Business

Predicting the future of technology is never easy. The incredible capabilities of the smartphone in my pocket today were nearly inconceivable in 1989.

That’s when NHPR’s Leslie Bennett made this fateful comment:

“It seems like telephones have gotten as complicated as they’re ever going to get. I may regret saying that.” 

Ouch – sorry, Leslie. She was speaking from Datatech ’89, a business technology trade show in Manchester. The vendors she spoke with shared their visions for office technology in the ‘90s and beyond:

“These fax machines can talk back and forth to each other. And we do have some that are live, actually hooked up to live telephone lines … We can talk to Japan if we want to, or Russia, or anywhere else.” 

That’s right … fax machines were a hot item in 1989. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? What exciting gadget from today will be a fossil tomorrow?

From The Archives this week, we revisit Leslie Bennett’s story from Datatech ’89.

In New Hampshire, it’s not easy to find a package of JG Coconut Mushrooms, or a jar of clotted cream, or a can of mushy peas.

“Any dinner you would have with a pie you have mushy peas on the side,” says Stephanie Pressinger, president of The British Aisles in Greenland.

“Someone who hasn’t been to England or doesn’t know the culture would say, ‘Why would you want mushed peas?’”

If a bakery does its work right, there will be something for every customer. Katie Johnson, the owner of From Scratch Baking Company in Wolfeboro, shows off her offerings: cases of peanut butter brownies, red velvet cupcakes, and salted chocolate cookies. 

Is it time for a business tax reboot? Some in New Hampshire say a comprehensive re-examination of our business tax structure is long overdue, given questions about fairness – competition – and the huge role these taxes play in our budget. We’ll discuss how the system works now and the  pros and cons of the proposals to change it.

The developers of the Balsams resort hope to begin construction in June for what could be the largest economic development project in the history of the job-poor North Country. But the go-ahead depends on passage of Senate Bill 30 which would put a state guarantee behind $28 million in bonds, the developers say.

WREN (formerly the Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network) provides support, training, and networking opportunities to people operating small businesses in northern New Hampshire. They also operate two storefronts and two farmers’ markets for local vendors. 

“I’ve been a painter all my life.” Jeannette Fournier’s medium is watercolors and a few years back she and her husband relocated to the Littleton-area. “We happened to drive through Bethlehem and I noticed the WREN organization on main street. I thought, “this couldn’t be more perfect timing.”

For 15 years the Cold Mountain Café in Bethlehem has been a fixture in the North Country.

But when one of its co-owners died, it looked like the café might close.

That is until the owner’s daughter decided to turn to the community for help.

To a large extent Kate Foley grew up in the café her father co-owned, waiting tables and becoming friends with hundreds of customers.

But when she decided she wanted to buy the half of the business owned by her father’s partner she ran into a big challenge.

Money.

Although the state has regained all the jobs it lost in the Great Recession, many are said to be part-time or lower paying.   Still, the U.S. economy seems to be on a roll, and optimism appears to be taking hold. We’re looking at who’s faring well and why in the Granite State, and who’s been left behind.

GUESTS:

We’ve all fumbled a first impression at some point or another. Look no further than Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Before it was published in 1814, its working title was First Impressions which probably referred to protagonist Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy’s very first encounter – which as initial impressions go, was pretty abysmal.

But who knew getting off on the wrong foot was so easy?

This show is all about bad impressions. From bungling a business meeting, to what not to wear on a first date.

Plus, a comic tells us what happens when his go-to impression loses its appeal.

Listen to the full show and Read more for individual segments.

The New Hampshire-based company GT Advanced Technologies is heading for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In announcing the filing today, officials said that GT is not planning to go out of business, but instead try to develop a plan to reorganize.

Bob Sanders with the New Hampshire Business Review joined All Things Considered to discuss this development.

Yes, the Market Basket dispute is over, but not all is rosy in the New Hampshire food world. Take for example, the legal challenge in Walpole between two ice cream shops.

The long-running dispute in the Market Basket supermarket chain appears to be growing.

Recently the company ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, who had vocal support from Market Basket employees but had long been at odds with a faction on the board led by his cousin.

What’s a classic profile of an entrepreneur? Smart, prone to risk and under the age of thirty. 

Steve Young of StreetWize Technologies personifies some of those qualities, except he’s a 56-year old starting a new business aimed at older motorcycle riders.

Young takes his fiery orange Harley Davidson touring bike out for a spin near his shop in Nashua. Soon he’ll install a product in the bike that you can’t see: a hidden third wheel. 

The Currency is our ongoing look at economic and business news in New Hampshire. 

Fireworks Industry Thrives In N.H. Amid Loose Regulations

Backyard pyrotechnics are a favorite—and legal—way for Granite Staters to celebrate the Fourth of July.  And the fireworks lobby has been fighting to not only keep them legal, but to deregulate them.