Claremont
Birkins, a Connecticut banker who was brought aboard as executive vice president and chief operating officer last March, was to take over as CEO from Moody upon Moody’s scheduled retirement in April.
Birkins left last month, although the bank did not announce the departure.
“It just didn’t work out,” Moody said in a interview last week. He declined to elaborate on the reasons.
“We informed our corporators and staff it was a mutual agreement that we were parting ways. It’s something we had both been thinking about. It’s really not anything beyond that,” Moody said.
Birkins, reached at home in Litchfield, Conn., also declined to discuss the reason for his departure and referred questions to Moody.
He nonetheless expressed positive sentiment toward Claremont Savings Bank and said he had a “wonderful experience there. … The way I was received into the bank, and the community for that matter, was just fantastic.”
Birkins said he had been staying in a rental residence in Claremont and would have relocated to the Upper Valley “had the succession been consummated.”
Before he joined Claremont Savings, Birkins had been executive vice president and chief financial officer at Union Savings Bank in Danbury, Conn.
Moody said that he will stay on as CEO and president until a new successor has been found. He said an executive search firm has been hired to identify candidates.
“We’re hopeful we’ll have somebody by the end of May and then through some transition have the individual start sometime midsummer,” Moody said.
Henderson’s Tree Services LLC, of White River Junction, has been accredited under a new accreditation program administered by the Londonderry, N.H.-based Tree Care Industry Association.
The accreditation process includes a rigorous application process and a review of business and professional practices, including formal training and certification of employees, compliance with industry standards, adherence to safety standards, and more. The Tree Care Industry Association also conducted an on-site audit of the company’s facilities and work sites.
The accreditation is in effect for a period of three years, with renewal check-ups required every year.
Fairlee-based Mountain Graphics Photography has been granted an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration allowing it to operate a small unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone, for commercial aerial photography and videography.
Using a drone for aerial photography “drastically reduces the danger and costs of larger, manned vehicles,” the company said in a news release.
The company said intends to use the aerial vehicle for property photography, first responder assistance and agricultural applications.
The Upper Valley chapter of SCORE is offering a workshop on Valuation and Sale of Business on Thursday, from 6-9 p.m., at 20 W. Park St., Lebanon, Suite 316, in the Citizens Bank Building.
This interactive workshop will cover analyzing a business and its strengths and weaknesses, understanding the marketplace, business valuation and the proper selling price and terms and more. Materials and examples will be provided.
The seminar will be presented by Philip Steckler and Tammy Richards of Country Business Inc. Cost is $30, two for $45. Veterans free. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit www.uppervalley.score.org, email score@valley.net or call 603-448-3491.
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