Category: Q&A

A stretch assist

Helping get muscles back in condition

Nate Lavallee is the owner and operator of the new FlexABLE Assisted Stretching & Wellness studio in Manchester, where he specializes in one-on-one Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, also known as PNF Assisted Stretching. The studio, located at 679 Mast Road, has an open house planned for Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit flexable.biz.

What is your background in this kind of work?

For most of my life, I did construction. As of a few years ago, I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore. I decided to go back to school … for health and fitness. I was 34. It was a leap of faith to do this. I was making a decent living doing construction, but I wasn’t happy. I was treating my body terribly … and had some pain, physically and mentally. I went back … and got my Associate of Science. I’m a certified personal trainer, and I have training in PNF stretch. That’s my main focus, the assisted stretching. I had a year-long course in school about it … and I did more research on it and got even more training on it.

What is PNF assisted stretching?

It’s a contract-release method that’s just really effective for anything muscular. For anything skeletal, you go to a chiropractor. For joint pain or injuries, you go to PT. But for anything that’s muscular, this is the solution — stretching and mobility training. I have quite a few clients who have been going to PT for years and say the stretching actually helps them more. A lot of people prefer it over massage and other forms of bodywork. … It’s also about finding the root of the problem and using corrective exercise to fix any imbalances and mobility issues so that the problem doesn’t continue or come back.

What made you decide to start this business?

I started working for a place in Londonderry as a personal trainer for a little over a year, and I got passionate about this assisted stretching idea. I’d do assisted stretching with some of my clients, and they loved it. A few of them were even going to this [assisted stretching] place down in Massachusetts that’s like an hour away. That’s when a light bulb went on for me that I could open a place around here. An opportunity came up with a property for lease, and I started renovating in July.

How is it different from physical therapy?

Most physical therapists will do a few things with the clients, then give them some exercises to do on their own. The problem with that is a lot of people won’t do the exercises that their physical therapist tells them to do. They’ll say they don’t have time or they’ll just forget. Even people who get regular exercise and movement don’t usually stretch, but stretching is the most important part. It helps you stay mobile, it helps your muscles stay pliable and it helps prevent injury that you might get from making a sudden movement if you aren’t very mobile. … Also, some people don’t necessarily need physical therapy. Maybe they work a desk job or are mostly sedentary and they’re tight and in pain. All they need is to stretch and move, and that’s where I come in.

What do you find rewarding about this work?

When I’m in pain and not able to do the things that I love to do, it affects me in all ways — physically, but also mentally, spiritually, emotionally. My hope is for people to be able to continue doing the things they love to do — play with their kids and grandkids, go fishing, go hiking. A lot of guys want to play golf until the day they die. My goal is to help them be able to do that for the rest of their life rather than just sitting around for their last 10 to 20 years, not able to move very well and not enjoying life.

Where do you see this going in the future?

I definitely want to bring in a couple more health-fitness professionals. … I want people who have a positive attitude. I can teach them the skills, or they can learn skills, but they need to have a positive outlook on life, because a lot of [clients] come in and this is the only hour a week that they spend with other people, and they’re looking forward to having a positive time. … If it makes sense to, and if the demand is there, I definitely would want to open another [studio] somewhere else.

Featured photo: Nate Lavallee. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Jenn Spelas

Jenn Spelas and her husband, Troy Waterman, regularly appear across the Granite State with two food trailers — Monster’s Tacos (find them on Facebook @monsterstacos) specializes in made-to-order street tacos, while Let’s Get Loaded (find them on Facebook @letsgetloadedfries) features a menu of french fries and hot dogs loaded with all kinds of ingredients, as well as fried dough. The pair took over ownership of the two trailers back in April, and since then have held pop-ups in several local spots. Find them next at the Contoocook Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural fall festival on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Elm Brook Park in Hopkinton, where Spelas and Waterman will be with both food trailers. Then on Thursday, Oct. 6, Monster’s Tacos will hold a pop-up at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord). