Evan Lang, owner of Dishon Bakery, in Manchester, said the SBDC was a “game changer” when opening his business. More than 3,000 New Hampshire small-business owners and entrepreneurs turned to the organization for support, training or education in 2025, according to the NH SBDC annual report. File Photo/Carol Robidoux
The businesses range from Dishon Bakery in downtown Manchester, to a Merrimack firefighter’s IV wellness service on South Willow Street.
Then there’s the Manchester couple who’ll go get your new pup and deliver to your door in an electric vehicle, which went from COVID idea five years ago to a business with a national reach.
They are just a few examples of the thousands of small-business owners and entrepreneurs, not only in Manchester, but across New Hampshire, who have sought support, training or education from New Hampshire Small Business Development Centers.
NH SBDC had a $267.9 million overall impact on the state’s economy in 2025, according to the NHSBDC annual report, which was released Thursday.
Clients represented $23.67 million in capital raised and $745 million in annual sales. NH SBDCi clients in 2025 included 83 business starts and 5,024 overall jobs supported. Some 3,265 small-business owners and entrepreneurs were advised or took part in training or education by the organization.
“The report reflects a year of meaningful growth and measurable results for NH SBDC and our small business clients across the Granite State,” State Director Liz Gray said in a news release. “Our advisors and staff are the heart of this organization. They show up every day with energy and a genuine commitment to helping businesses start, grow, and thrive in today’s global economy.”
The NH SBDC, which is in its 42nd year, offers free one-on-one advising to small businesses, along with educational programs and events that support businesses and entrepreneurship.
In 2025, 67.3% of SBDC’s clients were already in business and 32.7% were starting a business. Of those served, 12.4% were in retail, followed by 11.5% in professional, scientific or technical services. Other industries served were accommodations and food services, health care, arts and entertainment, and more. Some 54% of NH SBDC’s clients in 2025 were female, and 9.3% were veterans and 7.1% were in rural areas.
From NHSBDC 2025 Annual Report
Behind every number in the SBDC annual report, there’s a unique business story.
“SBDC is one of the most valuable resources available, especially if you’re starting or growing a business,” Evan Lang, owner of Dishon Bakery, said. “The SBDC offers personalized, expert guidance that you can’t always find elsewhere.”
Lang, in a profile on SBDC’s website, credits his advisor Amy Bard with helping him to get his business off the ground much earlier than he likely would have otherwise.
SBDC volunteer advisors and the organization’s staff are the key to the success of the organization, Gray said. “They show up every day with energy, expertise, and a genuine commitment to helping businesses start, grow, and thrive in an increasingly complex environment,” she said.
The organization has 20 offices across the state. It’s funded in part through the Small Business Administration, as well as the state, and is an outreach program of the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, in conjunction with SBA and the state Bureau of Economic Affairs.
NH SBDC’s largest program is Business Advising and Education, in which certified business advisors work one-on-one with small businesses across all industries, offering “expert advising and practical education.” A small businesses is defined by the SBA as one with 500 or fewer employees, across all industries.
The program’s team-based approach “is especially effective in helping clients navigate complex challenges, including exit planning, capital acquisition, workforce development, brand management, and other evolving business needs.”
Education programs include topics on starting a business, cybersecurity, and more.
Other programs were also the focus in 2025, Gray said.
“We deepened our impact through initiatives such as the LeAF program, which has now supported more than 300 clients, the launch of our Disability Resource Guide for Small Businesses, and expanded outreach to entrepreneurs navigating economic uncertainty,” she said.
LeAF is Legal, Accounting, and Financial Services, which assists eligible entrepreneurs with business entity formation, contract review, and financial analysis.
The Disability Resource Guide for Small Businesses, available digitally, helps entrepreneurs better understand and implement workplace accessibility and customer experience.
“The guide emphasizes that accessibility extends beyond regulatory compliance and can serve as a catalyst for innovation, stronger employee engagement, and expanded customer reach,” the annual report says.
The organization’s NH Small Business Matchmaker event, held at Rivier University in Nashua in December, “convened 161 small businesses with 30 federal agencies and prime contractors in a high-impact networking environment.”
A partnership with Voice Z Digital, the University of New Hampshire’s first student-run digital marketing agency and the NH SBDC reached a “significant milestone,” when it served its 100th client in 2025. The initiative strengthens small businesses while developing student talent in the state, the report said.
Evan Lang of Dishon Bakery in Manchester. File Photo/Carol Robidoux
‘A game-changer’
Dishon Bakery’s story is one of many highlighted by the NH SBDC over the past year.
Evan Lang learned he had Celiac Disease in his early 20s. Like millions of others, his small intestine is hypersensitive to gluten, leading to trouble digesting food. He struggled to find gluten-free bread that tasted like the bread he had enjoyed his entire life.
When he and his wife, Salomé, dived into their love for baking during the COVID pandemic, they ultimately developed a gluten-free bread that was so good they were eating it daily, the SBDC profile says.
Friends and family liked it, too, so they began selling it. When they moved from New Jersey to New Hampshire for Salomé’s job a few years ago, they decided it was time to open a retail storefront.
Lang was a freelance marketing consultant, but he had no experience opening and running a retail bakery, not to mention in a new state, the SBDC profile says. On top of that, he’d have to hire and manage employees. When he turned to SBDC, he was connected with advisor Amy Bard. It was fortuitous – she’d once owned a bakery.
It was a game-changer, Lang said.
Not only did Bard help with guidance on local regulations, connecting with the right resources, and building a foundation for success in a community that was new to him, she had first-hand knowledge about the business.
