COVER STORIES

Watching the commercial market headlines
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  January 2008

As with much economic news, the headlines can seem contradictory and often don't add up to a coherent narrative. For months, there has been no shortage of talk from economists that a recession is lurking in the national neighborhood because of (1) escalating energy costs, (2) soaring national trade deficit, (3) increasing consumer debt loads and, the latest intruder, (4) the credit crunch caused by the sub-prime market meltdown.

Foreclosure 'sticker shock' packs punch
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  January 2008

A number of potentially troublesome mortgages were set in 2006, with rate increases scheduled for 2008 and 2009, according to U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes of New Hampshire. "So," he says in a stark assessment of the foreclosure crisis, "the sticker shock isn't over."

Realtors still find highlights in local market
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  January 2008

The Seacoast real estate market for residential and commercial properties may not be as brisk as it was two or three years ago, but there are still plenty of local highlights, realtors say.

What was hot in 2007?
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  December 2007

Michael Gray was inspired to launch Global Relief Technologies, a private firm based at Pease International Tradeport, out of a frustration with a lack of communication tools in the field. Too often, he said, people are forced to rely on voice-based communication or pen and paper.

Making it through that first year
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  December 2007

It's a brutal truism that small businesses fail at a high rate often within the first two years, sometimes much sooner (studies show the rate to be 80 to 90 percent). The reasons for such a high rate of failure are numerous: a bad business plan, a good business plan in a bad market, not enough money, not accounting for growth, not enough time or effective marketing or the bad luck of launching in uncertain economic times.

Schooled for success
By:  Richard Fabrizio
Published:  November 2007

So you say you want to be an entrepreneur?
You've got a great idea for a new widget, perfect Portsmouth boutique or the best new bistro in town. Now what?

State maintains entrepreneur-friendly attitude
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  November 2007

New Hampshire companies received $71 million in venture capital in the first quarter of 2007, nearly matching the funding in all of 2006, according to a study done earlier this year by the Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau of New Hampshire Employment Security. A positive development, certainly, but does it mean a break in the downward spiral since a venture capital peak of $750 million in 2000?

The experience of veterans
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  October 2007

It's a veteran work force in New Hampshire — and that's got nothing to do with the region's aging work force.

Knowledge is king in the new economy
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  October 2007

If there was any doubt that we inhabit an information economy, consider a small listing of the most-secure jobs in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Labor — Web developer, Web site manager, computer consultant, software engineer, and computer systems analyst.

Shoring up the labor pool
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  October 2007

The region's labor pool increasingly has its shallow parts, a trend that is prompting renewed focus on worker retraining and keeping more college graduates from migrating to other states. Steps have already been taken over the past year to address the issue, including funding a $1 million job-training fund, and companies have already been searching for critical help.

50-something and fit
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  September 2007

Mind and body programming, such as tai chi and yoga, is increasingly popular at Synergy Health & Fitness Center in Exeter. Another of the changes as the Exeter facility celebrates its 10th year: an older clientele.

Two views of the health care quandary
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  September 2007

In the midst of a presidential election cycle, health care cost has become a leading domestic issue for voters and, not surprisingly, for candidates. There's no shortage of plans or philosophies from hopefuls in both parties.

Expanding services, increasing options
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  September 2007

Ever-expanding medical services and health care options in the Seacoast range from branch offices for better care and convenience to new equipment and hospital centers.

Wanted: Workers with people, financial skills
By:  Susan Morse
Published:  August 2007

The two biggest skills shortfalls of entrepreneurs and managers are financial and "people skills," according to Professor John Burtt, chairman of the Department of Business and Computer Technologies for the New Hampshire Community Technical College.

Training = stable work force
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  August 2007

For most of the past three decades, the American work force has been transformed almost beyond recognition. Before technological advances and fierce global competition changed the path to middle-class success, a high school diploma was enough to get a high-paying manufacturing position or a college degree could lead to a career in a Fortune 500 company as a white collar executive. Those days now seem as quaint as the height of the horse and buggy era.

Planning for the boomer bust
By:  Elizabeth Kenny
Published:  August 2007

Since they have been old enough to take a stand, members of the baby boomer generation have been more than willing to express their opinion, work toward change and reflect on what they want for themselves.

