation Manufacturer.”
Three one-hour workshops will be offered concurrently and presented twice during the morning session by a panel of industry experts: “Supply Chain Development and Collaboration,” “Developing the Future Workforce in NH Advanced Manufacturing” and “Technology-Driven Market Intelligence.”
Sponsors for the event include Citizens Bank, BAE Systems, Chapter #327/Southern New Hampshire of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, New Hampshire Business Review, the New Hampshire Department of Education, Southern New Hampshire Chapter #253 of the Association for Operations Management, TradePort USA and the New Hampshire Machining Association.
Cost for the summit is $95 per person. For more information, contact Zenagui Brahim at 603-226-3200 or email zenaguib@nhmep.org To register online, go to http://www.nhbia.org/CWT/External/WCPages/WCEvents/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=92. Phone registrations should be directed to Christine Ducharme at the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire at 224-5388, ext. 113.
Tags: BAE Systems, Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Center of New Hampshire Radisson Hotel, Chapter #327/Southern New Hampshire of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Christine Ducharme, Citizens Bank, Dennis Delay, Governor's Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit, Lynn Tilton, New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, New Hampshire Department of Education, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, New Hampshire High Technology Council, New Hampshire Machining Association, New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Patriarch Partners, Roger Kilmer, Southern New Hampshire Chapter #253 of the Association for Operations Management, TradePort USA, U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology, Zenagui Brahim
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on 9th Annual Governor’s Advanced Manufacturing and High Technology Summit to Focus on “Growth Through Collaboration”
Thursday, March 24th, 2011
The smart manufacturing/high technology (SMHT) sector is New Hampshire’s economic engine, bringing more wealth into New Hampshire than any other sector-including tourism and retail-according to a recent New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies report sponsored by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire (BIA), in collaboration with the New Hampshire High Technology Council (NHHTC) and several BIA members. Results of the study also show that New Hampshire’s business costs are high relative to other states and countries with which the state competes for SMHT companies and employment.
According to the center’s study, in 2009 the SMHT sector, which includes 3,700 companies in New Hampshire employing almost 80,000 people, paid out $6.4 billion in wages and benefits, making it the largest single sector of New Hampshire’s economy (19 percent). The next largest sector is government and government enterprises (15 percent), followed by healthcare and social assistance (14 percent).
 “As important as other sectors are, there is no question that the smart manufacturing/high technology sector drives New Hampshire’s economy and is absolutely critical to the state’s long-term economic prosperity,” said BIA President Jim Roche. “SMHT companies generate more wealth for New Hampshire, pay more in compensation to employees, export more and pay more in state taxes than any other sector.”
Economic Impact
SMHT is defined as manufacturers engaged in the transformation of materials into new products using advanced technology and skilled labor, as well as high technology companies engaged in software publishing, computer systems design and scientific research.
Paying an average wage of $1,200 per week, which is 40 percent higher than the average weekly wage for all private sector employees working in New Hampshire, SMHT companies account for 9 percent of New Hampshire’s private sector employers, but they employ more than 15 percent of New Hampshire’s private sector workers.
According to the report’s author, Dennis Delay, an economist with the center, SMHT employers are an important source of high-wage jobs for New Hampshire workers. “The average compensation per SMHT employee has exceeded average wages and benefits paid in every other industry sector, including construction, healthcare, education, retail trade and even financial services. This is important to note because it demonstrates that New Hampshire’s affluence, high standard of living and quality of life are in large part attributable to the state’s SMHT sector.”
Exports Generate Wealth
Manufacturing is New Hampshire’s most important export industry. Exports from the state’s manufacturers directly support more than 77,000 jobs, compared to about 52,000 jobs in travel and tourism. New Hampshire imports four times as much wealth from in-state manufacturing facilities as from tourism – manufacturing supports $18.5 billion in GSP while tourism supports $4.2 billion. Notably, in FY2008 manufacturing companies represented 8 percent of the companies paying business profits and business enterprise taxes; however, those same companies accounted for 23 percent of total business tax revenue.
The Value of an SMHT Job
Economic modeling shows that for every 100 new manufacturing jobs, the state would see an additional 138 indirect and induced jobs, which would generate $11 million in earnings, $18 million in gross domestic product, and $1.2 million in state and local tax revenue. Compare this to healthcare (55 indirect and induced jobs per 100 new jobs) and tourism (32 indirect and induced per 100 new jobs) and one can see the value of investing in New Hampshire’s SMHT sector.
New Hampshire High Technology Council President Fred Kocher agrees. “One of the most important findings in our study is that SMHT employers are the largest source of high-wage jobs for New Hampshire. That one fact has implications for the public policies we enact, the workforce development we undertake, the education we promote and the collaborations we forge on job-related issues facing the SMHT sector. The state’s economic health depends on it.”
Competitiveness and the Future of SMHT in New Hampshire
The center’s study also compared New Hampshire’s cost of doing business relative to top competitor states and countries, including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Mexico, India, China and Malaysia. Among the findings:
Wages in New Hampshire are slightly higher than in competitor states and dramatically higher than in competitor countries
Healthcare costs are higher in New Hampshire than in most states and 10 times higher than in the nearest competitor country
Electric rates in New Hampshire are almost twice as high as in competitor states and about even with Mexico and China
New Hampshire’s corporate income tax rate is highest among the state’s competitors and highest compared to competitor countries when the U.S. corporate tax rate is included
BIA and NHHTC Recommendations for Promoting SMHT in New Hampshire
As a companion to the study, the BIA and NHHTC released a set of recommendations to policy makers to promote smart manufacturing/high technology growth in New Hampshire. Roche of the BIA and Kocher of the NHHTC feel that the future of New Hampshire’s SMHT sector depends upon policy makers’ willingness to embrace policies and initiatives that will spur growth and innovation in this economic sector.
Among BIA and NHHTC recommendations are:
Work to lower healthcare costs by opposing new or expanded healthcare benefit mandates and supporting adequate Medicaid reimbursements to healthcare providers
Lower the business profits and business enterprise taxes, increase the R&D tax credit, improve net operating loss and BET credit carry-forward provisions, and adopt single sales factor BPT apportionment
Improve New Hampshire’s labor and environmental regulatory environment
Work to lower energy costs by supporting policies that promote energy efficiency, preserve dedicated funds for business energy needs, leverage regional strengths and help ratepayers access competitive supply options
Support policies and initiatives aimed at developing and maintaining an educated, skilled workforce in New Hampshire and that ensure businesses have access to talent and resources
“We realize these recommendations will not be embraced or implemented by lawmakers overnight, especially given the state’s dire fiscal condition,” said Roche. “Nonetheless, we believe these are attainable goals-goals we will be working toward for the next several years.”
The complete SMHT study may be viewed on the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies’ Web site at http://www.nhpolicy.org/reports/smrtmfgfinal.pdf. The recommendations to legislators for promoting SMHT growth in New Hampshire may be viewed on the BIA’s Web site at http://bianhassoc.weblinkconnect.com/cwt/external/wcpages/newsroom/SMHT_Report.aspx.
Tags: BIA, Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Dennis Delay, Fred Kocher, Jim Roche, New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, New Hampshire High Technology Council, NHHTC
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on Manufacturing/High Tech Driving State’s Economy
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