Category: Q&A

On The Job – Chelsey Goss

Portable restroom rental provider

Chelsey Goss and her husband, Zach, own and operate Powerhouse Portable Restrooms, a portable restroom rental service based in Hudson.

Explain your job and what it entails.

At Powerhouse Portable Restrooms, we rent portable toilets for a variety of occasions such as construction sites, weddings, festivals and town parks. On a typical day, I spend my time in the truck completing a service route, which includes pumping out portable restrooms, restocking the toilet paper, sanitizer and deodorizers, and sanitizing all surfaces inside and outside of the unit. I also take care of all of our scheduling of new and existing customers. This includes taking customer info, site locations, billing information, creating our serviced routes and providing quotes.

How long have you had this job?

We opened April 1, 2022, so about six months.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

My husband was affiliated with another company within this field, so I worked for them while I was finishing up a second degree. I became very passionate about this field and enjoyed working alongside my husband every day. We decided to go on our own and open Powerhouse Portable Restrooms.

What kind of education or training did you need?

No education was required. A driver’s license, a great work ethic and hands-on experience was all that I needed. My husband has taught me everything about this field of work, which I am very grateful for.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

We don’t wear anything in particular. We have company shirts with our logo and slogan that we typically wear daily, and a good pair of work jeans and muck boots to keep my feet dry while spraying the units down.

What was it like starting a business during the pandemic?

Starting a business during the pandemic was definitely scary. However, coming from within this field, we knew that the demand was there and still at an all-time high. So far, it remains high. People are taking more units for job sites, and private outdoor events are happening more often as the pandemic pushes people to get outside.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

I wish I had known about this field from a business standpoint sooner because I would have started right out of high school.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

That portable toilets are not gross. There are definitely larger companies that push volume over quality, however, there are more small family-owned companies like us that take pride in what we do and offer top-of-the-line portable restrooms.

What was the first job you ever had?

I worked at Walgreens for a summer.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

To always stay humble, keep my head down and always give 110 percent every day. As long as I do that, the tough days will iron themselves out.

Five favorites

Favorite book: I’m not a big reader.
Favorite movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Favorite music: Country
Favorite food: Mexican
Favorite thing about NH: There is natural beauty throughout the entire state, and the unpredictable weather allows us to experience a little bit of each part of the country right here in one state.

Featured photo: Chelsey Goss. Courtesy photo.

Updates on the mail

The plant manager at Manchester’s USPS center talks about improvements

As part of Delivering for America, a 10-year plan for the United States Postal Service “to achieve financial sustainability and service excellence,” the USPS has installed 270 new package sorting machines across the country, including one in New Hampshire at the USPS Processing and Distribution Center in Manchester. Plant manager Janie Beltran talked about the machine and other initiatives to improve and modernize the USPS.

What is this machine, and how does it work?

It’s an automated parcel sorter. … The mail handlers will place the mail on the conveyor belt. There’s a computer system that reads the bar code [on the package], and then the machine does its magic and sorts the packages by their zip codes. It can sort into 200 different destinations across the country. It’s very simple, but it does a lot. It currently runs 3,000 pieces an hour. I can’t run 3,000 pieces in an hour doing a manual operation. … We’re running it five days a week for now … and we’ve been processing first class mail — small packages, like something smaller than a shoebox — that originates here in New Hampshire, and we’re distributing to all 50 states.

How did Manchester USPS end up getting one of these machines?

The Postal Service is modernizing its operations to accommodate the growing customer demand for packages. When Covid hit, everybody was at home, and that’s when the packages really increased. It’s grown significantly over the several holiday seasons. So Delivering for America is a 10-year plan where they’re investing almost $40 billion, and that’s an investment in people, equipment and technology. They just deployed about 137 of these new package sorters across the country … which will give us the capacity across the country to process 60 million packages a day. … [Manchester USPS] had the space, the right location, the right mail mix, so we got one of them installed here in Manchester.

Is this machine replacing any of your workforce?

No — on the contrary. It has created more need for employees to staff the machine.

How will this improve service? Will people notice a difference this holiday season?