Lang said that Bard is “incredibly knowledgeable and supportive, providing me with a clear roadmap and valuable insights tailored to my business goals.”
He said, though, the most useful thing was, that “In a good way, she would really pose some tough and pointed questions that made me refine what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do things.”
The bakery opened at 915 Elm St. in July 2024, selling 100% gluten-free items.
Lang said it would have taken him much longer to get to where he is today without SBDC’s support, including Bard’s guidance on creating an employee handbook, understanding his legal obligations, and ways to support his employees.
“I would have been going into it blind, and instead, I have received a lot of insight from her,” he said.
The support, he said, set up his business for long-term success. Lang said, “SBDC is one of the most valuable resources available, especially if you’re starting or growing a business.”
Merrimack firefighter Matt Loranger began Hydropeutics as a mobile business in 2021, but opened a bricks-and-mortar location in Manchester in April. Loranger credits SBDC support with helping him get his business off the ground. Photo/NH SBDC
‘Is this even a good idea?’
Matt Loranger, a Merrimack firefighter, had an idea for a wellness business that expanded access to IV hydration and vitamin therapy. That idea turned into a business that’s another SBDC success story.
Loranger, when he came up with the idea, had trouble finding formal education pathways or standardized programs around IV therapy, nutritional infusions, and vitamin supplementation, the SBDC said. He dove into research and also began a search for the right medical partner. He found Dr. Patrick Lee, a New Hampshire State Board-certified physician with extensive emergency room experience. Lee “shared Loranger’s passion for preventative care and understood the value of keeping people out of the ER when hydration, vitamins, and nutrition could solve the problem,” the SBDC profile says.
The two developed protocols and laid the groundwork for a new business, Hydropeutics. But the business was still in the idea stage. Loranger needed startup resources and guidance on funding. He turned to NH SBDC.
“Is this even a good idea?” he asked advisor Andrea O’Brien. It’s a question every entrepreneur eventually asks, the SBDC profile of Loranger’s journey says.
O’Brien assured him that, yes, it was a good idea.
In April, five years after launching Hydropeutics as a mobile service, Loranger opened a storefront location on South Willow Street in Manchester. The service is complements traditional health care, and can reduce unnecessary ER visits by providing preventative hydration, nutrition and vitamins. Loranger now has five employees.
He’s also working on insurance credentialing and developing GranVera, a concierge health care company that offers telehealth, nutrition education, and 24/7 practitioner access.
Loranger continues to work closely with O’Brien, valuing her honesty, motivation, and realistic guidance, the SBDC says.
Joseph Getts of DogHop
Just like Lang and Loranger, Lauren and Joseph Getts’ new business began when they recognized a need.
During the COVID pandemic, they decided that their Belgian shepherd, Dexter, needed a sibling. They picked out a puppy from a breeder, but then had trouble finding a way to get him home to New Hampshire that was safe and reliable.
“The cargo bay of an airplane was out of the question, and they knew after reading horror stories that a trip in a shared van wasn’t something they wanted for their new pup,” their SBDC profile says.
That’s when they came up with the idea for DogHop, a sustainable company that prioritizes comfort and care for pets who are being transported, while also giving their humans peace of mind.
They both had plenty of business experience. Lauren has a degree in communications and a career in branding and marketing. Joseph has a degree in business and entrepreneurship and has years of experience managing teams, building operational systems, and supporting startups.
They still needed guidance when it came to getting their business up and running.
“When you’re starting, you don’t realize how hard it is. Doing it for yourself is very different than studying it,” the pair said in their SBDC profile.
Lauren had seen the SBDC in action through her role at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, so she reached out. Their advisor, Hollis McGuire, has a background in dog breeding and dog shows, and knew all about the unique challenges of the industry, the profile said.
DogHop launched in 2021, and offers private door-to-door ground service for pet delivery across the U.S. and Canada, using fully electric vehicles. There’s also a flight companion option for smaller pets.
Since launching, they’ve also gotten help from the LeAF Program, which provided them with five hours of pro bono legal support from Abridge Law. DogHop was expanding nationally and they needed to protect their intellectual property. Through LeAF, they secured a federal trademark.
“The NH SBDC has saved us time, money, and given us confidence in the steps we’re taking,” Lauren said.
DogHop has been able to scale not just quickly but also purposely and adhere to their values of sustainability and compassion, the SBDC said.
“There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a dog arrive safely in the arms of someone who’s been anxiously waiting for them, whether it’s a family welcoming a new puppy or a pet parent reuniting with their best friend after a cross-country move,” Lauren said. “Those moments remind us why we do this.”
A vital part of NH business growth
The SBDC is a lifeline for small businesses, which need resources for growth but often don’t have the means to access them, the organizations state partners said in the report.
“The high-caliber business advising and programming delivered by NH SBDC’s dedicated team are extremely impactful to small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the state of New Hampshire,” said Amy Bassett, director of the NH District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. “We continue to hear from its clients how vital the NH SBDC is to their continued success in starting and growing thriving businesses in the Granite State.”
The expert technical knowledge and assistance to businesses “helps ensure that our small businesses thrive, grow, and prosper in the Granite State,” James Key-Wallace, BEA interim commissioner said.
UNH is honored to serve as NH SBDC’s host institution, President Elizabeth Chilton said.
“[The partnership with NH SBDC] is a primary example of how we embody our mission to provide scholarship and expertise to support the Granite State,” Chilton said. “The NH SBDC team provides invaluable support to Granite State entrepreneurs and small business leaders who are critical to the state’s economy and wellbeing.”
