The Chamber Office will be open today, Wednesday, September 23rd from 1-5pm |
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Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region Marketing Campaign RFP |
The State of New Hampshire set aside funds for chambers of commerce from the federal CARES Act to assist New Hampshire’s businesses and communities in responding to COVID19. Under the provisions of this State-Chamber program, chambers were tasked with working within their state designated tourism region and proposing programs or projects that address the needs of businesses and the communities within the region.
The Dartmouth-Sunapee Region is the tourism region for this proposal to conduct a comprehensive travel and tourism marketing campaign. Read the full RFP here. Please note the deadline to submit has been extended. If your company is able to bid on a portion of the project please do so as we understand there may not be a single company able to complete all components. |
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The Claremont Parks & Recreation is looking to gather interest from businesses and organizations in regards to a Halloween event held at Monadnock Park on October 31, 2020 from 3:30-5pm. The vision is a drive through style / trunk-or-treat event for area families. This event would held this year in place of Hallowesta, our annual downtown trick-or-treating event, due to the current pandemic. This event would allow for physical distancing of both participants and businesses/organizations; providing a safe Halloween event for the community. Please complete the survey online here.
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Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Honored by ICBA with 2020 National Community Bank Service Award for Exceptional Service during COVID-19 |
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust was recently named a recipient of the Independent Community Bankers of America’s (ICBA) 2020 National Community Bank Service Award for extraordinary efforts to help small businesses, consumers, and their communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have been serving our community for more than 130 years and supporting our neighbors during times of prosperity and adversity,” said Curtis C. Simard, President and CEO of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us, and I am so proud of our team for going above and beyond to ease hardships or remove obstacles for our customers. We are grateful to be recognized by ICBA for our efforts.”
As consumers and small businesses grappled with the onset of COVID-19, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust stepped up as a financial first responder and steward of its community by: processing thousands of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program loans; donating resources to support essential workers and local nonprofit organizations; and maintaining continuous service during state-mandated lockdowns through innovative solutions such as the installation of walk-up windows to three locations that did not have drive-up services. The Bank even hosted a wedding in the drive-up of its branch in Northeast Harbor, Maine, to help a couple whose wedding was derailed because of travel restrictions.
“ICBA is proud to honor the extraordinary dedication and commitment of community bankers, whose spirit of service shined through when our country needed it most,” said ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey. “We are so fortunate to represent such thoughtful and compassionate community leaders, and we commend their efforts to go above and beyond, even during times of challenge.”
The 2020 National Community Bank Service Awards, presented by ICBA and sponsored by FIS, generated more than 100 inspirational stories from community banks like Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, whose story is showcased in the September issue of ICBA’s magazine, Independent Banker.
ICBA founded the National Community Bank Service Awards program in 2002 to celebrate outstanding volunteer efforts and bring national recognition to the unmatched contributions community banks make to help sustain their communities.
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The Claremont Conservation Commission would like to know if residents and businesses think our city has a litter problem - and, if so, would they be willing to serve on a community litter prevention task force.
To get that information, we have created a short survey that people can complete online here.
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In a way to help show off our region, one of the projects I’m collecting pictures for is to highlight on county war memorials and to display these in a video on our Sullivan County New Hampshire Government Facebook page and through the video banner of pictures on the website www.sullivancounty.gov during Memorial Day weekend 2021.
Yes, lots of advance planning 😊 as I hope to collect pictures capturing all our New England four seasons! If you have, or know anyone who has, pictures that would be great for this project, please feel free to send the pictures to commissioners@sullivancountynh.gov with info about where the memorial is located and who took the picture.
P.s. War memorials are not the only pictures we would enjoy receiving. If you have other scenic views of the region, don’t hesitate to share those, too. Thank you.
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The Claremont Makerspace and The Red River Charitable Foundation are proud to announce the Claremont MakerSpace Veteran & Military Scholarship has now been expanded to include qualifying applicants spouses.
Scholarships are up to $500 per person, and will cover 75% of Membership and programming fees. Veterans active duty military or their spouses interested in a scholarship please click here, or email us at info@twinstatemakerspaces.org to learn more.
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Business Resources & Community Information |
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UNH Extension and NH Small Business Development Center are partnering to offer Resiliency Academy, bringing together small business and community leaders to work toward a resilient future. The academy will focus on developing resiliency plans which will aid in economic recovery and future planning.
We’re kicking off Resiliency Academy this fall with a webinar which will be offered twice. October 21, 2020 and October 27, 2020. This is a FREE event but registration is required.
The webinar will explore:
•The intersection of small business and community resiliency
•Why it’s important to focus on resiliency planning now
•Factors for building resilience in small business and community
•Spring 2021 Resiliency Academy in your region: plans and agenda
Resiliency Academy is designed for community leaders and volunteers, municipal officials, small businesses, economic development professionals and those interested in economic recovery.
Full day training sessions will be offered in spring 2021 to assist with developing resiliency plans for business and communities. Stay tuned for more details.
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Studies have shown that food establishments that have a certified food protection manager on staff are less likely to have a foodborne illness outbreak.