During the holiday season, we get double to triple the amount that we normally do the other 10 months of the year. … This will ensure that we’re well-positioned to handle the peak volumes … and provide customers with efficient, predictable, reliable service that they expect and deserve this holiday and beyond … and that’s even better than last year. … The goal is to run it for 15 to 18 hours a day during the holiday season. … It’s going to help us run parcels to help Nashua [USPS] and give them some flexibility to concentrate on priority packages. … We envision that this machine can also run some priority packages, which are a little bigger, so during the peak volumes we’ll also be running some priority mail to alleviate the volumes that we anticipate Nashua is going to have, just to give them even more flexibility. … We’re ready for a successful holiday season.

What other improvements has USPS been working on?

We’ve converted some of our non-career [employees] to career [status] to stabilize the workforce. We’ve rearranged the working floor to make it more efficient, so that the mail can travel through our buildings into our trips so that they go on time. … Nashua has gotten other types of equipment to help them this holiday season and moving forward. … [Nationally,] we’ve improved our performance. We’ve decreased our projected losses. It was forecasted that we were going to have a $116 billion loss over the next 10 years, but with all these improvements and investments, stabilizing the workforce and stabilizing our service, we’ve been able to reduce it to, I think, about $70 billion now. That’s a big accomplishment for the organization. … Another thing is, during Covid, the Postal Service packaged and delivered about 60-plus million Covid test kits for America. … The government came to us and asked if we could do that, and we said, ‘Absolutely.’ That was pretty amazing for us to be able to help the American public in that way.

Featured photo: Janie Beltran. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Emilee Viaud

Emilee Viaud of Milford is the owner of Sweet Treats by Emilee ([email protected], and on Facebook and Instagram @sweettreatsbyemilee_), specializing in cakes, decorative cookies, doughnuts, scones, croissants and a variety of handcrafted chocolate items. She started the business in October 2020 at the height of the hot cocoa bomb trend, soon becoming a regular vendor at the Manchester Craft Market inside the Mall of New Hampshire (1500 S. Willow St., Manchester) and branching out to all kinds of bomb flavors, from milk, dark and white chocolate to salted caramel, cookies and cream and peanut butter. She now has a whole lineup of sweet treats stocked there, as well as at Junction 71 (707 Milford Road, Merrimack) — items include chocolate-covered Oreos, chocolate-covered pretzel rods, Rice Krispie treats and jumbo peanut butter cups. Viaud also sells an assortment of fresh baked goods at the Milford Farmers Market (300 Elm St.) on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from doughnuts and croissants to scones, cupcakes and rotating flavors of hand pies. The final outdoor date of the market is Oct. 8 before it moves indoors at the Town Hall Auditorium starting next month. Viaud’s first participating date of the indoor market will be Nov. 19.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

The utensil that I use the most is definitely a whisk.

What would you have for your last meal?

I grew up eating a lot of pasta with meatballs and garlic bread. That’s kind of always been like a childhood meal that I enjoy.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Revival [Kitchen & Bar in Concord] because, of course, it’s farm-to-table and their menu changes seasonally. One thing that always stays consistent is their meat and cheese platter, and so I’ll always go for that as an appetizer.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something you’ve made?

I would choose a lot of people, but I kind of lean toward Duff Goldman, just because I watched a lot of his shows growing up. … I really like him specifically because he’s more on the decorating side, and that’s what I enjoy the most out of baking. So, I know that he would give me an honest opinion on whether he liked it or not.

What is your favorite item that you offer?

I would say probably the doughnuts, because I have not been doing them for a long time. I’m honestly still learning — I’ve changed the recipe multiple times ever since making them, so it’s something that kind of challenges me a little bit, and I also get to change the flavors seasonally.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

I was thinking, maybe, like cultural food. … You’re starting to see, I guess more on the side of pop-ups, more restaurants displaying their heritage and their food.

What is your favorite thing to make at home?

Something that I always try to do is fresh bread … because I feel like it really completes a meal. I just love fresh bread and butter — there’s nothing better.

