Mayor, Others Honored in May

The Business and Industry Association will honor local business leaders at its annual business meeting and member reception to be held from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on May 8, at the Center of New Hampshire in Manchester.

BIA will present the “Above and Beyond” awards to several individuals that have demonstrated outstanding service and commitment to BIA’s mission during the past year. The business meeting is sponsored by Pierce Atwood.

“The ‘Above and Beyond’ awards recognize those individuals who have gone the extra mile and demonstrated an extraordinary willingness and commitment to helping the organization be successful and work to further its legislative and regulatory priorities,” said BIA President Jim Roche. “Their contributions have really helped New Hampshire’s business community, and we appreciate the tremendous amount of time and energy they have devoted to BIA in the past year.”

The award recipients include:

• Charlie Arlinghaus, Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy Studies, Concord
• Jim Bouley, Dennehy and Bouley, Concord
• Patrick Closson, McLane Graf Raulerson and Middleton, Manchester
• Dan Cronin, CGI Employee Benefits Group, Hooksett
• John Cunningham, McLane Graf Raulerson and Middleton, Manchester
• Michael Dacey, GeoInsight Inc., Manchester
• Doug Dean, Elliot Health System, Manchester
• Jack Donachie, International Cars Limited, Danvers, Mass.
• Doug Folsom, GE Aviation, Hooksett
• Bob Hasevlat, Normandeau Associates, Bedford
• Cleve Kapala, TransCanada, Concord
• Larry Magor, Omni Mount Washington Hotel and Resort, Bretton Woods
• Sharron McCarthy, McLean Communications, Manchester
• Charlie Niebling, New England Wood Pellet LLC, Jaffrey
• Jim St. Pierre, New Hampshire Ball Bearings Inc., Laconia
• Ellen Scarponi, FairPoint Communications, Manchester
• Charla Stevens, McLane Graf Raulerson and Middleton, Manchester
• Jeff Watson, CGI Employee Benefits Group, Hooksett

The annual meeting also includes the election of directors and officers to BIA’s 34-member board for 2012/2013.

The annual business meeting is open to BIA members. Check-in the day of the event begins at 4:30 p.m. The business meeting will commence promptly at 5 p.m. and the reception begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person. Register online at nhbia.org, Events Calendar or call 603-224-5388 x116 for more information.

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About the BIA: The Business and Industry Association is New Hampshire’s statewide chamber of commerce and leading business advocate. The BIA represents more than 400 members in a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, high technology, professional services, financial services, health care, hospitality and tourism, public utilities, higher education and insurance. Member firms employ 86,000 people throughout the state and contribute $4.5 billion annually to the state’s economy. Through advocacy with state legislators and regulators, the BIA works to promote a healthy business climate and robust economic future for New Hampshire.

The BIA’s 2012 public policy priorities include: preserving the New Hampshire Advantage through  support of fiscally conservative state budgets with a business-friendly regulatory and tax structure; supporting business tax policies that foster economic growth; supporting infrastructure development; supporting efforts to increase the availability and affordability of housing for working people; supporting pro-business labor rules and regulations that consider the rights and responsibilities of workers and management; supporting efforts that enhance outcomes and reduce/slow the growth of total healthcare costs for employers and the state; supporting efforts to develop New Hampshire’s future workforce; working towards mitigating the long- and short-term costs of energy; supporting efforts to reform the state’s telecommunications regulations to ensure fairness and equal competition among all service providers; and supporting environmental policies, legislation and administrative rules that balance economic development with the long-term viability of the state’s natural resources. For more information about the BIA, visit http://www.nhbia.org/.