Economic Action ofDOVER

Our City of Opportunity Vol. 4, No. 2 Fall 2014

Have You Seen The Children’s Museum Lately?

By Jane Bard, President, The Children’s Museum

of New Hampshire

Visitors to downtown Dover might notice some-thing different when they drive down WashingtonStreet or stroll through Henry Law Park. The creativ-ity and excitement found inside The Children’s Mu-seum of New Hampshire is spilling into Henry LawPark. This is not an accident, but a deliberate way forus to share who we are as an organization with theDover community, as well as with those who visit usfrom throughout New Hampshire, New England andbeyond.

In June we unveiled a new brand identity of color-ful, connected letters. Our new logo can transform intoa variety of icons, including anything that visitors candream up, and speaks to the inventive and playful spiritof who we are and what can be found within our walls.The eye-catching sign in front of our building is linkedto our mission of igniting children’s creative potential.

In addition to the new brand, we have been exper-imenting with bringing the whimsy and excitement ofour Gallery 6 exhibit outside our walls to the Museum’sfaçade and Henry Law Park. This past winter, sail clothilluminated with colorful changing lights adorned ourfront entry while our Light & Shadow Gallery 6 showdelighted visitors of all ages over the cold wintermonths. This summer, an Enchanted Gardenmade ofrecycled plastic bottles sprouted from the brick façade,along with a variety of artist-created pieces with a nat-ural theme which were installed in upper Henry LawPark. The message: the Museum and Dover are bothvibrant and alive, always changing and giving you areason to come back for more.

The Children’s Museum’s Gallery 6 showcaseswork by area artists and artisans through four theme-based exhibitions each year. What you may not know

Positioning For Profit, (cont. on p. 2)

Positioning For ProfitFederal Savings Bank:

Making a Difference Locally since 1890by Tiffany Melanson, AVP Marketing Director & Public Relations

History The very first meeting of Federal Savings

Bank, known then as Dover Co-operativeSavings Fund and Loan Association, was heldin the Cocheco Hose Company Hall on FirstStreet on June 26, 1890. For the next 65years, the bank known as Dover CooperativeBank, and later as Dover Federal Savings andLoan Association, was housed in the WalkerBlock at the corner of Locust and WashingtonStreets. The present main office at 633 CentralAvenue was constructed in 1972. The bank’sname was changed to Federal Savings Bank in1983 to reflect a growing customer base inareas outside of Dover. Today, the bank hasfour additional locations in Barrington, Dur-ham, Portsmouth and Rochester.

Growth and SuccessSince its inception, Federal Savings Bank

has operated as a true mutual community bankand today is one of the few remaining inde-

pendently owned financial institutions in theregion. Local management is concerned aboutthe needs of the communities it serves andthis commitment enhances the reputation ofquality service which the bank has enjoyedthroughout its incredible 124-year history.

New Branch Design

In this issue:• Have You Seen The Children’s Museum Lately .. 1• Positioning for Profit:Federal Savings Bank ... 1• Recreation Dept.: Henry Law Park Plaza .... 3• City Manager’s Report, September 2014 ....... 4• Dover Education: New School Superintendent .. 5• Earth, Sea & Space Center Project ................... 5• SEDC Helping Dover Grow .......................... 6• Dover in the News ............................................. 7• Advertise With Us, Thank You to Distributors ...... 7

Children’s Museum (cont. on p.5)

Helpful Phone Numbers & Contact Information

City Hall: (603) 516-6023

www.dover.nh.gov

Dover Business & IndustrialDevelopment Authority: (603) 516-6043www.dover.nh.govwww.locateindovernh.com

City of Dover Planning & Community Development Department:(603) 516-6008

Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce: (603) 742-2218www.dovernh.org

Dover Main Street: (603) 740-6435 www.DoverMainStreet.org

Southeast Economic Development Corporation of New Hampshire: (603) 749-2221 or (603) 749-2211 www.sedcnh.org

2

Economic Action of Dovera quarterly publication

Published by:the Dover Business and Industrial

Development Authority, the City of Dover, andlocal quarterly sponsors Vol. 4, No. 2, Fall 2014

