Big Deals

CONSTRUCTION

North Branch Construction Inc. in Concord is renovating the University of NH’s McConnell Hall in Durham. The building, formerly the business school, will now be classroom and office space for a number of social science disciplines and the College of Liberal Arts. 

NorthPoint Construction Management, LLC in Hudson recently completed building a $3.2 million music education retreat for the Avaloch Farm Music Institute (AFMI) in Boscawen.

DONATIONS

Antioch University New England in Keene received $117,000 from The George B. Storrs Foundation in Wyoming for its Nature-Based Early Childhood Education program.

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation in Concord donated $10,000 to the NH Community Loan Fund, also in Concord, for its Farm Food Initiative.  This initiative supports NH farmers looking to develop and expand their local food production and food-related businesses that support the local food system. The Foundation also donated $5,000 to Easter Seals NH’s Workforce Development program in Manchester. This program provides workforce skills and training to individuals with disabilities or special needs. 

The Community Development Finance Authority in Concord awarded more than $4.1 million to 12 NH organizations through its tax credit program, including: $700,000 to the Complete Streets Improvement Project in Concord for downtown revitalization; $625,000 to the Nashua Soup Kitchen’s campaign to build a new 14,000-square-foot facility; $500,000 to the Family Place Center, a family emergency shelter in Manchester; $312,500 to the Community Loan Fund for its Individual Development Accounts (IDA), which help low- and moderate-income residents save money; and $175,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of North Conway to purchase two school buses to transport children to area activities.

Harbor Homes in Nashua received $5,000 from People’s United Community Foundation in Manchester for its housing and support services for homeless veterans.  

The National Auto Dealers Foundation, on behalf of Joseph Yergeau, VP of Holloway Buick-GMC-Cadillac in Portsmouth, donated $1,500 to Families First Health & Support Center in Portsmouth to support medical and dental care services to low-income families. 

Brian Hooper, VP of MSI Mechanical in Salem and co-founder of Building Dreams for Marines, a nonprofit that renovates marines’ homes to be more comfortable and accessible following an injury, finished a third home for a marine. The renovation, funded by an anonymous donor, included a chair lift to the second floor and making the master bathroom more accessible.

The Music Hall in Portsmouth received $75,000 from Jane’s Trust in Boston to expand its program to build communities through arts and culture.

NeighborWorks Southern NH received $43,000 from TD Bank in Manchester to help with the restoration of its new location in Manchester.

St. Mary’s Bank in Manchester donated the lobby mural in its Manchester headquarters to the Manchester Historic Society, which in turn plans to loan it for an extended period to the American-Canadian Geological Society in Manchester. The mural depicts important events in the history of New England, with text in French. 

HONORS & AWARDS

Cobb Hill Construction in Concord received the National Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) Diamond Award for its safety record of 1,983 days with no lost time due to injury.  

CruCon Cruise Outlet, a specialty travel agency in Moultonborough, received the Chairman’s Award from Vacation.com for being the top national agency for the third year in a row. 

The Lane Hotel in Keene was elected into the Historic Hotels of America, a National Trust of Historic Preservation program. The building that houses the hotel was built in 1891.

The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce presented Norm Vetter, president of Norman Vetter Inc., a concrete construction firm in Rochester, with the 2013 Business Leader of the Year award. The Chamber also named Rochester CPA Gerard Gravel as the 2013 Citizen of the Year and bestowed the Spirit of Rochester Award to Karen Pollard, deputy city manager and director of community development.

INTERIOR DESIGN

CATCH Neighborhood Housing in Concord chose four NH Institute of Art alums to convert the The Endicott Hotel in Concord to a modern apartment building. Vicky Frazier; Aimee LeDuc of Lavender & Lotus Interior Design in Concord; Renee Rucci of Renee Rucci Interior Design in Atkinson; and Julie Wood of JA Wood Interior Design in Derry, were the designers behind the project. 

REAL ESTATE

Colliers International in Manchester represented General Electric in the sale of its 144,378-square-foot building in Pembroke to Carwhit A&S Realty of Massachusetts for $2.6 million. Colliers also facilitated the sale of Isola Corps’ 99,700-square-foot building in Franklin to Performance Chemicals, LLC in Concord.