Richard H. Rosen, CEO of American Ag Energy passed away on Sept. 9. He was 87, according to a published obituary.
His death last month comes over a month before the development of the large greenhouses he developed off East Milan Road are set to go to foreclosure auction.
His interest in agriculture was fueled by his work at Harry Quint Greenhouses, located in a metro-Boston suburb, he told the Berlin Sun during a phone conversation several years ago.
He began as a laborer and later was a grower and buyer. Connected to that operation was the Quincy, Mass.-based Quint’s House of Flowers, in business for 90 years.
He graduated from Newton (Mass.) High School in 1956 and served in the U.S. Army Reserves for seven years, his obituary notes.
His academic studies and career pursuits were varied and taken as a whole, presenting a common theme throughout his life.
“He earned a Master of Forest Science in Forest Science and Applied Physics from Harvard University. Early in his career, Richard worked at Abt Associates on public health and environmental issues, contributing to work that helped shape the Clean Water Act. Over the decades that followed, he founded and led businesses in energy, environmental technology, healthcare and agriculture throughout the United States and around the world. In 2009, Richard founded American Ag Energy, bringing his career full circle,” per the obituary.
His goal to use environmental technology to launch year-round employment for Coos County residents and produce fresh salad greens succeeded in the mid-2020s until it ran into financial difficulties. The city of Berlin negotiated a payment in lieu of tax plan with Rosen’s wife, Marguerite Piret, the chief financial officer of American Ag Energy. The greenhouses closed in April of this year.
He had homes in Belmont, Mass., and northern New Hampshire. His conviction for voting in both Massachusetts and New Hampshire tarnished his spirit and reputation. Rosen had his conviction on voting fraud overturned by the New Hampshire Supreme Court in April.
These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. Don’t just read this. Share it with one person who doesn’t usually follow local news — that’s how we make an impact. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.