Director of Economic Development:Dan Barufaldi

email: d.barufaldi@dover.nh.govwww.dover.nh.gov

www.locateindovernh.com

Economic Action of Doveris produced by

Kent Creative of Dover, NH(603) 742-0800

www.kentcreativeweb.com

Positioning For Profit, (cont. from p. 1)

From its modest beginnings in 1890, FederalSavings Bank has grown from a savings and loanassociation to a full service financial institution of-fering highly competitive business banking prod-ucts and services as well as some of the most tech-nologically advanced banking services availabletoday, including: online cash management tools,mobile banking and instant-issue debit cards.

Federal Saving Bank’s growth has been steadyover the years and can be attributed to customerloyalty, community support and the bank’s com-mitment to quality service. “What truly sets us apartfrom our competitors is our staff,” according toPresident and Chief Executive Officer, James J.O’Neill, Jr. “From the bank’s directors to its tellers,everyone is committed to working hard and offer-ing exceptional service. I couldn’t be more proud tosteward a group of such dedicated people.” Interms of the bank’s success throughout the years,O’Neill attributes public confidence as the recipefor success. “The bank’s growth is unquestionablydue to public confidence in this institution and sup-port from our local community. Confidence andtrust are immeasurable assets of any business andwe are fortunate to have experienced tremendousloyalty from all of our customers and communitiesthroughout the years.”Community Support

The founding directors of Federal SavingsBank formed the association to provide people witha safe place to deposit their money and to also loanthat money back into the community in order tomeet housing needs. Additional profits were to bereinvested back into the community to supportworthy community organizations and projects.Over a decade later, much remains the same. WhileFederal Savings Bank has experienced tremendousgrowth, the bank continues to invest in its localcommunities. Profits are distributed within the localcommunity in the form of loans to homeowners,business owners and donations to local civic and

non-profit organizations. “We are fortunate to havebenefited from the loyalty of this great communityand as a community bank, we are able to increase ourcommunity support as we experience growth – it’s re-ally a win-win,” says O’Neill.The Future

Federal Savings Bank has spent the last decadebuilding its technological infrastructure and hiringsome of the most experienced banking staff in thearea. We believe banking is about relationships andare pleased to be one of the first banks in the seacoastto implement the new dialogue branch model, de-signed to provide our employees with the best meansto engage their customers and offer the most personaland efficient service.

The design was first implemented in the bank’sRochester office in 2009 and then in Durham in 2013.The remodel of the bank’s Dover headquarters wasrecently completed this year. The design is a reflectionof our commitment to technology and our commit-ment to providing our customers with a banking ex-perience that offers greater convenience and accountaccess than ever before.

The traditional teller line was eliminated and re-placed with individual teller stations that provide ad-ditional privacy and allow the employee to easily andpersonally greet customers. Employees are cross-trained to perform teller transactions as well as guidea customer into a private office to open an account orapply for a loan. In addition to the new teller stations,the branch also features three flat panel monitors,which inform customers of new bank products andspecials as well as trivia, news and weather updates.The lobby includes an Internet kiosk that can easily beaccessed by those customers wanting to performtransactions utilizing Internet banking. Two waitingareas and a coffee kiosk complete the lobby.

Dover is a vibrant city that has experienced sig-nificant growth over the last decade and we look for-ward to positively contributing to its remarkablehistory for years to come. As the Seacoast’s OwnCommunity Bank, we remain focused on expandingproducts and services, updating technology and grow-ing the business so we can continue making a differ-ence locally.

Our Walker Block offices.

Federal Savings current Central Avenue location.

3

The Henry Law Park Improvement Project

The City of Dover and the Children's Museum of New Hampshirehave been working together for several years to come up with a plan tooverhaul the playground area in Henry Law Park. The Henry Law ParkImprovement Project involves a total renovation of the area of the park be-hind the Indoor Pool, which is now occupied by a play structure and out-of-service wading pool. Renovations will also included new walkways toconnect with the area of the Rotary Arts Pavilion and front of the park andmany other new features.

