NAMES AND FACES - June 2007

The law firm of McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, P.A., with offices in Manchester, Portsmouth, and Concord, is pleased to announce that M. Susan Leahy has been elected a trustee of the New Hampshire Bar Foundation.

Professionally, Leahy concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning and administration, trust administration and foundations, charities and nonprofit organizations. She is admitted to the bar in the New Hampshire and Maine, as well as the Federal District Court for New Hampshire, the United States Tax Court, 1st Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Leahy is the chairman of the New Hampshire Probate Court's Uniform Trust Code Committee. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. She received the Marilla M. Ricker award from the New Hampshire Women's Bar and has been selected "Lawyer of the Year" by the Merrimack County Bar Association.

Leahy also serves the community through a number of leadership positions. In addition to her new position as a trustee of NH Bar Foundation, she is a trustee and president of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society, a trustee of Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth; and a trustee and president of Concord 2020.

Robin Wright of Portsmouth has become an independent consultant with Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct-sales company featuring easy-to-prepare gourmet products.

As a consultant, Wright offers the company's gourmet foods and beverages to guests at home taste-testing parties. Guests receive samples, easy meal ideas, recipes and serving suggestions. Tastefully Simple is the original national home taste-testing company. Its products are offered through independent consultants across the United States.

Robert Smith, of the financial services firm Edward Jones, in Portsmouth, has achieved the professional designation of accredited asset management specialist. He completed the AAMS professional education program from the Denver-based College for Financial Planning. Those who complete the program pass a final exam and sign a code of ethics and disclosure form earn the AAMS designation. Study topics include understanding the asset management process and understanding asset allocation and strategies.

In other Edward Jones news, the company was recently named the highest-ranking brokerage firm on Business Week magazine's list of "Customer Service Champs." Edward Jones ranked No. 6 among 25 national and international companies that , according to the magazine's March 5 edition, are the "best providers of customer service."

In addition to the Business Week accolades, Edward Jones ranks highest in full-service investor satisfaction for the second consecutive year, and ranks highest in overall satisfaction for financial advisors, according to J. D. Power and Associates.

Some of the 300 employees of Wentworth-by-the-Sea.

The 300 employees of the historic Wentworth-by-the-Sea, A Marriott Hotel & Spa, in New Castle, have added a new honor to their lengthy list of awards. The hotel was named "Marriott Hotel of the Year" at the recent General Managers Conference in San Francisco, chosen for the distinction out of all 343 full-service Marriott hotels in North America.

"Hotel of the Year" recognition results from a hotel's blend of customer service and financial performance.

Wentworth also received the national award for "Overall Food Quality" at the conference.

Executive Chef Dan Dumont, who was recognized last year with a Marriott ACE Award for culinary excellence and leadership, noted that when he briefed the food and beverage team on opening day he said he hoped the Wentworth dining experience would be recognized regionally and nationally. "I guess the Hotel of the Year Award proves we did that," he said.

In addition to Hotel of the Year honors, the hotel has also just earned the highest Eastern region scores for "Dining Experience" in the Marriott guest satisfaction survey program. The hotel placed highest overall in the region, as well as for "Overall Breakfast," "Restaurant Dining Experience," "Overall Event Satisfaction," "Event Food & Beverage" and "Problem Resolution" scores. The guest service component underscores the hotel's ongoing commitment to achieving the highest possible scores in the Marriott guest satisfaction survey program.

Citizens Bank New Hampshire and WMUR-TV have named The Children's Museum of Portsmouth as its 2007 second quarter "Champion in Action" in the area of youth programming. As part of the award, The Children's Museum will receive a $25,000 grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support for its dedication to providing educational programs, workshops, and exhibits to children throughout the state and into Maine and Massachusetts.

The "Champions in Action" program is designed to recognize and support nonprofit organizations for their contributions to New Hampshire communities. A new Champion in Action is selected each quarter among a range of social service areas.

Sue Suter, with Lonza Biologic's Bill Piombino and Michael Cicio.

