Assistant living center owner named Small Business Person of the Year
Apr. 11—Sara B. Nadeau, owner of Carriage Hill Assisted Living of Madbury, has been named New Hampshire Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration as part of National Small Business Week, which takes plays May 1-7.
Nadeau will compete with the nation's top small businesses for the honor of National Small Business Person of the Year.
The SBA will co-host along with SCORE, to honor the nation's 32.5 million small businesses during a four-day series of events including a live virtual summit, educational sessions, and award presentations.
Registration is free at sba.gov/nsbw.
Nadeau grew up in Madbury. After high school, she attended the University of New Hampshire with a dual major in economics and international affairs. She then attended Boston University, earning her master's in business administration and masters of arts in International Relations. After graduating from Boston University, she was recruited as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force Medical Service Corps, where she served for nine years.
Nadeau's entrepreneurial journey began in 2013 after separating from the U.S. Air Force as a major and working for nine years at a local community hospital. She partnered with her husband and brother to design and open an assisted living facility in Madbury.
Carriage Hill Assisted Living opened in 2015 as a 24-bed traditional assisted living residence. The project was financed with a SBA 504 loan from Granite State Development Corporation and third-party lender, Optima Bank & Trust (now Cambridge Trust).
Due to the pandemic the company faced some challenges but was able to sustain its workforce of 44 with a SBA Paycheck Protection Program loan which helped them remain open and achieve $1 million in sales for the past three years.
The SBA programs were vital in this journey, Nadeau said.
"Without the SBA loan for construction, we would not have been able to start the business. It was an instrumental part of our funding for the project," Nadeau said in a press release last week.
Nadeau also finds time to work in another family business offering an event venue for weddings and other specials events in a converted church known as The Hall at Great Falls in Somersworth, which opened in 2018.
Nadeau lives in Lee, just next to Madbury, with her husband. She has three stepchildren, a 12-year-old son, and two grandchildren.
"Sara is a perfect example of how through hard work and perseverance a committed entrepreneur can succeed through extremely challenging times," said Amy Bassett, district director of the New Hampshire SBA office, in a prepared statement.
Award winners will be honored at an annual Small Business Week celebration hosted by the SBA New Hampshire District Office and the New Hampshire Banker's Association that will be held 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. May 12 at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford.
Other 2022 NH Small Business Week Award Winners:
Home-Based: Lynne Beernaert, Hug Patrol, Newmarket.
Micro-Enterprise: Kelly E. Jewett, Bog Road Designs, Concord.
District Director Award: Steve Kesselring, Your Oil Tools, Hooksett.
Veteran Owned for New Hampshire and New England: Adam 'AJ' Jarnagin, Expansia, Nashua.
Woman Owned: Jennifer Legere, A Place to Grow, Brentwood.
Minority Owned: Nizar Jhaver, Global American Sales Inc., Hudson.
Financial Services Champion: Denise Roy-Palmer, Wentworth Economic Development Corp., Wolfeboro.
Small Business Manufacturer: Mark Sullivan, Environmental Devices Corp., Plaistow.
Jeffrey Butland Family Owned Business Award for New Hampshire and New England: Fritz Family Electrical Installations LLC., Moultonborough.
Small Business Champion: Heather Turner, Merrimack Valley SCORE, Manchester.
