Compass expands to NH: Seacoast business news

Compass expands to New Hampshire

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Compass, Inc. (NYSE: COMP), a leading technology-enabled residential real estate brokerage, has announced its expansion to New Hampshire with 15 top agents in Portsmouth representing more than $135 million in 2021 sales volume.

Founding agents joining Compass in Portsmouth 1 include: Scott Rome, Joseph Giordano, Robert Marchewka, Mike Giannone, Kevin Kneeland, Casey Michael Fontaine, Jonathan Levy, Dan Walker, Charlie Strater, Aaron Gass, Terry Boone, Sam Harding, Erick Brunelle, Izaiah Barba, William Reardon, Jake Burhans, and Jody Walker of the Brick & Barn Group.

“Compass New England is excited to announce our expansion into New Hampshire with the launch of our Portsmouth office,” said Marc Decker, Regional Managing Director. “With the launch of offices throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts in 2021, Portsmouth is the natural next step in providing our agents and their clients an expansive network throughout New England and beyond.”

Providing a smooth transition for agents when joining Compass is a top priority, but ensuring agents have the tools, support, and marketing to grow their business and improve their quality of life is where we believe Compass succeeds.

“As I got to know Compass over the past few months, it became very clear that this was the right time, the right place, and the right company to partner with. Compass' robust technology, value-driven client programs, and supportive culture aligned perfectly with where we wanted to go with our business at the Brick & Barn Group,” said Scott Rome, principal agent for the Brick & Barn Group and Founding Agent for Compass in New Hampshire. “My team and I are thrilled to be launching Compass in New Hampshire and bringing with us a level of service to the home buying and selling experience our region has yet to see. I can’t wait for our past, present, and future clients to see what this means for them!”

Compass is home to over 25,000 agents operating in over 60 markets in the U.S. When looking at residential sales from the third quarter of 2021, Compass is number one in market share, based on sales volume , in 10 2 major metropolitan markets across the country including Boston, Mass., Denver, Colo., Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., Nashville, Tenn., New York, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., San Diego, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., and Washington D.C.

R.M. Davis appears on nationally recognized list

PORTSMOUTH – R.M. Davis has been named to the 2021 CNBC Financial Advisor 100 list. The list recognizes investment advisory firms across the U.S. that “best help clients navigate their financial lives.” R.M. Davis, based in Portland, Maine, is ranked #51. In its third year of ranking the Top 100 Registered Investment Advisors, CNBC started with a list of more than 38,000 firms. The final selections were based on criteria including compliance record, years in business, number of employees and investment advisors, and total assets under management.

The largest independent financial advising firm in northern New England, R.M. Davis has more than 5,000 accounts and more than $6 billion in total assets under management. The firm provides independent investment counsel, comprehensive financial planning, and highly personalized service to help families understand and effectively manage their wealth.

Founded in 1978 by Robert M. Davis, the independent, privately held firm has served generations of investors from offices in Portland and Portsmouth. For more information, visit www.rmdavis.com.

Snapology of Dover joins Dover Chamber

DOVER – The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting to welcome Snapology of Dover as a valued member.

Snapology is the premier partner for STEAM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math), offering year-round classes, camps, workshops and birthday parties in schools, community facilities, and in their Discovery Center (which is opening in a few months).

Snapology of Dover serves the Seacoast, including Barrington, Dover, Durham, Greenland, Lee, Madbury, Newmarket, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Rollinsford, Rye, and Somersworth.

Children are meant to learn through play. When children are actively engaged in hands-on, interactive learning activities, their creativity flourishes and they show a greater interest in school. At Snapology, they help your child grow up with a thirst for knowledge. But, how do they do it? Snapology engages children ages 2-14 using LEGO® bricks, K’Nex and other technology. While the kids are having fun with familiar toys and technology, Snapology sneaks in the educational concepts. At Snapology, it is their mission to inspire children to pursue careers in STEAM fields through educational play and hands-on learning at a young age. Snapology's programs also meet Common Core and NGSS standards.

The curriculum is designed to benefit all students - gifted, traditional, and special needs students including sensory and autism spectrum.

Visit www.snaplogy.com/location/dover for more information on upcoming classes, camps, and workshops.

Infinity Peer Support joins the Rochester Chamber

ROCHESTER — The Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting at Infinity Peer Support. Located at 55 Summer St., in Rochester, Infinity Peer Support provides an alternative, peer-oriented approach to mental health wellness and recovery for adults 18 years and older who reside in Strafford County.

In-person hours at Infinity Peer Support are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, call 603-948-1036 or visit www.infinitypeersupport.org.

Northeast Credit Union teams up with members to support Honor Flight New England

PORTSMOUTH — Northeast Credit Union is proud to be giving back to its community with a donation of $5,720 to Honor Flight New England, an organization dedicated to honoring veterans by providing trips to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials built in their honor.

Each year through the month of November, Northeast CU members are invited to purchase Honor Flight stars in all branch locations in which all proceeds go directly to this wonderful organization. This year, Northeast CU members graciously donated $720 to Honor Flight New England. In addition to these sales, the credit union committed $5,000 to deliver a total of $5,720 toward honoring America’s most senior veterans.

