Manchester, NH

Work and Play Where You Live

The business and financial capital of the state with an estimated population of 109,395 people, Manchester is the largest city in New Hampshire and in northern New England. It is ideally located within an hour’s drive of Boston and the Atlantic coastline, less than two hours from New Hampshire’s scenic White Mountains. Recognized as one of the top economic cities of its size, Manchester offers a low unemployment rate and major employers in a state with no income tax or sales tax and the lowest overall tax burden in the U.S. with the highest standard of living. The city’s historic rehabilitated Millyard is home to more than 4 million square feet of office, R&D and manufacturing space. Firms that take up residence here include Texas Instruments, Autodesk, Riverstone and DEKA Research.

Manchester supplies indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities from day to night in parks, trail systems, museums and entertainment venues as well as hundreds of restaurants, cafes, diners and 5 million square feet of tax-free shopping centers. Its Verizon Wireless Arena, the state’s largest sports and entertainment facility, seats somewhere between 10,000 to 11.770 people (depending on the event) and is home to the Manchester Monarchs, the AHL affiliate of the LA Kings. Northeast Delta Dental Stadium holds around 7500 people and is used primarily for baseball, specifically the New Hampshire Fishercats, an AA Affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The City’s Cultural landmarks include the Palace Theatre, the Currier Museum of Art, the New Hampshire Institute of Art, and the Franco-American Center.

 

New and Expanding

2010 was a busy year for Manchester with many businesses relocating and expanding to the city’s advantage. Benefit Strategies LLC is a business that has profited from the recession as employees turn to it as a third party administrator for Flexible Spending Accounts, COBRA, and other employee benefits. Having recently rehabbed a Manchester building, the company will build an additional four-story connection for business expansion, potential office use, a retail tenant, and/or a residence. Having added around 15 jobs in the last year, Paul G. Smith, CEO of Benefit Strategies said, “The purpose of this building is to give us capacity to grow and continue to grow.”

To accommodate a jump in employees from approximately 70 to 130 in the past year, JP Sercel Associates Inc. (JPSA) has completed a 24,000-square foot expansion. This doubles the company’s area used to manufacture LED, solar, and excimer laser micromachining systems and allows them to keep on top of the growing demand.

EPE Corporation, New Hampshire’s 14th fastest growing business opened a new location near the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. The electronics company had outgrown its previous Manchester location of 26 years and will now reside in a 45,000-square foot facility with the anticipation of creating more jobs in the near future. Since 2007, EPE has experienced 150 percent job growth and 168 percent revenue increase.

Elliot Hospital at River’s Edge is Manchester’s largest development project in more than 30 years. Once completed, the site will include a 258,000-square foot urgent care center for Elliot Hospital (expandable to 376,500 sq. ft.), a 126,000-square foot medical office building, a 24-unit apartment building, an 11,300-square foot retail commercial building, two parking garages and a Riverfront park. The project is estimated to create at least 200 to 250 new permanent jobs and help retain more than 800 jobs. “[The] mixed-use sustainable project…will stand as one of the best examples of a public/private development initiative ever seen in New Hampshire,” says Jay Minkarah, Director, Manchester Economic Development.