Salem Business to be Honored in Nashua Tonight

NASHUA - The following New Hampshire businesses will be honored May 22 as winners of this year's New Hampshire Small Business Awards at the Crowne Plaza in Nashua.

NH and New England Exporter of the Year:

Good Leads, Robert E. Good, Salem

Good Leads, LLC, a technology-focused B2B lead generation specialist, has become an industry leader on a domestic and global scale in just 10 years. They have served more than 400 companies, government entities and economic development groups of all sizes within the U.S., and globally in Canada, Singapore, Israel, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The company is led by Bob Good, a Vietnam era veteran and former sales and marketing executive at Fortune 500 companies like GE, TRW and Wang Labs. The company name, Good Leads, is a commitment to employees and clients alike that Good’s name and leadership are on the line and are to be honored and trusted. He personally visits with every global client.

Good says, “My philosophy today, as it was 10 years ago, is to be the most trusted source of outsourced inside sales and business development. Loyal long term repeat customers are our biggest source of validation.”

By expanding into international markets, Good Leads was able to weather the economic storms of the last five years and keep growing. They quickly became a trusted source of business development services for both domestic and foreign economic development agencies. Bob Good says that his “secret sauce” is having New England’s most experienced business development team. The 40 member team is highly educated and trained, and many are multi-lingual and globally experienced as well. They are ready to meet the challenges of our 21^st century economy.

Good himself is involved in many aspects of the New Hampshire and New England business communities on a volunteer level. He is the current President of the New England Canada Business Council, where he led a trade mission to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is planning one for Toronto. He has been characterized as a genuine business ambassador for the state of New Hampshire and was appointed as New Hampshire’s Honorary Commercial Consul to Canada by Governor John Lynch. He participates in state sponsored international trade missions on a regular basis, and often coaches other participants on keys to trade mission success. He’s frequently queried on international “best practices” and has been a featured speaker at trade forum events.

Good’s advice to other entrepreneurs is, “Be active, get engaged, go to where like people are, present yourself in the best light. Get involved with groups and associations that have an international focus. People want a trusted source because they have a lot at stake with their business. People are looking for reputable vendors.” He says that he was asked to join the New England Canada Business Council a few years ago, and within a day of joining the group he had a request to bid on a project in Prince Edward Island. “Business comes from unexpected places and connections, you just need to be open to it.”

NH Small Business Person of the Year:

D. Jay McSharry, Portsmouth Restaurateur

A 1990 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Jay McSharry began his working career in film and video production as a free-lancer for a number of firms in New York City and also worked at an advertising firm in New York. During a trip back to his college stomping grounds in New Hampshire, Jay realized that Portsmouth presented some interesting growth opportunities for the restaurant, hospitality and tourism industries. Despite some lean years and a high retail vacancy rate, McSharry saw the promise of a historic downtown in New Hampshire’s only port city.

In 2000, with the help of a small SBA-backed loan from Fleet Bank and a book about how to run a business, McSharry launched Jumpin Jay’s Fish Café with $80,000 and 20 tables. Jay’s location coincided with a downtown revival and helped make Portsmouth a dining destination.

Following Jumpin Jay’s success, McSharry teamed up with several partners on other ventures, generally within a one mile radius of his initial restaurant. Today, McSharry’s other operations include Moxy - Modern American Tapas, re-branded in 2012 from the original 106 Grill; The Red Door Lounge (2003); and Dos Amigos Burritos (2003) with five locations. Combined, the eight restaurants currently employ over 125 people. McSharry also started and sold three restaurants that are still operating and employ another 75. New restaurant operations are notoriously difficult to finance. McSharry knew this and he took advantage of SBA’s 7a and 504 Loan programs throughout his business career. He obtained six SBA backed loans over the years, for over a half million dollars.

Between 2010 and 2012, while the number of restaurants remained constant, the combined operations have seen an impressive 25% growth in food and beverage sales, with equally impressive individual growth rates of between 13% and 42%. McSharry takes great pride when “alumni” from his restaurants advance in the culinary world or start their own businesses and he often gives them a hand.

Jay McSharry uses his success to help build the Portsmouth brand. He is on the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce board and is an active member and leader in the growing Restaurant Week, which brings thousands to the city to dine, stay and shop. He worked with local businesses to develop a unique downtown map and is engaged in a variety of other community activities and organizations, including Taste of the Nation, Share Our Strength, the Portsmouth Music Hall and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. In 2009 he established the Jay McSharry Diversity Scholarship Fund at his alma mater, the University of New Hampshire.

McSharry does not shy away when situations require his personal commitment, such as with his support for using locally grown produce from a growing number of small farms in the NH seacoast area. While many farmers sell their products at local Farmer’s Markets, McSharry recognized a tremendous opportunity for local farmers to collaborate and establish a delivery system to sell their harvest to local restaurants on a daily basis and is building an inventory and ordering portal that will help promote the growth of “Farm to Table” focused restaurants in Portsmouth and beyond. He has helped organize the small farmers and growers and is currently establishing a not for profit distribution company. McSharry’s restaurants already source as much food as possible from local farmers.