Sue Suter, executive director of United Way of the Greater Seacoast (UWGS) recently presented a Spirit of Giving Award to Lonza Biologics Inc, one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, health care and life science industries. The Spirit of Giving Award recognizes outstanding innovation, executive support, and success from companies participating in United Way of the Greater Seacoast's Fall 2006 fund-raising campaign.

UWGS selected Lonza Biologics Inc for the Spirit of Giving Award based on the company's continued commitment to United Way's mission, and the company's impressive 100 percent increase in employee giving with twice the number of participating employees over the previous year's drive. During the award presentation, Suter recognized Vice President of Operations and Plant Manager Michael Cicio as well as Bill Piombino, the director of facilities responsible for coordinating this year's successful fund-raising efforts.

In other United Way news, Kathleen Jodka, director of resource development for United Way of the Greater Seacoast (UWGS) recently presented a Spirit of Giving Award to Seacoast Coca-Cola. The Spirit of Giving Award recognizes outstanding innovation, executive support, and success from companies participating in United Way of the Greater Seacoast's Fall 2006 fund-raising campaign.

UWGS selected Seacoast Coca-Cola for the Spirit of Giving Award based on the company's continued commitment to United Way's mission, and the company's impressive 225 percent increase in employee giving as well as a 67 percent corporate gift increase during its 2006 fund-raiser. During the award presentation, Jodka recognized Seacoast Coca-Cola's General Manager David Dumont as well as Carman Zappala, the office manager responsible for coordinating this year's successful fund-raising efforts.

Public Service of New Hampshire (PSNH) recently recognized the extraordinary community service efforts of its employees at the company's 12th Annual PSNH Volunteer of the Year Awards Celebration at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford.

PSNH honored 48 employees who perform community service as individuals or as members of a PSNH employee team. In recognition of their service, PSNH presented donations totaling $2,500 to the recipients' favorite charities.

Two teams, the PSNH Energizers and NH Public Television Spring Auction Telethon Teams were recognized for their commitment and service in their communities. The Candia Youth Athletic Association Team earned the "Community Spirit Award" for more than a decade of coaching and mentoring children in Candia. The PSNH VIP Team was awarded the Leadership Award for its work fund raising for Easter Seals New Hampshire and promoting volunteerism among co-workers. The PSNH VIP Team, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2007, has been responsible for raising more than $2.2 million for Easter Seals since 1980.

The "Environmental Stewardship Award" was presented to Len Gerzon of Amherst for his work as a board member for the Peabody Mill Environmental Center. Gerzon is also a 22-year member of the Heritage United Way Allocations Committee, and a member of the Board of Directors at the Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The "Youth Character Building Award" was presented to Keith Miller of Atkinson for his work as a Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop 9. Miller also co-founded the Lone Tree Spirit Foundation, a support organization for the Lone Tree Scout Reservation located in Kingston.

The "Woman in Leadership Award" was presented to Ruth Harrington of Goffstown for her 19 years of service with the Goffstown Mother's Club. Her work as an Executive Board member for the club has resulted in thousands of scholarship dollars each year for local high school seniors.

The "President's Award" was presented to Jerry Eaton of Concord for his work over the past year as President of The Friends Program, a regional community service organization. As President, Eaton was responsible for guiding The Friends Program through a smooth leadership transition. Eaton has also given his time to raise money and bowl for Junior Achievement for the last 10 years, and as a volunteer with the Concord Ski and Skate organization for the past 25 years.

The event's keynote speaker was Robert Chambers, who founded the Bonnie CLAC organization dedicating to helping people achieve a higher quality of life by providing car loans at low-interest rates to low-income buyers.

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has been named a gold award winner for excellence in communications by the 2007 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and corporate giving programs. The Charitable Foundation received the award in the Special Report category for its publication, "From the Ground Up," a collection of stories demonstrating the foundation's role in helping to launch important New Hampshire institutions. To view this report, please visit the Foundation's Web site www.nhcf.org.