Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 9

72 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 close throughout COVID.” Since July 2020, the community has seen the opening of 14 retail and service businesses, all in the downtown area. The city has also welcomed larger manufacturing and distribution businesses, such as a newly opened Pella Windows territory service center. “Logistically, Rochester is very unique in the access that we provide in our location,” says Michael Scala, Director of Economic Development. “Businesses are starting to take notice of that in this logistics economy. We find it’s beneficial to let folks know that you can get anywhere from here. That’s spurred a lot of our development on the larger side. The smaller businesses have been inspired by our increased retail presence. We are the retail engine for Strafford County. Being the fourth largest city in the state, we have a good base for folks to sell their goods. There’s a spirit of entrepreneurship, too. A lot of these businesses are local folks that have had an idea, or they’ve always wanted to do something on their own.” Rochester is home to a diverse group of companies, including Safran, an aerospace company with a manufacturing facility in the city, and arms manufacturer SIG Sauer recently purchased an existing 210,000 square foot campus, which is being fitted and will be ready to begin production soon. “Another benefit of Rochester is our size,” says Scala. “We are close to 50 square miles and have six business parks. AT A GLANCE ROCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE WHAT: A progressive, historic city; population approx. 35,000 WHERE: Southeastern New Hampshire, near Portsmouth and Dover WEBSITE: www.rochesternh.net