Several community meetings were held in 2012 to explain the fullpotential for this area of Henry Law Park and to be sure that the generalpublic had its chance to contribute their thoughts. From these sessionsmany great ideas came to the forefront. One of the main concepts was tocreate a “nature based” park where most of the features would be made ofnatural materials.

With that theme in mind, and a list of suggested features generatedfrom citizen input, the City staff and leadership from the Children's Mu-seum of New Hampshire began to organize and prioritize what could beaccomplished. A $10,000 grant was awarded from Public Service of NewHampshire that allowed the project to go to the conceptual drawing phase.

A request for qualifications went out to recruit potential architecturalfirms. A firm was sought that could take the ideas and turn them into tan-gible examples of what the site could look like as well as come up with anestimated cost for the project. Terra Firma Landscape Architecture ofPortsmouth was selected and went to work in late 2012 and early 2013 to

By: Gary Bannon, Recreation Director

Recreation Department

The Conceptual Site Plan for The Nature Playground at the Henry Law Part for the City of Dover, NH Recreation Department.

draft proposed layouts and budgets. The final concept plan was pre-sented in April of 2013 and has been making the rounds of committeesand public events so that as many people as possible could review thisinitial vision and make comments.

The overwhelming result of this unveiling process has been one ofsolid support for the concept and the project overall. The comments thathave been received reflect the pride that having this area of the park ren-ovated would generate for Dover. This would become a destination play-ground for our community.

The cost of the project, as detailed in the current plans, is estimatedto be over $400,000. The City has allocated $250,000 in Capital Im-provements Funding and a very generous anonymous donor has con-tributed $100,000 to the project. A further solicitation to businesses,benevolent organizations, and individuals is currently underway to reachthe required financial threshold and start this project as soon as possible.

The balance of approximately $100,000 is needed to get this proj-ect underway. There are opportunities for individuals, organizations andbusinesses to donate through several means. Anyone interested in con-tributing can contact Gary Bannon, Dover Recreation Director, at g.ban-non@dover.nh.gov or 516-6410. There is also the opportunity to donatevia Go Fund Me by going to the link www.gofundme.com/c8ebd4 tocontribute. More information will be forthcoming on the City of Doverwebsite www.dover.nh.gov about contributions and progress on thisexciting project. We hope you will lend your support!

4

Summary:Business activity appears to be improving in the re-

gion, although there have been some recent restaurantclosures/ sales locally. A larger number of both retailand manufacturing companies are reporting year-over-year sales and revenue increases. Software, IT andstaffing companies report already strong or increasingactivity. Commercial and residential real estate marketsare virtually unchanged during the last month. No majorhiring or layoffs have been reported locally. With theexception of rising wages at staffing firms for specifictech skill sets, no major wage or price hikes are under-way. Dover’s unemployment rate is at 3.8%. Retail and Tourism:

Retailers contacted for this period report compara-ble store sales ranging from down 1% to up 7% year-over-year. Sales of apparel, household items and homeimprovement goods are selling well. Prices are steadyand inventories appear well controlled. Minor amountsof selective hiring are planned. 2014 goals for low sin-gle-digit growth are expected to be realized. The out-look for the U.S. economy ranges from “mixed” tomoderate.

Hotel revenues are up smartly locally and doingwell all over the Boston region. Regional restaurant ac-tivity is mixed with some doing well. The local restau-rant scene shows some doing exceedingly well and afew struggling with outmoded business models andolder facilities in the face of new, more competitivearrivals. Our two downtown restaurants that sufferedthe sewer backup during the recent rainstorm are stillclosed and are severely hurt financially by the incident.City Staff are pursuing every possible assistance modeto help them weather this setback and survive. Localmuseum attendance has improved as the weatherwarmed up and new, innovative and creative programswere offered. Manufacturing & Related Services:

Manufacturers are reporting strong sales overall. Afew local manufacturers are reporting lower sales thanthe same period a year ago due to a fall off in exportsales. A local publisher reports a fall off in sales due tothe shift to digital media advertising over the lastdecade. Exporters to both Europe and China are con-cerned with the macro-economics they are seeing inboth markets. The recent upheavals in Iraq, Syria,Ukraine and Russia, and the impact on energy is im-pacting world-wide markets; economies are affected bythe growing uncertainty and concerns. The Chinesehousing bubble and economic slowdown are oftenmentioned.