Out of the incubator
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  July 2007

No need to employ Michael J. Fox, the movie star with Parkinson's disease and a staunch research advocate, to tout the importance of biotechnology in the Seacoast.

Medical technology firms stake claim in New Hampshire
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  July 2007

The life-sciences industry is a life-saving ministry of local and global companies, with several household names right here in Maine and New Hampshire.

Making biotech education work
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  July 2007

It's not every school that can promise local world-class training and a comprehensive two-year program that leads to guaranteed employment.

A healthy dilemma
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  June 2007

Legislative efforts to expand health insurance coverage are getting kudos in the policy realm, but business advocates worry any additional mandates will erode the health of their bottom lines.

Yankee work ethic
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  June 2007

Phyllis Giordano launched Painted Treasures nearly four years ago in her home. She opened shop on Route 1 in York a year later, and hasn't looked back as her second career became its own little treasure.

Surviving a sea change
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  June 2007

Karen and Scott Logan could hold a lengthy and detailed forum on confronting business adversity. In particular they could talk for a while about the importance of reaching out for expert support at the right time.

Tourism's pot of gold
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  May 2007

Beach-goers, boaters and other visitors please take a bow: You play a starring role in the region's economy. When other more cyclical industries plateau or face serious trouble, the steady tourism sector in Maine and New Hampshire serves as the great equalizer.

Seasonal adjustments
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  May 2007

Running a seasonal business is not for those easily rattled by factors out of their control such as weather, changing consumer spending habits, the weather, evolving demographic shifts, and, yes, the weather.

Primary concern
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  May 2007

Sen. Eugene McCarthy once said more people die in New Hampshire than win its first in the nation presidential primary. Of the campaign trail, he quipped, "New Hampshire is like a suit of long underwear frozen stiff on a clothesline."

The new 'Manchester Triangle?'
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  April 2007

The residential market may have been soft heading into early 2007, but the commercial market was another story altogether. There is no correlation between the sales pace of housing and business properties, Seacoast experts remind us.

A seller's market
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  April 2007

Just how bullish is Michael Kane about the commercial real estate market in the Seacoast region?
Enough to put his money where his development vision is.

Virtual real estate
By:  Dave R. Choate
Published:  April 2007

The world of real estate is rapidly becoming a galaxy of virtual estates.
Consumers who once came into a real estate office with little idea of how to begin the buying process now have usually seen more than one house online by the time they enter the agency. Many of them have seen the inside and outside of these homes and can rattle off a list of their features to an agent.

Homespun success
By:  Rachel M. Collins
Published:  March 2007

When someone asks Natalie King about the company she works for, she usually tells them it's "a small homemade jam and specialty foods company in Maine with the handwritten label."

Mentoring one success story at a time
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  March 2007

A “trusted counselor or guide” is one dictionary definition of mentor. When it comes to mentoring and fostering the entrepreneurial potential of women in the Seacoast region and the state, there is no organization like the Women’s Business Center.

A business of her own
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  March 2007

Maine and New Hampshire boast of many firsts. Maine touts York as America's first chartered city. And New Hampshire, on the eve of another crowded presidential contest, proudly touts itself for hosting the "first-in-the-nation primary." But progress and Yankee ingenuity aside, Maine and New Hampshire still lurk in the bottom third in state rankings for women in business.

Seacoast connecting with military spending
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  February 2007

The Seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire has such a storied military history, from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to the former Pease Air Force Base, it comes as no surprise that government plays a major role in the economy. But it's bigger than you might think, and it's getting bigger thanks to Uncle Sam buying goods from many smaller companies.

Six degrees of Seacoast technology diversity
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  February 2007

In 1999, John Morgridge, the chairman of Cisco Systems, came to the annual Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce dinner. Morgridge led one of the reddest of red-hot companies making the information age charge and he gave a stock, dot.com cheerleading speech.

Netting the benefits
By:  Susan Morse
Published:  February 2007

Nonprofits can develop long-term relationships with supporters by communicating attractive, user-friendly information over the Web, according to the executive director of the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits.

Adapting to changing marketplace
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  January 2007

On Notre Dame Avenue in Manchester, there is a building that holds the answer to an interesting trivia question: Where was the first credit union formed?

