Statewide Marketing Session for September 2017
Submitted by Louise Norwood
The September Statewide Marketing Session was held on Wednesday, September 27, 2017 at the Keller Williams Training Room at 168 South River Road in Bedford. This month’s breakfast sponsor was Jeff Brown from TD Bank. TD Bank is one of the ten largest banks in the United States providing more than 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at approximately 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida.
Chara Gannett of Building Envelope Specialists explained that their company deals exclusively with the building exterior of any given property. They are currently working on a mill building in downtown Manchester. Chara went on to say that they work closely with property owners, architects and engineers focusing in on the exterior issues that plague so many of the properties here in the northeast. If a building needs a full diagnostic work up due to inefficiencies, they are the folks to call for your due diligence and ultimate correction process to ensure proper functionality.
Robert Cruess of TF Moran, Inc. is extremely busy and as always has offered their services to draft a conceptual on any project that would enhance the marketing. Robert handed out their in-house newsletter which outlined many of the doings in Bedford and beyond. TF Moran has to their credit recent projects in which they performed the structural engineering namely Chunky’s Cinema Pub, the Sullivan office building in Bedford, Wamesit Lanes in Tewksbury, Massachusetts and the Milton Fire and Rescue in Milton, NH. Robert announced that the Tri City Chamber is having its 23rd annual exhibition which is always a great networking event. Lastly, Robert is looking for an exchange up to 2 million dollars for a cash flowing property.
Marie Degulis of Secondwind Water is certified in assessing and treating commercial and residential water sources. Water touches everything and though it may come from a municipal source does not necessarily guarantee that the water is quality and up to specifications. Secondwind has the qualifications to evaluate water quality prior to tenants taking occupancy. Marie has been certifed by the New Hampshire Association of Realtors as an educator in both the writing and teaching of classes to residential real estate agents and is addressing her certification to teach in the commercial brokerage realm.
Christine Burke of Burke Emergency Restoration covers water, fire, smoke and all types of environmental issues. Their broad reach covers Southern New Hampshire, Central New Hampshire, York County in Maine and Northern Massachusetts. Christine stated that The Farmers’ Almanac predicts a cold and snowy winter so they are preparing for a multitude of repairs due to ice, wind and smoke that will be sustained over the coming winter months. She suggested that you check their web site for all of the published reviews from customers having used their services. They do much commercial work for a wide spectrum of properties some of which are hospitals, schools and retail sites putting them back into daily business. With the water temperatures and high humidity we have been experiencing, Christine’s company offers complimentary mold testing which they can remediate. It is advisable to do so asap to avoid ensuing health issures.
Bill Jean of Fulcrum Associates is headquartered in Amherst doing much of their work in the State of New Hampshire, Southern Maine and Northern Massachusetts. They focus on tenant fit up and ground up development. Fulcrum has been in the construction business since 1989. Their data base is a great resource to achieve accurate costs and in Bill’s words early scheduling and early planning are of utmost importance to get the best cost savings. Fulcrum has been extremely active working on a variety of projects namely The Copper Door in Salem slated to open mid November; a chemical plant in Danvers; a tremendous amount of work for BAE; an exterior/envelope company in Londonderry and two surgical centers in the Bedford Ambulatory Center ; 220 residential units and a local YMCA.
Justin Mikolyski of Creative Office Pavilion has the ability of providing renderings for clients whether it be for space planning, recommending furnishings and creating a work space that is very efficient. Justin is the account manager and is very service oriented working on both large and small projects. One of their more intriguing projects is in the higher education as well as governmental realm completing work for Dartmouth and agencies such as the GSA and VA along with some corporate work.
Stephani Croteau of Allen & Major Associates, Inc. explained that their company is both civil and structural engineers with an office in Manchester and two in Massachusetts. Allen & Major has been in the industry for 40 years doing much of their work for Rockingham County and Pease Tradeport. Theirs is a multi-disciplinary firm specializing in civil and structural engineering, land surveying, environmental consulting and landscape architecture and is a major player in the industry.
Ben Brown of Fulcrum Associates explained that the company is family owned with the ability of constructing ground up development from one million to four million dollars. The spectrum of building types range from multi-family, higher education campuses and even fire stations. He emphasized that Fulcrum finds that their value is becoming involved early in the process and starting the conversation early in the game. Fulcrum prides themselves as having 100% transparency with excellent systems in place to keep their clients advised of the construction process/tenant fit process every step of the way.
