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Gov. Sununu Says He's Met With 100+ Businesses, But Won't Name Them

Allegra Boverman for NHPR

Governor Chris Sununu says he’s more than made good on a key campaign promise: That he’d personally meet with 100 out-of-state businesses in 100 days.

“We spoke to businesses all over the world, I believe the number is 127, businesses in the first 100 days, so we met our goal quite exceedingly, and we still have quite a backlog.”

Sununu says his outreach is symbolic of his administration’s commitment to economic development, but the Governor couldn’t say any companies would relocate here, and wouldn’t share the names of any companies he met with.

When the governor arrived in the executive council chamber to talk up the report his office is calling, "100 businesses in 100 days: New Hampshire is Open for Business," his first order of business was to make sure the reporters were at the ready.

"Do we have everyone, press corps-wise? Do we have everyone that is expected to be here? Great."

Sununu then moved quickly to a point familiar to any reporter who’s covered him: the argument that New Hampshire has grown complacent.

“I’m a firm believer that we have not truly tapped into the potential that we have, that we once had, in being not just a driver of the economy but known as a place to land your business and known as a place to land your career.”

Sununu said that process could take some time, and a commitment to GOP fundamentals like keeping regulation light and taxes low. But he also stressed, in his fashion, the view that his own outreach will end up delivering results.

"Did we get a hard commitment? I don’t know. We got some extremely firm commitments. I don’t know if it's fair to say we got a hard commitment. I don’t know if we can say that today, but I can tell you I got some extremely firm commitment, to move here."

The governor never clarified the difference between a firm commitment and a hard one. But one thing he did make very clear was that he and state officials are committed to keeping information about the businesses he’s solicited – all 127 of them – confidential.

"This is a request of those businesses. This isn’t our stipulation, it is a request of those businesses that we keep things confidential until such time that they are ready to talk and promote it."

If and when those businesses are ready to promote it, expect the governor to be at the ready too.

Josh has worked at NHPR since 2000.
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