NH Business Review May 08, 2020

MAY 8 - 21, 2020 VOL. 42 • NO. 9 • $1.75

ONLINE @ NHBR.COM

FEATURED INTERVIEW

Growing pains

Q&A: GOFERR Director Jerry Little PAGE 30

Should state business tax triggers be repealed? A debate PAGE 12

For many small farmers, there’s a silver lining in Covid-19 cloud, but larger suppliers face a dire future

Why the background on your Zoom call makes a difference PAGE 10

PAGE 8

Nicole and Jeremiah Vernon and their daughters Magnolia, Indigo and Pingree of Vernon Family Farms in Newfields.

Courtesy photo

Startups learn to adapt under Covid Firms rework plans as investors regroup

BY LIISA RAJALA

Although most of its customers are still operating, Datanomix, a Nashua-based developer of manufacturing efficiency software founded in 2016, has had to delay scheduled installations since no outsiders are allowed in manufacturing plants.

“We had a very good first quarter,” said cofounder and chief technology officer Greg McHale, who noted the company is still conducting virtual demonstrations to potential

customers. “We had over a dozen new installations since that time period and looking like we were going to be able to double or triple that number quarterly based on what’s in the pipeline, and then we got hit with the coronavirus.”

Likewise, stay-at-home orders combined with hospitals postponing elective services including clinical trials has halted Lebanonbased Avitide’s work purifying and manufacSTARTUPS, PAGE 20 ‘The smallest businesses are struggling the most, and they are calling about help,’ says Hollis McGuire of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center.

Under Covid, paid leave becomes a reality in NH Federal, state programs put focus on long-debated policy

BY BOB SANDERS

For Nikki Curran of Windham, it didn’t seem she had much of a choice. Her employer for the last 11 years, Autism Bridges, a private company headquartered in Bedford, had closed its four therapy centers in three states in response to Covid-19.

Instead, the firm sent its staffers into clients’ homes. But Curran was afraid to go. The Windham schools had sent their students home, and Curran’s 12-year-old son has chronic breathing issues, putting him at high risk should he get the virus.

“We are very careful and very scared,” said Curran.

At first, she and her husband — who teaches middle school in Derry and was soon working remotely — juggled their schedule. But on April 1, Autism Bridges gave Curran roughly halftime office work and some telemedicine jobs and provided her with paid family leave for the rest.

“To be still doing our jobs and keeping our family safe is a huge relief,” she said. “I’m so, so grateful.”

Autism Bridges was glad to FAMILY LEAVE, PAGE 18

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IN BRIEF

Breweries face revenue losses as kegs go stale

Since Gov. Chris Sununu is- still undoubtedly need to dump some beer, though likely a sued his stay-at-home order reduced volume. and halted all dine-in services He said it’s “too soon to say how much it will reduce, since at restaurants and bars, New all our competitors will be vying for the same tap lines.”

Hampshire breweries have Before the shutdowns, said Michael Hauptly-Pierce, costruggled with the loss of the owner of Lithermans Limited Brewery in Concord, “I was wholesale market and sales doing about $10,000 a week wholesale.” That revenue from their own taprooms, with channel disappeared, but he was able to sell a similar volsome reporting their revenues ume of beer at much lower profit margins by selling a larger have been whittled to 30% to volume of canned beer.

NASHUA REGION50% of their usual business.

LAKES REGION UNTRY He said he has already dumped 40 kegs of beer and will Now, after kegs they sold in likely need to dump another 40 to 80 kegs, ultimately totalearly March have languished ing about 400 to 500 gallons. on unused tap lines across the Dumping that beer would be a loss of about $12,000 to state for close to two months, $30,000 in revenue, depending on whether it was sold brewers are faced with a new wholesale or out of his taproom.

BUSINESS TECH, ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, HOSPITALS, BANKING, PERSONAL ENERGY dilemma: manyFINANCE, of those kegs There are alternatives to dumping spoiled or stale beer.

OW: FEATURE STORY AND JUMPS, IN BRIEF, FLOTSAM, LAW, OPINIONS, THE LATEST, are going stale. ABOUT TOWN While the beer could technically be distilled into a conW: REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, TOURISM, CHARITABLE GIVING, MORE ONLINE The NEWS, National Beer Wholesalsumable liquor, that is not allowed by state law, which reW: AREA GRAPHICS, another TOURISM About 120 kegs choice, CALENDAR, LAST WORD ers Association, a trade organi- quires liquor be made by raw material rather than a comat Lithermans Limited zation, estimates about 10 mil- pleted beverage.

Brewery in Concord are lion gallons of beer were abandoned in March At the request of the New Hampshire Brewers Associaexpected to be dumped as nationwide.

That’s the equivalent of about tion, the Liquor Commission lifted the restrictions partially they pass their freshness date.

Larger brewers like 603 Brewery in 1 million kegs and could cost the industry and issued a circular on April 15 allowing brewers and disLondonderry may be looking at about $1 billion. tributors to unload stale beer to distillers for free. According dumping as many as 750 kegs.

“We’re not immune to this,” said Geoff Hew- to the circular, distillers would be allowed to use the stale (Courtesy photo) es, co-owner of 603 Brewery in Londonderry. beer only for making hand sanitizer, since this is “a time of Hewes said the company will likely have to dump critical need.” about 750 kegs, or about 6,300 gallons of beer, if resAfter restaurants open and business starts to get back to taurants can’t open by the end of June. That would cost normal, Hauptly-Pierce said brewers will be scrambling to about $50,000 to $60,000 in lost revenue, he said. meet demand.

Gov. Chris Sununu’s executive order issued on May 1 to “It’s going to go from zero to 100 in three seconds once begin a phased approach to reopening the state’s economy we get the green light,” he said. — RYAN LESSARD/GRANwould allow for some outdoor restaurant service as early ITE STATE NEWS COLLABORATIVE as May 18. If that happens as planned, Hewes said they will

‘Communities & Consequences’ sequel published

The resilience that participants learn through Girls Inc. of New Hampshire activities was on full display April 17, when the organization hosted its annual gala virtually in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The organization partnered with Event United at Studio Lab for the online event, raising $175,000 to support its mission and programs. Pictured on the fundraiser set are Girls Inc. team members, from left, Kelly Hurtado, vice president of public relations; Sharron McCarthy, CEO; Christine West, vice president of personnel and administration; Mark Fodero, auctioneer and board member; and Jennifer Indeglia, chief operating officer.

A sequel to “Communities & Consequences: The Unbalancing of New Hampshire’s Human Ecology, and What We Can Do about It,” the prescient book that explored how New Hampshire’s aging demographics resulted in unbalanced growth and posed a threat to the state’s economic future, has been published by Peter E. Randall Publisher of Portsmouth.

Written by demographer Peter Francese and Lorraine Stuart Merrill, a writer and former state agriculture commissioner, “Communities & Consequences II: Rebalancing New Hampshire’s Human Ecology” updates and augments the arguments the authors first presented in their 2008 book by discussing the economic and social realities of workforce shortages.

With New Hampshire now the second-oldest state in the nation, the authors describe how its age structure needs rebalancing before shortages of workers cripple the economy and impede the state’s ability to provide emergency services and health and elder care for the rapidly growing numbers of older residents.

As with the original book, there will be an accompanying documentary film by Jay Childs that will air on NHPBS. For more information about the film, visit nhpbs. org. For information about the book, visit perpublisher.com.

Ernesto Burden Vice President/Publisher eburden@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5117 Jeff Feingold Editor jfeingold@nhbr.com, ext. 5118 Liisa Rajala Associate Editor lrajala@nhbr.com, ext. 5158 Bob Sanders Staff Writer bsanders@nhbr.com, ext. 5136 Mista McDonnell Business Manager mmcdonnell@nhbr.com, ext. 5114 Jodie Hall Creative Services Director jhall@nhbr.com, ext. 5122 Nancy Tichanuk Senior Graphic Artist ntichanuk@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5116 Robin Saling Graphic Artist rsaling@nhbr.com, ext. 5124 Kimberly Lencki Advertising Sales Director klencki@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5154 Karen Bachelder Sales Executive kbachelder@nhbr.com, ext. 5148 Cynthia Stone Sales Executive cstone@nhbr.com, ext. 5146 Connie McCullion Sales Executive cmccullion@nhbr.com, ext. 5121 Ronnie Schlender Special Projects Sales Representative rschlender@nhbr.com, ext. 5150 Angela LeBrun Sales & Marketing Coordinator alebrun@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5120 Emily Samatis Event & Marketing Manager esamatis@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5125 Kristine Senna Event Coordinator ksenna@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5113 Heather Rood Business and Sales Coordinator hrood@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5110 Morgen Connor Digital Media Specialist mconnor@mcleancommunications.com, ext. 5149 Brook Holmberg Vice President, Consumer Marketing brookh@yankeepub.com Sherin Pierce Vice President, Retail Sales sherinp@yankeepub.com

150 Dow St., Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 624-1442 • www.nhbr.com Subscription Information: (877) 494-2036 or NHBR@emailcustomerservice.com NHBR (USPS 413430) New Hampshire Business Review is published 26 times a year, bi-weekly (except for July and December), with an additional issue in July and December, by McLean Communications, 150 Dow Street, Manchester, NH 03101. Periodical postage paid at Manchester, NH. Subscription rates: One year, $32, two years, $55, three years, $80. Single copy $1.75. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NHBR, PO Box 433273, Palm Coast, FL 32143. NHBR assumes no responsibility for typographical errors that do not materially affect the value of the advertisement. This publication’s liability for an error shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by the error. (ISSN: 0164-8152)

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

In NH jobless data, 72% of claims are in three industries So far, the hospitality, retail and healthcare industries have been hit hardest by the coronavirus in New Hampshire, according to unemployment figures released last month.

So was the North Country.

Even though there have been only two confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Coos County, the economic impact of the virus has driven the region’s unemployment rates to 35% or more.

Statewide, the rate (not to be confused with the official unemployment rate) was 13.5% or more.

From March 15 through April 24, there have been over 141,000 unemployment claims. More than 38,500 of the claims, 27% of the total, are from the hospitality industry, including nearly 27,000 bars and restaurants.

Next was retail, a broad category that includes everything from department stores to gas stations, with more than 33,500 claims (24%), followed by health and education, though those have been primarily involving health services, with nearly 29,500 (21%). Outpatient offices, such as doctors, dentists and specialty clinicians accounted for more than 10,000 of these. Hospitals accounted for nearly 5,000.

Business services, which includes real estate, resulted in more than 17,500 claims (12% of the total).

Less affected were industries considered essential and allowed to remain open — manufacturing, with nearly 6,000 claims, and construction, with over 5,000 claims. — BOB SANDERS

90% of member businesses remain open in BIA survey The state’s essential businesses, especially manufacturers, have for the most part stayed open and have not cut staff or benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, even though a large percentage say they are losing revenue and dealing with absenteeism, according to a survey released Monday by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire.

About a quarter of the organization’s membership responded to the poll, a third of which were manufacturers and all of which are considered essential businesses. A quarter of the respondents had more than 250 employees and over half had more than 50. All told, 90% of respondents remained open.

Nearly 15% said they had an

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employee infected with the virus. It is not clear how many of those remained opened.

Nearly 82% said they lost revenue, and of those, 65% said they lost more than 10%, but only a fifth of all respondents reduced staff.

Of those that did make cuts, more than half kept the majority of their employees.

Only 13% cut benefits, mostly bonuses. But 16% said they were likely to cut staff in the future, and 64% of businesses said they had been planning to hire but have put off those plans.

More than 43% of the companies reported that employees were choosing to stay home. The biggest reason was because of child care or fear of contacting the virus, but nearly a quarter of the firms said that it was because

their workers can get more in enhanced unemployment benefits. Nearly 14% have countered with hazard pay to keep their employees working.

To continue operating, 85.6% have instituted some sort of remote working policy, 75% have instituted social distancing, and most have instituted other measures, such as sanitation and handwashing. Some 45% have extended their sick day policies.

Over half the respondents have applied or plan to apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans and 12% for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

The NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs is also conducting a Covid-19 survey of businesses.

— BOB SANDERS

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Plans for business hub on track at Keene State

Business in the Arts Awards goes digital

The New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts will present a weeklong series of presentaThe Covid-19 pandemic has programs, Treadwell said. tions streamed online to recognize the winners of stopped many plans and projThe multiuse building, which its annual Business in the Arts Awards and present ects in their tracks, but a pro- will replace the shuttered Moperformances by arts organizations and performposal to build a business hub on nadnock Hall on Winchester ers.

Keene State College’s campus Street, will be designed to acOn May 11, the Small Business Award winner will that would be focused on work- commodate workforce training be recognized. Nominees are Ciborowski Associprograms, REGION starting with preciLAKES and REGIONinnovationNASHUA UNTRY force training ates in Concord, Echo Communications in New isn’t one of them. sion optics manufacturing, and London and Ruffner Real Estate and Sea Dog In fact, construction of the fa- state-of-the-art technology to Brewery in Exeter. May 12 is designated to honorcility could begin as early as this help in the delivery of those ing the winner of the Medium Business Award — summer, and finished in a year programs, as well as courses nominees are B2W Software and The River House, to 18 months, the college’s presi- already offered by the college, both of Portsmouth, as well as those being recdent, Treadwell, said. HOSPITALS, such asBANKING, those PERSONAL connected with ENERGYognized for the new Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health BUSINESS TECH,Melinda ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, FINANCE, “We aren’t that down. construction safety, she said.

OW: FEATURE STORY ANDslowing JUMPS, IN BRIEF, FLOTSAM, LAW, OPINIONS, THE LATEST, ABOUT TOWN Artrepreneur Award. Nominated artist-entrepreW: REAL ESTATE CONSTRUCTION, EDUCATION, TOURISM, NEWS, CHARITABLE MORE ONLINE All our+ energy is going into mak-HEALTHCARE, For example, students in theGIVING, neurs are Adam Arnone of Keene, Clark Todd of W: AREA GRAPHICS, another TOURISM choice, CALENDAR, LAST WORD ing sure this will happen,” she college’s construction safety Concord, Rebecca Proctor of Dover and Thomas said. “As we come out of COVID, major would be able to learn Devaney of Concord. we’ll need workforce training about worksite hazards such as On May 13, the Northeast Delta Dental Artsbuild and workforce retraining.” confined spaces, shoring, scafCommunity Award will be presented to an arts The $13 million project is a folding and trenches in a safe or cultural organization for its partnership with partnership between Keene environment through the use a complementary organization, social services State, River Valley Community of virtual reality for training, she College, Nashua Community said.

College, the city of Keene, MoThe facility would also include nadnock Economic Develop- a makerspace and be flexible ment Corp. and manufacturers enough that other programs Despite a record number of unemployment claims based in the Monadnock Region could be offered depending due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer New Hampshire and elsewhere in the state, in- on the community’s and workindividuals and businesses filed for bankruptcy procluding BAE Systems, Moore force’s needs in the future, she tection in April than any other month in a generation.

Nanotechnology in North Swan- said.

There were only 99 filings — the first time the numzey, StingRay Optics in Keene The business hub is “a gameber of filings dipped below 100 aside from three and Chroma Technology in Bel- changer” for the city and how it months after October 2005, shortly after the law was lows Falls, Vt. bounces back from the Covid-19 amended to make filing harder.

Aside from that, you’d Funding for the project is be- pandemic, Keene Mayor George have to reach back to February 1989 to find a twoing handled by the Monadnock Hansel said. digit figure.

It was the lowest number of filings for any Economic Development Corp.

“It will not only help us bounce April since 1988, and less than one-fifth the number of and will include New Markets back from the effects of Cofilings in April 2010, in the heart of the last recession.

Tax Credits and federal funding vid-19, but set up our economic There were 50 fewer filings in April than March — a from Community Development success over the next 20 years.”

34% drop — and 58 fewer than April 2019 — a 37% Block Grants and Northern Bor- — MEGHAN FOLEY/THE KEENE drop. der Regional Commission grant SENTINEL Bankruptcies are a lagging economic indicator, so

agency or city municipality to make the arts widely accessible to the public. Nominees are the New Hampshire Theatre Project in Portsmouth, Redfern Arts Center in Keene, Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, TEAM in Exeter, Thing in the Spring in Peterborough and Unchartered Tutoring in Manchester.

May 14 will showcase the Large Businesses nominees — Bank of America, Bank of New Hampshire, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, New England College and Southern New Hampshire University.

The week will end May 15 with the presentation of the Business Leader Award.

Registration for a free Backstage Pass to the weeklong event is open at nhbca.com.

In addition to finding out who the award winners are, the program includes dance performances by NH Dance Collaborative, music by Wood & Bone and Bitter Pill, the self-described “rhythm and bluegrass band (lead by Billy Butler and his daughter Emily) who play a dark and anachronistic twist of folk, blues, jazz and vaudeville” music. Other special guests include New Hampshire Artist Laurette Amanda Whitworth and Sarah Stewart, commissioner of Arts and Cultural Resources.

Presenting sponsors of the event are NH Business Review and New Hampshire Magazine. Additional media support is provided by 92.5 The River Radio and NHPR.