Brown butter Rice Krispie treats
From the kitchen of Emilee Viaud of Sweet Treats by Emilee (makes a 9-by-13-inch pan)

1½ sticks butter
2 10-ounce bags mini marshmallows, plus 1 cup
12 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Place the butter in a pot. Let it melt until bubbles form on the top, then start stirring, lifting the browned butter from the bottom of the pan. Once the butter has burned brown, add the two bags of marshmallows. Once the marshmallows are melted, add your cereal. Mix until fully coated, then add an extra cup of marshmallows for extra gooey treats.

Featured photo: Emilee Viaud. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Christine Arlit

Quilt shop owner

Christine Arlit is the owner of The Sewing Diva Quilt Shop, a full-service quilt shop in North Salem Village.

Explain your job and what it entails.

As the owner, I wear many hats [including] purchasing inventory, entering it in the system, getting it onto the sales floor, scheduling classes, making samples, cooking for events in the store, teaching, long arm quilting customer quilts, bookkeeping and cleaning.

How long have you had this job?

I have been in business since 2009, briefly closing in 2017 to care for my mom.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I took a quilting class and just fell in love with quilting. I was out shopping for fabric one day and was in need of help and I couldn’t get the help I was looking for so I decided to be that person who would be there to help new quilters pick out fabrics for their projects.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I wouldn’t say it was training, but my passion about what I was doing and wanting to help and educate new quilters was my goal. I learned a lot on my own and hired teachers to help in the process of educating new quilters.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I am business casual most of the time. I am on my feet most of the day, so you will find me with black polka dot slippers on in the store the majority of the day.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

The pandemic changed us in the fact that we were limited on the number of people in our classroom, people were masked in the store, inventory was delayed, and we would need to monitor how many people we had in the store.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

I wish I knew that sometimes salespeople are just that — salespeople. You need to listen to your gut and buy what’s good for your store and customers. More is not always better.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

I think most people know as a small business owner you do everything. You never stop working. Even when I am home, I am always on the computer looking at new patterns and fabrics for the store.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was being a cashier at Marlin Mills in Methuen, Mass. I remember we had to wear striped aprons over our clothes and you were to always look busy.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I received is do what you love and love what you do; the rest will fall into place.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Anything by Danielle Steel
Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing
Favorite music: Country and ’80s music
Favorite food: Chinese
Favorite thing about NH: I love camping, hiking and the mountains.

Featured photo: Christine Arlit. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Rocky Burpee

George “Rocky” Burpee of Loudon is the owner of Shaker Road Provisions (89 Fort Eddy Road, Suite 2, Concord, shakerroadprovisions.com), which opened April 16 in the former Smokeshow Barbeque space. Scratch-made bacon is the heart of the operation at the shop, which offers everything from flavored slices and bits to all kinds of bacon-incorporated prepared foods, like burgers, macaroni and cheese and even bacon chocolate bars. Shaker Road Provisions regularly sells its bacon at the Concord Farmers Market on Saturdays, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and at the Salem Farmers Market on Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — both markets will continue to run outdoors through the end of October. The shop also carries a selection of various locally sourced products, and recently received approval to sell its bacon to restaurants.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

The most important thing to me, for bacon specifically, is my slicer. I spent the money on a really nice slicer and it’s made all the difference from when I first started.

What would you have for your last meal?

I’d have to say … a surf and turf. Just an amazing aged rib-eye and a nice fat lobster tail, or something like that.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Without a doubt, Industry East [in Manchester]. [Chef] Jeff Martin is a genius, especially with what he has to work with in that kitchen. And, [owners] Jeremy [Hart] and Dan [Haggerty] are just amazing guys. … My wife and I, we try to go there at least a couple times a month. … I always try to get the specials, but you can’t go wrong with the Goon Glizzy, their crab rangoon hot dog, and also the steak and cheese tacos.

What celebrity would you like to see trying your bacon?

I’m a die-hard Gordon Ramsay fan, but I also know that he doesn’t pull any punches, so I’d be really nervous for him to try it. … The only other person that comes to mind immediately would be Alton Brown. He taught me a lot when his show came out, just because he’s so analytical and the way he breaks things down is great.

What is your favorite thing you make that incorporates your bacon?