Giving back to their communities
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  January 2007

Beyond the attractive deposit and loan rates and beyond the smiling tellers and the free lollipops, Seacoast banks are battling homelessness, hunger, animal cruelty, and urban blight. The list of causes goes on and on, often overlooked as these institutions compete for customers or please shareholders.

There is help available
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  January 2007

The incubator is incubating.
Seacoast Suites for Business and Technology, a 35,000-square-foot center on Merrill Drive in Hampton, is nearly leased out since Coastal Economic Development Corp. bought the property for $1.95 million in 2003. Today it is home to 16 tenants and more than 60 employees.

Advancing a regional economy
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  December 2006

The Seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire is one community separated by a common river. With that kissing-cousin logic in mind, business, nonprofit, civic and political leaders from each state are committed in 2007 to building upon the common ground on either side of the Piscataqua.

Pease looks to continue its upward trend
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  December 2006

At Pease International Tradeport, the top measure of success — its chartered main mission, in fact — is the number of jobs created.
In 2006, that measurement was good enough to set a record — an estimated 6,400, which surpassed the old mark of 6,300 set in 2004, said David Mullen, deputy director of the Pease Development Authority.

Lawyers on the business of law: Increasing competition, finding good help
By:  Susan Morse
Published:  November 2006

If you weren’t competitive, you wouldn’t have gone into the law in the first place.
A sharp edge is needed, from landing that first position, to winning over a jury, to keeping current as a veteran professional.

Preserve your life’s work: The need for estate planning for businesses
By:  Dan Touhy
Published:  November 2006

When Wilfred L. “Jack” Sanders, Jr. sits down with a business to begin its estate planning, the Seacoast lawyer with four decades of legal experience in Maine and New Hampshire becomes the No. 1 collector of information.

Before you see an attorney ...: Agencies offer advice -- sometimes for free
By:  Deborah McDermott
Published:  November 2006

A small businessperson, particularly one who is just trying to get a business off the ground, has myriad questions – and many of them veer toward the legal.

Virtual, visual and versatile:  How technology has changed the real estate industry
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  June 2006

When Mary Williams started out in the real estate business more than three decades ago, it was a world of pink message slips and a weekly pickup of the local MLS, or Multiple Listing Service, guide. It was a world where the agent or broker held most of the information cards and the consumer was dependent on them to a degree unimaginable today.

A Pease of the action:  Former base has become a brand name for businesses
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  June 2006

As the 1990s began to boom, the redevelopment of the former Pease Air Force Base slowly began to flourish with the step-by-step cadence of a military buildup. In those days, long before Pease International Tradeport became the national model for how to recycle old military installations, a few community leaders questioned whether the upstart business park would compete for their companies. Their concern was not without a little merit.

Many Ways For Businesses to Tap Tourism Dollars
By:  Dan Tuohy
Published:  May 2006

In Portsmouth there are historic house tours, literary tours, garden tours, and ghost tours. One day you could even see a guided Segway tour. Kathryn Stewart envisions just such a scenario as part of her business, Seacoast Fun Rides. "I’m exploring the options," she said. Tourism in the Port City, established 1623, is a real million-dollar baby. It’s one good reason businesses assess where they fit into the picture - or better put, how they can cash in.

The History Business: Landmark museums fighting for their lives
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  May 2006

At first glance they appear as natural historical beacons for tourists in the region. Strong brand names such as Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, the Museums of Old York, or the younger American Independence Museum in Exeter conjure sentiments of a young and developing nation. But looks can be deceiving. In an age when businesses are increasingly being altered by the speed of technology, these living historical museums are seeing attendance and revenues declining, and are in the danger of slipping into irrelevance.

MONEY & MEDICINE:  Economic Engines:  Seacoast hospitals provide payroll for thousands of employees, contracts for support businesses
By:  Michael McCord
Published:  April 2006

For more than 25 years, Kevin Callahan has been an eyewitness to the robust growth of the health care economy in the Seacoast. As the president and chief executive officer of Exeter Hospital, Callahan has seen a $25 million business grow into $250 million health care juggernaut. He oversees a major network of health carerelated services that comes under the umbrella of Exeter Health Resources.