New Hampshire bankruptcy filings plummeted in April

CONCORD:

The first round of funding under the Paycheck Protection Program saved roughly 40,000 New Hampshire jobs, according to the New Hampshire Bankers Association. The initial funding of $350 billion approved in late March for the PPP under the CARES Act was disbursed in the first two weeks, but Congress later approved another $310 billion for the same purpose. Kristy Merrill, president of the New Hampshire Bankers Association,

said New Hampshire commercial banks, savings banks and credit unions approved 7,400 loans, with about 75% for $150,000 or less. Overall, about $2 billion in New Hampshire loans were approved, according to figures from the Small Business Administration.

beginning of August, the organization will have to reassess when to hold the rally.

CONCORD:

LACONIA: Bike Week, which

draws thousands of motorcycle riders to New Hampshire each June, has been postponed because of the coronavirus. The Laconia City Council voted to move the event from Aug. 22 to Aug. 30. It had been scheduled from June 13 to June 21. Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, said if the Covid-19 situation doesn’t improve by the

yet been made. The $27.2 million loss is due to prorated housing, dining and fee refunds UNH recently issued to students.

DURHAM: University of New

Hampshire President Jim Dean said employee furloughs “likely” will be needed to offset a Covid19-related budget shortfall exceeding $27 million. But, according to Foster’s Daily Democrat, Dean said during a universityrun podcast that plans had not

A report by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services shows that Covid-19 disproportionately affects the state’s Latino and black community.

Latinos account for about 7% of the cases and African Americans for 5.6%, according to the agency. As a percentage of the population, New Hampshire is 3.9% Latino and 1.4% black. Dr. Trinidad Tellez, the director of the Office of Health Equity at DHHS, told NH Public Radio that longstanding health and social inequities are at play, and that New Hampshire’s data is following a

the April data could be reflecting the strength of the economy before the pandemic struck. It might also indicate all of the programs that were quickly put in place to shore up businesses and individuals. Businesses now have access to low-interest or forgivable loans, and individuals and owners of shutdown businesses can file for more generous unemployment benefits and there’s a $1,200-per-person federal emergency impact payment for those earning up to $75,000.

There were five businesses-related filings in April, two fewer than March; one was a filing by a business.

The rest were household filings that involved businessrelated debt. The business that filed was P&M Entertainment LLC, North Hampton, filed April 30, Chapter 7. Assets: $100,000 to $500,000. Liabilities: $500,000 to $1 million. — BOB SANDERS

national trend.

BETHLEHEM: Rutland, Vt.-

based Casella Waste Systems has submitted a revised application to expand a landfill in Bethlehem. In February, Casella pulled its application for the expansion. The current application, filed March 24, is under review by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.

Bethlehem voters in 2017 and 2018 rejected a proposal to expand the landfill. The current proposal seeks to add nearly 6 acres to the current 47-acre landfill.

KEENE:

The former Faulkner and Colony Woolen Mill in Keene ,which was built in 1838, has been named to the National

Register of Historic Places. The company, which was producing 700,000 yards of twilled flannel per year by the 1850s, stopped operations in 1953. The building was converted into retail space and apartments.

MANCHESTER:

Overdose numbers in Manchester and Nashua declined for the second month in a row in April.

Manchester saw 24 overdoses, one fatal, during the month, and there were 22 overdoses in Nashua. American Medical Response - Manchester, which compiles the monthly statistics, noted an increased use of people using Narcan, which reverses an overdose, before first responders arrived on the scene.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

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➜TAKE

THE working-from-home experience

caused by the pandemic has left many Americans wondering why they need to work at an office at all. According to staffing firm Robert Half, 77% of the 1,000 office professionals surveyed said they are currently working from home, and 63% said their job is getting done. Why do some employees like working from home? Sixty percent of workers cited better work-life balance without a commute, and 43% said they are more comfortable with technology.

A majority (79%) of Robert Half

survey respondents believe employers should allow employees to work from home more often, and 74% anticipate telecommuting more often when shelter restrictions lift. Of the

more than 1,200 employees separately surveyed by business publishing company getAbstract, nearly 20% said their employer is actively discussing how they can make remote work more of an option in the future.

WORKING from home during the

Covid-19 pandemic has had a positive effect on workers’ productivity, according to 54% of respondents in a recent survey conducted by YouGov in partnership with USA Today and LinkedIn. By working from home,

71% of professionals say time was saved from commuting, 61% cited fewer distractions from co-workers and 39% had fewer meetings.

HOWEVER, 45% of 1,000 U.S. em-

ployees surveyed by Eagle Hill Consulting report feeling “burnt out.” The virus also contributed to the other top causes of burnout reported by employees: workload (45%), juggling professional and personal lives (35%), and lack of communication with employers (32%). Only

18% said employers were working “to make workloads to manageable.”

A survey by Robert Half found em-

ployees are concerned about returning back to the office with no Coronavirus vaccine. In addition to allowing more employees to work from home, respondents said employers

will need to have better cleaning procedures (79%); hold fewer meetings and trainings, and stagger employees’ work schedules (55%); require employees to wear masks (52%) and change the office layout (46%).

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Up to the coronavirus challenge NH businesses, organizations do their part to support the community FIT-NH, Stark Brewing to provide meals to area homeless

Challenge match launched to aid hospitals’ Covid-19 response

Families In Transition-New Horizons has partnered with the Stark Brewing Company to prepare and deliver meals each day to homeless encampments around the city.

The state-funded effort is designed to ensure that there will be daily access to hot meals for participants who cannot easily access food with the New Horizons soup kitchen shuttered to participants not staying in the shelter due to the pandemic.

Employees at Stark Brewing will prepare meals twice a day, seven days a week, and will join field teams from FIT-NH to deliver the meals to all who reside in the encampments around the city of Manchester.

“I am so proud of the efforts of all those who are working to help those who are struggling to meet basic needs during this challenging time,” said Peter Telge, owner of Stark Brewing. “This partnership is a win-win because it will also keep our staff employed and keep my restaurant doors open and functioning during a very difficult time.”

Four southern New Hampshire hospitals have joined together to launch Front Lines NH Challenge Match, an initiative that seeks to match the impact of individual and corporate gifts made through the website FrontLinesNH.org.

The four hospitals taking part — Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, Elliot Health System, Catholic Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital — have been sharing resources and talent and collaborating on preparations for Covid-19. FrontLinesNH.org tells the story of that ongoing collaboration on its website and offers the public the opportunity to support one or all four institutions and their staff.

The Front Lines NH Challenge Match will match individual or corporate donations of up to $2,500, dollar for dollar.

Lead sponsors of the Match are Primary Bank in Bedford and St. Mary’s Bank in Manchester, each of which have donated $25,000.

Other match sponsors include Southern New Hampshire University, Service Credit Union, Northeast Delta Dental and Anagnost Companies. In all, the sponsors donated $85,000.

Through the website, donors can designate a hospital of their choice or select the collective button, which distributes funds to all four hospitals. Match dollars will follow the donor’s designation.

TV-radio fundraiser raises over $760k for Food Bank WMUR-TV and iHeartRadio raised over $760,000 in an hour-long television, radio and streaming special, “Project Community: NH Together From Home,” featuring local and national celebrities with ties to the Granite State.

Some $500,000 was raised during the program and additional contributions made over the days following brought the total raised for the New Hampshire Food Bank to $760,478. In addition, a donation by the Lois Roy Dickerman Fund will match up to $100,000 in new contributions made by individuals and organizations.

The show was hosted live by WMUR anchors Sean McDonald and Erin Fehlau and iHeartRadio’s Greg Kretschmar of “The Morning Buzz.”

“The results took all of our breath away, to be honest. It was such an amazing outpouring of support that’s just another example of how New Hampshire folks help their neighbors.

It’s such an amazing place filled with amazing people and we couldn’t be more grateful for that,“ said Kretschmar.

United Way of Greater Nashua is partnering up with local eateries in an attempt to help support local businesses as well as to bolster the Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund. On certain days of the week, patrons can order takeout, either by ordering online or over the phone, and if they mention United Way when they order, a portion of the sale will go to United Way’s Covid-19 relief fund. Some 13 restaurants were involved at the start of the effort, including Giant of Siam, Mr. Mac’s Mac and Cheese, the Lobster Boat, Black Forest Café, Butter n’ Jam, K’Sones Thai, The Country Chef in Wilton, LaBelle Winery, You You Japanese Bistro, The Pasta Loft, Main Street Gyro, the Hollis Country Kitchen, and Luk’s Bar and Grill in Hudson.

To donate directly to support the Covid-19 Emergency Relief fund, go to www.tinyurl.com/uwgncovid19

U.S. Cellular aids Boys & Girls Club

Dahriz Colwell, center — shown with her husband Corey Colwell (at left), Seacoast division manager for TFMoran, and her son Tristan — has been busy at her sewing machine creating masks donated to help keep people safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. She has created over 350 masks in 40 assorted colors and patterns since early March. She has given the masks to TFMoran staffers in Portsmouth and Bedford and to others. The masks are free, but she has asked people to donate to her GoFundMe page, “Help the Hunger,” to help families in her home village in the Philippines that are struggling during the pandemic. For more information on the masks, email her at indaydahriz86@ gmail.com.

U.S. Cellular has donated $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester Covid-19 Relief Fund. The donation is part of a national $325,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs to support kids, families and communities. The national donation will be dispersed directly to more than 50 Clubs in U.S. Cellular’s service regions to support the most immediate needs of youth in those areas.

The Boys & Girls Clubs’ Covid-19 Relief Fund helps ensure Clubs can continue critical Covid-19 response work. These services include providing immediate and near-term relief efforts, such as distributing food, bottled water and other necessary supplies; operating for longer hours to provide child care for families of essential workers and first responders; offering virtual learning and programming to keep kids and teens engaged and on-track academically; and playing a critical role in helping kids recover following the crisis by helping heal youth trauma and enabling teens to contribute to the workforce as the economy rebuilds.

The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester recently received 240 N95 masks and 1,000 surgical masks from the state of New Hampshire, delivered by the National Guard. Many of the behavioral health services offered by the center require direct contact, which is why additional protective gear such as masks, gowns, rubber gloves, sanitizer and alcohol wipes are still needed. If you can help in any way, reach out by calling 603-206-8574 or visit mhcgm.org/donate.

Plymouth State nursing students graduate early to join Covid-19 fight Plymouth State University senior nursing students, using virtual simulations and other alternative methods to complete their final semester of clinical training, graduated a month ahead of schedule, allowing them to begin working on the front lines in the state’s hospitals and other healthcare settings. The class of new registered nurses will work as graduate nurses until they complete the National Clinical Licensing Exam (NCLEX).

“This was a true team effort — from our faculty who ensured students met all course objectives, to our government relations team who worked with the governor’s office, and our registrar who processed the degrees overnight, to the New Hampshire Board of Nursing that facilitated early licensure applications, to the students themselves, for their flexibility and diligence under stressful circumstances,” said Jean Coffey, director of the Plymouth State nursing program.

Seventy percent of PSU’s 2020 nursing graduates expect to become licensed in New Hampshire, and many will begin working at the hospitals where they completed their senior capstone semesters.

NH firm’s mobile app offers disinfection checklist Seabrook-based Snappii, a mobile apps development and mobile forms conversion platform, has released its Disinfection Checklist for Covid-19 Prevention app, showing how individuals and households can prevent the spread of Covid-19. The app, which contains 38 checks to ensure that all surfaces have been disinfected, collects photos, signatures and dates and submits the inspection report into a PDF file that can be shared with clients via email or other means available on a device.

Remote learning site launched Remote Teachable Moments, a remote learning website through which children can learn and people can teach, has been launched by Lindsey Masterson of Cheetah Design Studio, Peterborough, and her husband Patrick.

The user-generated website offers a variety of online classes, ranging from storytelling, baking and knitting to science experiments.

“For the majority of us, we are homeschooling our children for the first time and learning as we go,” said Lindsey Masterson. ”My friends and neighbors kept offering to help teach my child because I am working full time, but there wasn’t a centralized location to make this happen, so we created a website that would harness that act of kindness and give my child an opportunity to learn something new.”

Those interested in getting involved, either through teaching or having their children participate in a class, visit remoteteachablemoments.com.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

THE BOTTOM LINE CONNECTION SEES COVID-RELATED 1Q DEMAND INCREASE

The coronavirus pandemic contributed to Connection’s record earnings in the first quarter, thanks to strong demand for technology due to work at home, telemedicine and remote learning, but it could hurt the company’s revenues next quarter, as many small businesses are having trouble paying their bills, the company reported Wednesday.

It also could result in a long-term shift to tech solutions that could help the wellcapitalized company grow in the future, it said.

The Merrimack-based technology supplier reported a 12.5% boost in quarterly sales, to $711.9 million, resulting in a 17% increase in income, to $14.9 million, or 56 cents a diluted share, all of which are records.

However, Connection CEO Tim McGrath said, “the pandemic has also created a period of uncertainty as to the near-term demand for our products and services.”

In fact, a revenue drop-off had already

begun to be seen in April, he said.

“We’re seeing really a lot of concern in the small-very small business arena.

Clearly, there’s a percentage of small businesses that are having a significant challenge,” he said, according to an earnings call transcript by Seeking Alpha.

Despite helping other companies work remotely, Connection is still hoping to hold its annual meeting on May 27 in Merrimack in person, according to the company’s proxy statement, though the company said it might change that plan depending on the situation.

ALBANY INTERNATIONAL REPORTS DROP IN SALES, EARNINGS

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a bite out of Albany International Corp.’s earnings, the Rochester, NH-based manufacturer of engineered components reported.

The company, whose major customers are in the aerospace and defense industries, reported a 6.2% sales decline, to $235.8 million, in the first quarter that

ended March 31. That compares to sales of $251.3 million in the same period a year earlier. Income followed suit, with gross profit in the quarter down 2.5%, to $89.5 million from $91.8 million a year ago.

The earnings report came the same day that Boeing Co. and Airbus — two major Albany International customers — sent shivers through the industry after assessing the impact of Covid-19.

Boeing said on April 29 that it would cut its 160,000-person workforce by about 10%, further reduce 787 Dreamliner production and try to boost liquidity as it prepares for what it says will be a years-long industry recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that drove its second consecutive quarterly loss, this time amounting to $1.35 billion, with revenue coming in at $400 million below expectations.

Albany had already been feeling the effects of the continued grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max airliner, for which the company provides components for the plane’s LEAP-1B engine, manufactured

by Safran Aerospace Composites.

Airbus, the European aircraft giant, also said on Wednesday that 60 of its aircraft could not be delivered in the first quarter, partly because the airlines that ordered them want to put off paying for them.

TRM MICROWAVE BREAKS GROUND ON ADDITION IN BEDFORD

TRM Microwave, a manufacturer of components used by the defense and aerospace industries, has broken ground on a 13,696-square-foot, two-story addition to its Bedford headquarters.

The expanded space, being built by Sullivan Construction of Bedford, will provide added manufacturing and production capacity to meet increased customer demands, the company said.

Completion date is October.

In addition, TRM said it plans to expand its workforce going forward.

“By nearly doubling our space, TRM Microwave enters the new decade with increased capabilities and efficiency for supporting the critical demand of the national defense industry,” said Wendy Tirollo, CEO and owner of the firm.

TRM Microwave’s customers include BAE Systems, Boeing, General Dynamics, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.

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cross New Hampshire, the demand for local food is up, even as restaurants have closed or have tried to get by with takeout.

The state’s small farmers are finding an unexpected benefit in the Covid-19 pandemic: there is an increased demand for their locally grown meats, vegetables, dairy and other products.

“It took a pandemic for people to determine that local food is essential,” said Jeremiah Vernon, who operates Vernon Family Farm with his wife, Nicole, and their three young daughters. “People have been asking how we are doing, and I feel bad saying it, but for our personal lives, our family and our employees, it’s never been better.”

Vernon Family Farm is on 33 conserved acres in Newfields, where they sell their pasture-raised chicken and eggs, plus grass-fed and pastured meats, prepared foods, vegetables, fruit, sauces, dairy and other items from local vendors, small businesses and farms.

“The farm store is busier than it’s ever been. Farmers are coming daily or every other day with product to sell,” said Nicole, an Exeter High School Spanish teacher who also handles the marketing and social media accounts for the farm.

Customers, whether they are new or returning, she said, feel a sense of safety coming into their farm store, which also features online ordering and curbside pickup.

“Almost every farm in New Hampshire has had to change how they sell their product — for some this may be a small shift, and for others, it has meant exploring an entirely new business model,” said Olivia Saunders, field specialist with the food and agriculture program for the UNH Cooperative Extension in Conway.

The value of New Hampshire’s agricultural industry is approximately $850 million, and exports of food and agricultural prod-

For many small farmers there’s a silver lining in Covid-19 cloud, but larger suppliers face a dire future

BY SUSAN GEIER

ucts total over $22 million annually, according to the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food.

And for the Vernons and others, business is thriving.

“The loss of the restaurant industry has been more than replaced by retail sales,” Jeremiah Vernon said. “We used to do a few thousand a week in restaurants, and now we are doing a few thousand a day in retail online.”

This boon comes during a time of year when farmers normally run lean and are racking up expenses getting ready for the growing season. The Vernons said now they can pay their bills, and not depend on credit, meaning there is more money for employees and necessary improvements.

As successful as the online store has been, the Vernons do not want it to replace the experience of coming to their farm, which is known for its popular food and live music events throughout the year.

