Business NH Magazine and the NH Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives are announcing the winners of the 2023 Business Leader, Nonprofit Leader and Businesses of the Year Awards. Winners are featured in the May issue of Business NH Magazine due out in early May.
Steve Duprey, president of the Duprey Companies in Concord, was named the 2023 Business Leader of the Year. Duprey has built a development and hospitality empire through the Duprey Companies, which includes four hotels, the Grappone Conference Center, Foxfire Property Management and Facilitech Facilities Services. For more than two decades, Duprey has been a prolific developer, revitalizing old buildings into vibrant parts of Concord’s community.
For the first time in the history of these awards, a Nonprofit Leader of the Year has also been named. The award goes to Kathy Collinsworth, executive director of the Monadnock Humane Society in Swanzey. After joining the organization, Collinsworth turned a long-standing annual deficit into a net profit in each of the last six years, while increasing operating reserves by 300%. She also tapped into her previous work experience to help grow the ways MHS serves the community.
Businesses in seven industry categories are also being announced. These seven companies were chosen because of their leadership in their industries, their commitment to their communities, and their involvement with their local chambers of commerce.
The 2023 winners are:
• Alene Candles, a private-label candle manufacturer with locations in Milford and Ohio, receives the Business of the Year award for Manufacturing.
• Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in NH, based in Manchester, is the only insurer in the state to serve all customer segments—individual, small group, large group and Medicare. Anthem is the award winner in the Insurance category.
• HAVEN Violence Prevention and Support Services in Portsmouth, which provides temporary emergency housing for survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse until they find safe permanent housing, is named the 2023 Business NH Magazine Nonprofit of the Year. (HAVEN will also receive a $5,000 unrestricted grant in honor of Walter J. Dunfey from the NH Charitable Foundation.)
• Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium, with locations in Manchester, Concord, Keene, Littleton and Brattleboro, Vt., is one of the oldest and largest continually owned family funeral homes in New England. The organization is the winner in the Business Services category.
• PROCON in Hooksett, a fourth-generation run, family-owned and operated design-build firm is the winner in the Construction/Engineering category.
• St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, which is continuously looking for new and better ways to meet the needs of its growing community, has been named the winner in the Health Care category.
• White Mountains Community College in Berlin, the sole higher education institution in NH above the notches, receives this year's Business of the Year award in the Education sector.
A Panel of Excellence comprised of executives from last year’s winning companies selected the winners based on the applicant’s financial health, industry leadership, letters of recommendation from chamber executives and business leaders, and community involvement.
Join us in person to celebrate these great organizations and leaders at the Business and Business Leader of the Year Awards Luncheon on May 25 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown Manchester Hotel.
Visit the event page for more information or to register.
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