The Buzz Online

This Week's The Buzz Online Spotlight

Nigel Manley, director of a North Country property for the Society for the Protection of NH Forests, traveled to Washington, DC to be recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden on behalf of the Joining Forces Campaign, a national initiative to support and honor America's service members and their families. Manley is the director of the Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, where the Forest Society manages a Christmas tree farm. He also chairs the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, which runs the Trees for Troops program. After a public voting on the Joining Forces website, Trees for Troops was selected for fourth place out of 300 applicants. Since 2005, Trees for Troops has delivered more than 103,100 trees military families since 2005.

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 The Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society (NNECOS), based in Sandown, received a $10,000 grant from the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to integrate palliative care into oncology practices. The society is a state affiliate of ASCO and will be recognized in June at ASCO's 48^th Annual Meeting in Chicago. The grant will allow NNECOS to introduce new tools, processes, and educational programs designed to improve the quality of care for patients.

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Maria Crozu was hired as an associate of the firm of Nathan Wechsler & Company in Concord. Crozu served previously as a staff accountant for the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce.

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The NH chapter of the National Committee for Employer Support of Guard and Reserve recognized Elbit Systems of America, LLC, of Merrimack for their outstanding support of the National Guard and Reserve forces with the Patriot Award. Employers are nominated for the award by their guardsman/employee and qualify for acceptance by practicing leadership and personnel policies that support employee participation in the Guard and Reserve as well as for the guardsman's family during mobilization.

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The NH Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) converted from an oil-powered heat and hot water system to a renewable system made up of insulation improvements, wood pellet boilers and solar thermal collectors. The conversion will result in over $50,000 in energy cost savings for the agency. The project, which began last year, was funded by grants from the Community Loan Fund and the Office of Energy and Planning, State of NH Public Utilities Commission and the Energy Efficiency Program through the Retail Merchants Association of NH.

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Deanna Hanley was appointed branch manager of Citizens Bank in Wolfeboro. Hanley has more than ten years of experience in retail sales and management.

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GRT, a mobile data company based in Portsmouth, formed a core advisory and action team consisting of several experienced leaders in the field of emergency response. The members of the Emergency Response Super Team include: Lieutenant General Keith Stalder, former Los Angeles fire chief William R. Bumattre, Dr. Richard Hinrichs, and Joel Maiola, former chief of staff to Senator Judd Gregg. The move is intended to help GRT and their Rapid Data Management System technology expand into new vertical markets.

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Jon Allen, a supervising senior with the firm of Nathan Wechsler & Company in Concord, was elected as a board member of the Concord American Little League. Allen joined the Nathan Wechsler in 2010 and specializes in federal and multistate tax for industries including construction, manufacturing, and retail.

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The NH Public Health Association presented its annual Friend of Public Health award to Yvonne Goldsberry, senior director of community health at Cheshire Medical Center / Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene and chief architect of Vision 2020. Vision 2020 is a community-wide health initiative designed to actively engage the citizens of Cheshire County in the process of becoming the nation's healthiest community by 2020. At its annual meeting, held in April in Concord. Goldsberry was honored at the association's annual meeting, held in April in Concord. The theme of this year's annual meeting was A Healthier NH Begins Today: Join the Movement!

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Cheshire Medical Center / Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene received the Antioch University New England 2012 President's Community Partner Award in recognition of its outstanding work with Vision 2020. Each year, the university presents the award to a nonprofit organization that has partnered with them to enhance the quality of life in the community. The award is sponsored by Campus Compact for NH, a statewide consortium which serves to integrate community service and civic responsibility in higher education.

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