“Part of shopping at Vernon Family Farm is the experience of coming here and then running into the pork farmer. You can take a walk and see the chickens,” Nicole Vernon said.

Demand for fish On the water, some fishermen are also seeing a boom in retail sales.

Kayla Cox, manager of New England Fishmongers, said the company’s business model for the past couple of years has been to sell directly to consumers — no wholesale.

“What has changed drastically is that home delivery has completely blown up.

It’s almost out of control,” Cox said. “We were doing 15 to 20 deliveries a week, and this past week we did 170. We’re getting almost more messages than we can respond to. I think people are trying to stock up and buy in bulk.”

Cox said there is big demand for local

food.

“It lasts longer because it’s fresher, and it’s safer because fewer hands touch it,” she said.

The company, which is owned by Tim Rider, who is also captain of their two boats, is in the process of moving from Saco, Maine, into new office space in Dover.

“It’s so much change for us,” Cox said.

“We have preorders before we even go out to catch the product. We may go out for haddock but only catch cod, so then we have to contact the customers and redo the invoices. There’s a lot of moving pieces.

We’re just trying to adjust to it.”

Farmers markets Farmers markets, which many small producers rely upon for income, have been deemed essential services by the state under Gov. Chris Sununu’s emergency order.

However, many winter markets across the state were cut short because of stay-athome orders prohibiting large groups.

The bulk of the markets in New Hampshire operate in summer, often with start dates in June.

Dianna Fallon and Bonnie Wright of the Salem Farmers Market say their market is one of the few that has remained open.

“It certainly has turned us upside down,” said Fallon, the market’s treasurer. “We had to respond quickly — within a week — to find a different space because we were in the [Fisk] School cafeteria. So when school closed, we had to close or move.”

The market has since been able to set up at its summer location at Salem Marketplace Plaza.

“Some farmers have struggled because a lot of [winter] markets have closed. We thought about it. When I told one vendor, he almost broke into tears, which is why we reevaluated,” said Wright. “This is the most expensive time of year for farmers.”

Even though the Salem market was able to remain open, not all of the vendors are participating, especially those that typically provide free samples.

“Farmers and artisans are small businesses,” said Wright. “We help them survive. They produce products in quality and variety that you can’t get at your regular Market Basket.”

Wright said in many ways the farmers market is a business incubator. Many small producers got their start at the Salem market, which is a member of the local chamber of commerce.

Ross Williams, owner of Victory Aquaponics LLC in Londonderry, is one of those small businesses that rely on farmers markets and community-supported agriculture (CSAs) to sell his vegetables, greens and eggs.

Williams also relies on volunteers from the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, known as WWOFERS. Due to the pandemic, Williams has had to cut back on their help.

“They cannot go into the greenhouse. So I have no labor at the moment,” he said. “I am working seven days a week.”

Derry-based mac ‘n cheese company Kiss The Cook LLC, owned by Christine Catino, also relies heavily on the market.

“It’s how I get my product out there,” Catino said, who launched her business last fall. “I’ve done the market in Salem all winter long. It’s so important for people to even recognize that I am out there.”

Catino makes and sells traditional, glutenfree and vegan mac and cheese, and did the bulk of her business providing samples and selling hot cups and bowls of her products. Now the Salem market’s hours are reduced, and she can only sell frozen products.

To make up for the losses, Catino is on

Kayla Cox, manager of New England Fishmongers.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

FROM PAGE 8 Facebook and has launched an online store. “I did want to be online, but I had to step it up and do it quicker,” she said. “I didn’t want to spend the money right now, but I had to. I hope it keeps me going.”

Wright noted that farmers markets aren’t just important to farmers and vendors, but for those who use SNAP benefits to purchase food.

Her market subsidizes those benefits thanks to a generous donor.

SNAP benefits cannot be used for online purchases.

Vanishing wholesale markets Like other small farmers with retail operations, Joyce Brady has been busy. She and her husband, Chris, operate a livestock and poultry farm and a store, the Meat House, in Columbia near the Vermont border.

“I just keep cutting and cutting and cutting meat, and people keep buying,” she said. “When it started, it was like Thanksgiving and Christmas week, I sold so much. It’s just kept going. We’re coming into the spring, and I have my bills paid up.

It’s exciting.”

However, Brady, who is also the Coos County president of the NH Farm Bureau Federation, is particularly concerned about larger farms, especially beef and dairy farms that sell on the wholesale market.

“Their whole market disappeared overnight,” she said, adding that maple syrup producers and others have also been hard hit.

Portsmouth lobstermen Gary Glidden and his son-in-law Jake Eaton, who own and operate F/V Last Penny, saw their wholesale business — which relies on exports to Asia — dry up due to Covid-19.

In late March, they turned to Facebook and asked if anyone was interested in buying lobsters, and within days had thousands of requests.

Their story even caught the attention of U.S. News & World Report, which featured them in a recent article.

Brady was careful to note there is no shortage of food, but disruptions in the markets and supply chain that are causing problems around the country.

One of those affected farmers is Scott Mason, who operates Northwinds dairy farm in North Stratford.

He, like most dairy farmers in the state, sells his milk to a cooperative.

Mason is a member of the Dairy Farmers of America, and the bulk of his product becomes Cabot cheese.

Milk pricing, he said, is extremely complicated. New Hampshire is part of the Northeast region, along with New York City and Boston, and dairy farmers are paid the value of milk in the region. Cows give a lot of milk in the spring, so it is a time

of year when prices typically go down, and that had already started to happen when Covid-19 hit China.

This comes after a five-year slump in dairy prices, during which time many dairy farms in New Hampshire have closed.

“About 20 years ago, the United States exported about 2% of its milk. Now, it’s like 16%,” Mason said.

“A 1% or 2% change can move milk prices by 20%.”

Without that export market, Mason said the country has an estimated 7% to 15% excess of milk. In some parts of the country, including New Hampshire, large dairy farmers are dumping their surplus milk.

“Beef and dairy have been the worst hit, and pork is probably going to join, then the grain farmers,” Mason said.

Since so many people are staying home and not driving as much, the demand for ethanol is down. Farmers like Mason rely on distiller grain, a byproduct of ethanol, to feed his cows. He cannot find it, so now he’s buying soybeans. He also used to buy spent grains from the Budweiser plant in Merrimack, but since its production is down, he has been bumped off the list.

“We hit our price peak in December. [Industry experts] are predicting we hit bottom in May-June, up to a 40% drop in price,” he said.

Exports are down, as is the demand for commercial products, like industrial-size wheels of cheese that weigh hundreds of pounds.

Kids are home, restaurants are closed or downsized, and that means a greater demand for retail products, like gallon jugs of milk, but making those adjustments isn’t easy or quick.

Saunders, of the Cooperative Extension, said the biggest impact is the unknown.

“Nobody has a crystal ball to predict what farms, if any, might fail, as much as we might wish for one now,” she said. “Running a farm business is always stressful, and the challenge posed to farmers by Covid-19 is not the first crisis farmers have successfully faced.”

Adding to concerns is that farming is an essential service in New Hampshire, but farmers may not qualify for U.S. Small Business Administration stimulus programs, except for the Paycheck Protection Program. For now, farmers have to wait for details of the USDA’s relief package, said Mason.

The bulk of Mason’s annual farm income (usually about $600,000) comes from his 145 Jersey cows, with a much smaller amount (about $100,000) from retail sales of beef, fruits and vegetables.

“It’s all going to fall apart,” Mason said. “It’s a hard thing to stomach.”

Milk surplus, lower prices threaten NH’s dairy farmers

BY MATT MOWRY

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the dairy industry has seen two of its major markets — restaurants and schools — dry up overnight, leading to a surplus of milk nationally and the dumping of millions of pounds of milk that could not be sold.

While 2020 was looking like the year dairy farmers would emerge from depressed milk prices, that surplus is once again driving down prices and many fear will drive more dairies out of business.

“It’s going to take several years to get out of this. The survival of small dairy farms has yet to be established at this point. They are standing on shakier ground than ever before,” said Amy Hall, director of Granite State Dairy Promotion. “They are going to feel some financial pain because they have never seen demand get cut so quickly and so severely.”

Rob Johnson, policy director for the NH Farm Bureau, noted 7% of all milk produced by the largest dairy cooperative in the country nationwide was dumped in one week in early April due to the surplus. Hall said while the amount of milk dumping in New Hampshire was not known, dairies in New England have dumped 18 million pounds of milk in the past three weeks.

“They [dairy farmers] lost the school market and restaurants. That has been an enormous hit,” she said.

Dairy farmers are seeing markets shrink overseas as well. International trade markets have dipped anywhere between 15% to 17%, Hall said.

“We are not an island unto ourselves. It will have a huge impact on milk prices. Milk prices to farmers could drop by more than one-third and put most farmers out of business” if the pandemic drags out, said Agriculture Commissioner Shawn Jasper. “If nothing changes, it will be devastating, and we will lose even more farms.”

Among the dairy farmers affected by the crisis is Morrill Farm Dairy in Penacook, a fourth-generation family farm run by Rob Morrill, his wife and three sons.

Morrill received a letter from his dairy cooperative stating it has seen sales drop 12% since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis and had to dump 5% of its surplus milk. Beginning May 1, the cooperative said it would be guaranteeing full price for up to 85% of what the dairies produced in March. Any milk produced over that amount will be paid at a substantially reduced price.

“We’ve got to try and curtail our production,” Morrill says. “Right now we are facing the unknown.”

The New Hampshire dairy industry generates $55 million in state tax revenue, employs 5,300 and generates annual sales of $191 million, which is 30% of the state’s total gross agricultural sales, Hall said. New Hampshire dairy farms average 120 milking animals per farm and account for 70% of farmed land in the state.

Dairy farms were already operating under tight margins after four consecutive years of low dairy prices, and Jasper said prices had finally begun to rise again in 2019.

“It was starting to come back and we were looking forward to 2020 looking better,” says Charles Price, who runs his Price Family Farm in Gilmanton Irons Works with his son and grandson, producing 1.7 million pounds of milk annually with 70 cows. With the surplus created by Covid-19, prices are again plummeting.

“It looks like we’ll have to tighten our belts,” Price says. “I won’t be buying any new equipment, that’s for sure.”

The price farmers will be paid for their milk is pro-

jected to drop to $12 per hundredweight by June, Jasper says. Hall said many dairy farmers in the Northeast region need $19 per 100 pounds to just break even. “It is devastating,” she said.

The federal CARES Act included $9.5 billion in emergency response funds to provide direct support to farmers, including dairy farmers. The CARES Act also adds $14 billion to the Commodity Credit Corporation, which can also be used to assist farmers.

Using those funds, the U.S. Department of Agriculture relief program will provide $16 billion in direct support to farmers affected by Covid-19. The federal government will also purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat to be distributed to food banks and other nonprofits. That plan includes spending $100 million per month on dairy products.

Hall said while the federal aid is helpful, it is a “teardrop in an ocean of need.”

The Northeastern Association of State Departments of Agriculture sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to put in price support provisions that would not allow dairy prices to fall below $19.50 per hundredweight, Jasper says, which is considered to be a break-even price for dairy farms.

Farmers were also eligible to apply for Payroll Protection Program loans though the CARES Act. Morrill, who has a full-time employee and three parttime employees, applied but said he did not receive a response yet. Morrill says his farm will likely see some of the federal relief money, and while it will help, it will not make up for the shortfall in revenue. He is waiting to see what the guidelines will be as to how it will be disbursed.

Price initially did not plan on needing federal aid. “I’m fortunate enough that I don’t have any loans I need to repay,” Price says. However, he received a letter from his co-op stating it had to dump surplus milk and that milk prices would be dropping. “It is way below margin to produce milk,” Price says.

There are efforts at the state level to help New Hampshire farmers. The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension created an interactive map on its website to connect residents with local farms.

UNH Extension teamed up with the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture to gather the farm listings.

The online map includes farm locations and contact information, product categories, online and social media links, and more.

And once the economy opens again, Hall wants to see the state move forward with the “NH’s Own” dairy premium program.

The dairy premium program, signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu last year, allows the state Department of Agriculture to market milk from New Hampshire dairies with a “New Hampshire’s Own” label, allowing consumers to opt to pay for New Hampshire products with a 50-cent premium that would be returned directly to the farmers. The program was in development but put on the backburner when the COVID crisis hit.

“It’s even more important now than it’s ever been to get this product on the shelves,” Hall said.

“We need people supporting New Hampshire agriculture and buying products that may be a little more expensive but are better quality products,” Jasper says.

This article is being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.

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We’ve seen a lot of Zoom meetings, either through our own communications with colleagues or watching subject-matter experts doing interviews on national television. And let’s be honest — there have been some questionable surroundings out there.

Let me ask you — have you been on a Zoom call and found yourself wondering about what you are seeing behind a colleague? Or watched a remote interview on a newscast and been distracted because of bad lighting or cluttered surroundings?

Why does this matter? Because if you are doing an interview or participating in a meeting and have something important to share, you need to make sure your audience is listening to what you are saying and not thinking about your backdrop.

We are being bombarded with information from our smartphones, computers, tablets, television sets and everything else out there. And with so many of us working remotely from home, there are an awful lot of distractions around the house: kids, animals and other family members. There’s incredible, unprecedented competition for our fractured attention spans, so you need to make it as easy as possible for your important message to register with your audience.

In order to maximize your impact and make sure people hear your valuable observations, they must be listening to you, but they can’t listen to what you are saying if you are throwing roadblocks at them in the way of a bad set. Let’s address some of the worst offenders.

Lighting I know most of us don’t have the luxury of a professional studio, but be aware of your surroundings and what’s behind you.

Backlighting from windows or a chandelier can be distracting and take away from the details of your face and, in some cases, even look comical. If it is possible, try to direct a light from behind your camera onto your face. A soft light can help smooth out facial lines. Experiment with what you have in your home.

Years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing TV icon Barbara Walters. She was incredible, and at the end of our interview, I asked her how she always managed to look so good for so many years and she told me, “Tiffany, I always have great lighting.”

Sound Sound is another factor that can be distracting. Again, be aware of your surroundings. If you are in a room with hardwood floors, there can be reverbera-

tions with your audio. If possible, choose a room with carpeting to minimize the echoing. Also, if there are family members present, try to keep their background noise to a minimum.

Angles Angles can be your friend or enemy, depending on how you want to play them.

Ideally, you want a shot not too close, focused at eye level. You want to be making eye contact with your audience. Remember, one of the least attractive angles of our face is from down below looking up at our nostrils.

BY TIFFANY EDDY

Online Protocol Setting Think of the space where you do your remote meeting or interview as your studio.

Be thoughtful and deliberate about what you want your background to say about you. Ideally, your studio should reinforce your brand and not be filled with distractions.

I watched an interview recently on CNN, and the person was jammed in front of a cluttered bookshelf. I have to admit at the end of the interview, I don’t remember what he said because I was reading the titles on his shelves and wondering where his family photos were taken. I’m sure other people did the same thing.

Again, why should you care about this?

Because it has to do with your credibility.

Your setting can either help or hinder your ability to tell your story. Would you show up for an important meeting wearing flipflops and ripped clothes?

There are many things that you can do at home to create your own professionallooking “studio.” Experiment with your space and settings. Get feedback from friends and family. Often, a few minor adjustments can make a big difference in the quality of your shot.

Tiffany Eddy is a former broadcast journalist and founder of Smart Strong Sassy, a company that supports communication and connects individuals through storytelling. For a video with some visual examples, follow SmartStrongSassy on Youtube.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

Communicating in this time More than ever, it’s vital that businesses communicate effectively, internally and I’m sitting at my dining room table writing this piece while my wife works downstairs and our two kids remote-learn in the next room. Meanwhile, our two dogs alternate between antsy and listless, wondering why their humans are hanging out with them every day.

To say Covid-19 has upended our personal lives is a dramatic understatement, and the business world has also been turned upside-down. Millions of Americans, including many friends we know here, are suddenly unemployed and hurting while long-established companies and startups alike struggle to hang on.

More than ever, it’s vital that businesses communicate effectively — internally and externally — to weather the storm and be ready for the changed world that follows.

Here are 10 points to keep in mind: 1. Engage. In this era of countless communication platforms generating massive amounts of content, it may feel too overwhelming to try and break through. You might think it’s easier to sit back and ride this out. Don’t. Your communications reflect

BY JIM MERRILL

Communicating Effectively your values and help you promote your company and interests at a critical time, while defining your standing as a business and community leader. Get in the game.

2. Plan. If you didn’t have a communications plan in place before Covid-19 hit, it’s not too late to build one or improve upon it. Build your core communication team, develop your top message and talking points, determine who you want to target, set metrics for how you want to communicate and work your plan.

3. Be flexible. Once your plan is in place, regularly evaluate your communications efforts. What’s working, what isn’t? What new circumstances demand a course correction? Be nimble enough to adapt, depending on the challenge or opportunity presented.

4. Target. Always keep in mind who you’re speaking with — employees, other businesses, customers or clients, vendors, regulators or legislators. Some points may resonate with one audience but fall flat with another. Be aware, know your audience and modify as necessary.

5. Boss out front. Employees want to hear from the boss. Studies show employees trust their employers to keep them reliably informed. Rely on experts, avoid gossip or rumor, and always be transparent and honest. You won’t always have all the answers — it’s OK to say so.

