September is the month when the kids go back to school, the calendar kicks over to fall and no matter how old you are, the conditioning of our minds over all the years of grammar, middle and high school and college puts us in learning mode.
So it may be a good time for your employees to go back to the classroom and learn about latest processes and technology that will keep your business competitive. The New Hampshire Job Training Fund is open to businesses located in New Hampshire and businesses intending to locate here, and who pay quarterly taxes into the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund.
Businesses large and small have received grants and yours can, too.
It’s worth a few moments to see how it helped Destefano Architects of Portsmouth and then give us a call today.
Lorna Colquhoun
Communications Director
Division of Economic Development
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
Gov. Maggie Hassan joins dignitaries Tuesday for the ribbon cutting at US Foods in Seabrook.
Seabrook celebrated its new neighbor on Tuesday with the opening of US Foods’ newest distribution center.
“The new efficient and modern facility allows us to better serve our approximately 3,000 customers throughout the New England area and provides the nearly 300 employees in the location with an optimal working environment,” said John Glynn, president, Boston Division, US Foods. “We are thrilled to join the Seabrook business community and continue to bring our innovative products and business solutions to chefs, restaurant owners and food service operators throughout the area.”
The new 500,000 square-foot facility is LEED certified and includes a number of green enhancements, such as energy efficient lighting and a cascade refrigeration system that uses CO2 as a refrigeration fluid in place of ammonia, reducing environmental impact and increasing energy efficiency. A dedicated fleet fueling and maintenance area will further help the company operate even more efficiently.
High Liner Foods is the largest prepared seafood processing operation in North America. Last year, the company reported $1 billion in annual sales for the first time in its 115-year history and capped a terrific 2014 by moving its US headquarters from Danvers, Mass. to the Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth.
Keith Decker, president and COO of High Liner Foods, said of moving the business from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, “The relocation and design of the new building will help us serve our customers better and attract and retain the top talent required for continued growth into the future.”
To get some valuable insights into the business relocation process, we interviewed Jim LaBelle, vice president of food service marketing, and Mark Leslie, vice president of business integration and special projects, at High Liner Foods. Both worked directly with Michael Bergeron, senior business development manager at the Division of Economic Development, to facilitate the move.
High Liner Foods invested $1 million in its test kitchen.
Thinking back to the beginning of your relocation process, what were the biggest factors that inspired you to explore the idea of relocating?
The biggest factor for us was we sold our existing facility to a company that needed our production space, which we no longer needed. That necessitated a need to find a new office facility for our US headquarters team.
What were the main reasons New Hampshire came out on top for you?
We wanted to be closer to our production facility, which is in Portsmouth. We wanted a modern but affordable solution that could be a showcase facility for our employees and customers. And we wanted a standalone building. New Hampshire rose to the top with all three of our criteria.
You worked with Michael Bergeron at DED during your relocation project. What were two or three of the most helpful things he did for you?
Michael helped us put together an initial meeting with city officials to discuss a couple of outstanding issues before we selected the site, put us in touch with local health officials to work through permitting issues, and explained potential government economic development incentives available to us in New Hampshire. He was invaluable throughout the process.
What advice would you give to other companies exploring a move to another state?
It’s important to develop a network of local experts and officials that you can reach out to when issues arise for resolution input. It’s also helpful to understand what economic development opportunities and incentives might be available.
What’s next for High Liner Foods? What big things do you have planned for 2015?
At High Liner Foods, we’re focused on bringing our customers innovative, on-trend seafood products to help them succeed, so that is always our main priority. We’re also excited to now be able to host our customers in a world-class facility in a world-class community.
Carol Miller is the director of broadband technology here at the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development. She reports on the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 6, signifying the start of one of the state’s largest developments getting underway. Ed.
Education and investment are alive and well in Durham, as the development of Madbury Commons gets underway in the downtown.
Jeff Rubin, Golden Goose Capital, developing Madbury Commons.
This is a large multi-use project by Durham-based Golden Goose Capital. It will feature 126 apartments housing 525 students and 45,000 square feet of commercial space. The anchor tenant in this $30 million development will be the University of New Hampshire’s InterOperability Lab. UNH officials signed a 20-year lease earlier this year.
The development is one of the largest in motion in New Hampshire and hits the right themes in terms of the state’s economy. As the home to hundreds of college students and the IOL, Madbury Commons is going to be a boon on many fronts. From this, we can expect to see about 1,500 visitors annually, from all over the world.