Steve Mangekian of Alpha Inspections has five inspectors that operate in the markets of Eastern Massachusetts, York County in Maine and all over the State of New Hampshire. With their inhouse software they have the capability of completing an inspection with all five personnel working in tandem. They are able to handle buildings as large as 300,000 up to 400,000 s.f. Some of their more recent jobs was inspecting a veterinarian clinic on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth; a fully refrigerated building in Saugus, Massachusetts and a bed & breakfast in Henniker as well as a motel in York, Maine.
Brian Hansen of Team Engineering located here in Bedford handles structural and property assessement inspections in preparation for financing. Brian highly recommended Steve Jones of Building Envelope Specialists. Brian touted the fact that they are involved with solar applications including ground mounted and roof mounted types bringing additional expertise in improving a client’s property.
Matthew Routhier of Bedford Design Consultants, with thirty years in the industry, specializes in residential subdivisions; municipal and private land development and indepth site analysis and land resource management optimizing both conservation and aesthetics. Matt went on to say that their work takes them to Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. Their more recent involvement was a 100,000 s.f. warehouse in Lee as well as an elderly housing project in Concord. They are very much a hands on company creating concepts for their clients for their consideration. Their forte is in the civil engineering and land survey fields with proven experience and professional relationships with state and local agencies that allow projects to move through the design and permiting process quickly and efficiently.
Frank Donlan of Merrimack Valley Credit Union conducts business in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Being in business since 1955 the credit union has assets totalling $601.74 million and provides banking services to more than 48,000 members. They continue to look for new sites with Newburyport on their horizon. They offer a multitude of services some of which are online/mobile banking; visa online access; telephone banking; checking and savings; student banking; and a laundry list other convenient services.
George Naslas of Weston & Sampson is a privately held company in Portsmouth offering interdisciplinary design, engineering and environmental services that make the world a better place. Innovative and reliable, they work to improve the community where the populace lives, works and plays. Recent work projects was the clean up of asbestos at a university in Lowell; a silversmith in Taunton and emergency bridge engineering and replacement in Northfield, Vermont along with upgrading a wastewater treatment facility in Newburyport and renovating a pump station in Berkeley County, South Carolina. George also explained that they have employed two drones which have proved to be invaluable for pre and post construction work; creating great aerials envisioning what the site could be as well as demonstrating the work to be calculated for a pre demo project detecting any building dangers.
Kimberly Matson of R.H. Thackston & Company Realtors introduced her guest Philip Reutz of Service Credit Union having extolled the virtues of CIBOR and all of their related events. Kim practices in New Hamshire, Vermont and Massachusetts being close to the borders of all three states. She is actively seeking an investor for a piece of land on Route 12/12A comprised of nine acres with an old building with an asking price of $199,000. She is also marketing two buildings on 2 ½ acres one of which is a brand new 7,000 s.f. restaurant with 293 feet of frontage. The restaurant is fit up with new septic and new kitchen equipment with a price tag of $375,000.
Philip Rentz of Service Credit Union was established in 1957 and was founded as Portsmouth Air Force Base Federal Credit Union to assist military personnel and their families. Since then, SCU has grown to over $3 billion in assets and provides financial services to more than 240,000 members. SCU now serves those living or working in the state of New Hampshire or the Falmouth, MA area and their families. They have multiple locations in Lebanon, Keene, Franklin and Plymouth. They continue to grow in the state and are now lending not only in the upper valley but the seacoast as well. Lastly, Philip stated that they can provide loans for fifteen years at a fixed rate and lock in your payments.
Jay Lee of NAI Norwood Group, Inc. stated that he has buyers for industrial buildings in the space range of 20,000 to 25,000 s.f. with the ability of purchasing up to a dollar amount of two million dollars. Jay also pitched a 40 acre land site that he has listed at 1821 Hooksett Road in Hooksett which is suitable for industrial, retail or senior housing development to name a few. The sales price is $1,200,000. Jay went on to say that he has a total of four land listings on the Hooksett Road with an additional three off market land listings for a total of seven listings! Hooksett is really on the map and continues to thrive.
