The ribbon cutting for the New Hampshire School of Mechanical Trades marks the second location for the school, to meet the demand for skilled tradesmen.
With construction completed on its second training facility, the New Hampshire School of Mechanical Trades in Hampton celebrated last week with a ribbon cutting attended by over 60 people.
The opening of the state-of-the-art, $1.6 million building will meet a critical need in the state because of the demand for mechanical tradesmen. After seeing enrollment nearly double in a few short years at the school’s Manchester location, founders Dean Millard and John Huff saw a need to meet the demand from Seacoast businesses sending their employees across the state for training there.
“We need your skills, we need your talent,” said Gov. Chris Sununu. “What you’re creating here is the workforce of the future – not for next year, but for 10 – 20 – 50 years down the road. We need to be investing in the infrastructure to keep our economy strong, to keep the services out there and to keep the jobs and careers out there available for the coming decades.”
The New Hampshire School of Mechanical Trades offers
programs in the areas of oil and gas; heating; plumbing; electric, and HVAC and
features working labs that offer students hands-on experience. It works with
students to make the training affordable and works with companies to place
graduates in the trades profession.
For more information about the school and its programs,
visit www.NHTradeSchool.com, or call
603-622-6544.
Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Taylor Caswell
When Governor Sununu signed SB 564 into law last week, he set New Hampshire on course to becoming the global hub for regenerative manufacturing.
The science behind creating new tissue and organs, and manufacturing them commercially, may sound like something from the 22nd century, but that technology is already happening at the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute in the Manchester Millyard.
The potential impact on New Hampshire economy, the healthcare industry, and people’s lives across the planet is nothing short of colossal.
Scientists, visionaries and legislators came together in Manchester this week for the signing of this bill because it is that important to our 21st century economy. This new law exempts for 10 years qualified companies locating their regenerative manufacturing business in New Hampshire from state corporate taxes. It also establishes a $5 million student loan forgiveness program for those people who come here to work in and grow this amazing industry. After five years, the state will pay for their student loans.
These are significant new tools that truly illustrate that New Hampshire is open for business. This legislation will help us recruit to our state, and retain, both businesses and the skilled workforce they need to grow and further evolve this science.
I can’t think of a more appropriate place for regenerative manufacturing to start changing the world than Manchester’s Millyard. A century ago, these very same buildings housed the largest and most technologically advanced textile mills on the planet. And now, here in 2018, these mills are on the precipice of once again being a globally critical manufacturing hub.
We’ve been here before. We can do it again.
Taylor Caswell
Commissioner
NH Business and Economic Affairs
Leading Semiconductor Company To Expand In Manchester
Allegro MicroSystems, LLC, a leader in developing high-performance power and sensor semiconductors, broke ground on a 15,000-square foot expansion at its Manchester facility on Dec. 19.
The building expansion will support Allegro’s ongoing growth and investment in research and development, as well as reinforce the location as the company’s center of strategic business development.
“Allegro will continue to strengthen its investment in its technical talent and focus on high growth technological segments,” said Allegro President and Chief Executive Officer, Ravi Vig.
“Our ability to attract and retain skilled, high-tech talent to our Manchester facility will allow us to further invest in this prime location.”
Allegro’s facility is conveniently located minutes from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport; close to leading New Hampshire and Massachusetts research universities, and within a one hour of the Seacoast, mountains, lakes, and urban environments like downtown Manchester and Boston, making it an attractive location for existing and prospective employees.
Allegro’s focus on advanced technology, product line expansion and innovation fits well with the business platform provided in New Hampshire.
“The Governor and I are fully committed to working with local companies to help them grow their business and attract talent,” said Taylor Caswell, commissioner of the Department of Business and Economic Affairs. “We are pleased that Allegro has chosen to invest in the Manchester area, and we look forward to their employees enjoying the revitalized mill yards, SNHU Arena, and other benefits of downtown.”
Allegro’s building expansion was designed by Margulies Perruzzi Architects and is being built by Hutter Construction Corp., with completion planned for next summer. Allegro will employ abut 400 people at its Manchester site, many of them engineers.
Scribe Software, a company founded in New Hampshire in 1995, was the backdrop this week for the ceremonial signing by Gov. Hassan of two bills reducing taxes for Granite State businesses.
Senate Bill 239, relative to application of the Internal Revenue Code to provisions of the business profits tax, and Senate Bill 342, relative to the sale or exchange of an interest in a business organization under the business profits tax go into effect for the 2017 tax year.
