REDC is pleased to announce Riddlehaven Escape Rooms the winner of the THRIVE Business Plan Competition. The $5,000 grant award will help this small business start and grow. Riddlehaven Escape Rooms aspires to bring a unique entertainment experience to the city of Dover, NH. Their mission is to create unforgettable escape games that captivate players and offer an engaging activity for groups of friends, family, and coworkers to connect, collaborate, and celebrate together. The creative team behind Riddlehaven, owner Kim Willoughby and partner Will Willoughby, have 50 combined years of creative writing, marketing, and design experience. REDC President Laurel Adams stated, "We are delighted to be a part of Riddlehaven's start-up journey by awarding them this grant. Though it was a challenging competition with many amazing small businesses in the running, Riddlehaven's business plan was extremely well executed and compelling." This competition was the first of four in the THRIVE Competition Series, which is a program designed to commemorate REDC's 30th anniversary as well as provide money and momentum to help growing small businesses thrive in New Hampshire. REDC will award a total of $30,000 in grant prizes through four different competitions. REDC will be announcing details for the next THRIVE Competition later this summer. REDC would like to thank Ericka Canales, Executive Director of Coös Economic Development Corporation; Dwight Davis, Owner and Operator of Senior Helpers of Southern New Hampshire; and John Nyhan, President of Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce for serving as judges in this competition. |
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REDC recently held its final CEDS Steering Committee meeting of this year's CEDS planning cycle. They reviewed and approved the 2024 CEDS update, which will be available on our website in the coming weeks. Following the review and discussion, Senior Planner Heather R. Shank, NH Office of Planning and Development, presented an overview of the NH Housing Toolbox, which includes planning and zoning strategies for housing development. The Toolbox was developed as part of the NH Regional Planning Commissions’ Regional Housing Needs Assessment with coordination from the Office of Planning and Development within the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs. |
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Additionally, we'd like to acknowledge George Sioras, the longtime representative from Derry, who will retire this fall after more than twenty years of service on the CEDS steering committee and forty with the town of Derry. We will miss his dedication to economic development and work on the CEDS. Thank you for your continued support and dedication, George! |
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WellGuide Advocacy was 100% funded through Kiva, for $8,500 from 171 lenders! REDC assisted Amanda and her business with a Kiva loan application. Based in Swanzey, NH, WellGuide Advocacy partners with clients and their loved ones to foster relationships built on trust and a commitment to long-term well-being. They collaborate with clients and their providers (if requested) to ensure care is coordinated across providers, health systems, and care settings and helps to facilitate communication between all parties. |
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July 10th, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Free | English | Virtual REDC hosts a monthly virtual webinar to discuss Kiva, a global crowdfunding platform that provides small business owners in New Hampshire the opportunity to obtain a loan of up to $15,000 with 0% interest and $0 in fees. REDC clients and non-clients alike are welcome to attend. The next session is on Wednesday, July 10, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm. During this free webinar, our advisors will walk participants through every step of the Kiva process, from submitting the initial application to loan disbursal and repayment. If you know a small business that may be interested in learning more, please share this Kiva webinar with them! Register at www.redc.com/kiva#webinar. |
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Tone Salon REDC is pleased to provide funding to Tone Salon to assist hair stylist Carrie Finnegan in opening a salon in Hudson, NH. This is Carrie’s first time leasing commercial space to help grow her business and help other stylists launch and grow their businesses in a supportive environment. |
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Business Survey from the Northeast Transition Initiative |
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Do you have a plan for what to do with your business when you’re ready to exit? In the Northeast, there are over 200,000 small businesses with employees whose owners are nearing retirement age. Most of them don’t understand the exit planning process and options and don’t know who to turn to for help. Lack of awareness and planning too often leads to unnecessary liquidation and closure. The Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI), a collaborative effort to expand exit planning and employee ownership awareness, education, and technical assistance throughout New England and New York, is surveying business owners in our state. Your response will help business service providers, civic leaders, and policymakers better understand the scope and scale of the challenge and its potential impact on our economy. This will take less than 10 minutes to complete. All individual survey responses will be confidential. Only the aggregated, anonymous data will be available publicly. |
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If you know of a small business in NH in need of assistance, or someone interested in starting a new business, please share REDC with them. |
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