6. Communicate regularly. Let your employees know what’s happening, what it means and what you’re doing about it.

Are you changing the way your employees work remotely? Explain it. Are there relevant state or federal updates? Share them.

And if there is a Covid-19 infection in your workplace, carefully guard the employee’s legally protected privacy but share the news generally, and explain your plan to clean and contact trace in accordance with state and federal guidelines. Your employees are anxious enough as it is — reassure them that you have things covered.

7. Be creative. With your external communications, be thoughtful and try to avoid the standard “in these _____ times” types of lines that are clogging inboxes across this great land. Email isn’t your only tool. Use video, plan webinars, earn media through writing, show a lighter side on social media, personalize your language, share anecdotes, and always work to be relatable and authentic.

8. Pick up the phone. The art of the phone call has been lost in recent years, in lieu of a quick text, a generic email or, worst of all, passively monitoring Facebook or Instagram feeds for updates. Call your key customers, clients or vendors. Call old friends or people you’ve always meant to connect with but never have. People will be grateful you reached out, and you may pick up valuable insights in the process.

9. Keep your elected officials in the loop.

Whether the governor and his administration, your board of selectmen or anyone in between, keep them apprised of how you are and what you’re doing. They will appreciate your proactive outreach, and they can help you get your message out to other stakeholders.

10. Plan for the future. At some point, the economy is going to open again. How are you going to own those first 30, 60 and 90 days? Map out a post-Covid communications strategy now, so you can flip a switch when it’s time and seize the moment.

Remember: Everyone is under a lot of stress, so be kind and patient. We are all being tested. Take care of your families, love your neighbors (from a healthy sixfoot distance), and work your communications plan now and for the future.

Jim Merrill, managing shareholder of the Bernstein Shur law firm in New Hampshire, is a longtime public affairs and communications consultant for businesses and nonprofits.

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Should state business tax triggers be repealed?

BIA President Jim Roche and Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky debate the merits of shortfall-activated hikes in BPT, BET rates

BY MICHAEL KITCH

After the 2008 financial crisis shrank state revenues, the budget shortfall was offset in part by withholding funds and transferring hundreds of millions of dollars in costs to municipalities, which defrayed them by increasing property taxes. Although the economy recovered, these measures have become permanent features of the fiscal landscape, where property taxes represent nearly two-thirds of all state and local tax receipts.

The economic dislocation stemming from efforts to quell Covid-19 threatens to have an even more severe impact on state and municipal revenues.

The budget for fiscal years 2020-21 calls for increasing the rates of both business taxes — the business profits tax from 7.7% to 7.9% and the business enterprise tax from 0.60% to 0.675% — if revenues fall more than 6% short of projections. Together, the two business taxes represent the largest source of general fund and education trust fund revenue.

On April 23, after being urged to do so by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu said he will ask the Legislature to repeal the trigger and forestall the increase. “It’s the wrong approach and the wrong thing to do,” he said.

In his letter to the Legislative Advisory Board of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), BIA President Jim Roche said it would be “extremely insensitive to the struggles of employers of all sizes and will adversely impact their ability to rehire employees at the very time rehiring is desperately needed.”

Meanwhile, Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky, one of two candidates vying for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, said that the trigger for increasing the tax rates was expressly intended to address a challenge like that posed by Covid-19.

Many large businesses have continued to operate, he said, some of them, like Amazon and FedEx, very profitably and would not be significantly affected by a marginal tax increase. Above all, he said, steps to deplete state revenues would lead to shifting a greater share of the tax burden to property taxpayers.

n Q. Will forgoing revenue from business taxes increase the likelihood that the state will again balance its budget by reducing aid and shifting obligations to cities and towns?

Roche: That is one option, although it may be less likely with the current composition of the Legislature. Other options include a state hiring freeze, delaying capital investments and delaying new programs or program expansions.

Just as businesses of all sizes are being forced to make difficult decisions, so too will all levels of government. The fallback option should not be raising business taxes. Businesses are the very group that policymakers hope will dig our economy out of its hole. Burdening them with higher expenses will not help them recover, including bringing their employees back to work. It will hurt businesses and their employees across the board.

Volinsky: Yes. This has been a well-documented pattern with state governors and lawmakers in prior years that the state has reneged on funding promises and failed to fund what should be state services.

Jim The shifting of pension costs, Roche decreases in revenue-sharing and defunding of school building aid are all examples of funding promised to local communities and later withdrawn in order to meet state budget concerns without any apparent regard for local property taxpayers. The Manchester and Nashua Safe Stations substance abuse referral programs should have been state-funded from the start.

That’s an example of an unfunded service. n Q. The biennial budget provides for distributing almost $62.5 million to the most hard-pressed school districts and another $20 million in unrestricted funds to municipalities in the 2021 fiscal year. With the school funding issue again before the Supreme Court, should the state be doing what it can to fulfill these commitments?

Roche: Legislators will need to prioritize “wants” versus “needs.” BIA has long advocated for a constitutional amendment to give the Legislature the ability to send state education dollars where they are most needed. Distributing state education money on a per-pupil basis without regard to local fiscal capacity is not an efficient or wise use of scarce resources. A constitutional amendment will go a long way toward fairly addressing this challenge.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

Volinsky: Of course the state should make these promised payments. They are not enough to comply with the Claremont school-funding principles, but they illustrate what is at risk if the governor cuts revenues by $20 million or $30 million on top of the expected decreases resulting from the pandemic. New Hampshire is going to experience a significant loss of revenue because of the overall economic crisis, and it makes no sense to further deplete business tax revenue.

The trigger was put in place to mitigate the impact of precisely what has occurred.

It was prudent then and imperative now.

Moreover, since the Andru economic slump will Volinsky squeeze profits and shrink payrolls, the tax liabilities of businesses will be reduced in any event. n Q. In 2018, businesses paid $1.7 billion in property taxes, more than twice the $800 million these same businesses paid in business profits tax and business enterprise tax. What is the risk that not increasing business tax rates would be more than offset by rising property taxes levied on businesses?

Roche: The question assumes that raising state business taxes would translate into cities and towns not raising local property taxes. One does not automatically follow the other. Property tax rates reflect local spending decisions.

As noted earlier, all levels of government will need to make difficult decisions about spending and priorities. The fallback option should not be raising property taxes.

Burdening businesses with higher property taxes will not help. Further, property values from which municipal governments generate most of their revenue have not been impacted by Covid-19, at least not yet. Even when they are impacted, it will not be to the same degree as state tax revenues.

Volinsky: The governor’s proposal ignores the fact that businesses with a brick-and-mortar presence in the state pay property taxes and pay them at the same inequitable rates, just like homeowners across the state. This means that many businesses will have their state tax cuts more than offset by local property tax increases. n Q. The BPT is levied on a firm’s reported profits while the BET is levied primarily on a firm’s payroll, regardless

of whether it turns a profit. Since they have different tax bases, should the two be treated differently in the current circumstances, particularly since restoring employment will be an immediate priority?

Roche: I think the question being asked is, “Would it be good policy to raise the BPT tax and keep the BET tax at the same rate so as not to discourage hiring?” The two taxes are closely interwoven (e.g.

BPT payers get a dollar-fordollar credit for any BET tax owed).

The more you shift the burden from those paying only the BET to those paying the BPT (a relatively small number of companies), the more you risk returning to an unconstitutionally inequitable system of taxation, and that is what led to the development and implementation of the BET in the first place.

Volinsky: The governor’s tax cuts will benefit only a small portion of New Hampshire’s businesses. In a strong economy, 75% of the 170,000 registered businesses either did not file a tax return or make a tax payment. Of those few businesses that filed returns and paid taxes, less than 2% accounted for the vast majority of business tax receipts.

One has to ask who is the governor trying to benefit with these tax cuts, assuming he understands how they work. n Q. Changes to the federal tax code undertaken in 2017 reduced the top tax rate on corporate profits from 35% to 21%. Since the tax liability of many of New Hampshire’s largest commercial taxpayers has been significantly reduced already, should the state lighten it further by shifting a larger share of the tax burden to other taxpayers?

Roche: The purpose for reducing the federal corporate tax burden was to allow companies to invest more in growing their individual businesses. Reducing business tax rates does not automatically translate to “shifting a larger share of the tax burden to other taxpayers.”

Overall spending has a greater impact on overall tax burdens. In addition, when New Hampshire lowered business tax rates between 2016 and 2019, it resulted in dramatically increased revenue collections from businesses, not less.

Volinsky: No. Local property taxpayers deserve a break. And the governor could achieve that by keeping state promises to fund schools, share revenue and pay pensions.

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The characteristics of leaders During Covid-19, we’ve seen them on display, but not always

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This writer has been an observer of leadership styles for over a half-century and has often spoken at such programs as Leadership New Hampshire and Leadership Manchester. Questions asked at all of them include: How many leadership positions have people in them who are not leaders? How many people have you seen who are leaders who are not in leadership positions? Why? Classic characteristics of true leaders should be compared to what we have seen in the recent crisis, for good and for ill. Some have risen to the challenge in ways that many may not have expected.

Some, even in high positions, have become seemingly irrelevant, or almost so.

Characteristics include: • Leaders seek to unite their people in a common purpose. A common understanding of mission, and common commitment to it, is essential if people are to be motivated. Leaders are able to unite the people. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Washington led the colonials against the British. Roosevelt united the people against the Depression and then the Nazis.

• Leaders take responsibility. Leaders do not blame others, point fingers at their predecessors or otherwise focus on scapegoats. Leaders admit mistakes, learn and gain respect by being honest.

• Leaders tell the truth. Leaders rely on telling their followers the facts — to do otherwise will ultimately result in disrespect and disunity, since those following will figure out they are not being told the truth. Relying on the facts has the added advantage of consistency. Making up facts leads to disrespect and confusion.

• Leaders listen. True leaders surround themselves with people who know more than they do and who will tell them the truth, whether they want to hear it or not.

Such people are valued, not fired. That way, leaders learn and can educate their followers on the correct course of action, which gains respect of those who will respect those with the guts to tell the truth.

• Leaders are selfless. Leaders usually have the urge to stay in their positions, but true leaders put the good of the group ahead of the good of the leader.

• Leaders would rather be right than popular. Leaders have to figure out what the right course is, and then sell it to their followers, which often results in periods of disagreement, distrust and agony, but in the end results in the followers recognizing the wisdom of the leader’s position.

Think Winston Churchill here.

• Leaders are consistent. Truth does not change with the winds or the head-

lines. It is not subject to what appears in tweets or on cable TV. This is not an exhaustive list, but it is a pretty good start. Think about what we have seen from those in front of us during the stay-at-home — the president, vice president, public health officials, doctors, governors, police chiefs and firemen, first responders, nurses, grocery store workers, etc. Take a little time to compare and contrast those who have been delivering messages to us all over the last couple of months, and compare them to the leadership traits listed above. When you do this, it may inform your choices, as it should inform all of ours, as to who should be our leaders going forward, and who should not.

As New Hampshire continues to experience a new way of life dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, the state has called upon citizens to address several of the major issues facing it.

BY BRAD COOK

Cook on Concord Gov. Chris Sununu has appointed groups to advise on the proper spending of federal funds received by the state, and to advise on the ultimate way we reopen the economy, safely.

Secretary of State William Gardner and his staff are working with the attorney general’s staff to figure out how elections go forward, regardless of the health situation in September and November. He has appointed a committee of six people, including this writer, to help advise on this. It is important that the goals of secure and reliable elections and the ability of voters to vote in a healthy and secure environment both be assured, so it will be important for all citizens to have input in the process for all these matters. On these important subjects, with these public bodies considering them, the input of everyone, is not only critical, but invited.

Please let the government know what you think.

Brad Cook is a Manchester attorney. The views expressed in this column are his own. He can be reached at bradfordcook01@gmail.com.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

Distributive work gets a boost With its profile raised by the coronavirus, the remote workplace can be more fruitful One of the significant consequences foisted upon the economy during the Covid-19 outbreak has been the rapid scaling of work completed outside of the office — in other words, at home. What is commonly known as remote work, now increasingly being referred to as distributive work, has been increasing over the past 20 years or so, but in its short history it never has experienced a shot of practice like it’s getting now.

My guess is that distributive work is conventionally thought of across most businesses as secondary in its productive impact relative to being on-site, not unlike the way online courses have tried shaking off their reputation of being course-lite.

BY BILL RYAN

Jobs and Careers However, the severity of social distancing to break the chain of virus transmission is forcing the knowledge economy in particular to rely on high-quality distributive work to stay alive as never before. Indeed, it is in the knowledge economy, made up of smart and skilled workers producing goods and services worldwide, where distributive work holds its greatest promise.

It may be useful to know the thoughts of someone who has pioneered and cultivated distributive work for years and is now a leading voice in the movement.

Matt Mullenweg was one of the founding developers of WordPress, the digital content management system, and founder of the diversified internet company Automattic, with 1,200 employees distributed over 70 countries. He continues to not only evangelize distributive work, but leads a set of companies that practice it daily. He is also convinced distributive work need not be just an onthe-bench option management reaches for during times of disruption, but a model of productivity capable of surpassing the performance of traditional office-setting work.

Mullenweg promotes worker autonomy as key to motivation and efficiency

and is much more concerned with worker output than input. While retaining some in-person collaboration, but in a much more reduced and targeted manner, he recognizes the impediments of cramming a lot of people onto a single site. A myriad of distractions, such as office politics, intrusive co-workers and managers, long off-topic chats with coworkers, shared facilities, a narrow set of expected in-house behaviors, and a feeling of having little control over likes and dislikes, from the office temperature to the smell of someone’s lunch can all negatively factor into a worker feeling a lack of autonomy.

With that in mind, Mullenweg identifies five levels of distributive work from low to high effectiveness. To quickly summarize: • Level 1, which is now old school, has workers using telephone and email offsite to augment their work, but with the belief that the “real” work is done at the office.

• Level 2 is an attempt to re-create the office elsewhere by use of VPN and conferencing software to supplement voice and email. Most business is still mired in Levels 1 and 2.

• Level 3 demonstrates an intentional effort to adopt the best software and equipment available to share knowledge seamlessly and transparently across the organization. This can include good lighting, microphones and communication tools like Zoom, Slack and P2.

• Level 4 places a premium on asynchronous and written communication, meaning to move away from an overreliance on live interactions. The goal here is to improve the quality of decisionmaking even if its pace is slowed.

• Level 5 is where production capability is shown to be measurably improved over traditional work methods.

Mullenweg contends the manufacturing factory model of all employees looking busy at the same time and in the same place does not always translate well into the cognitive economy. By primarily valuing quantifiable and qualitative output and providing workers with the means necessary to cooperatively join forces across distance, the “workplace” can be not only redefined, but rendered more fruitful.

Looking for a humane and profitable opportunity amidst a global contagion may be difficult. Perhaps refining distributive work is one such occasion.

Bill Ryan, who writes about career, employment and economic topics from his home in North Sutton, can be reached at bill@billryanwritings.com.

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NH OPINIONS

NH Campaign for Legal Services is even more essential State’s civil legal aid programs are facing a surge in need for their services THE LAW

T

he Covid-19 crisis has brought out the best in our communities: Neighbors running errands for seniors, crafting protective equipment for our medical providers and finding new ways to maintain the vital human connections that sustain us during the darkest times.

But despite quick and proactive measures by our state KING, PERSONAL FINANCE, ENERGY ONS, THEleaders, LATEST, ABOUT TOWN holds profound economic uncertainty the future RISM, NEWS, GIVING, MORE ONLINE forCHARITABLE so many Granite Staters.

Temporary increases in unORD employment benefits, expanded access to food stamps and moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures provide critical help now, but they won’t be enough to protect our neighbors who have lost wages or jobs.

The civil legal aid programs at New Hampshire Legal Assistance and the Legal Advice & Referral Center are preparing for a surge in need for service that may exceed what they experienced during any previous downturn in the economy, even the Great Recession.

NHLA and LARC clients will face impossible, sometimes dangerous, decisions: Do they pay for food, or their rent?

Stay with an abuser or risk homelessness? Forego medication to keep the heat on?

Each of these dilemmas has a potential civil legal remedy. But unlike in criminal court, where people who can’t afford an attorney are provided one by the state’s public defender program, people who cannot afford to pay for an attorney for a civil case do not have the guaranteed right to one – despite the complex nature of civil cases

such as evictions, foreclosures, denial of benefits or divorce after domestic violence.

Civil legal aid protects people’s most basic living needs, by leveling the playing field when assistance is wrongly delayed or denied.

We serve on the Leadership Council of the NH Campaign for Legal Services, founded in 2010 to raise awareness and support for these critical and often overlooked programs. We believe legal aid will be a crucial piece of the services our communities need as we weather this storm: • Public benefits: Unemployment insurance claims are at an all-time high. As laid-off workers begin accessing other public benefits like food stamps and Medicaid, overloaded systems will make processing errors, rejecting eligible families. Legal aid provides expert assistance with appeals of denial of benefits.

• Rent and mortgage concerns: Tenants and property owners should still pay their rent and mortgages during the moratorium on evictions and foreclosures. Those who can’t will face eviction and foreclosure once the moratorium is lifted. Some banks and landlords will negotiate manageable payment plans. Others will move to evict or foreclosure, leaving individuals and families at risk of chronic homelessness. Legal aid is ready to help tenants and homeowners understand and navigate the legal process.