 The web page for Moxy - Modern American Tapas, McSharry’s newest endeavor, defines Moxy as “self-possessed confidence, an attitude of fearlessness in everyday circumstances." McSharry’s commitment to Portsmouth and its business community give witness to “moxy” as a common ingredient in all his ventures. 

NH Jeffrey H. Butland Family Owned Business of the Year:

Garland Mill Timberframes, Ben Southworth and Dana Southworth 

Garland Mill Timberframes of Lancaster is a design/build company that provides high quality craftsmanship and materials along with state-of-the-art building methods.   The heart of the operation is the Garland Mill, an 1856 water-powered sawmill that powers the mill and generates surplus energy that is returned to the grid.  Brothers Tom and Harry Southworth were the first generation business owners, operating the business since 1974.   They grew their company as they grew their families, hoping one day to pass the company and its high standards and quality on to their children.  
Their sons, Benjamin Southworth and Dana Southworth, left for college and career opportunities.  Ben’s education and travels took him to Minnesota and Norway, New Mexico and Chicago; Dana’s took him to Pennsylvania and Italy, Poland and Slovakia, New York City and several more countries.  Ben married his college sweetheart, Kirsten; Dana met his wife-to-be, Izabella, in New York.  

NH and New England Woman Owned Business of the Year:

LaBelle Winery, Amy L. LaBelle, Amherst 

Amy Labelle, with a law degree and a successful career at Fidelity Investments, was the youngest ever Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. Then, while on vacation in Nova Scotia she visited a winery and witnessed the winemaking process. Her ever-present love of fine food and wine collided with the visit and led to an ‘a-ha’ moment. On her return home, she began developing her own wine-making skills armed with recently purchased books on winemaking and some organic blueberries. 

After four long and lonely years of experimentation and education, LaBelle launched LaBelle Winery at a friend’s farm in Walpole. As LaBelle Wine sold out at farmers’ markets, wine tastings and local stores, LaBelle and husband Cesar Arboleda devoted more time to increasing production, built a large barn behind their home, found time to start a family, and continued to hire and grow. Cesar was the first to leave his day job to concentrate full time on the winery as Cellar Master. 

Specializing in fruit-based wines (grape, blueberry, apple, cranberry and more) sourced from New England farms, LaBelle Winery began to achieve industry recognition, winning over 70 regional and international accolades and medals. After two kids and many thousands of gallons of wine, it was time for the next major expansion. LaBelle promised herself that she’d be making wine full time by the time her oldest son entered kindergarten – a promise she kept.

Working with Granite State Development Corporation and Enterprise Bank, LaBelle Winery was able to use two SBA 504 loans to purchase the Bragdon Farm and build the winery, including custom 23 foot tall fermentation tanks. The project was completed in time to plant the new vineyards and start the next production cycle at the new Labelle Winery without losing any of the wine making season. As of October 2012 LaBelle was devoted fully time to her newly opened 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art winery and events center. The new events center can accommodate up to 350 guests, with catering provided by the Webber Restaurant Group, which operates in line with the Farm to Fork Movement. In 2013, the New Hampshire Business Review held its annual Outstanding Women in Business Awards program to a sell-out crowd at the winery. And through all this, production continued to double each year, increasing from 18,000 gallons in 2012 to over 30,000 this year, and employment increased from 8 to 30.

LaBelle does wine tastings and presentations at numerous New Hampshire and Massachusetts Farmer’s Markets, In-Store Tastings and Special Events.  LaBelle Wine can now be purchased at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets, Shaw's, Market Basket, Hannaford, Costco, and a large number of New Hampshire specialty stores, cafes and markets.  

NH Veteran Owned Business of the Year:

Team O’Neil Rally School, Tim O’Neil 

Tim O’Neil got his start early in life at his family’s logging business in Whitefield, New Hampshire. In 1977, he joined the United States Air Force and became a Fuel Systems Technician. This experience laid a strong foundation for his future ventures. According to O’Neil, “Working in the Air Force taught me a great deal about work ethic, discipline and pride in one’s work. It made me believe that I could achieve anything I set my mind to.” 

O’Neil and his wife Holly opened their driving school, Team O’Neil Rally School and Car Control Center, in Dalton in 1997. They started small with only a few cars and a small but dedicated staff of three, and were soon looking for more space. The location: it had to be a place where the weather was as challenging as it was inspiring, the demands on the driver unrelenting, and the rewards of mastering the art of driving unmatched. The Great North Woods of New Hampshire provided the perfect location.

NH Small Business Champion of the Year:

Devine Millimet Small Business Team 

The Small Business Team at Devine Millimet, a law firm based in Manchester, New Hampshire, understands the importance of providing sound legal advice at the inception of the business. Through years of experience they developed a keen appreciation for the important role small businesses play in innovation and invigoration of our economy, especially in economically challenging times. The firm’s attorneys know that when financial resources are stretched, entrepreneurs are tempted to cut corners to conserve cash, which can lead to problems and additional costs later on.