Grand openings, ribbon cuttings and lending programs: Seacoast business news
The community is invited to celebrate MVSB’s Grand Opening in Rochester
ROCHESTER — MVSB (Meredith Village Savings Bank) will be hosting a Grand Opening Celebration at their new Rochester Branch at 21 Farmington Road (Route 11), in Rochester, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, June 27. The event will feature giveaways, the giant purple Relay-for-Life chair, and ice cream and cupcakes from Clyde’s Cupcakes truck. All are invited to stop in to meet the team, enjoy a treat and see the new office.
“We have been so warmly welcomed by the Lilac City and we look forward to showing people around MVSB’s beautiful new office and celebrating our opening with the community,” said Jolene Whitehead, Branch and Business Development Manager in Rochester.
MVSB has locations throughout the greater Lakes Region and opened its Portsmouth branch in 2017, expanding its footprint to the Seacoast. The Bank’s new Rochester location will bridge a geographic gap between its two nearest locations in Alton and Portsmouth, offering added convenience for current banking customers who live in and around the Rochester area or who travel or commute between the Lakes Region and Seacoast areas.
BFA announces $61 million in new lending programs for NH Businesses
CONCORD — The New Hampshire Business Finance Authority announced that New Hampshire has received $61 million in new funding to lend to Granite State businesses. These new funds will allow New Hampshire companies greater access to financing in order to grow in the post-pandemic economy.
“100% of these funds will be delivered directly to New Hampshire businesses in the form of loans, guarantees and access to capital through our local lending partners,” stated James Key-Wallace, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority. “These funds offer an enormous opportunity for New Hampshire and will turbo-charge the BFA’s already successful programs that help companies grow and create high-quality jobs.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of our state and supporting their ability to innovate and grow is critical to our economy,” stated New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. “New Hampshire is the best state in the nation for small businesses, and these funds demonstrate our commitment to keeping New Hampshire at the cutting edge of the country’s economy.”
“I’m very pleased to see these federal funds put to good use by providing critical assistance to New Hampshire businesses,” stated New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “I’m also particularly proud of the diversity of our small businesses seeking these loans, which include veteran, minority and women-owned businesses, and businesses located in rural areas in order to help pockets of our economy that are often underserved. I look forward to seeing these businesses expand and thrive, and will continue to advocate for federal assistance that invests in our small business community.”
To provide financing to qualified companies, the BFA will work with local bank lenders and regional development corporations. The BFA will also be providing direct loans to assist high-growth companies as well as enable greater access to start-up financing.
Companies interested in applying for a loan should reach out to their local banking institution to see if they qualify. For more information about BFA programs and resources, please visit www.NHBFA.com.
Portsmouth Rotary honors deserving citizens with vocational awards
PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Rotary Club awarded five deserving citizens, annual Portsmouth Rotary Vocational Awards. Paul Harris started Rotary based upon someone’s profession with the name “Rotary” coming from the rotating meetings held amongst members’ work offices. The goal was to get one person from each of the communities’ various professions involve in one group so they could meet each other and join in providing service to the community – or as Rotary is known for saying “Service above Self.”
Vocational Service is the second of Rotary’s avenues of service (the others being club service, community service, youth service, and international service). Vocation is of founding importance to Rotary. Each year, Portsmouth Rotary presents four awards to non-Rotarian members of the community who walk the walk and talk the talk of service above self in their community without any expectation of recognition. Recipients are presented with a plaque and their choice of a local charity to which $500 is will be donated in their name.
Over the last couple of months, the members of the Portsmouth Rotary were asked to nominate non-rotarian folks in the community they thought were deserving of such an award. There was an amazing pool of worthy nominations and there is clearly no shortage of wonderful civic-minded citizens in our community.
The following were selected along with their charities of choice:
Public Service- Tricia Donohue (donating to Portsmouth Community Garden)
General- Joanne Moore (New & Again Thrift Shop)
Education- Anne Weidman & Steve Jones (donating to The Chase Home)
Health & Human Services- Lenore Sciuto (donating to One Sky Community Services).
Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce holds ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate new Meredith Village Savings Bank Branch
ROCHESTER — A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the opening of MVSB new branch office located at 21 Farmington Road in Rochester on June 21. Representatives from the Chamber, City, Bank employees, and community members were present to celebrate.
MVSB’s Rochester office was designed by Warrenstreet Architects, Inc. and construction was managed by Conneston Construction, Inc. The office marries the warmth of a community bank with highend technology. It is a warm and inviting location with plenty of parking, drive up banking, a self-service coin counter and an ATM.
Mayor Paul Callaghan congratulated Meredith Village Savings Bank on their new location and welcomed them to Rochester.