• Domestic violence: New Hampshire police departments are already seeing spikes in domestic violence calls. Survivors will continue to need representation and advice to stay safe and protect their children. Legal aid helps survivors divorce their abusers and secure child

support and compensation for medical bills so they can heal and restart their lives in safety.

• Consumer debt worries: Some households will fall behind on payments to credit cards and other lenders. Legal aid can help them protect their consumer rights.

• Special education: School districts have implemented remote learning on short notice, and some are struggling to provide special education services. Legal aid will help students and their families access compensatory special education after the Covid-19 crisis abates.

Now more than ever, our neighbors will need legal advice, and now, more than ever, they will not be able to afford hiring an attorney.

We write to ask you, if you are able, please consider supporting legal aid through the NH Campaign for Legal Services, so your neighbors can protect their housing, put food on the table, and stay safe from domestic abuse.

We’ve seen how strong our state is when we all pull together. You can give securely at nh-cls.org/you-canhelp.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a civil legal issue, consult the many resources available free to the public at nhlegalaid.org. If you need more advice, you can also fill out the online application there.

This article was written by Ovide Lamontagne of Manchester, chair of the Campaign Leadership Council, with Erica Bodwell of Concord; William L. Chapman of Concord; Michael Delaney of Manchester; Rachel Goldwasser of Concord Margaret Goodlander of Portsmouth; David Gottesman of Nashua; Courtney Herz of Hopkinton; Megan Hilson of Exeter; Martha Van Oot of Portsmouth; and Danette Wineberg of Exeter.

Collect renewable energy payments for rooftop solar The registration process is simple and benefits more than just the owner ENERGY

BY PETER SOMSSICH

A

s a member of the House Science Technology and Energy Committee the past three years, I have been dealing with issues surrounding energy generation, renewable and sustainable energy and energy efficiency. As part of that process I became aware of the fact that as a rooftop solar owner I am eligible to be registered as a renewable energy generator.

Such a determination would allow me to collect revenues for renewable energy credits, or REC, for each megawatt-hour, or 1,000KWh, of energy generated, after these RECs are sold at the New England quarterly auction.

It turns out that when such an owner is not registered to generate RECs, that person’s utility can claim them as their own and get credit as part of the utility’s REC obligation for New Hampshire’s Renewable Portfolio Standard. Based on our state’s RPS targets (which are lower than other New England states), utilities are

obligated to purchase a specific number of RECs. But if they can get them for free, that means they need to purchase fewer at the auction, and that lack of demand will discourage the generation of more RECs, driving down their price.

It is important to remember that RECs represent clean, renewable energy that also reduces carbon emissions. Also, when our RPS goals are low, we are forgoing many new renewable energy jobs and the economic growth that accompanies them.

Like many other solar owners, I was told that signing up as a renewable energy generator was too bureaucratic and not worth the effort financially. Despite that, I decided to find out for myself.

While I did not find the process too complicated or time-consuming, it is true that the financial reward was not much to boast about (approx. $130/ year for a 6000-watt installation).

To qualify as a registered renewable energy generator that can earn RECs to sell at auction, an owner must: register with an aggregator (a collector and

seller); sign up with an auditor; and submit monthly solar meter readings to the auditor.

After consulting with my solar installer, signed up with Knollwood Energy. My contract is for three years at a minimum price, with the aggregator collecting approx. $2.50 as a commission for each REC sold. In order for the energy generated to qualify, an auditor must verify the actual energy generated. (If an appropriate software is installed along with the solar installation, at a cost of about $300, the energy generated can be reported automatically.) My system was installed five years ago, without such software, so I signed up with an auditor at a cost of $10 per year.

That is all that is required.

As a result, every quarter I am sent a check from Knollwood Energy for the RECs sold at auction. My last payment for three months amounted to a net of $35.

While this certainly is not a large amount of money, it is important to remember that auction prices vary, and that changes in the demand for RECs could be triggered by changes in the RPS target of

the New England states.

But this small financial benefit is in addition to the much greater benefits enjoyed by solar rooftop owners, who also are contributing to the amount of New Hampshire renewable energy stock, which provides more energy independence to the state, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

It is worth looking into solar energy generation whether on rooftops or standalone. The price of solar panels has been dropping annually and the efficiency of each panel has been increasing, while battery storage could soon be very affordable. In addition, there is still a federal energy credit and state credit available.

The federal credit, which used to be 30% of system cost, is now only 26%, but is being phased out by Dec. 31, 2021, and the state rebate is $1,000, while funds last. This type of installation is not just for residential single-home owners, but community solar installations are also becoming more popular.

Peter Somssich represents Portsmouth in the New Hampshire House.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

Remote learning isn’t working for special education students

As the majority of students make the transition to remote learning, the children who arguably need the most help are being left behind EDUCATION

BY MICHAEL DENNEHY

W

e are over one month into remote learning, with about two months left in the school year. By many accounts, remote learning kicked off with a tremendously successful bang.

Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut should be credited with pulling together a statewide plan, implementing it, and working round the clock to smooth out the wrinkles along the way.

However, in local school districts, as the majority of students have made the transition to remote learning, the children who arguably need the most help are now being left behind. Special education students, those children who have an individualized education plan, or IEP, who have a full-time or part-time paraeducator, or who have physical, speech and occupational therapists, either no longer have these services at all or they are being delivered in a way that doesn’t produce much benefit.

It’s hard enough that our kids have lost the routine that they thrive and depend on, but now children with special education services are told to get onto a laptop by themselves, view teachers or therapists through a screen and hope that it works out or has some value to it.

Speaking as a father of a child who depends on these services, and one who talks with other parents across the state in the same situation, working in person with a paraeducator and conducting speech or physical therapy directly with a human is critical to learning successfully. In most cases, a service through a laptop screen just doesn’t work.

While the school districts should be commended for implementing remote learning at a rapid pace, they must focus on how students with special education services can learn with the same success as those without. These children are losing ground, and waiting any longer will be detrimental, causing regression that could have long lasting impacts.

We all want to get back to the way

things were, but we cannot just pass the time and run out the clock until the end of the school year hoping that all of our children will just make it through. The outlook from many administrators appears to be we will pick things up in September and make up for any lost time. As appealing as that outlook may be, it is an unacceptable approach.

Of course, remote learning provides challenges, and for administrators this has been overwhelming.

However, now is the opportunity for administrators to rise up and shine.

It has been over a month since remote learning started, and it’s past time to figure out how each student can learn best, rather than try to force a square peg into a round hole and hope for the best.

All children are different, and all of our children deserve the best education possible. We are hopeful that school district administrators will rise to challenge of delivering special education services successfully during this crisis.

Michael Dennehy lives with his family in Bow.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

New Hampshire needs high-speed rail TO THE EDITOR:

Before the invention of airplanes and automobiles, the state of New Hampshire was once powered by the railroad system. The railroad system made New Hampshire towns and cities more interconnected with each other as well as with the rest of the United States. As growing carbon emissions from airplanes and cars continue to pollute our atmosphere, the United States must reform its transportation system by implementing a national high-speed railway run on electricity to combat climate change.

High-speed rail trains that run on electricity are much more energyefficient than cars and airplanes, which are powered by fossil fuels.

Twenty years ago, New Hampshire and neighboring states explored the feasibility of providing high-speed rail service from Boston to Montreal, with stops in Nashua, Manchester, Concord, Lebanon and Laconia.

As our highways reach capacity, we need to explore options once again for transporting passengers by rail in order to ease the stress of commuting, while also boosting the economy in diverse regions of the state.

Critics argue that investing in a high-speed rail system will cost money, but in reality the cost of doing nothing will be far greater. The time for New Hampshire and the rest of the United States to start transitioning to a high-speed rail system is now.

David Sanok Exeter

Have your own NH opinion? Send it to EDITOR@NHBR.COM

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FROM PAGE 1

Under Covid, paid leave becomes a reality in NH FROM PAGE 1 of those, 72% said it was due to child care Family and Medical Leave Act — passed in issues and 67% said it was due to employ- 1993 — that requires all businesses with over do it, but it too didn’t have a choice.

Mandated paid family and medical leave, ees having school-age kids at home. (The 50 employees to hold a job if employees a program pushed by most New Hampshire two categories are not mutually exclusive, of take time off to care for a loved one or themselves for 12 weeks.

Democrats and disparaged by most Repub- course.)

At this point, paid family leave is tempoEven if all smaller businesses comply, that licans, has suddenly become law for most businesses in the state and across the coun- rary. Federally enhanced unemployment would still leave some “concerning gaps,” try, at least when it comes to employees af- benefits end July 1, and the FFCRA program said Sears. runs to the end of the year. But no one knows Most supermarket chains have more than fected by this coronavirus. whether they will be extended or for how 500 employees, as do many restaurant Funded nationally, mainly by taxpayers, NASHUA REGION LAKES REGION NORTH COUNTRY chains, she noted. And — unlike the Payand somewhat via state businesses through long.

FFCRA also exempts a large group check Protection Program, which allows unemployment taxes, it is part of the fedlarge chains to apply by location for millions eral CARES Act, and at the state level it is of businesses: those with more than in forgivable loans — those same chains are the subject of an emergency order issued by 500 employees (including most over the threshold and thus exempted from Gov. Chris Sununu. For more than a month, it chains), businesses with fewer than has been just one more regulation, without 50 employees if the family leave TOP ROW: BUSINESS TECH, ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, HOSPITALS, BANKING, PERSONAL FINANCE, ENERGY much controversy or attention, overshad- (but not the sick leave) jeopardizes SECOND ROW: FEATURE STORY AND JUMPS, IN BRIEF, FLOTSAM, LAW, OPINIONS, THE LATEST, ABOUT TOWN owed by the larger Covid-19 health and eco- the company’s viability and frontTHIRD ROW: REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, TOURISM, NEWS, CHARITABLE GIVING, MORE ONLINE line workers, such as healthcare and nomic FORTHcrisis.

ROW: AREA GRAPHICS, another TOURISM choice, CALENDAR, LAST WORD Sununu has repeatedly vetoed similar emergency personnel.

In New Hampshire, that means the mandated leave proposals, but his March 17 emergency order covers not only those who law only covers about a third of emhave the virus or might have the virus and ployees for certain and two-thirds at Small businesses, are under quarantine, or those who care for most. Large employers account for maybe exempt a family member under similar conditions, it a quarter of the state’s businesses, 214,982 also applies to people who have lost child and healthcare organizations with uncare because of school or day care closings. der 500 employees account for 9%.

At first, such employees were paid through The big question mark is those nonstate unemployment benefits — 60% of in- healthcare businesses with under 50 come — which is paid by businesses via the employees.

Generally, such small businesses would unemployment tax. But on March 27, when President Trump signed the CARES Act, have to provide paid leave, because claiming Uncle Sam began picking up the tab, and that offering leave could end their business because the federal government also pays as a going concern is a “pretty high bar,” said an extra $600 a week for unemployment Andrea Chatfield, an attorney at Cook, Little, recipients, the result in New Hampshire is a Rosenblatt and Manson in Manchester who Healthcare paid leave benefit averaging 95% of an av- specializes in human resources.

On the other hand, a small business doesn’t exempt erage worker’s weekly pay — far more than have to prove or even claim such an exempany existing leave policy or proposal. (small) tion. All it has to do is note it, should it ever 21,955 come up via a complaint or an audit, said A new normal?

Amanda Sears, New Hampshire director of Even before the $2 trillion CARES Act the Campaign for a Family Friendly EconoHealthcare became law, Congress passed, and Trump my, an organization that has been advoexempt (mid) signed on March 18, the Families First Coro- cating for a mandatory paid leave pronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which re- gram for years.

34,892 ‘[Businesses] quires that employers pay two weeks’ sick could exempt thempay (up to a maximum of $500 a day) to selves and there is no one those affected directly by the virus and twothe mandated paid famoverseeing it, really,’ says thirds pay (up to a maximum of $200 a day) ily leave requirements.

Amanda Sears, NH director to those who have to take care of others.

In addition, while the of Campaign for a Family Employers can simply deduct what they healthcare exemption Friendly Economy. pay from what they owe the federal governmight seem like a good ment in Social Security and Medicare taxes. idea, since such workers are Some are already doing so. Others take the desperately needed right now, credit at the end of the quarter. It depends “does it make sense to have people who on their payroll management company. might have the virus coming to work beThat means workers, and to some extent cause they don’t have any sick days?” Sears employers, have two paid family leave poliasked. cies to choose from. At this point, there is The biggest limitation is that the current no data indicating how many are taking adpaid leave program only pertains to one disvantage of either. New Hampshire Employee ease.

Security has yet to release such information, “What everyone is going though right now and the Internal Revenue Service won’t have is what an individual goes though when they a good idea until businesses submit their “They could exempt themselves, and there get cancer or a loved one gets cancer,” said quarterly tax filing on July 1. is no one overseeing it, really,” Sears said.

Sears. “We hope that this will make the govA recent survey by the Business and Indusernor realize how necessary this is, outside try Association of New Hampshire indicates this specific pandemic.” that the use of paid family leave is wide- ‘Concerning gaps’ Sears pointed to House Bill 712, which was Such small businesses also would least passed by the House and Senate and was on spread. Of the 108 responses by members, 43% said they had employees who were not likely know about the program because they its way to the governor for his signature becoming to work because of the crisis and, have been exempted in the unpaid federal fore the pandemic interrupted state govern-

ment. The bill would offer 12 weeks of paid leave at 60% of salary, paid through a 0.5% payroll deduction. Sununu has vetoed similar bills before, instead proposing a voluntary program piggybacking on a negotiated program with the state employees.

The deadlock has lasted for years. Yet suddenly, paid leave — with all its limitations — has become a reality, at least for now.

“In the beginning, it was confusing and everybody was scrambling,” said Debra Weiss Ford, a Portsmouth attorney. “But by the time they got to the grace period, people were a lot more comfortable.”

That grace period — the time when the

At least one-third of New Hampshire employers must provide paid leave according to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

33%

3%

5%

33%

26%

Nonexempt businesses 216,206

Large businesses, exempt 168,064

Source: NH Business Review analysis of NHES 2019 figures

U.S. Department of Labor would not enforce the law unless there was a willful violation — ended on April 17, though it is unclear whether that enforcement has actually begun. The department would not say if there have been any complaints or investigations in New Hampshire since the program began.

‘Ultra-rich’ benefits The biggest question now is not whether the program is a good idea, but what to do about the two competing programs.

What about the employees who decline the company benefit and wish to stay out on unemployment where they could get more money?

“I’ve gotten that question at least once a day for the past three weeks,” said Ford.

“It has proved difficult, because we are competing against ultra-rich unemployment benefits,” said Joleen Welford, director of employee relations at Lakes Region Community Services, a nonprofit that services

>

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FROM PAGE 18 developmentally disabled individuals.

Although employees can’t refuse a job offer because current unemployment benefits pay them more than the job itself, family leave is a murky territory. NHES does ask if a claimant is receiving other income, which includes the family leave benefit. On the other hand, someone can quit a job even though being offered leave, then tell NHES they needed to leave work to take care of their school-age kid who has been sent home because of the pandemic.

That person would be eligible for benefits, said NHES Deputy Commissioner Richard Lavers. (Lavers suggested an alternative: employers can participate in the department’s WorkShare Program, which allows a company to reduce an employee’s hours so they can collect a proportionate amount of state unemployment benefits, which also includes the full federal enhancement of $600 a week.)

Sheryl Crusco’s last day at Lakes Region Community Services was April 1, the same day the FFCRA went into effect. Crusco has two teenagers at home, 14 and 16, who she said needed some prompting to do their schoolwork, but more importantly, she herself has asthma and other lung issues, and her doctor instructed her to stay home.

Going back to collect medical leave at work was “just silly at this point. You can get more on unemployment,” she said. Still, she added, she has been with the company for seven years, and she hopes the virus risk diminishes because she loves her work. “I miss everybody.”

Autism Bridges faces some of the same problems. The company already had trouble finding staff and now feels like “we are competing against the unemployment system, but we did some education, and employees came back for the health benefits and to know they have a job waiting for them,” said founder Thea Davis.

Davis wanted to make clear that FFCRA is in tune with her company’s philosophy, but the rules are complex and her staff spent many hours figuring out how to implement it, calling it a bit “overwhelming.”

Out of a staff of 75, some 13 are using the benefits, though not all are using it full time.

Brittany Moore has worked at Autism Bridges for about 11 years. She, too, said she needed to stay home, this time to care for her 9-year-old daughter. She also was considering applying for unemployment before the family leave program allowed her to keep her benefits and continue to work a little.

On the one weekday her husband wasn’t working at Target, she was able to go to a client’s house to provide therapy as well as do some office work from home. But without some kind of paid leave, she said, it would be a lot more difficult economically to pull it off.

“It’s a difficult balance, being a wife and a mom and a teacher and employee all at once within a 10-minute period sometimes,” she said. “It’s been tricky, but everybody is doing it at this point. That’s just the way it is now.”

The question is: What will it be like in the future?

Bob Sanders can be reached at bsanders@nhbr.com.

