Chris Brown, President of New Hampshire Distributors, LLC, and founder of the 1883 Black Ice Hockey Association received the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s highest honor at their 105th Annual Meeting on November 6. The dinner at the Grappone Conference Center welcomed over 250 community, nonprofit and business leaders from the Capital Region. This esteemed audience gave a standing ovation to Brown for his impact on the Greater Concord community.
As part of the award ceremony, Chamber Board Chair, Larry Haynes of Grappone Automotive Group, shared anecdotes from Chris Brown’s nomination before presenting the prestigious Citizen of the Year award. “Chris and New Hampshire Distributors defines what it means to be a corporate leader in the community, generously donating their time and financial backing to the communities in which they do business,” wrote nominator Joe Shoemaker of Shaheen & Gordon, P.A.
In his acceptance remarks, Chris Brown shared the New Hampshire Distributors company motto: Making friends is our business. “We might be a statewide business… however our commitment for building a better community in Concord has always been a major part of it,” said Brown. He reflected on his role serving as the third generation of New Hampshire Distributors, while also being a third-generation recipient of the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year award. This unique status exemplifies his family’s commitment to giving back and volunteering their time for impactful community efforts.
One of Chris’ most notable contributions to the Greater Concord community is the founding of the 1883 Black Ice Hockey Association. The annual Black Ice Pond Hockey championship has raised over $550,000 for booster clubs of sports teams at local schools. But beyond that, the event engages approximately 700 hockey players each year for a massive 3-day event. When he was inducted into the NH Legends of Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022, Chris was recognized for encouraging significantly more kids in the Concord area to play hockey than would have been exposed to the sport before.
The evening also highlighted the Chamber’s ongoing efforts to serve nearly 850 area organizations as they grow their businesses in Greater Concord. Additional speakers included Chamber President, Tim Sink, former Chamber President Jim Milliken who provided an invocation, and Tonya Rochette of NAMI New Hampshire, who provided a land acknowledgement. ConcordTV produced a video to recognize longtime Chamber friend, Joe Kasper. Chamber Board Chair, Larry Haynes, discussed the Chamber’s accomplishments over the past year—providing business advocacy at the local and statewide level, investing in new channels to bring tourism to the Greater Concord region, offering many networking and educational programs, bringing new sculptures to downtown Concord, continuing the robust programming of Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) and impactful leadership programs for adults and students, establishing new partnerships from Inclusion in Action initiatives, and much more.
The Chamber extends special thanks to this year’s Presenting Sponsor, Merrimack County Savings Bank and additional sponsors for their support. Corporate Sponsors: Eversource Energy; Grappone Automotive Group; Unitil; Breezeline; Mason + Rich, PA. Event Sponsors: AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire; Comcast Business; Milestone Construction, LLC; Nathan Wechsler & Company, PA; Northeast Delta Dental. Associate Sponsors: Associated Grocers of New England, Inc.; Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Cleveland, Waters and Bass, P.A.; Dartmouth Health; Eastern Bank; Orr & Reno, PA. Supporting Sponsors: Concord Hospital; Franklin Savings Bank; McLane Middleton; NBT Bank, N.A. Citizen Sponsors: Eastern Propane & Oil, Inc.; Gallagher. In-Kind Sponsors: Courtyard by Marriott Grappone Conference Center, DL Photos LLC, Speedy Printing & Copying, ConcordTV.
Incorporated in 1919, New Hampshire’s state capital chamber of commerce—the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce—develops economic opportunities, strengthens the business climate, and enhances quality of life in the Capital region. As largest chamber in the state, it is deeply invested in the local community and dedicated to shaping competitive economic development strategy, advocating for policies and projects that benefit the region, and promoting Concord as a culturally vibrant visitor destination. For more information, please visit concordnhchamber.com.
Photo: Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Board Chair, Larry Haynes of Grappone Automotive Group, presented Chris Brown of New Hampshire Distributors, LLC with the 2024 Citizen of the Year Award. Photo credit DL Photos LLC.