The IOL is a technology company wholly-owned by UNH, which is dedicated to the testing of wireless products for companies such as Samsung, Google and Apple. The UNH-IOL is dedicated to fostering cooperation within the data communications industry, while providing hands-on experience to future engineers.
This development will require large capacity gigabit broadband to serve the needs of students, the IOL and other commercial tenants
Madbury Commons is the remarkable result of vision, investment and education and I look forward to the ribbon cutting ceremony in about a year’s time, which will signify the opening of this development.
Cutting the ribbon on EIT’s new location in Salem.
With a snip of the scissors, a red velvet ribbon was cut last Thursday in Salem to mark the opening of one of New Hampshire’s newest companies, Electronic Instrumentation and Technology.
Joined by workers, clients, suppliers and supporters (including our own Cynthia Harrington, who assisted in the relocation from Methuen, Mass.), EIT officials celebrated the Virginia-based electronic manufacturing service provider’s fifth location, an electronic manufacturing facility.
Employees, customers and vendors celebrated EIT’s move to Salem.
“The new EIT Salem facility shows EIT’s commitment to our customers and the entire New England region,” said David Faliskie, EIT president and COO. “In January, EIT will begin our 38th year in business. EIT’s physical resources, along with our dedicated staff, create a situation which allows us to meet our customer’s requirements and keep EIT as a premiere EMS provider.”
Nearly a year ago, EIT acquired a contract manufacturer in nearby Methuen, Mass., and began planning to move operations to New Hampshire. Its new facility at 19 Keewaydin Dr., is double in size, to 30,000 square-feet and features ESD flooring, new energy efficient lighting and new and upgraded equipment. The Salem plant supports both prototype and production builds.
Harrington, business recruiter for the Division of Economic Development, worked with the EIT team as it considered relocating to New Hampshire.
“In terms of distance, the company is just a few miles from its previous location in Massachusetts, but the business climate is vastly different,” she said. “A combination of New Hampshire’s business climate, pool of highly skilled and highly educated workforce and available commercial real estate made this a logical choice for a growing company like EIT.” Alicia Gagne
It’s the bane of the serious snowmobiler: The dull edge of a carbide runner.
A Laconia manufacturer came up with a solution to the seasonal problem and in the year since the Biteharder carbide sharpening tool went on the market, Glenn Welch of Welch Manufacturing says business has grown exponentially.
Why? His product is, pardon the pun, cutting edge and his business plan included establishing a Canadian market.
One of New Hampshire’s newest companies is not only one we helped to relocate here, but it’s one that’s on the forefront of technology and women’s health.
Gamma Medica is evolving technology to improve breast cancer detection and has opened a product design, engineering and manufacturing plant in southern New Hampshire, the latest business to locate in a region becoming known for its bio-medical industry.
Gamma Medica, Inc. develops, markets and services the LumaGEM® MBI system, a digital molecular breast imaging system enabling radiologists to detect early stage cancers that can be missed in women with mammographically dense breast tissue. It is leasing 8,000-square feet at 12 Manor Parkway and plans to hire about 30 people in the next year.
Jim Calandra, CEO Gamma Medical Salem, NH
Since then, technology has been developing high-quality, high-resolution systems to detect tumors at 5 millimeters. Through a non-invasive procedure, women whose mammograms are inconclusive can opt for MBI testing. It’s about one-third of the cost of an MRI, which is used for further analysis of dense breast tissue.
While mammography is an excellent tool in the detection of breast cancer, it does have limitations, said Dr. Robert C. Hannon of Salem Radiology.
“The development of molecular breast imaging, and its ability to identify even small early cancers, is a most welcome addition,” Hannon said. “Gamma Medica, through its Luma GEM MBI System, has refined the technique so it is simple, safe and accurate. This technology will be a significant asset to physicians, as they continue their efforts against this disease.”
Earlier this summer, Gamma Medica closed on a $16 million Series A financing round from healthcare investment firm, Psilos Group Managers. This funding enables Gamma Medica to expand commercialization of the LumaGEM MBI system, its companion product, the LumaGUIDE® MBI-guided biopsy module, and be used to finance additional post-market clinical studies.
Calandra said locating this company in Salem made sense and not just because of New Hampshire’s low tax structure.
“There is a strong medical device presence here and we are close to Boston, where there is a prevalence of medical device companies along Route 128 and around the Merrimack Valley,” he said, adding that being close to some of the finest hospitals in the country was also an important consideration in locating here.
Southern New Hampshire is developing a strong medical device cluster, said Michael Bergeron, business development manager for the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, who assisted Gamma Medica in its move to the state.