Don Marshall of Marshall Associates is a general business broker with a number of great business opportunities one of which is a demolition business. Please contact Don for details. Don informed us that he has another offering that produces 2.7 million dollars with a pay back to the owners of $350,000 annually. This popular health food store is adjacent to a well known meat market. Don explained that Marshall Associates serves the business community in New Hampshire, Southern Maine and Northeastern Massachusetts, providing practical consulting and advisory services to assist owners in formulating and implementing an effective transition plan for the business.
Steve Scheiner of St. Mary’s Bank shared with the crowd that they can lend a minimum of $50,000 up to $8,000,000. Over that, St. Mary’s will partner with a participation bank. Steve let us know that St. Mary’s not only lends in all types of commercial real estate venues as well as lines of credit for business equipment. Steve said that all forms of transactions will be considered which underscored Steve’s comments that a borrower take advantage of their banking menu and expertise.
Lisa Guerin of ServiceMaster Disaster operates on a twenty-four hour basis for any restoration whether in New Hampshire or Massachusetts. Not only can ServiceMaster Disaster handle water, fire and smoke damage they are capable of repairing vandalism of any kind. Lisa highly recommended Steve Mangekian of Alpha Inspections saying he was both professional and reliable.
Ray Sirois of ServiceMaster Disaster reported that they have had two local teams assisting with the clean up in Naples, Florida over the last four weeks on a 24/7 basis cleaning twenty-three schools. Ray announced that they will be holding an Open House at their Wilmington, Massachusetts location on October 4th showcasing their facilities. All are invited to attend.
Alicia Kalil of Allied Business Consulting deals almost exclusively in the beauty/salon field as well as in the restaurant industry. Alicia went on to say that their company is the exclusive representative for the Paul Mitchell line of beauty products. They are marketing a retail store in Newburyport, Massachusetts for $150,000 with the majority of the inventory. In addition, Allied has four acres of land located in Barnstead available for sale. Lastly, Alicia is offering a unique opportunity for an auto rental company who has a brisk business detailing and servicing.
Riza Ulker of Allied Business Consulting is the account manager for the firm piggybacked on the Barnstead property that the frontage is 600’ being offered at $450,000. In addition they have also listed a restaurant in Hampstead with a 72 person seating capacity with an annual earn out of $176,000. They actively interface with international buyers looking for turn key businesses. Presently they are seeking a café situation in Manchester and a restaurant in Portland, Maine.
Nicholas Coviello of Allied Business Consulting attended as an intern through UNH learning the trade. Welcome, Nick. Nick is marketing a beauty salon for $55,000 for a highly motivated seller.
Chris Pascucci of KW Commercial is marketing a most attractive office condo unit at 46 South Main Street in Concord. Built in 1925, the property is for sale at $180,000 and is extremely well preserved. Chris is also marketing a prime retail site with high visibility at 1140 Hooksett Road in Hooksett. The property is slated to accommodate a street retail building yet to be constructed – occupancy by Summer of 2018. Chris also has in his inventory two parcels in Merrimack one of which is a 2 ½ acre site for $100,000 and a 12,000 s.f. office at a lighted intersection adjacent to the 7-11. For those north country brokers, please speak to Chris in regards to his retail condos in Tamworth on Route 16 just south of Conway.
Joe Friedman of Brooks Properties informed everyone of their wide portfolio of properties located in both Salem and Derry with office space as small as 2,500 s.f. up to 45,000 s.f. Brooks is currently constructing a surgical center on Keewaydin Road which is slated to be a three story, 36,000 s.f. medical building right off the highway at Exit 2. He has seen the return of economic confidence in the southern New Hampshire tier as well as just over the border into MS. Joe also touted the Brookstone Park Event Center which is situated off of Exit 14 Route 111 in Derry which is available for all types of corporate events, weddings, showers and Christmas parties. The accompanying Par 3 Executive Golf Course, upscale mini-golf and practice range is an ideal location to hold your next event.
Marilyn Charbonneau of NBT Bank explained that NBT has four New Hampshire locations as well as another in upstate New York. Much of the loan processing and approvals are done in house. NBT conducts nine billion dollars in loan transactions in (23) territories also offering a host of banking products to suit your financial needs. With the recent Equifax breach affecting 140 million customers, Marilyn advised that you update your e-mail addresses, phone numbers and change your passwords frequently.
