Business View Magazine - November 2016

128 Business View Magazine - November 2016 Rochester, New Hampshire Slated for success “The City of Rochester is very progressive for a small, New England town,” says Karen Pollard, Rochester New Hampshire’s Economic Development Manager. “We’re not sleepy; we have a whole different energy than many of the communities around us. We have a real vision for the future as a center of commerce and industry.” Originally incorporated in 1722, Rochester was named for Laurence Hyde, Earl of Rochester and brother-in- law to King James II. Its first large business was lum- bering, followed by mills and tanneries with power pro- vided by the Cocheco River that runs through the city. The production of woolen blankets came next, and by the late 1880s, shoe manufacturing had surpassed textiles as Rochester’s dominant industry. The shoe industry thrived until the 1970s, when it finally suc- cumbed to the flood of cheaper, foreign imports. Today, Rochester is still a business-friendly community with an entrepreneurial spirit. It’s high quality of life, its skilled workforce, stable taxes, superior school sys- tem, available real estate, and easy access to trans- portation makes it a desirable place to launch new