“The company was looking to locate in a place where there is access to talented employees, universities, and hospitals, as well as low operating costs,” Bergeron said. “New Hampshire has all of that.”
Gamma Medica will celebrate its grand opening on Oct. 11.
If you are in the vicinity of Rochester on Thursday evening, make plans to spend a little time in the city for a celebration.
Great Bay Community College’s new Advance Technology & Academic Center (ATAC), Rochester
Between 5 and 7 pm, Great Bay Community College will celebrate its new Advanced Technology & Academic Center (better known as ATAC), which is located at the Lilac Mall. More than a education center, it is going to help put the Seacoast on a flight path to success, as the area becomes known as an emerging composites region.
The ATAC is the largest single project under the statewide Advanced Manufacturing Partnership in Education initiative (AMPedNH), formed by the Community College System of New Hampshire under the federal TAACCCT-NH grant. AMPed NH is sponsored by a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration.
Great Bay’s advanced composites manufacturing curriculum at the ATAC was developed to fit the needs of area manufacturers — among those, Albany Engineered Composites and Safran Aerospace Composites. These two companies are co-locating in a new manufacturing plant at the Granite State Business Park. The plant, set to open in a couple of months, is being built by Safran and is expected to add about 500 jobs to the local market. Representatives of both companies will be available to talk about the advanced composites manufacturing industry and opportunities within the region.
“This center is a wonderful educational resource for anyone interested in what Great Bay has to offer,” said college President Will Arvelo. “Now residents of Strafford County and beyond can conveniently take a course at Rochester – whether it be a general education or liberal arts course or something from a specific field – and those seeking training opportunities in advanced composites manufacturing now have a state-of-the art facility practically in their backyard.”
Gov. Maggie Hassan will attend, as well as other officials. If you attend, you can enter to win free tuition for one year – a value of up to $5,000. Representatives from the College Admissions, Financial Aid and WorkReady NH can answer your questions.
For more information on the free event, visit www.gbrochester.com or call 1-800-522-1194.
The Radio-Canada film crew at the Le Rendevous Bakery in Colebrook.
A film crew from Canada’s largest network is back at its studio in Montreal this week, after spending two intensive days last week delving into New Hampshire’s tax structure.
Beginning in Concord last Monday, the Radio-Canada team talked with Gov. Hassan and our Beno Lamontagne, business resource specialist for northern New Hampshire. No sales tax? No income tax? How does the state operate?
Then it was back on the road, north to Colebrook, where the group spent the day talking with two businesses with roots in France and Quebec, about doing business here. National reporter Maxime Bertrand conducted the interviews in French and the questions were not softball.
Marie-Josee Vaillant, president of Kheops International, speaks with Radio-Canada reporter Maxime Bertrand, center, and producer Francine Doyon.
The morning was spent filming at Kheops International, a wholesaler of New Age items from the 15,000 square-foot building it opened in 2004. Marie-Josee Vaillant, the company president, spoke at length about the reasons why she, her mother and sister located in Colebrook.
In the afternoon, the crew went downtown to the Le Rendevous Bakery and spoke with owner Verlaine Daeron and her partner, Marc Ounis. On a search through northern New England some years ago, the couple from Paris found their way to Colebrook and never left, setting up their bakery in the old First Colebrook Bank.
In addition to the business questions, there were exchanges about the many things in common New Hampshire has with Canada, especially Quebec, which shares our northern border at Pittsburg. The first immigrants to the Granite State, who came down to work the textile mills in Manchester and in the woods north of Berlin and the mills there that made paper for well over a century left a lasting legacy across the state.
“Between our geography and our culture, there is a real connection,” said Lamontagne.
The exact date when the segment on the Late News isn’t set, but the producer said it will be in late April, coinciding with Quebec’s tax day.
“This interest is a direct result of the Aero-Montreal summit,” said Lamontagne, who was part of the New Hampshire delegation, led by then-Gov. John Lynch, the only governor who attended the event.
Lamontagne and business recruiter Michael Bergeron have made about half a dozen trips to Canada over the past year, which included a dinner for 80 people in Sherbrooke last June to tell them about the benefits of expanding their business to New Hampshire, especially the North Country. In a province that is highly taxed, once business owners get over being incredulous, they are very interested in talking further about opportunities here.
Getting the word out about the business climate here isn’t easy, largely because unlike New York, Vermont and Maine, New Hampshire doesn’t have a television signal that goes over the border, so residents don’t hear a lot about the things that make us unique, very business friendly and eager to welcome our neighbors to north who want to get established in the US markets.