Firms reporting on inventory levels are split withhalf citing flat inventory levels and half citing higherlevels. Most state the higher levels are due to more new

City Manager’s Report: Economic Development Section, Sept. 2014by Dan Barufaldi, Director of Economic Development

product introductions and are not concerned about cur-rent inventory levels. Most contacts in the manufac-turing sector indicate that both staffing levels and wagegrowth remain modest except for select skill sets whichare scarce and in high demand. Some major capitalspending projects are underway and some are about tobe announced. Three manufacturing buildings in En-terprise Park are available or about to be available. Anumber of projects are currently underway or about tobe underway during this building season. The outlookfor the balance of the year remains positive.

Price pressures remain moderate except for raremetals sourced in Russia. Most recently energy priceshave declined. Suppliers to the military are seeing neworders rise. Regional manufacturers are guardedlyoptimistic.Software and IT Services:

Software and IT services providers report strongdemand through August. Year-over-year growth for afew local firms in this sector have sales up 15% in thelast quarter. Services to the healthcare sector have re-cently declined as subsidies for recordkeeping and re-trieval modernization have run out. Many firms in thenon-healthcare portion of the sector have added to theirheadcount recently in sales, R&D and marketing.Wages, while up slightly in critical skill areas, remainflat, as do prices. Uncertainty regarding the AffordableCare Act, the slowing Chinese economy/ housing bub-ble, and the macro-economic effects of Middleasternwars. The Ukraine/Russia effect on the Europeaneconomies continues to produce a prevailing air ofcaution in this and several other sectors with real localeconomic effect. Staffing Services:

Business conditions in this industry sector haveimproved in the last month with the exception of thehealthcare sector. Year-over-year growth is between4% and 20% depending on the industry sector beingserved. Labor demand is strong in IT, software, aero-space, nursing, electronics, engineering, quality assur-ance techs and legal. Most firms in the field have addedto headcount with wages and prices remaining flat. Inan effort to attract highly skilled workers to thesegrowing industries, firms are expanding their socialmedia and technological outreach efforts. Increasedhealth insurance costs remain a concern with the onsetof the Affordable Care Act and the challenge of beingable to increase pricing to cover the increased cost.Overall the sector is optimistic and expecting high sin-gle-digit growth over the next quarter.Commercial Real Estate:

Commercial real estate activity was unchangedover the month regionally with sustained strength in

the Boston and Portland markets. There is some indi-cation that some of the high-end apartments and of-fice space newly built in Boston are experiencingsome resistance to achieving their occupancy goals atthe hoped for rental prices. Demand locally has re-mained positive with a few local projects coming tofruition. Land sales continue to have momentum lo-cally. Investment demand for commercial real estateremains strong. Leasing fundamentals maintained avery slow pace of improvement in recent weeks, con-sistent with minimal-to-slow employment growth. Asmall amount of speculative office construction as partof mixed-use building is now being done. The lendingenvironment remains highly favorable to borrowers,with historically low, slowly rising interest rates andincreasingly looser standards. Abundant investmentcapital continues to flow into commercial propertiesacross the Seacoast; it is sourced from private equityfirms, pension funds, foreign investors, REITS andhigh net worth individuals. Leverage ratios are on therise among some investors, but remain low in absoluteterms. Local multi-family and mixed-use constructionremains at a very healthy pace with local inventory inthis category rising rapidly. The outlook remains cau-tiously optimistic across the region. The forecasts callfor more slow improvement in fundamentals movingforward, pending steady (if slow) employment growth.Fiscal policy and uncertainty around the business andemployment effects of the ACA and Medicaid expan-sion costs are producing uncertainty at both the stateand federal levels. This is mentioned by some as adownside risk to employment growth that producesimprovement in leasing and construction activity. Residential Real Estate:

The region and Dover experienced a downturn forunit sales of single-family homes and condos at theend of 2013. New Hampshire experienced a declinein sales. Scarce inventory is most likely the culprit interms of New Hampshire’s decline in this category.However, uncertainty about new qualified mortgagerules and an anticipated huge increase in flood insur-ance premiums are also probable factors in making po-tential buyers cautious about making buy offers.Median sale prices in New Hampshire and in Doverincreased again in the period. Pending sales stronglysuggest the market for single-family houses and con-dos is off to a good start in 2014. While Dover saleslook good going forward, it is clear that winter weatherand inventory constraints in Q1 depressed near-termsales and another severe winter weather experiencecould dampen sales locally going forward. Sale pricesand rental rates in Dover continue to rise at present.• NOTE: Non-local content contains excerpts fromthe Federal Reserve Beige Book-Boston.

5

The Dover School District has a newsuperintendent as of July 1, 2014. Dr.Elaine Arbour comes to the district with17 years of experience in education. Shehas served as a special education teacher,Language Arts teacher, assistant princi-pal at the elementary school level, and adistrict-level program director, curricu-lum director, and assistant superintend-ent. Most important, she comes with apassion for teaching and learning. “I can-not think of anything else that can havesuch a profound impact on the lives ofyoung people than education,” says Dr.Arbour. “Education provides opportuni-ties for youth to explore life's offeringsand the skills to reach their goals.”

Many of these offerings can befound within the City of Dover. In addi-tion to the programming offered at DoverHigh School, the Dover School Districtoffers courses in career and technicalareas through the Career and TechnicalCenter (CTC). The CTC has developed apartnership with BizEd Connect, a groupcomprised of local business owners andmanagers, economic development pro-fessionals, and school representatives.BizEd Connect's mission is “to workwithin the local community to facilitateconnections between businesses and ed-ucational institutions. Our goal is tofoster long-term relationships betweenbusinesses and students in order to pro-mote 'real life' work experience and pro-vide educational opportunities that mayotherwise be unavailable.” This partner-ship is one example of how Doverschools and businesses can connectyouth to their community in unique andinteresting ways.

As the 2014-2015 school year be-gins, Arbour is eager to not only grow ex-isting partnerships between the schooland community, but also to foster excel-lence and equity in educational opportu-nity among all of Dover's schools. Shelooks forward to an exciting and reward-ing tenure in Dover.

Dover Education

New Dover School Superintendent

Announced

is that we welcome visitors to Dover of all ages to experience Gallery 6 at no charge year-round. The largest free publicart gallery in Dover gives visitors yet another reason to visit our City and provides residents with another way to enrichtheir lives.

The Museum remains as dedicated to shaping communities by celebrating creativity, learning, and collaboration aswe were when we opened our doors in Dover six years ago. Along with Dover, we continue to grow, to change, and togive residents, business and visitors to our City a reason to ask, “So, have you seen The Children’s Museum lately?”

For more information about the Museum’s Gallery 6 exhibit and our ever-changing programs, community events andexhibits, please visit our website: www.childrens-museum.org.

Children’s Museum, (cont. from p. 1)

Earth, Sea & Space Center Project UpdateSpecial Fundraising Event & Information Night Planned

by Crystal Ward Kent, ChairThe Earth, Sea & Space Center Project will be

holding a major fundraiser and information night onThursday, November 13, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.at The Sheraton Harborside in Portsmouth, NH.Called “Salute to the Seacoast: A Beer Tasting &Food Pairing,” the event helps raise money for PhaseOne of the project, and also provides an excellent wayfor people to learn more about the Center and meetkey parties involved. Drawings of the proposed fa-cility and some of the exhibits will be on display, theFriends of the Earth, Sea & Space Center board ofdirectors will be in attendance, and key personnelassociated with the project’s development are alsoexpected to attend.

Last year, guests were able to visit with the ar-chitect, John McManus of McManus Architects inCambridge, project manager, Jose Luis of San MiguelProject Management, and representatives from Lyons& Zaremba, the exhibit designers, also from Boston.Dan Barufaldi, who has been working closely withthe Friends on finalizing a location and conductingthe City’s required due diligence on the property, alsospoke at the event. Phase One of the project includesthe master plan, permitting, contractor hiring, sched-uling and conceptual building designs. The prelimi-nary geotechnical work for the project is scheduledto be done later this fall.

