Business

The Man Who Owns The Moon...Maybe

Taylor Quimby — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:52:00 +0000

Dennis M. Hope claims to own the moon. He's been taking advantage of an obscure international treaty loophole since 1980, selling off lunar property, and declaring himself owner of the Lunar Embassy, and President of the Galactic Government. Sound like a joke? It's not. It's just business.

I Saw The Sign: The Old-Fashioned Art Of Sign-Painting

Taylor Quimby — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:15:42 +0000

Hand-painted signs once dotted the landscape. They brought color, style, and distinction to stores and products, and were the nation’s first form of advertising…and today, with computer graphics and large-scale printing available for cheap, they are pretty much going the way of the horse and buggy… But a number of hand-painting holdouts are sticking with brushes – and are the subject of Sign Painters, a new documentary film about the craft directed by Sam Macon and Faythe Levine.

145 Businesses Pitch Their Products At Made In N.H. Expo

Emily Corwin — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 19:29:44 +0000

More than 10,000 people filed into the Manchester Radisson’s Expo Center this weekend to taste test, try on, and purchase products made by 145 New Hampshire companies.

Stretch’s Pickles of Keene was one of those businesses.

Owners Glenna and Craig Hjelm say both Craig’s parents and their kids pitch in to make the business thrive:

Businesswoman May Gruber Remembered As Innovative, Compassionate

Brady Carlson — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:51:51 +0000

One of Manchester, New Hampshire’s most celebrated business owners has died. May Gruber owned Pandora sweaters for decades; it was one of the area’s biggest operations.

Several years ago May Gruber was the subject of a documentary, called “Sweater Queen.” All Things Considered host Brady Carlson talked with the film’s producer, Nancy Beach, in 2012. She started by telling the story of how Gruber and her family first came to New Hampshire.

N.H. Benefits From Firearms Boom

Amanda Loder — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:20:00 +0000

As federal lawmakers grapple with tighter gun control laws, business is good for the firearms industry.Across the country, gun dealers can’t keep them on the shelves, and manufacturers can’t keep up with demand. But how do these trends affect New Hampshire's economy?

Nearly Half of Grocery Shopping Now Done in Nontraditional Grocery Stores

Brady Carlson — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:46:53 +0000

When we talk about holiday shopping we're usually referring to gifts. But as anyone who's ever hosted the family Christmas party knows, holding shopping can also mean food shopping.

And this year in New Hampshire, there are more options for that kind of shopping than perhaps ever before.

The 10 Best NH Employers

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:13:28 +0000

Some employers are willing to try anything to incentivize employees to work harder and increase productivity. But what exactly are employees looking for in a job these days, aside from the pay? Business NH Magazine's annual competition identifies the top ten best New Hampshire companies to work for and what makes them so great. Matthew Mowry is editor for Business NH Magazine and he joins us to talk about who came out on top.

Black Friday Backlash

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:48:57 +0000

Black Friday has long been a post-holiday shopping tradition for many Americans. During the last several years, customers have found their favorite stores opening ever-earlier in anticipation of growing demand. This time around, employees are fighting back against the early hours.

Emanuella Grinberg, writer with CNN.com’s Living Section, joins us to talk about her article “Retail Employees Fight Black Friday Creep.”

Starting A Business: The New Retirement?

Emily Corwin — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:49:36 +0000

More aging adults are stepping out on a limb and starting their own businesses, says a report from the Kauffman Foundation. In New Hampshire, the Small Business Association and AARP are working together to make sure these so-called “encore entrepreneurs” have the tools they need.

The recession had hit by the time Joyce Goodwin finished her temporary position as director of a school in Hudson. She was 54, and couldn’t find another job.

Your TV is Talking to YOU. Yes, YOU.

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:50:23 +0000

Personalized, addressable ads are finally hitting our televisions. Ad Age's Brian Steinberg explains how they're doing something that seems a little too Minority Report to be true.

And, some feedback about a listener about our coverage of the non-coverage of the Paralympics.

Education and Revenue Key to Dem Gov. Candidates' Job Plans

Amanda Loder — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:40:00 +0000

StateImpact's Amanda Loder discusses the economic proposals of main Democratic gubernatorial contenders Jackie Cilley and Maggie Hassan with Morning Edition host Rick Ganley.

Tax Reform Focus of GOP Gov. Candidates' Job Plans

Amanda Loder — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:32:28 +0000

StateImpact's Amanda Loder discusses the economic proposals of Republican gubernatorial contenders Ovide Lamontagne and Kevin Smith with Morning Edition host Rick Ganley.

Whatever Floats Your Flag

Zach Nugent — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:45:00 +0000

In most downtowns across America, there are a handful of staple successful businesses: the pizza place, the hardware store, the movie theater.

Then there are the niche stores that never seem to last long, the kind that make you wonder, can someone make a living selling just that?

In downtown Concord, N.H., that store might be Flagworks Over America. And as its name implies, it sells only flags.

Patrick: “That’s a 48-star cotton flag that belonged to my wife’s grandfather, and it use to fly over in the Chicago area out in front of their house…”

Putting Your Paycheck Out There. WAY Out There.

Rebecca Lavoie — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:51:09 +0000

The popular website glassdoor has thousands of people posting their salaries, reviews of their companies, and other juicy corporate tidbits online for all to see. Does this mark the end of salary secrecy? And what do companies think about it?

The Business of Nostalgia: Contoocook Photographer Builds a DIY Photobooth

Taylor Quimby — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:58:35 +0000

No matter what the economy throws our way, the wedding industry churns on, now topping seventy billion dollars a year. Here's the story of one photographer vying for a slice of that cake by building his own version of the latest wedding trend…a “new-timey” photobooth.