Northeast Credit Union announces 2022 scholarship recipients
PORTSMOUTH — Twenty-three hardworking student members have officially been selected as recipients of Northeast Credit Union’s 2022 Scholarship Awards.
Within the scholarship program, $40,000 was awarded to student members in New Hampshire and Maine who displayed exceptional leadership, compassion, and commitment to academics, extracurriculars, and their communities.
This year, the program awarded students from 16 different schools. Northeast Credit Union announced the 2022 scholarship recipients in your area:
Peter J. Kavalauskas Memorial Scholarship: Mason Rogers, Exeter High School
Philip W. Sullivan Memorial Scholarship: Michael Schoff, Portsmouth High School
Love Your Community Scholarship: Tyler Sheedy, Dover High School; Margaret Parker, Dover Regional Career Technical Center; Shay Gillis, Exeter High School; Maggie Fernandes, Exeter High School; Gabrielle Madore, Newmarket Junior-Senior High School; Elijah Tetreault, Noble High School; Molly McCafferty, Portsmouth High School; Lydia Pease, Sanford High School; Emma Boudreau, Spaulding High School; DeAndre Rawls, Spaulding High School; Isabella Cunha, Virtual Learning Academy and Charter School.
Dover Chamber welcomes new members
DOVER — The Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce recently held ribbon cuttings to welcome new members to the chamber and to celebrate the relocation of a current member. Consisting of over 430 current members, the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce has gained 36 new members since the start of 2022. The new and relocating members include:
CarePatrol of New Hampshire and York County is a trusted placement organization for assisted living, independent living, memory care facilities, and nursing homes. They provide senior living options based on care needs and quality of life for loved ones and the service is free to community members. CarePatrol has a three-step process to ensure safety, quality, and peace of mind. By asking some personal questions, they match loved ones with a community that best fits his or her needs. Then they will explore care options, present the top three matches, and provide personal tours of each option. To learn more, visit www.carepatrol.com or call 603-842-4002.
Great Bay Yacht Club has remained true to its mission of fostering the sport of sailing in the Great Bay area since 1958. Members of the GBYC organize at least three regattas each year, including two laser regattas and the annual MerryMac regatta. GBYC is a close-knit group of sailing enthusiasts, and the club has two sailboats, Handy Cat and MerryMac, for club members to use, along with a kayak rack. They have 11 moorings in the field, which are available for rental by members, and they also offer a mooring at the Isles of Shoals for member use. GBYC has partnered with the Gundalow Company to host a youth sailing program each year to further their mission to promote sailing. Next year, for the club’s 65th Anniversary, GBYC plans to sponsor a Gala Celebration and Regatta to coincide with the Dover 400 celebration. To learn more about Great Bay Yacht Club, visit www.greatbayyachtclub.org.
Game Chamber, located at 334 Central Ave. in Dover, is a local gaming and hobby store specializing in board games, tabletop miniature games, collectible card games, and role-playing games. Owner Cory Chambers envisions Game Chamber as a place for Dover and area residents to find, test out, and play games. The shop has open spaces for customers to play games, which allows people to try out and learn games before purchasing them. At Game Chamber, there are games for children and families, as well as more strategic and challenging games for adults and their friends. The Game Chamber currently hosts free board game nights every Wednesday. Game Chamber is open every day except Monday. To learn more and to stay up to date on game nights and events, visit www.facebook.com/GameChamberNH or www.gamechambernh.com.
Central Stitch, located at 458 Central Ave., is designed to be a one-stop shop for those who sew. The store has a vast inventory of fabric, thread, zippers, and other sewing supplies. The store also features a gift shop featuring local, unique items. Owner Alissa Gagnon believes Dover needed a sewing supply store, as the closest supply stores are in Newington or Rochester. The new location will be convenient for sewing enthusiasts in the Dover area. Gagnon started sewing 10 years ago and she is now a longtime crafter and quilter. She’s looking forward to sharing this hobby with others who are interested. Central Stitch is working towards eventually hosting sewing classes and expanding operations with custom orders. To learn more about Central Stitch and what the store has to offer call 603-343-4361.
The Groovy Witch, a ladies clothing boutique, has changed its location. They are now operating at 332 Central Ave. in Dover, which is right beside fellow chamber members Game Chamber and Ryder Street Co. The vision of Groovy Witch owner Jaime Szopa has always been to creatively combine her love of fashion and devotion to the metaphysical into a fun experience for all. The boutique offers dresses, tops, pants, skirts, sweaters, jewelry and accessories, children’s clothing, and even metaphysical items like incense sticks and dried herbs. Visit The Groovy Witch at their new location Tuesday through Saturday from 12 to 6 p.m., or on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn more about the items offered at the boutique by visiting www.groovywitch.com or calling 207-305-0097.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Grand openings, ribbon cuttings and lending programs: Seacoast business news