The evening will feature beer tasting from 7thSettlement, Shipyard Brewery, Moat MountainBrewing Company, Redhook Brewery and Tucker-man’s Ale. Additional brewers were still beingbooked at press time. The Sheraton will once againprovide tempting food pairings and a dessert bar. Livemusic is courtesy of The Crab Shack band and therewill be a beer raffle, wine raffle and silent auction.

Tickets are $50.00 per person and include foodand beer; guest must be 21 or over to attend. Purchasetickets online at www.earthseaspacemuseum.org.

The event is being sponsored by Optima Bank &Trust, Everyday Details Event Planning, Z107 iHeart-Media, Chinburg Builders and RAM Printing, andThe Sheraton Harborside has donated the ballroom.

Anyone interested in event sponsorship opportu-

nities, or who wants to learn more about the projectcan visit www.earthseaspacemuseum.org or call(603) 436-7778.Additional Directors Sought

With Phase One on the horizon, the Friends areseeking to expand their board of directors and addmembers to their development team. “We havebrought the project this far with a relatively smallgroup of people,” says Crystal Kent, chair. “Every-one is a volunteer and we all work regular jobs so itis amazing that a grassroots effort has been able toaccomplish this much. We are extremely grateful toall of the past and present directors and many otherswho have helped us along the way, and especially toour exhibit designer, architect and project managerwho have all donated their time during these plan-ning stages.

“Now, with Phase One being the next step, weneed to expand our board of directors. We are look-ing for enthusiastic, committed individuals who re-ally want to bring this exciting project to Dover andthe region. We need more hands to help us raisefunds, spread the word, and provide various skillsets.”

Kent notes that the board meets the secondWednesday of the month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at theWashington Street Mills. The Friends also have acommittee, the Development Team, which includesboth directors and non-directors, the Team meets ona flexible schedule, usually at lunchtime on Friday,every month. This group focuses solely on fundrais-ing and networking.

For more information on either group, please call(603) 436-7778 or (603) 742-0800.

6

SEDC: Helping Dover Grow

by Dennis McCann, SEDC Executive Director

Dover is a community which has thrivedthanks to the innovation and hard work of itscitizens. Historically it is a mill town, based onthe Cocheco River, where the local economywas supported by the strong presence of man-ufacturing and industry. Over time, the natureof work has changed, but the community hascontinued to be one that embraces industrialinnovation and entrepreneurial activity.

At Strafford Economic Development Cor-poration, an independent non-profit organiza-tion, the goal is to continue to help build thecommunity by supporting the local businessesand entrepreneurs that call Dover and Straf-ford County home. Since 1997, SEDC hashelped create and retain thousands of jobs byoffering financing to local businesses. As anon-profit organization, their services areunique in that they organize financing for busi-nesses that are considered too risky by tradi-tional lenders. Growing businesses generallydemand a lot of cash to grow, and that growthis where jobs are created. In addition, SEDCalso works with other financiers — private andpublic — to locate other sources of funding forbusinesses that need it.

Regional economic development organi-zations are necessary for supporting economicgrowth in specific areas. Supply chains, in-vestors and lenders, affiliations among busi-nesses, service providers for businesses--all ofthese operate at regional levels and strengthenthe whole local network. SEDC emulates andintegrates with the natural market. Withoutalternative financing, many now-successfulbusinesses that have become large communityemployers and contributors would not havehad a shot at addressing their market. Havingthe opportunity to acquire capital has helpedthem, and in return it helps the community byproviding jobs and economic activity.A New Local Example: 7th Settlement Brewery

One example is 7th Settlement Brewpub,a recent start-up in downtown Dover that pro-duces fantastic beer brewed on-site. Dover is

already known for a having a largevariety of options for restaurantsand bars, which made 7th Settle-ment's plan to open in a saturatedmarket a risky move--too risky forfull bank support. However, SEDCand the City of Dover teamed upwith Kennebunk Savings Bank,with each partner sharing the risk.7th Settlement actually fits a nichethat not many are aware of--thereare only a handful of brew-pubs inthe Seacoast area.