“By simplifying the tax filing process, reducing taxes for New Hampshire businesses, and making it easier for companies to attract capital investments and invest in new equipment, these bipartisan bills will build on those efforts, and I am proud to have signed them into law to reduce taxes for businesses in the Granite State, helping to reaffirm that New Hampshire is a great place for business and our status among the best business tax climates in the country,” Hassan said.
Senate Bill 239 simplifies the tax-filing process for New Hampshire businesses by adopting the most updated federal Internal Revenue Code for the application of the state business profits tax, as well as increases expensing deductions for purchases such as equipment from $25,000 to $100,000. Senate Bill 342 addresses the so-called phantom tax, a measure that the State began working on last year to support growing businesses by changing a unique provision of New Hampshire’s tax code, which will help encourage capital investment and give businesses more flexibility.
Gov. Hassan with Scribe Software team following the signing of two business tax reduction bills.
“Scribe is honored that the Governor’s office chose Scribe Software’s headquarters as a venue to promote new innovation and business growth in New Hampshire,” said Scribe Software CEO Shawn McGowan. “We appreciate these efforts to make New Hampshire an even better place for innovative businesses to start, grow and succeed.”
For more information about New Hampshire’s business-friendly climate, including a comprehensive state-to-state comparison, visit www.nheconomy.com/why-new-hampshire/
(Entrepreneur Steve Case announced his latest Rise of the Rest bus tour on Aug. 3 at the White House. His blog from that event is reprinted with permission below.Information about making your pitch (deadline is Sunday!) and to be in the audience during the competition follow the blog. -Ed)
Steve Case
From the White House: Announcing the Next Rise of the Rest Bus Tour
by Steve Case
Typically the White House’s East Room is reserved for presidential addresses or official state ceremonies. But today it will be bustling with entrepreneurs from all across the U.S. showcasing their startups to the president, senior officials, investors and many others.
I’m delighted to attend the first ever White House Demo Day and gratified to see the country recognizing the role entrepreneurs have played – and will continue to pay – in helping to build America and ensuring it has a bright future. And it is great to see the President lead an effort to level the playing field, so any entrepreneur, anywhere, can have a shot at being part of the American dream.
Speaking of any entrepreneur, anywhere: among the talented founders honored at the White House and chosen to exhibit their startups today are previous Rise of the Rest winners Jewel Burks and Jason Crain of Partpic – based in Atlanta, and Mindy Taylor and Sam Staley of Bidr – based in Charleston.
Our team is using the occasion to commit to visiting 10 more Rise of the Rest cities and investing an additional $1 million in startups, (including):
• Manchester, NH on Oct. 1
During day-long visits to these rising startup cities, we’ll meet with local entrepreneurs, businesses, non-profits, universities, and public officials to discuss the opportunities and challenges of fostering startup growth.
At a pitch competition open to the public in each city, a local startup will receive a $100,000 investment. And we’ll cap things off with a happy hour celebration.
In 2016, the Rise of the Rest tour will visit five more cities in the western part of the U.S.
At Revolution, we’ve seen firsthand how technological advances, public policy changes, and the growing awareness about the critical importance of entrepreneurship have lowered barriers to entry for startups. In June the Revolution Growth fund made its largest investment to date in Shinola, based in Detroit. A Revolution Ventures portfolio company based in Baltimore, OrderUp, was recently purchased by Groupon – a huge win for the Baltimore startup ecosystem.
(For more recent, trends on the geographic diversity of startup activity, see here.)
As we hit the road in late September and early October, I look forward to discussing how Baltimore is much more than just a port city, but an emerging, Mid-Atlantic startup hub with innovative minds especially in defense, research, health, and technology.
How Philadelphia – which launched the most successful startup in history (the United States) – continues to develop its talented base of 101 colleges and universities to encourage a diverse group of millennials, an engaged local and state government, as well as its established corporations, to take part in the startup economy.
How Buffalo and Western New York – once one of the country’s great manufacturing centers – continues to come back through the concentration of biomedical expertise, advanced production industries, tourism, and strong backing from government including through the Buffalo Billion Initiative.
How Manchester and Hanover – once home to the largest mill yards in the world – continue to transform New Hampshire into the Live Free and Startstate, leveraging the international talent stream of Dartmouth College and other schools to craft technologies built around software and life sciences, and create an emerging innovation hub between Boston and Montreal.
And how Portland’s continued effort to build upon one of the country’s most authentic buy-local movements, a highly educated population, and a strong tourism base is creating a startup ecosystem rich with doers, innovators, and new businesses in the northeast.
