Posts Tagged ‘Grafton County Economic Development Council’
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
Secured Network Services (SNS) plans to open a new data center in Littleton, New Hampshire and hire up to ten employees over the next two years.
 Left to right: Justin Flateua, SNS, Ted Casassa, SNS, Kristine Hogan, SNS, Kevin Low, SNS, Michael Bergeron, DRED, Brad Mirza, SNS, and Paul Low, SNS celebrate SNS’s expansion to Littleton, NH. The company, whose other location is in Norwood, MA, recently signed a purchase and sales agreement to close on the old FedEx building in the Littleton Industrial Park according to New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Business Development Manager Michael Bergeron who assisted the company with its relocation.
“This is great news for the town of Littleton and we were very happy to help this company secure a New Hampshire location,” Bergeron said. “SNS is a top flight data center and they were certainly impressed with New Hampshire’s low tax environment, lower cost real estate and responsive state and local government.”
“The State of New Hampshire and Littleton welcomed us with open arms,” added SNS President Kevin M. Low. “Michael Bergeron introduced us to all the local key players to make this move happen quickly, including the building landlord, Littleton Industrial Development Corporation, Northern Community Investment Corporation, Grafton County Economic Development Council, FairPoint Communications, and Littleton Water and Power. I even got a surprise call from Governor Lynch, all through Bergeron’s coordinated efforts.”
Founded by Low in 2002, SNS supports over 70 managed clients and 350 active accounts around the world. Their services include data center hosting and co-location, storage and back up, disaster recovery, networking and monitoring, telephone support, IP Telephony and managed services including a global helpdesk. For more information on the company and how they can assist businesses with IT needs, please visit www.sns.com or call Brad Mirza at 781-948-1911.
Tags: FairPoint Communications, Grafton County Economic Development Council, Kevin Low, Littleton Industrial Development Corporation, Littleton Industrial Park, Littleton Water and Power, Michael Bergeron, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, Northern Community Investment Corporation, Secured Network Services, SNS
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on Massachusetts Data Center Expands to Littleton
Monday, November 7th, 2011
The partnership to develop a business incubator in Plymouth received a hearty boost upon the news that the Grafton County Economic Development Council (GCEDC) received $225,000 for construction purposes. The grant, from the Northern Border Regional Commission, will be used to leverage federal funds that could complete the project by mid-2013.
 GCEDC Executive Director Mark Scarano Since 2010, the GCEDC has partnered with Plymouth State University and others to develop a business incubator in Plymouth. The incubator, called the Enterprise Center at Plymouth, will provide support services to new and growing entrepreneurial companies from around central New Hampshire. The services include networking with other companies and equity funders, mentoring, technical assistance, and, in many cases, leased space to launch businesses.
As its role in the partnership, Plymouth State University will provide the services and staffing to assist the companies. The GCEDC will be responsible for providing flexible space for companies as they grow. Typically, incubators will provide space and assistance for up to thee years, or until a company is financially viable.
The Northern Border Regional Commission funds will be used to redevelop 149 Main Street, Plymouth. Currently vacant, the building holds promise, because of its location and proximity to PSU’s Small Business Institute, to continually develop new innovative companies. Thanks to the Commission’s funding, the GCEDC can now apply for federal funds that, if successful, will allow the organization to create a second floor on the one story structure.
“We’re extremely pleased that the Northern Border Commission joins us in seeing the strong economic development potential in the Enterprise Center at Plymouth,” stated GCEDC Executive Director Mark Scarano. “These funds were crucial in allowing us to move forward with the project.”
PSU President Sara Jayne Steen was also pleased to hear the news. “The partnership to develop the Enterprise Center at Plymouth is an important step for expanding PSU’s award winning entrepreneurial education capacity in the region. PSU’s Small Business Institute has assisted hundreds of businesses over its 30 year history. Now, thanks to our partnership with the GCEDC and support of the Northern Border Regional Commission, we are closer to being able to offer a real estate component to its services.”
The New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development took an early lead in promoting the Enterprise Center at Plymouth project to the Commission. “Governor Lynch strongly supports efforts to develop programs that support entrepreneurs as they start and grow,” stated DRED Commission George Bald. “I’m glad that we could play a part in helping this economic development project move forward to completion.”
Created by Congress in 2009, the Northern Border Regional Commission is a federal-state partnership that provides funding to economic development, transportation, infrastructure and conservation projects in the northeast’s northern forest region.
Tags: Enterprise Center, GCEDC, Grafton County Economic Development Council, Mark Scarano, New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, Northern Border Regional Commission, PSU Small Business Institute, Sara Jayne Steen
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on GCEDC Receives $225,000 Commission Grant to Build Business Incubator
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Gov. John Lynch and the Executive Council have approved the use of federal Workforce Investment Act funds to expand a successful program in Grafton County that offers real world learning opportunities and high school credit for students.
The $234,678 contract with the Grafton County Economic Development Council will help to expand the existing North Country Workplace Education Project.
 “We must continue to create new opportunities for real-world learning, where students can gain on-the-job training and the basic skills they need to graduate from high school and get a good job. These funds will allow us to expand a successful program, where students are learning valuable lessons, as well as high school credits,” said Gov. Lynch. “This program represents the state’s growing efforts to provide greater alternative education programs that are helping more of our young people graduate from high school.”
Gov. Lynch has made increasing New Hampshire’s high school graduation rate a priority, by increasing the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 and expanding alternative education programs. In just the last year, New Hampshire’s high school dropout rate decreased by 30 percent. This initiative builds on those efforts.
The current program matches students from the Lisbon Regional School and Profile High School, with companies such as Garnet Hill and New England Wire. Funding from the Workforce Investment Act will fund an expansion to other North Country high schools and businesses.
“Providing students with the opportunity to gain new job readiness skills is of paramount importance to building the workforce of tomorrow,” said Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald. “I’m thrilled that more and more young people will be able to access this first class project and to take advantage of this excellent public/private partnership.”
“The Governor and Executive Council’s support for this public/private partnership represents the solid support for innovative solutions to the problems in the North Country,” said Mark Scarano, executive director of the Grafton County Economic Development Council.
Tags: Garnet Hill, Grafton County, Grafton County Economic Development Council, Lisbon Regional School, Mark Scarano, New England Wire, New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, North Country Workplace Education Project, Profile High School, Workforce Investment Act
Posted in NH Business Matters | Comments Off on “Real World” Learning Opportunities Expanded in Grafton County
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