Not only does 7th Settlementbrew their own beer, they also havedeveloped strong ties with localfood producers within the commu-nity, so you can be sure all of theiringredients are fresh. Your roastbeef may come from Lee, the saladgreens from Madbury, the cod fromPortsmouth. Their rotating menureflects seasonal changes in avail-ability of local, fresh organic food.Watch the specials--new dishes andflavors are always “cropping up”and they are always fresh. The beeris brewed 41 feet from where it isbeing served.

The 7th Settlement brew pubfits a mold that community devel-opment organizations love; theyhave the potential to see success intheir own market, but they alsosupport other local markets by get-ting their resources from peoplewithin the community. The brew-pub gets financing, the local farms get business,and the local people get great food and beer. Fortypeople are employed directly, and scores of localbusinesses get a new market for their goods andservices, creating even more jobs. It is really anall-around win which supports the entire region.

Some other Dover businesses that SEDC hasworked with include Measured Progress,Agility Manufacturing, Cat Doctor, Campbell

Dermatology, Healthy Environment Innova-tions (HEI), VXI, John Turner Consulting(JTC), Wadleigh House, Cocheco ChildrensCenter, Central Paint, Green Technical Serv-ices, and SellMyTimeshareNow.

If you work for a business that needscapital for expanding market opportunities,please contact SEDC. Let's keep this placerolling!

7

Did you know that the back page ad space of this newspaper can be yours?You can reach thousands of readers

all over the Greater Dover Region by advertising in Economic Action of Dover. Promote your products and services and

attract customers by advertising today! The cost is $1200 per full back page

color ad.Economic Action is produced quarterly by the Dover Business & Industrial

Development Authority. Contact Dan Barufaldi at

(603) 516-6043 to learn more.

Advertise with Us!

City Hall:City Clerk’s OfficeCity Manager’s OfficePlanning DepartmentEconomic Development Department

McConnell CenterPublic LibraryGreater Dover Chamber of CommerceJaneto’s MarketKelland PondPanera’sDoug’s SubsKennebunk SavingsCafé on the CornerHarvey’s Bakery & RestaurantFederal Savings BankBank of New HampshireCentrix BankPeoples First BankCitizens BankTD BankAdelle’s Coffee ShopDos Amigos RestaurantLaFesta RestaurantDustons Restaurant

Thank You to Our Distributors of

Economic Action of Dover

Dover in the News

This summer, Focus Magazine devoted a multi-page spread to the Cityof Dover, its rich heritage and current revival. The article noted that Doverwas the fastest-growing city in New Hampshire and had been ranked as oneof the top 100 communities to live in by Money Magazine.

The story emphasized that Dover’s has a number of features which makeit the perfect place to do business, including a key location with easy accessto highway, rail and air transport, close proximity to international trade out-lets and to facilities of higher learning, such as the University of New Hamp-shire, Dartmouth, and Boston’s various colleges. Dover was also com-mended for having a local government that was committed to attractingbusiness. State tax incentives, ease of getting loans, and a Planning Depart-ment, City Council and economic development authority that worked to-gether were also credited as helping put Dover on the map.

Mayor Karen Weston, who was interviewed extensively for the story,

was quoted as saying, “To be perfectly honest, I don’t think we are laggingin anything. We have a good relationship between the City Council and thePlanning Department. We work well together. We all realize that we needa balance. Right now, we are promoting economic development...we’realso working on our relationships with our surrounding communities.”

In addition, the article explored Dover’s varied attractions and greatenvironment for families. Among the elements showcased were TheChildren’s Museum of New Hampshire and The Woodman InstituteMuseum, as well as the City’s extensive recreation opportunities, includ-ing two public pools, ice arena, numerous parks, trails and more. As MayorWeston said, “There is no room for boredom in Dover. What’s great aboutDover is that we blend the old and the new. The quality of life is awesome.Dover is the future of New Hampshire and a secure city within which tolive, work and play.”