MANCHESTER — NH Business Review will honor 15 outstanding business owners and operators from across New Hampshire during its 24th annual Business Excellence Awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Held at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, the 2026 Business Excellence Awards ceremony will celebrate individuals whose leadership, innovation and commitment to excellence have helped drive New Hampshire’s business community forward. Honorees represent a diverse range of industries and organizations, including Beacon Payments, The Moore Center, Hinckley Allen, Foxx Life Sciences and Winnipesaukee Flagship Corp.
“The Business Excellence Awards recognize the leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators who are making a lasting impact on New Hampshire’s economy and communities,” said Mike Cote, editor of NH Business Review. “We are proud to celebrate this year's honorees and their achievements, which exemplify the talent, vision and dedication that continue to strengthen our state's business landscape.”
During the awards ceremony, Ken and Grace Solinsky will be named the 2026 Hall of Fame recipients. Since moving to New Hampshire in 1986, the Solinskys have created several successful businesses, most recently OnPoint Systems and Envision Technology. In 2023, they began developing the Village on Technology Hill, a community comprising 440 apartments, a childcare facility, a village store and more than 250,000 square feet of industrial space. Their philanthropic efforts include major gifts to the Elliot Hospital for a cancer treatment center in Manchester and to Easterseals for an equine and recreation center at Military & Veterans Campus in Franklin.
Since 2013, the Business Excellence Awards have recognized both small and large New Hampshire-based businesses across several industries, including health care, real estate and construction, nonprofit, manufacturing and technology.
2026 Business Excellence Awards Recipients:
Business & Professional Services
Small: Christopher Brackett of Greater Nashua Technology Consulting, LLC
Large: John H. Sokul Jr. of Hinckley Allen
Consumer Services
Small: Erik Mogensen of Black Mountain NH & Entabeni Systems
Large: Jared Maraio of Winnipesaukee Flagship Corp.
Financial Services
Small: Cydney Shapleigh of NH Trust
Large: Jerry Kadish of Beacon Payments
Health Care
Small: Brittany Barberian of Compass of Hope
Large: Susan Santana of Southern New Hampshire Health
Manufacturing
Small: Evan LaBelle of Autotiv Manufacturing Corporation
Large: Thomas Taylor of Foxx Life Sciences
Nonprofit
Small: Sandra Piere-Jordan of Birchtree
Large: Dawn Zimmerman of The Moore Center
Real Estate & Construction
Small: Tim Englebert, AIA of Randall-Paulson Architects
Social Equity
Small: Kastle Harper of Rhythm & Roots Studio
Technology
Small: Michelle Strasburger of HR Rebooted LLP
For more information, visit nhbr.com/events-awards/business-excellence-awards.
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