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FROM PAGE 1

Startups learn to adapt under Covid FROM PAGE 1 ask us to cut their rate. Luckily, we went into this with a large backlog of work and decent cash fusion, but that’s not going turing pharmaceuticals.

“Some of our partners have seen delays or completely shut to last forever, so we’re aggressively pursuing new clients.” down their internal operations, which affects our timeline and revenue,” said Avitide CEO Kevin Isett. “They’d love to Financial path to survival be back up in May, but it could be in June, and they just don’t CPA Kyung Kim, a partner at Wipfli, usually recommends know, depending on where they are and depending on the that businesses have three to six months of cash on hand. cases of Covid in that area.”

For many small businesses, the shorter end of that spectrum But Avitide, which was launched in 2012, did find itself with is a more realistic goal, if it’s even possible. a new opportunity — working with one partner to apply its “Some of our nonprofit clients usually breakeven, so even NASHUA REGION LAKES REGION NORTH COUNTRY purification technology to develop and upscale the manu- though they may have some savings, they’re having a hard facturing of a vaccine for Covid-19. It could likely sign more time, especially when the demand for their services has indeals in this realm, said Isett. creased with this pandemic,” she said.

“While it’s opportunistic on one hand, it’s challenging on And now, said Kerry Primmer, state director of SCORE, another,” said Isett. “Certain business lines seem to be getting “most small business people have no revenue coming in.” traction, others are experiencing delays, so it’s bittersweet.”

The volunteer-led organization, staffed by mostly retired TOP ROW: BUSINESS TECH, ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, HOSPITALS, BANKING, PERSONAL FINANCE, ENERGY business executives, has fielded SECOND ROW: FEATURE STORY AND JUMPS, IN BRIEF, FLOTSAM, LAW, OPINIONS, THE LATEST, ABOUT TOWN 200 to 300 mentoring reIndustry-dependent quests per week since mid-March, and ONLINE nearly 40% are reTHIRD ROW: REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, TOURISM, NEWS, CHARITABLE GIVING, MORE occurring How and startups in particular, will survive this LAST FORTHbusinesses, ROW: AREA GRAPHICS, another TOURISM choice, CALENDAR, WORD clients. Primmer has been working with business-

unpredictable economy “really depends on what industry people who are not only managing payroll issues but also they’re in, the stage of their activities and nature of their figuring out how to work with suppliers that want payment.

“This tells you how fragile our business community is,” said operations — how much cash they have on hand, whether Primmer. “There isn’t a lot of cash reserves. A healthy, vibrant they’re currently profitable or burning cash,” business under normal circumstances might have 45 to said Phil Ferneau, co-founder and man60 days of money.” aging partner of Hanover-based venCongress has allocated additional funds to supture capital firm Borealis Ventures. port business advisory organizations. While none He has encouraged his portfolio of that money will be allocated to SCORE, some of companies to work on refining is going to another program under the umbrella their business model to be better of the U.S. Small Business Administration — poised for when the economy Small Business Development Centers. and markets pick up again and The NH SBDC has a team of 17 paid advisers the changes that will likely come. who have supported more than 2,500 businesses “What were the assumptions through one-on-one advising over the past about the world before and how six weeks, with several hundred more Investor would they be adapted for the world Phil Ferneau of quick phone calls and emails answered. coming out of Covid or with Covid? Will Borealis Ventures says “I get emails every day. I have clients our customers operate differently? Will their there’s a significant differI haven’t spoken with in five years, 10 priorities be different? Will buying considerations be ence between companies at years and a new client every single affected by this?” said Ferneau. “For some companies the point of generating revday,” said Hollis McGuire, an SBDC this is accelerating trends they were counting on. If enue and startups that are adviser who has been with the orgayou do telemedicine, this has been a great way to acstill in the building nization for more than 16 years. celerate market shifts you were counting on.” phase.

In some cases, McGuire has advised But, he added, “there have been sectors that have seen sole proprietors to collect unemployment their revenue fall off totally.” to eke through tough financial times — an option “Someone selling to the travel industry or hospitality or restaurant industry — these are startups that are really hurting,” uniquely available this time.

“The smallest businesses are struggling the most, and they said Kyle York, CEO of York IE, a Manchester-based investare calling about help,” said McGuire, who advised other ment company he co-founded last year.

One of the companies it has invested in is a Charlestown, businesses to reach out immediately to the SBDC about conMass.-based company called Mayflower Venues, whose soft- cerns while there’s still time to adjust their plans.

With $1.28 million in additional supplemental funds, SBDC ware helps wedding and event venue management.

“Obviously, there are no large gatherings and weddings are has also been tasked with helping businesses create resiliency plans to prepare for any extraordinary circumstance that being postponed,” said York.

“Retail is a toss-up,” said Jeffrey Sohl, a professor at the Uni- could interrupt their business operations by affecting supversity of New Hampshire and longtime director of its Center plies, the manner in which they manufacture goods, or how for Venture Research. “If it’s a heavy online presence, which they deliver goods and services to their customers.

“We weren’t expecting this — I don’t think anybody thought a lot of retail is, well that might be OK. But I think it would be tough to launch any retail now because of the noise, a lot go- something of this magnitude could shut down the economy or significantly halt the economy as it has,” said Liz Gray, ing on in everybody’s mind right now.”

Forcivity, a Manchester-based company founded in 2015 state director of the SBDC. “We at SBDC need to help busithat implements Salesforce software, has seen clients in the nesses develop that resiliency plan because we don’t know hospitality field drop off, financial services take a hit and those when the next challenge will come.”

In the meantime, Kim recommended that businesses conin the K-12 education software space become unresponsive as they frantically provide support to their own customers duct a cash flow analysis for different scenarios to determine thrust into the world of total virtual learning, especially as fall what cash could be made available by deferring rent or other expenditures. In some cases, businesses must cut back or semesters hang in the balance.

“I’m just in the mode of maintaining what we have right defer benefits payments.

Forcivity “pulled back two benefit programs literally the now. We had some pretty aggressive sales growth projections in place when we came into 2020, and those quite week after we rolled them out,” said Baines, who retained honestly are gone now,” said CEO and founder Steve Baines. the employee healthcare plan but has cut for now the flexible “We’ve had some customers who have slowed things down. spending accounts and dental insurance.

“It’s not that they were substantial costs to us, but they add We have some that can’t pay a bill, and we’ve had others

up. Suddenly that’s a person, that’s a salary’s worth. It’s hard as a business leader to roll something out people get excited about and a week later say we’re kidding, but they were very understanding,” said Baines. “They look around and they see the landscape and they realize a lot of people they know don’t have a paycheck right now. My goal is to keep everybody employed.”

Baines said he applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, but didn’t get it in the first round.

Ferneau pointed out there’s a significant difference between companies at the point of generating revenue and startups that are still in the building phase.

“If you had the good fortune to close a round early in the year, before Covid, you literally could have two to three years of cash, and so you’re not expecting to raise money for another year or two or more,” said Ferneau. “If you’re in that situation, you’re sheltered from the near-term economic fallout. It’s not that you’re unaffected, because it may be your customers are affected or team affected in the short term.”

However, some companies may need another round of financing they weren’t expecting to reset growth plans as businesses curb buying or their product launch is delayed due to remote working arrangements, and “if you’re looking to raise capital in six months, your prognosis just took a hit.”

Investing recalculation Investors will take a slight pause before resuming investment deals again, said Sohl.

“Would-be angels tend to pull back more than institutional investors in these markets just because they’re feeling the liquidity pressure,” explained Ferneau. “They’re probably not seeing their other investments exiting, their existing portfolios may require more capital, and that tends to leave investors to pull back a bit because they’re investing their own capital and it’s more finite than institutional capital.”

Sohl said investments “will be more follow-on versus new, to keep the portfolio companies going. It may shift out of the seed, startup stage just because of what’s going on, so it’s not good for the whole ecosystem.”

Ferneau also predicted that company evaluations will trend down to a more realistic level, and investors’ pickiness will raise the bar for businesses to be stronger.

“Raising money is rarely easy, but I think it’s going to be harder now,” said Ferneau, pointing to “the challenges of raising capital when it’s not face-to-face.”

“You’re definitely seeing a slowdown in brand new VC meetings,” said York, “given that people tend to like to have multi-hour sessions face-to-face and get to know the companies they’re investing in to build that report and trust.”

That’s hard to do via Zoom meetings, said Ferneau, who’s had discussions with other investors about what dealmaking might be like in “the new normal.”

“It’s going to drag out the process, because people hope if they wait long enough they can meet face-to-face, or [require] more virtual interactions to have enough consistent data points to invest in somebody they only know via Zoom,” said Ferneau.“ It’s really a good reminder to entrepreneurs to build relationships before you raise money. If you haven’t had the benefit of that prior interaction, you’re starting cold, and it’s harder to start from scratch virtually.”

For the moment, investors are more focused on “portfolio triage,” he said, advising startups they’re currently invested in to ensure they’ve adapted to remote working and changing markets.

York and Ferneau said they are already talking about growth outlooks and expenses heading into 2021.

“From York IE’s perspective, we’re continuing to execute our vision,” which includes closing three startup investment deals during the pandemic. “If we’re [already] committed, we’re going to commit, and we’ll benefit because we’re super early-stage investors, so we’re playing a long game.”

Liisa Rajala can be reached at lrajala@nhbr.com.

21

MAY 8 - 21, 2020

THE LAW

For families with shared custody, it’s business as usual Despite stay-at-home order, parents should follow their normal custody agreements, attorney says

BY KELLY BURCH

Carolina Cross of Berwick, Maine, tries to limit her shopping to once a week, to minimize her family’s risk of being NASHUA REGION exposed to coronavirus. Yet each week, she still meets with her daughter’s father, who lives in New Hampshire, to exchange custody of Serafina, who is two.

“I do worry about how wide her circle of exposure is, but this isn’t really a change from how complicated coparenting is normally,” says Cross.

The coronavirus has disrupted RING, HOSPITALS, BANKING, PERSONAL FINANCE,routines ENERGY for families in theLAW, Granite State across the country, but parents FLOTSAM, OPINIONS, THEand LATEST, ABOUT TOWN ON, HEALTHCARE, TOURISM, NEWS, CHARITABLE GIVING, MORE ONLINEtheir with shared custody should continue to follow e, CALENDAR, LASTagreements, WORD normal according to Shaunna L. Browne, a divorce and family lawyer in Manchester. Legally, New Hampshire parents need to stick to their custody agreements, despite recommendations to curtail social circles, she says.

“No one should be making substantial changes to any existing parenting plan solely due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Browne says.

Gov. Chris Sununu’s stay-at-home order allows people to leave their homes “to visit a spouse, parent or child.”

That includes custody exchanges, Browne says.

“If you have a parenting plan, that is a court order,” Browne says. “You have to adhere to that court order unless you are able to obtain an emergency order from the court.”

Parents who feel strongly that a custody exchange endangers their child can file an ex parte, or emergency, motion to have the custody arrangement amended. That motion will be ruled on within the day. However, the petitioning parent has to prove that irreparable harm would come to the child if the custody plan was not changed.

Browne says that at least one such motion has been filed in New Hampshire, but the courts denied a change to the custody arrangement.

“The parent wishing to suspend [custody] has to be able to articulate very specific facts exclusive to their scenario,” Browne says.

“We’ve had to have detailed conversations about what we would do if either of us is quarantined, or what we would do if I get mandated to stay at the hospital for an extended period,” she says.

Browne says that if parents decide to change their arrangement because of possible exposure to the coronavirus, they should get the new arrangement in writing and agree to when they’ll return to their normal custody schedule.

Although the circumstances are unique right now, Cross says she’s drawing on lessons she’s learned through coparenting, including trusting her daughter’s father to make the best choices for Serafina’s care.

“I can share my concerns, and then I have to let her father make his own decisions about what happens when he is with her,” Cross says.

Overall, she feels that continuing with the normal custody arrangement is what’s best for Serafina. Browne agrees. It’s important that parents share the responsibility of caring for children during the pandemic and that kids get to spend time with both parents.

“Children need a level of consistency,” she says. “Their lives are already interrupted, with schools out, changing custody is just one additional interruption in their lives.”

This article is being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.

Photo courtesy the Dean family

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Given that courts are unlikely to intervene, many parents are managing the risks of shared custody on their own. For Nicole Dean, a Claremont mom of two, the complications came early on in social distancing.

“In the beginning, when stores were still open and schools were still questioning whether or not to be open, we disagreed about bringing the kids places,” she says. “Eventually, as the culture of societal norms during the pandemic changed, so did our mindsets and it became a nonissue.”

Dean is a nurse and her children’s father is also an essential worker, so they discussed how to handle unexpected work engagements that could disrupt their custody arrangement.

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N H B R.C O M

THE LAW

Videoconferencing: How to ensure privacy and security Beware of the risks – like ‘Zoombombing’ – and measures you can take to prevent them

Videoconferencing is a critical component of our new normal. Society is using it in record numbers to connect with family and friends, engage in remote education, sustain our businesses, participate in social gatherNASHUA REGION ings and for a multitude of other purposes.

Like any technology, if not properly managed, videoconferencing poses risks to the privacy and the security of our personal information. Businesses and individuals using the technology should be aware of those RING, HOSPITALS, PERSONAL FINANCE, ENERGY risks, andBANKING, implement appropriate safeguard F, FLOTSAM, LAW, OPINIONS, THE LATEST, to mitigate or prevent them. ABOUT TOWN

without proper controls, the link can be used by anyone to access the conference, and sometimes links are publicized on the websites and social media, particularly if meetings are public.

Hackers acquire links to videoconferences to steal personal information (like names, emails and contact information), and valuable confidential business information available as a part of those meetings. They also can disrupt meetings by overwhelming attendees with offensive content (typically pornography or hateful images), causing the meeting ON, HEALTHCARE, TOURISM, NEWS, CHARITABLE GIVING, MOREto ONLINE terminate. Predators and thieves also coce, CALENDAR, LAST WORD vertly penetrate videoconferences to gather Access and security controls information about children engaging in “Zoombombing” is the newest neologism remote education or connecting with friends, to enter our lexicons, and the most common and to acquire detailed video information insecurity. The term derives from a prominent useful for burglary. the videoconferencing application Zoom, These dangers are exacerbated if hackwhich exploded from about 10 million to 200 ers have installed malware on computers or million users practically overnight. mobile devices that permit them to control of To participate in a Zoom or other video the cameras and microphones. conference (like Skype, GoToMeeting, Google Most videoconferencing applications have Hangouts/Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, controls that can be configured to mitigate Cisco WebEx, etc.), the meeting organizer such dangers. For starters, all conference typically emails a link to attendees. However, transmissions should be encrypted. More-

over, organizers can require attendees to enter passwords to access meetings, and can restrict or eliminate the ability of participants to share content.

Conferences also can be established with virtual waiting rooms, permitting organizers to admit only intended participants, or as webinars rather than meetings, restricting the ability of attendees to distribute content or interact with each other.

Notice, consent and secure retention Videoconference applications commonly either automatically record or permit recording of the content. Given the vast quantities of sensitive information exchanged using this technology, such recording raises significant privacy and security issues.

Privacy laws require meeting organizers to notify participants and (in some situations) obtain consent to collect, use and disclose the personal information acquired about participants. State and federal wiretap laws likewise require consent to record and store certain audio and electronic communications.

Workplace Solutions for New Hampshire Employers

Organizers can require attendees to enter passwords and place restrictions on interactions to avoid hacking disruptions.

As a result, meeting organizers should integrate appropriate notice into all videoconferences, technologically require express consent from participants whenever private meetings are recorded, and obtain at least implied consent from attendees of recorded webinars.

Recorded videoconferences also should be securely stored, and the applications permit a variety of retention methods, such as on a cloud, device hard drive or server. Meeting organizers should ensure that the retention method selected is secure, including encryption of the recordings and such hard drives, and use of strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to access such clouds and networks. Additionally, organizers should technologically limit or prevent meeting participants from making their own recordings.

Due diligence and agreements

There is simply no substitute for good judgment and getting things right the first time.

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Most videoconference providers disclose on their websites the privacy and security controls inherent in their applications, and provide instructions about how to configure such controls. Before using these applications, businesses and individuals should do due diligence to ensure that the controls are sufficient for their particular uses of the technology, and enable them to comply with the privacy and security laws that apply to them as well as the individuals who may participate in videoconferences.

Some videoconference providers also will sign agreements with users that are designed to comply with privacy and security laws, including domestic laws like HIPAA, the Child Online Privacy Protection Act and the California Consumer Protection Act, as well as foreign laws like the European Union General Data Privacy Regulation.

The coronavirus crisis presents a multiplicity of challenges and risks. As society increasingly adopts technologies like videoconference to facilitate our new normal, we all must implement appropriate measures to ensure that the use of these technologies does not endanger the privacy or security of our families, friends, businesses, customers and each other.

Attorney Cam Shilling chairs McLane Middleton’s Information Privacy and Security Practice Group.

23

MAY 8 - 21, 2020

NHDES and some towns pave way for large-scale solar But on the whole, New Hampshire is still getting used to fully embracing the technology

BY ROBERT L. BEST AND MICHAEL REDDING

Starting this year, a new law encourages the development of solar installations that benefit low- to moderate-income families, and municipalities are authorized to adopt tax exemptions under a newly amended law for solar-electric installations.

