Amanda Loder was StateImpact’s multimedia reporter until the project merged with the New Hampshire Public Radio site in July 2013. She now serves as a reporter and Weekend Edition Host for NHPR. You can continue to follow her work at @AmandaLoderNHPR, at nhpr.org, and on New Hampshire Public Radio.
The fact that the Balsams is having a hard time is not really news to anyone who’s been keeping up with the hotel’s saga. But here’s an interesting tidbit the article brings up:
“At The Balsams…there’s been talk about putting in a new roof, insulation and windows. While occupancy rates have been good, one concern is improving energy efficiency. The hotel runs on steam heat generated by a biomass plant that was used in past years to run Neil Tillotson’s nearby factory. Continue Reading →
BJ’s Wholesale Club has new owners, and its common stock will be falling off the New York Stock Exchange…at least for now. In a press release issued today, private equity firms Leonard Green&Partners and CVC Capital Partners announced they bought the club. According to the announcement, BJ’s stockholders approved the sale earlier this month. The company’s current stockholders will get $51.25 per share, and BJ’s (NYSE: BJ) will be removed from NYSE common stock by the beginning of business this Monday.
According to the announcement, this deal had been in the works since the end of June.
The AP reports Leonard Green and CVC bought the company for $2.8 billion.
“It was considered an attractive target because membership-based warehouse club operators were among the businesses that performed well during the recession as consumers looked to stretch their dollars further. They have continued to perform well during the ongoing economic uncertainty plaguing the US.”
Among its 190 warehouses nationwide, BJ’s Wholesale Club has six outposts scattered throughout New Hampshire. They’re located in Hooksett, Nashua, Portsmouth, Salem, Tilton, and West Lebanon.
“Changes to the state’s eminent domain law and renewable energy requirements topped the list of concerns aired by the New England Power Generators Association.
High on the list too was a loss of jobs if Northern Pass puts smaller energy providers out of business. The group represents 16 generators of power, including gas, oil, nuclear and hydro, in New England. In a five-page paper released yesterday, the association urged state and civic leaders as well as lawmakers to consider those concerns before supporting Northern Pass.
“We feel like in order for this project to go forward, (Northern Pass officials) are seeking special treatment that our members . . . wouldn’t be able to get,” said Sandi Hennequin, vice president of the association. Such advantages, she said, would give…Northern Pass such a financial advantage, its competitors couldn’t compete and other, smaller sources of energy wouldn’t be developed.
Martin Murray, spokesman for Northern Pass, could not be reached for comment.”
By publicly coming out against the Northern Pass project, Timmins reports, the New England Power Generators Association joins the ranks of other dissenters, primarily environmental groups.
There’s no doubt the US Postal Service is struggling. It faces a multi-billion dollar deficit, and is considering closing thousands of post offices. For years, the USPS has been complaining that email is eating into its market share. And they’re probably right. After all, how many letters, cards, and packages do you usually get in a week? What you’re more likely seeing in your mailbox is exactly what I’m seeing: mountains of ads, address labels, and catalogs you never asked for, and don’t want.
All of this commercial detritus begs the question: How much is junk mail propping up the US Postal Service?
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
You'd be surprised at how important junk mail is to the Postal Service.
The declining US Postal Service was the subject of a phone call...and now, it's the subject of a set of blog posts
My Mom is a one-woman focus group. I call her “America.” She’s your average Baby Boomer with a mid-level office job in the middle of the country. She loves the sitcom “Two And A Half Men” (at least, when Charlie Sheen was on), she’s a faithful “American Idol” viewer, and she always knows who will win presidential elections. But most importantly, she has an uncanny ability to tell me exactly which broadcast stories and blog posts will move, and why.
Belknap County now joins the growing list of New Hampshire areas eligible for public FEMA aid. Governor John Lynch made the announcement today. Most of the counties that qualify for federal help are only eligible for what’s called “public assistance.” That means FEMA will reimburse them for road repairs, debris removal, and other Irene-related damage to public facilities. Continue Reading →
The big news out of the Seacoast last week carried a heavy tinge of disappointment. The plan to bring commercial airline service back to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease died suddenly after Streamline Air, LLC pulled out of the deal. Granted, the plan was less full-service and more along the lines of a token route–Portsmouth to Trenton-Mercer Airfield–but it was still a feather in the regional cap.
But that wasn’t what caught StateImpact’s attention. What we wondered is, why haven’t we ever heard of Streamline Air, and why in the world would they think Portsmouth-to-Trenton was a potentially profitable route? So we talked with Streamline Air’s Managing Director, Mark Cestari. Continue Reading →
This nasty little invader is infesting the region's raspberry crops.
Here’s an eye-catching quote from Boston.com, “‘These guys will go for even underripe [fruit], and they look a little bit different – they have devilish red eyes,’ Johnson said. ‘And the males have a black spot on their wings.’'” Continue Reading →
Mark Zuckerberg isn't a small business owner, and in a way, he never really was. StateImpact explains why not, after the jump.
Small businesses have often been touted as the engine driving the American economy. They’re tiny firms, sure, but they’re headed by strident entrepreneurs whose purpose in life is to innovate and grow their companies into world-changing enterprises.
Think Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.
Bill Gates and Microsoft.
Think all the way back to Henry Ford and the Model-T.
Long-time Moultonborough Realtor Jim Mardis sums up the state of the second home market for StateImpact
StateImpact has been on the road this week, as part of our month-long series on the state’s vacation home economy. We headed to the mother of all New Hampshire tourism communities: the town of Moultonborough, along Lake Winnipesaukee. You may remember from our previous coverage that 61 percent of the homes in the area are second homes. Although it’s not the most heavily-saturated tourist town, Moultonborough does claim the highest raw numbers for vacation homes: 2,991.
As part of our Lakes Region meanderings, StateImpact popped by the Moultonborough office of Realtor Jim Mardis. He’s President of Century 21 Lakes Region Realty. Mardis has 34 years of experience selling primary and second homes in the area. And he does a booming business in the area, employing 22 agents. So we decided to find out what the town’s post-recessionary housing market looks like, from the realtor’s perspective. Continue Reading →
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