Suzanne Brunelle of Devine, Millimet and Branch explained that their law firm practices real estate law in Manchester and Concord primarily but are licensed in Massachusetts as well with over 70 some odd attorneys. Her field of expertise is in the drafting and reviewing of Purchase & Sales documents, lease documents and handling title issues which is her forte. They have two in house paralegals to assist. To further their exposure in the community she sits on the local zoning board which provides a great introduction to many legal opportunities. Suzanne voiced that being a part of CIBOR has broadened her reach and appreciates all of the referral business that has come her way as a result.
Duane Himes of Weston and Sampson explained that their firm engages in infrastructure engineeering, geo technology, sustainable energy and dam remediation among other related projects. Duane is a licensed project engineer who works on a variety of renewable energy endeavors including wind and solar. Most recently he headed up the team that was responsible for a super fund site i.e. capping of a mining operation. It was a challenging project working in tandem with the govenerment to satisfy all of the code laundry list. Other venues not to be overlooked in their given industry is dealing with Brownfields which was tackled on of their more recent assignments as well as an asbestos clean up project in Hudson, NH. Lastly, he wished to add to the list was their ability to secure demo permitting and deal with lead paint issues.
Matt Bacon of NAI Norwood Group, Inc. is seeking 5 to 12 acres of land in the Derry, Londonderry, Auburn and Hooksett area with a 5 to 10,000 s.f. industrial structure for truck repairs. Matt is also working with a land owner who is considering a build to suit that could support a high bay, distribution center on the north end of Concord. Matt also laid out a charitable situation with which he is working on namely a non-profit looking for someone to donate a property that will be slated for disabled individuals. If you are aware of any property or property owners that might be interested, please contact Matt. In addition Matt is searching out a turn key gas station situation under a million dollars. If anyone has an off market listing or knows of one, please contact Matt.
Jeff Lessard of NAI Norwood Group, Inc. has a cash buyer seeking an industrial building from Manchester down to the Massachusetts border on the order of 5 to 7,000 s.f. with a price tag of $500,000. Jeff also informed us of several retail spots that are available for lease at Granite Town Plaza at 185 Elm Street in Milford. The retail spaces range from 750 s.f., 4,000 s.f. and 10,000 s.f. The current owners are transforming the entire façade of the building and roof with a 1.1 million dollar capital investment. Lastly, Jeff has a small office suite available at 22 Eastman Avenue on the second floor asking $700 per month.
Dan Barufaldi, Economic Development Director, for the City of Dover announced that he would provide design guidelines for anyone wishing to participate in the approved vendor list for the development projects currently under way in the city. Dan was pleased to report that Dover has been selected as the 15th best city in the nation for career opportunities. Dan consistently brings good reporting on behalf of the city and today was no exception with the August 2017 Managers Report which covers the waterfront development and the surrounding region.
John Kagerleriry of Verium Planning deals in asset and financial management who works as a Fiduciary so that his clients needs always come first. John stated that a 85% of the population have no financial plan. John regularly writes articles on his practice and has submitted some of his writings to the CIBOR newsletter outlining the life styles of a broker from the young just entering that work force following them throughout their career to retirement. John is motivated by the idea of sharing what he knows to assist people overcome the stress and mistakes that come with deciding how to best take care of their money.
Matt Lefebvre of Elm Grove Realty has a buyer in tow seeking multi family housing along the 89 corridor to Concord with a spending capacity of three quarters of a million dollars. Additionally he has a developer looking for invesments up to 8 million dollars. Matt has a most interesting requirment for a limo company in need of a small 500 s.f. office but requiring parking for 12 to 14 spaces in an open parking field in the greater Nashua area. Matt plugged a K-W fund raiser that is being held at the Derryfield Country Club raising funds for youth related charities. Tickets are being sold for $60.00. Please contact anyone on the K-W team.
Chris Nadeau of Nobis Engineering with offices in Concord; Lowell, Massachusetts and Naugatuck, Connecticut employs 100 people and specializes in energy applications. Their solar development expertise encompasses many locations and capacity i.e. 1 mega watt on a 5-6 acres and a 14 mega watt on a six acre parcel. Chris is actively looking for land masses flat and dry for this application. They are bonded for up to two billion dollars with much of their business coming from the Boston area to the south. It would seem that they have outgrown their space in Manchester so are looking to expand in the Manchester to Bedford area spring of 2018. Chris went on to say that their company has been most active in the elder care, nursing home and retirement community marketplace. Their greatest challenge is employing good help as the skill sets are not out there for their type of industry.
