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Posts Tagged ‘Greta Johansson’

SBA Young Entrepreneur Series (YES) Coming to UNH on March 12th

Friday, February 24th, 2012

A great free event’s coming up, put on by our friends at the SBA in collaboration with the NH Small Business Development Center, the NH High Tech Council, and Stay Work Play New Hampshire. Check out the invite below, and register at this link. Registration is required, it’s free, and you’ve gotta do it by Monday, March 12.

From their release: “Please join U.S. SBA Acting Regional Administrator Bob Nelson and NH District Director Greta Johansson in a dialogue with young entrepreneurs and local experts. A distinguished panel of young business leaders will share their personal stories, business tips and lessons learned during an interactive session.”

Got questions? Please contact Scott Wynne with the SBA at (603) 225-1404, or email scott.wynne@sba.gov.

SBA Young Entrepreneur Series (YES)

Winners Honored at 9th Business Excellence Awards

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Thirteen businesspeople were honored Thursday night at the New Hampshire Business Review’s ninth annual Business Excellence Awards, which recognize the efforts and achievements owners and operators of companies with 100 employees or fewer.

More than 300 people attended the Oct. 27 event, which was held at the Radisson in Manchester.

NHBR also announced two inductees into the Business Excellence Hall of Fame, which singles out people whose entire careers have been marked by a consistent and impressive record of accomplishments, both in their chosen fields, in their communities, and across the state and beyond. These honorees were selected by a separate panel of judges.

The 2011 Hall of Fame inductees were Howard Brodsky, co-founder of CCA Global Partners, one of the largest privately held companies in the United States and one of the largest cooperatives in the world, and the Singer Family, owner of Merchants Automotive Group, a multifaceted, $200 million auto company, including a long-term fleet leasing division that is one of the largest in the Northeast.

“Each of the businesspeople who receive these honors has a different story to tell,” said Sharron McCarthy, president of McLean Communications and publisher of NHBR. “But what they have in common is determination, industriousness and the ability to come up with innovative solutions that have allowed their businesses to survive and thrive, regardless of economic conditions, and a commitment to serving their communities.”

Jeff Feingold, editor of NHBR, said, “We would like to salute all of the nominees, the people who nominated them and the winners themselves for their contributions toward making New Hampshire a great place to do business.”

Emcee was Erin Fehlau, WMUR’s weekday morning and noon news anchor. A portion of the proceeds from the evening benefited Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, which advocates for New Hampshire children in the state’s court system in cases of neglect and abuse.

The winners of the 2011 NHBR Business Excellences Awards were:

Excellence in Business Services — Guy Sylvester, Absolute Resource Associates, Portsmouth
Excellence in Construction (tie) — Jerry Kingwill, Cobb Hill Construction, Concord; Jason Foster, Foster’s Professional Painting Plus LLC, Claremont
Excellence in Financial Services — Michael L’Ecuyer, Bellwether Community Credit Union, Manchester
Excellence in Health Care — Paula Gagne, Regency Nursing Care, Manchester
Excellence in Hospitality — Emeran Langmaid, A&E Custom Coffee Roastery, Amherst
Excellence in Media & Marketing — Erik Dodier, PixelMEDIA Inc., Portsmouth
Excellence in Nonprofits — Brian Young, Nashua Center for the Multiply Handicapped
Excellence in Professional Services — Thomas Brueckner, Senior Financial Resources Inc., Nashua
Excellence in Real Estate — Dick Anagnost, Anagnost Investments Inc., Manchester
Excellence in Retail (tie) — Sy Mahfuz, Persian Rug Galleries, Nashua; Lynda Nelson, Quest Martial Arts Academy, Barrington
Excellence in Technology — Cheryl Gamst, CCS New England, Nashua

The judges for the 2011 NHBR Business Excellence Awards were:

Chris Bernard, vice president, business banking relationship manager, Citizens Bank
Steve Boucher, communications manager, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development
Mary Collins, state director, New Hampshire Small Business Development Center
Bob Esau, executive vice president of Wealth Management, Laconia Savings Bank
Greta Johansson, New Hampshire district director, U.S. Small Business Administration
Patrick F. McDermott, economic and community development manager, Public Service of New Hampshire
Dr. Russ Ouellette, managing partner, Sojourn Partners, Bedford
Michele Petersen, vice president of operations, abi Innovation Hub, Manchester
Joe Reilly, cofounder and president, Centrix Bank
Chip Underhill, executive director of public relations and external affairs, Pinkerton Academy, Derry
Sponsors of the event were FairPoint Communications, Laconia Savings Bank, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care of New England, J Maze Design, Public Service of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, Merrimack Street Volvo, WGIR-AM 610 and New Hampshire Public Television.

On behalf of all of us at the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, thanks to our friends at the New Hampshire Business Review for a great awards celebration and congratulation to the winners and nominees!!

New Hampshire SBA Lending Increases in 2011

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Small businesses throughout the Granite State continued to make gains in accessing vital capital through a growing number of lenders who employed loan guarantees for U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.  The increased lending activity was intense during the first three months of the year. 

New Hampshire SBA Office District Director Greta Johansson

In New Hampshire, fiscal year 2011 saw over $150 million dollars injected into small businesses through 762 loans approved using the SBA’s loan guarantee programs.  This represents a 33% increase in total dollars loaned to small businesses when compared to 2010 and a 70% increase in SBA guaranteed loans since 2009.  The increase in New Hampshire lending is comparable to the nation-wide increase in SBA activity, which set an all time $30 billion record.

Greta Johansson, District Director of the New Hampshire SBA Office commented, “I am greatly encouraged by the results for the 2011 fiscal year.  The data demonstrates that our SBA lenders throughout the state are actively looking for opportunities to lend to qualified small business owners.”  The 2010 Jobs Act provided temporary enhancements that spurred loan activity during the fall; permanent provisions, however, including a substantial increase in lending limits, helped SBA loan growth continue through the year.

In fiscal year 2011, 762 SBA guaranteed loans were approved for New Hampshire businesses.   The total value of the financing included approximately $50 million for the acquisition or real property and fixed assets through the SBA 504 program.  In addition, 645 loans approved through the SBA 7a program for nearly $100 million providing funds used for predominantly for working capital and new equipment purchases.  This is the highest level of SBA financing in the state since fiscal year 2006. 

The capital provided through SBA loans goes directly into the hands of small businesses that are saving and creating jobs each day.   The loans are used to provide working capital, financing for new equipment purchases, business acquisitions and real estate purchases.

In concluding her comments on the 2011 year end results Johansson continued, “It is a good sign that small business owners in our state continue to increase their financial commitments in their businesses.  In like fashion, our community banks and credit unions in growing numbers have responded to their small business clients through the use of SBA’s loan guarantee programs when needed. We look forward to 2012 as a year where these positive trends continue.”