After logging 3,000 miles and investing $1.5 million in startups during previous tours, we are excited to fire up the bus again and head north. Joining Revolution on the next tour as partners, in addition to Google for Entrepreneurs and Salesforce for Startups, are Engine, Seed Here Studio, Tech Cocktail, Startup Grind, and Village Capital.
Interested in applying to pitch and or attend the celebration in Manchester during the upcoming tour? Visit www.riseofrest.com to register.
If you are interested in pitching your startup for a $100,000 investment from legendary entrepreneur Steve Case on 10/1, during the nationwide Rise of the Rest tour through Manchester, start your application today.The application deadline is Sunday 9/13 at 11.59pm EST.
RSVP hereto attend the post competition celebration.
After spending about a year looking for the right location to expand his business from New York City, Neil Sikder, founder and CEO of Maia Strategy, settled in Manchester. Last week, he hosted a grand opening and as he raised a toast, his insight into what helped him to make that decision was interesting … and inspiring.
As Michael Bergeron, our senior business development manager, told the New Hampshire Sunday News this week, “I like the fact that they focused on Manchester and New Hampshire because they want to hire young, talented people right out of college, and they were convinced that this was the city and the state to do that.”
Welcome to New Hampshire, Maia Strategy!
Lorna Colquhoun
Communications Director
Division of Economic Development
In the “great news” department, Manchester, NH has been named one of three “recession buster cities” by National Geographic Adventure Magazine.
Here’s what the story said about the Queen City:
Manchester, New Hampshire
Pop. 108,586
In Manchester, old mills have been refurbished into small businesses, while big players such as TD Banknorth, Citizens Bank, and Elliot Hospital employ thousands. The river town claims one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation: This summer it stood at 6.8 percent, compared to the 9.7 percent national average. And the state has zero income or sales tax. You can polish your ski and board skills right in town on McIntyre Ski Area’s 170 feet of vertical before taking on the steeper White Mountain runs an hour north. In summer, canoeists recoup from paddling trips on Massabesic Lake with fresh Buds at the nearby Anheuser-Busch Brewery.
Over the weekend I had the good fortune of being interviewed by WMUR’s Adam Sexton about the excellent news that the Manchester/Nashua region was named first on the list of “America’s 100 Cheapest Places to Live.”
“Among the U.S. cities with the most affordable housing and lowest cost of living, the Queen City offers the best combination of safety, employment opportunity and general quality of life,” Forbes magazine wrote.
Here’s the write-up that appeared on www.wmur.com:
Forbes Magazine has named the Manchester-Nashua area the cheapest place to live in America based on the area’s affordable housing, low cost of living and high quality of life.
Sometimes a list is just a list, but state economic development officials said this No. 1 ranking represents a promotional goldmine, WMUR News 9’s Adam Sexton reported.
“Obviously, this is great news not only for Manchester and Nashua, but for the state of New Hampshire,” said Steve Boucher, the state Division Of Economic Development’s communications and legislative director.
Boucher said Forbes Magazine is validating what many locals already know.
“It just speaks to the high quality of life and — even in challenging economic times these days — it just proves that New Hampshire is still ahead of the curve in terms of the economy,” Boucher said.
Forbes wrote, “Among the U.S. cities with the most affordable housing and the lowest cost of living, the Queen City offers the best combination of safety, employment opportunity and general quality of life.”
The article continued, calling the Manchester-Nashua area “a haven for those repelled by the high price of living and doing business in other New England states.”
“I think it’s a great place to live,” said Joanne Novak, of Manchester.
Novak and Darlene Ramsey said they think the ranking could prompt more people to move to the area.
“The more the merrier,” Ramsey said.
Aaron Daigneault said the difference is clear when he travels.
“Compared to New York City and other cities I’ve been to, it’s very cheap,” Daigneault said.
“I know my parents always talk about how it’s affordable and it’s close to other locations, and here, you have the White (Mountains) real close, Boston’s close,” said Peter Scheuermann, of Pittsburgh, Pa., which ranked 10th on the Forbes list.
Boucher is going to make sure the word gets out to businesses, investors and people across the country.
“I know we’re going to be promoting this for a good long time now. This is excellent news,” Boucher said.
With this list, cheaper doesn’t always mean better. Modesto, Calif., just squeaked in at No. 92, but it made a different Forbes list earlier this year, ranking as the fifth most miserable city in America.
Here’s what the story said about the Queen City:
“Obviously, this is great news not only for Manchester and Nashua, but for the state of New Hampshire,” said Steve Boucher, the state Division Of Economic Development’s communications and legislative director.