“It is a privilege to show our gratitude and support to our courageous veterans,” shares Chris Parker, President and CEO of Northeast Credit Union. “Providing them with these incredibly special trips to pay tribute and respect for their bravery is an honor for all of us at Northeast.”

To learn more about Honor Flight New England, and the incredible work they do, please visit honorflightnewengland.org.

Regional Economic Development Center merges with Coastal Economic Development Corporation

PORTSMOUTH – The Regional Economic Development Center of Southern New Hampshire (REDC) and the Coastal Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) have merged, creating one organization that will provide comprehensive services for the business community throughout Southern N.H.; all existing CEDC operations, staff, and loan portfolio will be acquired by REDC, and the missions of both organizations will be combined to serve the more than 160 loans under management.

The decision to merge the two 501(c)(3) nonprofit regional economic development corporations was evaluated by the Board of Directors of both entities and deemed to be in the best interest of the businesses the region serves. This merger will streamline lending and technical assistance services under one organization and reduce overhead administrative costs. CEDC President Daniel Gray will fill a new position of Executive Vice President at REDC, with Laurel Adams remaining the REDC President.

CEDC served businesses in the following New Hampshire communities, which will now be under REDC’s primary lending territory: Portsmouth, New Castle, Newington, Rye, Greenland, North Hampton, Hampton, South Hampton, Hampton Falls, Seabrook, and Kensington. REDC and CEDC have had a long and positive relationship and have partnered in the past to co-finance businesses in both regions.

Somedowntown develops multi-use building with public greenspace

SOMERSWORTH — Local developer David Baker of Somedowntown worked with architects from Placework, of Portsmouth, and general contractor TJN, Inc., of Rochester, to transform a former convenience store on a prominent downtown lot into an eye-catching mixed-use building. The building located at 8 Government Way will house a local hair salon and spa, as well as three new apartments. Tease Hair Studio intends to relocate from their current High Street location and open in the space on Feb. 1.

The building was originally a single-story structure, tucked behind the post office. The design team saw the potential for the site to provide an attractive space for a business, future residents, and the public alike. The vision included eliminating the sloped parking area and create an open green space with benches that look onto City Hall across the street. The site plan includes new on-street parking that will support Tease as well as other local businesses. The front façade was opened with new glass storefront and larger windows along the south side of the building. The new second story apartments provide ample natural light and compact living spaces in the heart of downtown Somersworth.

The design team focused not only on providing adequate space but creating a place that is both welcoming to live and environmentally friendly. “It’s important that when we develop housing we’re not just thinking about square footage” says Placework Principal Alyssa Murphy, AIA. “Making sure that the materials we select are both healthy for the inhabitants and have a minimal carbon impact is important as well. The decision to re-use an existing building is the first step toward an efficient use of materials.” The original brick was retained, and new, low-carbon siding produced from a fly-ash by-product of steel manufacturing, clads the new upper level.

Baker sees great potential in tapping the existing buildings of Somersworth to continue the growing trend of downtown revitalization and create housing options. Building on the success of previous work on High Street, including the building at 67-73 High Street that houses the popular Teatotaller Tea House, Baker says: “there continues to be great potential in the existing buildings of Somersworth; this is just one of a series of projects our team has underway. Our commitment to catalyzing development will continue in the coming years.” The project team – developer, architect, and builder - are already embarking on their next project. Design has just begun for a second renovation project at 25 High Street, with construction to start later this year.

NH Federal Credit Union's Susan Libby to retire

CONCORD — Susan Libby joined New Hampshire Federal Credit Union as a loan officer on April 23, 1985, during the heyday of interest rates at or above 10% APR, alongside the sweeping popularity of the use of credit cards in everyday life (NHFCU had introduced them in 1983). Libby has announced her plans to retire this month.

In a few short years, her attention to detail and talents in working with members in sensitive situations led her to a promotion to Collections Manager, where she diligently worked to get members' finances back in order while getting NHFCU repaid.

Her success in the NHFCU collections area and her widening knowledge of lending and compliance led to her appointment to Assistant Vice President, Lending, in 1994. In that position, Susan honed her skills further, as she played an important role in the conversion to a new computer system, and the development of loan products, along with leadership in collections, compliance, mortgages, consumer lending, and the VISA Credit Card Program.

Libby then broadened her skill set and became NHFCU's Assistant Vice President, Sales & Service Operations, where she oversaw debit and credit cards, ACH, and share draft programs. As Assistant Vice President, Lending, She has overseen both consumer lending and mortgage compliance for NHFCU. If you ask her co-workers what makes her remarkable, they will tell you it is her ability to recall every member she has worked with. Susan's empathy and her personal touch and concern has directly led to NHFCU's successful, long term relationships with thousands of members.

In 2020 and 2021, Susan worked diligently with the NHFCU lending and loan processing teams to finance an unprecedented number of our members’ homes. In 2020, she celebrated 35 years with NHFCU. She retired on Jan.21, 2022, just shy of 37 years of service. NHFCU congratulates Libby for making a positive difference for members throughout her years of service and wishes her well in her retirement.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Updates on Compass, Snapology, R.M. Davis, Infinity Peer Support