I think the bacon burgers are just out of this world … and you also can’t go wrong with our sweet and spicy bacon bits in a scrambled egg dish. They are just fantastic. That was actually my wife’s idea.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

The trend is not to be trendy. It’s innovation and it’s trying new things. It’s like, more [about] who can outdo the next person and who can get crazy and put stuff together that hasn’t been put together before.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I love prime rib. My prime rib is slathered in my bacon fat, covered in my spice mix and then I sous vide it for 10 hours. … Serve that with a side of potatoes any way you like it, and it’s just like upscale meat and potatoes.

Baked potato soup with bacon
From the kitchen of George “Rocky” Burpee of Shaker Road Provisions in Concord

1½ pounds baked potatoes
½ cup flour
6 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped
6 to 8 ounces Shaker Road Provisions bacon (maple or peppered), cooked and roughly chopped (substitute sweet and spicy bacon bits for an extra punch of flavor)
Salt and pepper to taste

Bake potatoes in a 400-degree oven for one hour or until fork tender. Once cool, peel and cut into small chunks, or lightly mash. While the potatoes cool, in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the flour and slowly stir in the milk, whisking continuously until the flour is fully incorporated. Continue stirring often until the milk is bubbling and thickened (about 10 minutes). Add the potatoes to the pot and blend with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender in batches and blend until smooth. If you prefer more texture, you can also fully mash the potatoes prior to adding them to the milk and skip blending them. Return the blended soup to low heat. Add the cheese, sour cream, green onion and bacon or bacon bits (reserve some bacon for a garnish if you want to make it look extra pretty). Season to taste with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. (Optional: As a gluten-free option, use 4 cups of milk and skip the flour).

Featured photo: George “Rocky” Burpee, owner of Shaker Road Provisions in Concord. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Kara Webster

Floral decor designer

Kara Webster of Pelham designs and sells handcrafted seasonal wreaths and floral decor from her online shop, Enchanted Vines, and hosts virtual and in-person wreath-making workshops.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I work with high-quality florals to create wreaths and floral arrangements that appear lifelike. These pieces are designed to create a warm and welcoming home. … In addition to selling, I’ve … created seasonal workshops where I teach others how to design … their wreath or centerpiece so that it lasts for seasons to come.

How long have you had this job?

Enchanted Vines was created on Valentine’s Day of 2018 on the Etsy platform. I ran my shop as my side hustle for over four years. I worked my 9-to-5 job in HR and dedicated nights and weekends to my shop. In the summer of 2021, I reduced my hours at my full-time job to test the waters, and by fall of 2021 I made the leap to pursue my passion full-time

What led you to this career field and your current job?

In my late teen years, I had two jobs I loved. The first was an all-female landscaping company where we did garden installations and maintenance. The second was working at a florist. Both jobs laid the foundation for learning about flowers, color and design.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I’ve been a sponge with online resources over the last five or six years. I utilize YouTube tutorials and am a member of an online-based group that focuses on online selling and wreath making. … I have an amazing mentor named Wendy through the SCORE Business Mentoring Program. Wendy has a family-owned limo company, and even though we’re in completely different fields, she’s provided me with invaluable advice.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

When I’m working at home, my go-to is comfort, so you can usually find me in Cozy Earth loungewear. When I’m running a workshop, I’m in jeans, comfy shoes and my Enchanted Vines apron that my coworkers gave as part of my goodbye gift.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

With stores being closed, online sales were boosted, but in-person events were put on hold. I made the decision to pivot my business model and created virtual workshops as well as DIY floral kits. I continue to offer virtual workshops, which allow me to connect with clients from all over the country.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

When something seems scary or outside your comfort zone, do it anyway. That discomfort is a sign that you’re … improving on your skillset.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Being in business for yourself can make you feel vulnerable. You have to completely put yourself out there, believe in yourself and invest in yourself. Being a small business owner can be risky, scary, draining, but also so rewarding.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was at Dunkin’ Donuts at the age of 15.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t ever get complacent. There’s always room for growth.

Five favorites

Favorite book: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover.
Favorite movie: The Notebook.
Favorite music: Adele and Lizzo never disappoint.
Favorite food: Apple crisp is my favorite right now.
Favorite thing about NH: When the seasons change. I always say my favorite season is the “next” season because I love seeing the transformation.

Featured photo: Kara Webster. Courtesy photo.

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