The challenge, in spite of all the statutes encouraging it, has been that meaningful solar installations have been too costly and inefficient to gain widespread acceptance.

But, now that technology has started to catch up with policy, meaningful solar installations are beginning to become a reality.

Residential solar panels are becoming commonplace in New Hampshire, with 8,195 residential installations as of 2019, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Solar energy can provide a solution that gets us to a new, cleaner, efficient and more environmentally friendly energy supply.

Advances in battery storage are exponential and provide solutions that allow solar energy to be there for us all the time — even when the sun is not shining. It can provide lower energy costs and provide sustainable and formidable power for our manufacturing plants.

In addition, commercial power generation is beginning to get a foothold in New Hampshire, and that’s a change that we’ve been slow to embrace.

Municipal planning and zoning boards are facing numerous questions about commercial installations. Is a commercial solar panel installation suited for the industrial zone, the commercial zone or the rural agricultural zone? Are they a primary use, or an ancillary accessory feature? Should they go on top of landfills? What about on top of public buildings? Do they affect abutters’ property values, do they obstruct views, do they require overhead power lines or giant batteries to store power?

Do the virtues of solar power counterbalance any of the possible planning and zoning, or environmental concerns? The industry is prepared with good answers to these questions; however, each municipality arrives at a comfort level on its own pace.

At odds with statutes In practice, municipalities are challenged in evaluating solar projects under current zoning ordinances and site plan regulations that are not written with solar in mind. By default, solar power is often lumped in with other energy utilities, like a large-scale gas-

fired power plant. That could relegate solar to the industrial zone, sometimes only by conditional use permit, even though solar is a passive, unobtrusive, quiet land use.

Some towns don’t allow or encourage power-generating utilities at all, which means that local regulation could be at odds with state statutes and policies that encourage solar development. Nevertheless, until something changes in that municipality, commercial solar cannot be built under the existing ordinances absent a difficult-to-obtain variance. These obstacles often stifle commercial solar development.

Other municipalities are further ahead with solar. For example, Conway and Loudon have each developed an ordinance that allows solar in all districts under a special exception, which can be granted by the zoning board under criteria that are often easier to achieve than a variance.

In general, a special exception is granted if the applicant can demonstrate that the use meets the special exception criteria in the zoning ordinance. Franklin takes a different approach and relies on statute for its review of solar installations.

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is also adapting to the potential for solar development. Most commercial solar array projects require a minimum of five acres to achieve a 1-megawatt array. Development of that size will often require an Alteration of Terrain (AoT) permit, and potentially a wetlands permit if it is near wetlands.

NHDES developed a set of guidelines specifically for large solar arrays in January 2019 and updated the guidance in February 2020.

The guidance establishes design recommendations and best management practices for erosion and runoff mitigation. The guidance outlines criteria based upon the land cover change (i.e., clearing wooded areas and creating a grass meadow) and slope.

The level of detail in the AoT regulations, and some of the new municipal ordinances, begin to address many of those questions related to the commercial development of solar panels. As more municipalities work through the process of adopting solar ordinances, solar will continue to grow and flourish as an alternative energy source in New Hampshire. There’s a significant way to go yet, but important progress is moving forward.

Robert Best is partner at Sulloway & Hollis.

Michael Redding is director of engineering and operations at New England Solar Garden in Portsmouth.

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What happens after Covid-19?

For commercial real estate, there are many outcomes that could happen NORTH COUNTRY

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One concern is that we fail to learn all this is not a one-off. There will be more the appropriate lessons from this. So we of these. With 7.5 billion people on the do not want to bounce back so quickly Earth, we are forcing Mother Nature to I am sitting in our 3,000-square-foot that we ignore the facts and fail to make the limits. Hopefully, there will be a vacoffice all by myself as I begin writing this all the changes needed. cine for Covid-19 soon, but we go through TOP ROW: BUSINESS TECH, ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, HOSPITALS, BANKING, PERSONAL FINANCE, ENERGY column — that is social distancing. My son One guest on NPR, a professor of flu season every year. Every year we can SECOND ROW: FEATURE STORY AND JUMPS, IN BRIEF, FLOTSAM, LAW, OPINIONS, THE LATEST, ABOUT TOWN is working from home (my home) and, as “Homeland Security” at Boston UnivergetMORE the flu shots — some work and some THIRD ROW: REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, TOURISM, NEWS, CHARITABLE GIVING, ONLINE heFORTH has three computers going simultanesity,CALENDAR, stated that we have lost March and don’t.

ROW: AREA GRAPHICS, another TOURISM choice, LAST WORD ously with team members in Europe, the April (and now maybe May and June …)

This past winter, we had the choice of Middle East and throughout the U.S — it So, we (businesses) will lose two to three a “single” flu shot or a “triple” flu shot, is pretty hectic. months of revenues but will still have neither of which anticipated Covid-19. The I am taking part in a NH Business Re12 months of expenses. The longer the Covid virus includes the common cold. view webinar on April 30 to discuss the “stay-at-home” order lasts, the deeper Covid-19 has not mutated yet, but it likely effects of the virus on commercial real the hole we have to climb out of. will. It is unclear if we develop antibodies estate. I presume that is what readers are The virus was the trigger, the catalyst or not. So we have lots to learn. most interested in having me opine upon. which toppled the dominoes. It is beThe reopening of the economy will be First, it is too early to see when and how coming apparent that the economy was slow and deliberate. I spoke with a hotel this is going to resolve itself. It will not be pretty shaky before Covid-19 appeared owner who said they do not plan to open quick or soon. We are in recession, and it on our shores. back up until Labor Day (at the soonest). could be a long and deep one. The feds This is especially the case for lowerMany restaurants are trying to negotiate will continue to throw lots of dollars at income households and, ironically, big the Paycheck Protection Program regulathis — $2.7 trillion and counting as of this companies that rely on a global supply tions, which is very challenging without a writing. The banks will likely reduce their chain. timeline for opening up to the consumer. cost of funds (from the Fed), perhaps Globalization and globalism are both For commercial real estate, there are here to stay, but there will be some cormany outcomes that could, or may, hapto zero! The question is — where is the rections, and there needs to be, because pen, but it is too early to tell or forecast. bottom?

BY BILL NORTON

The recovery could be a “V,” a “U” or a hockey stick.

Whichever it is, retail will look different in a year or two. Local and regional warehousing may prosper, as we decide to dial back from “just in time” inventories. Manufacturing will move to more robots — they don’t get sick and can be run remotely! Will people move out of the big cities? Will “work from home” get real traction and, thus, demand for office space shrink? Will the hotel sector shrink — if so, what or how does one repurpose these properties (housing for the homeless)?

As I said to my son and daughter, we will weather this event, but there are many who will not fare so well. We cannot lose track of them when we come out the other side. Be safe and be well.

Bill Norton, president of Norton Asset Management and an honorary member of AIANH, is a Counselor of Real Estate (CRE) and a Facilities Management Administrator (FMA). He can be reached at wbn@ nortonnewengland.com.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

New ownership sees opportunity for Belknap Mall ‘We still think there is some additional leasing ability,’ says new owner

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Where some see the Belknap Mall in Belmont as struggling, Mason Asset Management Group sees it as an opportunity.

“We saw a well-located asset in a good market. The tenants from our perspective are pandemic-proof,” said Elliot Nassim, president of Mason Asset Management.

“Even in these times, this property will sustain itself.”

Mason Asset Management of Great Neck, N.Y., in partnership with Namdar Realty Group, also of Great Neck, purchased the mall in April from the Wilder Companies, for $4.25 million, a fraction of its assessed value of more than $18 million.

It’s no surprise that the mall was transferred at a bargain price. Recent years have been hard on regional enclosed shopping areas, and the Belknap Mall was no exception. Over the past two years, five storefronts in the mall became vacant, including anchor retailers such as Maurice’s and Peebles and the pharmacy CVS. Still open, though, are the Shaw’s Supermarket and ClearChoiceMD Urgent Care, which are the “pandemic-proof” businesses Nassim referred to.

Other remaining tenants tend to be in the storefronts that open directly to the parking lots, and he said that’s increasingly attractive to retailers.

“We still think there is some additional leasing ability,” Nassim said. “This used to be a closed mall, the interior has become more vacant, we want to focus on filling the outdoor vacancies as our first strategy, then explore different uses for the interior.”

Non-retail development Mason Asset Management’s portfolio lists more than 120 properties across the

country, including almost 50 shopping malls. Nassim said his company is willing to consider non-retail uses for the interior spaces of the mall. Such uses could include healthcare or fitness, such as the urgent care or Planet Fitness already on the property. It could also mean restaurants or movie theaters, or, in the case of University Mall, in Carbondale, Ill., an insurance company call center.

Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty are also the team behind the Steeplegate Mall in Concord, which has filled some of its vacancies with a trampoline park, laser tag center and community theater.

Nassim said the new ownership team was also interested in exploring further non-retail development of the property.

He didn’t want to expound on the statement, but the previous ownership, Wilder Company, said in a previous interview that the property could be suitable for residential development, and that there could be views of Lake Winnisquam from an elevated vantage point.

Officials welcomed the new owners, and expressed hope that the property could again become a vibrant part of the local economy.

Dari Sassan, Belmont’s town planner, said he would want to hear more specifics about development plans before he could give a “thumbs up or thumbs down,” but added, “We’re all happy to hear that they’re already getting to work to make full use of that very important and valuable property.

We definitely look forward to meeting the new owners and we look forward to being a partner in finding ways to make best use of that property.” — ADAM DRAPCHO/ THE LACONIA DAILY SUN

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Participating lenders honored were: The agency presented awards to the Residential Mortgage Services, CMG lending institutions and originators, which Mortgage Inc., HarborOne Mortgage, helped it to assist 2,000 homebuyers in Northpoint Mortgage, St. Mary’s Bank, finding affordable and loans. ENGINEERING, Mortgage Network Inc., Bank FINANCE, of NewENERGY TOP ROW: BUSINESShomes TECH, ARCHITECTURE, HOSPITALS, BANKING, PERSONAL Top loan officers LLC, SECOND ROW: FEATUREhonored STORY ANDwere: JUMPS,DebIN BRIEF,Hampshire, FLOTSAM, LAW,Movement OPINIONS, THEMortgage LATEST, ABOUT TOWN THIRD ROW: REAL ESTATE + CONSTRUCTION, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, TOURISM, GIVING, M bie Austin-Brown, HarborOne Mortgage; Embrace Home LoansNEWS, Inc. CHARITABLE and CrossFORTH ROW: AREA GRAPHICS, another Guaranty TOURISM choice, CALENDAR, LAST WORD Barbara Bullard, Woodsville Country Mortgage Inc. Savings Bank: Lisa Capicchioni, ResidenParticipating originators: Woodsville tial Mortgage Services; Robin Cousineau, Guaranty Savings, Meredith Village SavResidential Mortgage Services; Terry ings, Savings Bank of Walpole, Mascoma Daniels, Woodsville Guaranty Savings Savings Bank, Precision Lending LLC and Bank; Joseph Gagnon, Residential Mort- Pinnacle Mortgage Corp. gage Services; Marcie B. Gowen-Nobley, “Our top lenders and loan originators Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank; De- are key to supporting affordable housing nise Hubbard, Meredith Village Savings opportunities for New Hampshire houseBank; Jason Jaramillo, Precision Lending holds,” said Ignatius MacLellan, managLLC; Jane Jordan, Mortgage Network; ing director of New Hampshire Housing’s Meghan Merrill, CMG Financial; Marleen Homeownership Division. “Their service to Paquette, Residential Mortgage Services; customers helps provide affordable mortSharon Peters, Residential Mortgage Ser- gages that give borrowers the opportuvices; Jay Vogel, Residential Mortgage nity for successful homeownership.”

NH housing agencies get $3.6m in HUD funding

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Housing authorities and agencies throughout New Hampshire are receiving nearly $3.6 million through the federal CARES Act to support affordable housing during the Covid-19 crisis, members of the state’s congressional delegation have announced.

The funds — totaling $3,594,661 — is being distributed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Public Housing Operating Fund, which is used to support housing authorities in funding the operating and maintenance expenses of their buildings, and its Housing Choice Voucher Program, which is used to help lowincome, disabled and elderly people afford safe and decent housing in the private market.

Under the distribution, 14 New Hampshire housing authorities will receive a total of $1,895,201 through Public Housing Operating Fund grants: • Manchester Housing & Redevelopment Authority, $598,678 • Nashua Housing Authority, $364,142 • Portsmouth Housing Authority, $238,437 • Rochester Housing Authority, $140,868 • Dover Housing Authority, $106,283 • Concord Housing Authority, $99,467 • Somersworth Housing Authority, $95,536 • Lebanon Housing Authority, $69,741 • Laconia Housing & Redevelopment

Authority, $40,564 • Salem Housing Authority, $36,273 • Claremont Housing Authority, $34,247 • Exeter Housing Authority, $28,894 • Berlin Housing Authority, $24,308 • Newmarket Housing Authority, $17,763 Receiving a total of $1,699,460 HUD Housing Choice Voucher Program Grants: • New Hampshire Housing Finance Agency, $662,424 • Manchester Housing & Redevelopment Authority, $339,038 • Nashua Housing Authority, $159,914 • Dover Housing Authority, $80,314 • Portsmouth Housing Authority, $72,408 • Laconia Housing & Redevelopment Authority, $65,200 • Concord Housing Authority, $50,752 • Berlin Housing Authority, $35,482 • Rochester Housing Authority, $33,706 • Somersworth Housing Authority, $32,696 • Exeter Housing Authority, $31,876 • Keene Housing, $30,912 • Lebanon Housing Authority, $25,326 • Derry Housing & Redevelopment Authority, $22,202 • Claremont Housing Authority, $19,506 • Harbor Homes Inc., $15,606 • Newmarket Housing Authority, $12,386 • Lancaster Housing Authority, $7,576 • Northumberland Housing Authority, $2,136

27

MAY 8 - 21, 2020

Is it time for New Hampshire to have a state bank?

Economic crisis could add fuel to an idea that has been floated, and failed, before

BY CITIZENS COUNT

In early April, Gov. Chris Sununu announced New Hampshire would move its cash reserves — about $50 million — from national banks to New Hampshire banks.

The goal is to increase local banks’ asset base so they will loan more to small businesses.

Just last year, New Hampshire considered another way to use government assets to increase loan opportunities: creating a state bank.

What is a state bank?

A state bank is a bank owned and run by the government. A state bank receives deposits of state money and can choose to accept private money, as well. Like any other bank, a state bank pays interest on deposits, makes loans, and so on. The state gets to keep the bank’s income.

North Dakota is the only state in the country with its own bank. The Bank of North Dakota was established in 1919, largely to give loans to local farmers. Now the bank partners with local financial institutions to

make many different kinds of loans, from student loans to business loans. The bank also turns a profit for the state.

Arguments for a state bank Ideally, a New Hampshire state bank would create more inexpensive loan opportunities for government agencies, small businesses, and nonprofits. This is particularly intriguing during the coronavirus emergency, when small businesses and nonprofits are clamoring for loans.

Beyond the state of emergency, a state bank could choose to loan to businesses and nonprofits that are working on projects for the public good.

The Bank of North Dakota also shows that a state bank can turn a profit for the government (although several other state banks folded before North Dakota succeeded).

Lastly, state banks could potentially offer services to marijuana businesses. Because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, banks have been reluctant to work with anyone growing or selling marijuana. As a result, marijuana businesses are forced to work with duffel bags of

cash. While New Hampshire has yet to legalize marijuana, medical marijuana is allowed in the Granite State. All of New Hampshire’s neighbors allow recreational use, suggesting full legalization is also in New Hampshire’s future. If a state bank opened its doors to marijuana businesses, it would certainly have customers.

Arguments against a state bank A state bank wouldn’t magically make money, however. The state would have to pay bank employees, cover the overhead at branch locations, obtain a charter, and more. This is on top of the initial capitalization (starting cash), which would be over $50 million.

Several quasi-public agencies in New Hampshire already expand the lending ability of local banks. For example, the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority finances affordable housing projects.

The New Hampshire Business Finance Authority offers business energy loans, early-stage capital, bond financing and more. These agencies have different areas of expertise, and a state bank would lack that specialized knowledge.

There are also opponents who are concerned a state bank moves away from capitalism towards socialism. Private banks might have trouble competing with a government-run bank.

Is there a chance of a state bank in the Granite State?

In 2019, the New Hampshire House killed a bill to create a state bank, House Bill 367. There are no 2020 bills on the topic, and the House and Senate have suspended legislative activity during the coronavirus emergency.

Still, the idea of a state bank could make a comeback in 2021. According to the Public Banking Institute, a nonprofit that supports public banking, states from Maine to Arizona have recently considered public bank proposals. The longer the coronavirus emergency continues, and the greater the economic impacts, the more likely New Hampshire policymakers will consider unusual policy responses.

Citizens Count is a nonpartisan civic engagement nonprofit. This article is being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.

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N H B R.C O M

THE LATEST HEALTHCARE

BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS

Mary Vigeant, a nurse

practitioner at Memorial Hospital in North Conway, has been recognized as New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner of the Year. Vigeant was recently elected president of the medical staff at Memorial.