Vince Chestnut of Alpha Locksmith brings a very important commodity to the forefront mentioning that people often make wasted trips and wasting mney on keys reproduced at big box stores that just don’t work. His mobile van offers the most efficient and service oriented lock systems from here to the seacoast. He recently had an emergency call from one of the CIBOR individuals that there had been a serious breach of security. Vince came out immediately and rectified the situation in short order. Accolades to Vince.
Jeff Brown of TD Bank generously sponsored this month’s marketing session. As one of the top ten banks in the country, TD can offer excellent customer service though some would say that getting an answer as it pertains to financing is on the slow side. This is by design as the bank fully explores each client to make sure they are a good fit for a long term relatiionship. As Jeff says, it is all for the right reasons. Jeff went on to say that their institution has many niche markets with one being the abiilty to fully finance a medical endeavor including the equipment – they also work with clients wishing to purchase a franchise. In wrapping up his talk, Jeff mentioned that we will see a rate hike prior to the end of December and perhaps up to three this coming year.
Jeff Boufford of Boyd & Boufford Insurance Agency specializes in commercial insurance in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont offering all types of casualty insurance products geared primarily in the commercial real estate realm. Jeff highly suggests that business owners consider the purchase of environmental pollution insurance. The prices for this coverage has decreased to a more affordable premium. Jeff is a team player with Matt Bacon on the CIBOR membership committee bringing in new members both on the affiliate and broker side of our trade organization. Thank you both for your participation in handling this ever growing barrage of membership applications.
Tony Fallon of Tony Fallon Architecture has a potential client who was granted a zoning change from residential to commercial looking to secure a short term financing package for her therapeutic application. Tony also spoke about an acquaintance who is seeking casual money to pursue affordable housing that would be non-subsidized. The housing would be rather unconventional in an urban setting. Tony has had much experience in the planning and implementation of health oriented centers such as the White Horse Addition Center in Ossipee, NH treating patients that have overdosed and on the road to recovery. This 501c3 organization is garnering much attention and has done much to aid these victims in just two years’ time. Tony also has in his portfolio of completed projects three churches, surgical centers, physical therapy fit-ups along with creating handicapped compliant entrances and restrooms for a variety of businesses.
Thomas Roy of Structure Tone LLC explained that their company is a construction management firm having just opened a new office in Salem to serve as a home base for the company’s expanding client base throughout the state. Tom went on to say “With our new office in Salem, we’ll be able to more effectively serve our New Hampshire clients while still having access to our network of resources in Boston. We’re committed to helping our New Hampshire clients and communities, and this new office solidifies that commentment.”
Ric Brewster of Structure Tone LLC explained that their family of companies provide a complete range of services, from site selection analysis to design constructability review; from corporate interior fit-ups to new out-of-the ground construction; and from aesthetic enhancements to major building infrastructure and moderization. The partner companies are LF Driscoll, Structure Tone Southwest, Pavarini Construction Co., and Pavarini McGovern. Locally Rick briefed us on the steam conversion in Concord which they are enscounced with for all of the state hospitals and library. This large, involved project is only one of two steam conversions in New Hampshire.
Louise Norwood of NAI Norwood Group, Inc. pitched new retail space that has just come on line that being a 2,300 s.f. high profile retail space at The French Atwood Marketplace at 257 Wallace Road. The space was most recently occupied by a florist and due to retirement plans, the space is now available and most versatile for any use including office and/or medical. In addition NAI Norwood Group is marketing two business condominiums in Bedford namely a 1,200 s.f. suite at 306 Riverway Place at Bedford Commons for sale or for lease and a 2,560 s.f. double unit available for sale and/or lease at 80 Palomino Drive. Both units are ready for immediate occupancy.
We had a great showing with record numbers and hope we will be able to continue bringing more affiliates and brokers into the fold; however, we are quickly outgrowing the training space at K-W so if anyone has any suggestions they would be welcomed. Please contact me with any suggestions you may have. And many thanks to Jeff Brown of TD Bank for a delicious spread. Hope you have a great start to this beautiful fall and look forward to seeing you in October.