New Hampshire Rules for the Sanitary Production and Distribution of Food requires the Person in Charge (PIC) during hours of food preparation to be a Certified Food Protection Manager. The PIC is required by the Food Code to demonstrate food safety knowledge to safely run the operation and perform the applicable duties
This 2-part live online course will include:
•active managerial responsibilities•proper personal hygiene•cooking to correct temperatures•proper holding of food (time and temperature)
•cleaning and sanitizing food surfaces and equipment•obtaining food from safe sources•pest management•COVID 19 updates
Who should take the course?
•food service establishment managers and PIC at bars and restaurant
•prepared food department in grocery stores
•mobile caterers
•food trucks
•assisted-living and nursing homes
•prison facilities
•senior and child daycare centers
Upon completion, participants are eligible to take an in-person ServSafe® exam with UNH Extension food safety staff, as permitted by COVID-19 restrictions. (addl fee applies)
Training participants will be prepared to sit for any of the following accredited food service safety exams offered by these NH Food Protection Section approved entities (addl fee applies):
•360training.com, Inc. - Learn to Serve
•National Registry of Food Safety Professionals
•Prometric Inc.
•StateFoodSafety.com - Above Training
•National Restaurant Association - ServSafe®
•Always Food Safe
Certified Food Protection Manager Training | Oct 31 & Nov 7 | 9am-12pm | Live Online | Colette Janson-Sand, Instructor | $125
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What is it?
The agency's new online portal to manage accounts for taxpayers and tax professionals! The portal allows users to file and amend returns, view balances, make payments, view correspondence, register new accounts, update information and more!
What tax types are available on the portal?
The website is currently live for Meals & Rentals, Medicaid Enhancement, and Nursing Facility Quality Assessment taxpayers.
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Mark your calender for the next launch on October 5, 2020, which will open Granite Tax Connect to the following taxpayers:
- Business Profits Tax
- Business Enterprise Tax
- Interest & Dividends Tax
- Communication Service Tax
- Taxpayers: Don't forget to ask your tax preparers about GTC, you can connect them to your account for even easier filing!
Want Updates?
Send your name and email address to gtc@dra.nh.gov to make sure you are on the newsletter distribution list.
Tips for creating your account:
When creating your account, have your Tax Identification and license number(s) on hand, along with a secondary piece of information, such as a recent letter ID from the Department of Revenue, the amount of your last three payments to the Department, or a copy of the return information from your most recent filing with the Department.
For additional details, please reference our recent press release:
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The Greater Sullivan County Community Relief Fund Continues to Accept Requests |
The Funding Steering Committee is still accepting requests for non-profits to access community relief funds. As the current state continues to evolve, the Committee wants to ensure that any non-profit organization in need assistance due to COVID-19 is able to apply for these funds.
We are asking partners to begin to anticipate their needs during the recovery phase of COVID-19. Click here to access the request form if your agencies has unmet needs of any kind, current or anticipated. Please reach out to GSCPHN@hitchcock.org with questions.
More about the Community Relief Fund
Click here for a list of agencies who have been funded.
Our most recent press release can he found here.
A huge thank you to Sullivan County government, Region 1 IDN and our new partner Sullivan County United Way for their work on this project!
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NH SBA Information & News |
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As part of National Small Business Week, the U.S. Small Business Administration and cosponsors will host all virtual events September 22-24, 2020. This year’s National Small Business Week activities will include numerous educational panels providing retooling and innovative practices for entrepreneurs as our nation’s small businesses look to pivot and recover, contributing to a stronger economy. The event will recognize the national award winners, including the naming of the National Small Business Person of the Year.
The National Small Business Week event schedule includes three days recognizing America’s outstanding entrepreneurs, shining a spotlight on the nation’s 30 million small businesses across the country.
Thursday, September 24, 9 a.m. EDT – “Preparing for a stronger tomorrow: Recovery, Adaptation, and Innovation”
Day’s events include:
Panel Discussion Series - America’s Strength, Learning to Pivot and Innovate
Mid-day Sessions - The Business Landscape of today and Federal and Local Resources to Empower Small Businesses
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September Virtual Line Up
Small Business Development Center - Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - 1:00pm EDT
SCORE Business Mentor - Tuesday, September 29, 2020 - 1:00pm EDT
SCORE Business Mentor - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 1:00pm EDT
Small Business Development Center - Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 1:00pm EDT
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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) There are FAQs on PPP
On August 11th, the SBA and Treasury published Frequently Asked Questions on the Paycheck Protection Program and the Forgiveness Process.
Learn more here:
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What are we up to?
Find out at our Wednesday Webinar Update
Join us to get the latest updates on disaster relief and recovery and learn how to access technical and financial resources that can assist you in all phases of business ownership.
Every Wednesday at 9am
To join the webinar:
1 202-765-1264
Conference ID: 120 391 006#
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Ways to Connect with SBA New Hampshire:
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If you'd like to have an item appear in the newsletter please email it by noon on Monday to appear in that week's regular issue. |
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Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce | 24 Opera House Sq. Claremont, NH 03743
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