Wechsler & Company,

was recently named as one of the “Top 100 Firms and Regional Leaders” of 2020 by the publication Accounting Today. It is the third time the firm has been recognized as one of the top firms in the New England region.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Roots Vegan Café and Juice Bar in Dover is

ANCE, ENERGY OUT TOWN BLE GIVING, MORE ONLINE

now offering a special select delivery menu Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Deliveries will be made within a 15mile radius of Dover.

The menu includes a Breakfast Box, Lunch Box, Pantry Box and Gift Box option with contactless delivery to the customer. Ordering and payment are handled online, food is prepared in a closed kitchen and items are dropped off outside customers’ doors while they are notified of delivery.

Nicole Herbst has

joined NHTrust, the New Hampshire Trust Company, as vice president and senior trust officer. Herbst is a CTFA (certified trust and financial advisor) and CFP (certified financial planner), and specializes in trust, estates and wealth management.

CONSTRUCTION

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Brandon MacLellan has

Consolidated Communications said it

recently helped Associated Grocers of New England of Pembroke in quadrupling its bandwidth through an expedited order and enhanced equipment to stay connected to grocery retailers and employees during the Covid-19 pandemic response. At a time when consumers are clearing supermarket shelves, AGNE said it needed increased bandwidth to enable employees to work safely at home and to maintain its essential platforms, keeping trucks rolling and shelves stocked with essential products.

ing firm of Nathan

The Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce has added five new members to its board of directors: Heather Clement, Chalmers Insurance; Paul R. Durfee, Cranmore Mountain Resort; John Greene; Eversource; Jessica DiPietro, Badger Realty/Tim DiPietro Electric/Cranmore Mountain Resort; and Rob Clark, Trails End Ice Cream.

ACCOUNTING The Concord-based regional account-

been added to Legacy Mechanical Services LLC’s plumbing and HVAC team. A plumbing apprentice and licensed gas fitter, he will work as a sales consultant.

The La Joya Water Park & Planetarium

in La Joya, Texas, recently was named a distinguished winner in Learning By Design’s 2020 Educational Facilities Design Awards program. The project includes a water park, planetarium and a natatorium featuring a 10-lane competition pool and two diving boards. The natatorium enclosure, designed by New Hampshire-based

Structures Unlimited Inc. of Bow, two retractable roof systems for natural ventilation and a corrosionresistant aluminum structure.

Powers Products,

which has been partnering with Kalwall Corp. since 1970, has been named Kalwall’s Distributor of the Year. Powers, a family-owned and -operated company that serves Colorado and Wyoming, offers such services as design assistance, project management and installation.

EDUCATION The Institute of Art and Design at New England College will be launch-

ing a new bachelor of fine arts degree in animation. The program combines traditional hands-on experiences and digital tools and design platforms, including visual effects (VFX) labs that allow students to create a body of work using techniques and software that will prepare them for careers in their chosen field, the college said.

GOVERNMENT The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority has approved

more than $3 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to communities in support of housing, public facility and economic development projects. Awards were given for: rehabilitation of Bennett Block, an affordable housing complex in Keene; improvements to the heating system in a building owned by Fellowship Housing Opportunities in Concord; the

Somersworth Housing Authority; the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire, Tuftonboro; the North Country Village Cooperative; The Community Kitchen in Keene; Lee Oak Cooperative, Barrington; and a new drinking water treatment plant in Epping.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has

awarded $7,080 to the Concord Housing Authority under HUD’s new Foster Youth to Independence initiative. The funding will be used to assist young adults in transitioning out of foster care and who are at risk of homelessness.

officials said. Kickoff will remain at 4 p.m. at Grappone Stadium on the campus of Saint Anselm College.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is donating

proceeds collected in the first quarter of 2020 from its employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for a Cause, to 10 nonprofits providing assistance to those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

In New Hampshire, proceeds are being directed to the Granite United Way’s Covid-19 Relief Fund to aid families who are struggling to afford their basic needs.

REAL ESTATE SVN The Masiello Group has announced

the sale of 4 Elm St., Manchester, a building originally constructed as a threestory parochial school.

Chris Pascucci and Fred Richards of SVN Masiello represented the seller, American Canadian Genealogical Society in the transaction, and they helped the society relocate to a location in The Sundial Center.

According to the Registry of Deeds, the Elm Street property sold for $599,000.

NONPROFITS Due to the uncertainties related to the Covid-19 pandemic, Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock

is moving its annual all-star football game to Saturday, Aug. 1.

The move is based on a desire to play the CHaD NH East-West High School All-Star Football Game under as normal circumstances as possible,

The American Heart Association is excited to announce Jeff Scionti, CEO of Frisbie Memorial Hospital, as chair of the 2020 New Hampshire Heart Walk. With over thirty-five years of healthcare experience, Jeff has seen the importance of staying heart-healthy firsthand. This year, the New Hampshire Heart Walk will be going virtual! Visit NHHeartWalk.org for more information.

AARP has begun ac-

cepting nominations for its 2020 Andrus Award for Community Service, which honors Granite Staters over 50 who are sharing their experience, talent and skills to enrich the lives of their community members.

The award recipient

29

MAY 8 - 21, 2020

Kanzler joins Mt. Washington Valley Housing Harrison Kanzler of North Conway has been named the new executive director of the Mount Washington Valley Housing Coalition, succeeding Victoria Laracy, who has stepped down from the job to become U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas’ Carroll County outreach coordinator.

Kanzler, 33, is a Democratic state representative who also works as a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker Lifestyles. He said he plans to step away from his job at the real estate agency as well as from the Legislature after finishing his term in December.

will be announced in early fall. The application deadline is July 15, 2020. An online nomination form and eligibility guidelines can be found at: aarp. org/andrusaward.

Merrimack County Savings Bank has

pledged $75,000 to the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. The funds will be spread over three years, in support of CCEH’s Safe Spaces II Campaign, which will allow the coalition to purchase the building at 10 Green St. in downtown Concord, and renovate it into four apartments to serve as safe and supportive housing for people exiting homelessness.

Three new members have joined the board of directors of The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges: Michelle M. Arruda, a shareholder at the law firm Devine Millimet; Judy Burrows, recently retired from the NH Charitable Foundation as director of student aid; and Kathleen Cook, grant manager of the Norwin S. & Elizabeth N. Bean Foundation since 2008.

Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities in Keene has

received a $6,200 grant from the Thomas W. Haas Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation for support during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The grant will aid the organization in acquiring technology enabling managers to work remotely when needed.

Recipients included: Blueberry Express Day Care; Boscawen Congregational Church Food Pantry; Bow Human Services; Centerpoint Food Pantry; Chichester Food Pantry; Christ the King Food Pantry; Concord Human Services; Epsom Food Pantry; Friends of Forgotten Children; Gospel Light Food Pantry; Loudon Food Pantry; Merrimack Valley Daycare; Open Door Community Kitchen; Pittsfield Food Pantry; Salvation Army; St. Paul’s Church Food Pantry; Suncook Community Action Program; Warner Community Action Program; and West Congregational Church Food Pantry.

The New Hampshire Electric Co-op Foundation has awarded

15 grants totaling $48,000 to organizations throughout New Hampshire: Camp Deerwood Foundation; Got Lunch Campton Thornton; Got Lunch Colebrook; Got Lunch Plymouth; Grafton County Senior Citizens Council; Schools Out Afterschool Program, Ossipee; Hooks N’ Needles; Interlake’s Community Caregivers; NH LAKES; Ossipee Children’s Fund; Ossipee Concerned Citizens; Plymouth Area Recovery Connection; Squam Lakes Science Center; Tin Mountain Conservation Center; and Vaughan Community Services, Conway.

Nineteen social services agencies, food pantries and churches in the greater Concord area were beneficiaries of 3.3 tons of nonperishable food as part of the Capital Region Food Program’s Year-Round Distribution Project in April.

resents interest from an account containing escrow funds from buyers and sellers. At the end of the year, the firm matches the account’s total to raise the donation.

platforms that enable global connectivity and on-demand network build-outs for the IoT, was named to CRN’s IoT Top 50 list last year.

The Partnership for Successful Living, a

Portsmouth-based provider of a support solution for the financial services industry, has announced that Decatur, Ill.-based Staley Credit Union has launched the company’s automated Consumer Support platform. The new platform provides Staley’s members with a more intuitive self-service support experience.

Nashua-based social service organization, and a volunteer team from Fidelity Investments recently joined forces to develop a new IT infrastructure road map for the nonprofit agency. To date, the plan has been used to revise budgets, hire two new staff members and purchase additional licenses to support more end users. The agency has also increased the number of VPN users and now has better utilization of remote employees.

TECHNOLOGY Kassie Eafrati of Berlin

has been elected to the board of directors of the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation. Eafrati is director of behavioral health with Northern Human Services.

The Children’s Health Foundation awards $800,000 or more each year to community health centers, health policy organizations and community-based organizations to deliver on its mission and strategic priorities.

Andy Smith of Pea-

body & Smith Realty recently presented a donation of nearly $10,000 to Martha McLeod, board chair, and Mike Claflin, executive director, of AHEAD, the Littletonbased affordable housing organization.

Half of the money rep-

B2W Software, Ports-

mouth, a provider of heavy construction management software, says it has added new capabilities within its B2W Schedule application to help contractors manage trucking orders and assignments.

Users access the system from desktop, laptop or mobile tablet devices and customize one-day, multi-day or multiweek views according to their roles. Specific users can create and modify assignments with drag-and-drop simplicity, based on permission levels.

Trade publication CRN has named Senet Inc. of Portsmouth one of the “10 Coolest IoT Connectivity Companies.” Senet, a provider of cloud-based software and services

SilverCloud Inc., a

Manchester-based Forcivity has begun offering additional services and resources through Salesforce Health Cloud. The company also has announced it has completed its first Health Cloud project with Geneia, a healthcare analytic solutions and services company.

Parallel Wireless Inc.

has announced that GIFEC, a Universal Access Service Fund, has selected the company’s OpenRAN technology to provide mobile telephone connectivity to underserved and un-served communities in Ghana.

Parallel Wireless enables a shift to open, software-based and virtualized OpenRAN network architectures to deliver scalable 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G software-based networks.

Please send items for possible publication in The Latest to

EDITOR@NHBR.COM Include a color photo if available.

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QA &

INTERVIEW

BY MICHAEL KITCH

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applied to the state budget.

Does this mean the money must all be distributed to the private sector, including nonprofit organizations?

GOFERR Diretor

Jerry Little

Jerry Little, the state’s banking commissioner since 2016, was recently appointed by Gov. Chris Sununu to head the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR), which is tasked with figuring out how to distribute the $1.25 billion that New Hampshire has been given under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act.

n Q. The

CARES Act allocates $1.25 billion to New Hampshire while two prior acts also distributed money to the states, and Congress is currently considering another tranche of funding for the states. About how big do you expect GOFERR’s bankroll to be?

A. GOFERR was established to allocate and distribute the funding provided to the state under the CARES Act totaling $1.25 billion. Additional funding available to New Hampshire may be from alternate sources and would not fall under the GOFERR’S authority to distribute.

n Q. Money

from Washington always comes with strings.

What, if any, restrictions will limit how these funds can be used? The governor has said the funds cannot be

A. We received guidance from the fed-

eral government on April 22 that provides the framework for how this funding may be disbursed. Generally, these funds can be used to address expenses that are directly attributable to the Covid-19 public health crisis.

GOFERR has initial guidance that was provided in the CARES Act, which states that the funds may be used for expenses that: are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to Covid–19; were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of the date of enactment of this section for the state or government; and were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on Dec. 30, 2020.

n Q. The

funds must be spent by the end of the calendar year. Does this mean they will be applied to one-time expenditures rather than long-term investments?

A. Funding must be disbursed by Dec.

30, 2020. We are working to determine if this will come in the form of grants or loans or a combination of the two. We continue to work with the legislative and stakeholder advisory boards to develop a comprehensive plan for distribution.

n Q. The

federal government is already providing some financial assistance to both

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GOFERR Director Jerry Little will help determine where funds from the CARES Act will be distributed for expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency.

employers and employees through the Small Business Administration and Department of Employment Security. What outstanding needs do you expect GOFERR to address?

A. We must adhere to the instructions laid out in the federal guidance, which allows funding to be provided to any business or nonprofit organization that would qualify under their specified terms.

We also will consider the input from the advisory boards and our objective of providing timely disbursements that will have the greatest effect in communities across the state.

In addition, GOFERR has held public meetings with both the Legislative Advisory and Stakeholder Advisory Boards to hear from impacted industries and communities regarding their immediate needs and the ongoing impact their response to the Covid-19 pandemic will have. Meetings of these boards will continue, and we are listening closely to the people of New Hampshire in our communities and those providing essential services as well as businesses large and small to identify the social and economic impacts COVID-19 has had on our state today and looking forward.

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MAY 8 - 21, 2020

FLOTSAM&JETSAM

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The folks who are most vocal – or misguided, depending on your POV – about protesting the guv’s stay-at-home order and want to ReopenNH. com with no restrictions just can’t get enough of the State House nowadays.

On May 2, they held their second rally, with posters that read such things as: “Assembly is a Human Right”; “Free Men Don’t Ask”; “Freedom Not Fear”; “My Freedom Does Not End Where Your Fear Begins”; “Don’t Lock Me Down Bro.” And then an F&J fave: “Stay Home and Die,” a cute and obviously inaccurate (considering the current state of things) play on the state’s motto.

You get the drift.

The common theme of the rally – which, as noted before, is part of a supposed national “movement” led and financially supported by rightwing organizations whose main mission is to tear apart whatever they can – was that the government has no right telling them what to do, and that each individual can make his or her own choices and act responsibly, even in a pandemic.

But one person’s “responsibly” apparently isn’t another’s, at least not another who’s a member of the ReopenNH.com movement. Because social distancing, which has worked in helping to stem the Covid-19 tide around the world and around the country, is the first step in acting responsibly. And, as you can see from the pic here, it ain’t in the “ReopenNH.com” playbook.

Why? You can ask one of them – but be sure to be at least 6 feet away, for your own sake.

TWE: Tweeting while elected

Wait – there’s more

Regular readers of F&J are likely to know that the result is pretty much 100% guaranteed to go bad when you mix social media with politicians.

The latest example was provided by Richard Komi, a now-former Dem state rep from Manchester, who resigned May 1 after grasping at imaginary straws in trying to defend Joe Biden against an allegation of sexual assault by former staffer Tara Reade.

In his tweet, RK offered a pseudoscientific and of-

There’s actually been a bumper crop of politicos finding out what happens when you mix social media while in office.

Consider the contribution of one Vincent Migliore, a GOP state rep from Bridgewater whose racism (and unintelligibility) was showing in a tweet about the coronavirus. To wit: “The Chinese Wuhan Mo (sic) Goo Gai Pan Virus couldn’t have more to do with them, could it? OH WAIT --- nobody in their Class IV Virus lab is running for re-election to be POTUS --- of course what came over me!”

Like we said, social media and politics – a lethal mix.

‘Interloper’ detector If you’re not of a certain age, you probably have no idea who Bob Smith was or is.

So a refresher: BS was a member of the U.S. House from NH for three terms in the late ‘80s, followed by two terms in the U.S Senate. He fancied himself a right-wing hero of sorts, but, as with his political career in general, that kinda fizzled out after the sell-by date. So, as with so many sell-by expirees, he moved to Fla. Anyway, BS is back again, sorta. This time, the former NH resident is butting into the NHGOP Senate primary to endorse Don Bolduc over Corky Messner.

fensive argument to dismiss the Reade claims: “Judging by the position of the female vagina, it will not be easy for anyone to just put their finger into the vagina unless their (sic) is some Cooperation from the female herself. That is why I believe Tara Reade’s allegations is (sic) false. She is looking for attention.”

As with so many others before him, RK now becomes the latest poster child for warning others about tweeting while in elected office.

As reported in the UL, in a Zoom call, BS hailed DB’s military experience and his strong opposition to any gun regulations. The endorsement, he claimed, “is pretty easy Smith: for me. It should be pretty easy Do as I for live-free-or-die New Hampsay, not shirites.” as I did But the beauty part is that Smith actually called CM – who’s owned a second-home in NH for a while now but established residency more recently – an “interloper from Colorado.”

“The socialist wolf is on our doorstep, and the last thing we need are faux (Republicans) from the Rocky Mountains representing New Hampshire’s interests,” Smith said.

Which is particularly interesting coming from the man who actually ran for US Senate in Fla. in 2004, less than two years after establishing residency there – and tried again in 2010. Both tries had the same pretty humiliating results, BTW.

MAKING THE ROUNDS  Considering how forceful he is in defending his

stay-at-home order, why hasn’t the guv said something about the anti-stay-at-home crowds that have now held two unsocially distanced rallies at the State House? Couldn’t be politics, could it?

 No your eyes aren’t deceiving you. A written response from the guv to Exec Councilor Andy Volinsky’s request for info on CARES Act funding was the very first time in the over three years they’ve both been in office that the guv actually responded to any correspondence from AV.

 Is it a sign that there’s not much else to run on when

Corky Messner, the NHGOP Senate wannabe, pulls out the old term limits chestnut against Jeanne Shaheen – whose 12 years are up, according to the U.S. Term Limits Pledge he’s signed. BTW, there are 35 senators who’ve served longer than she has.

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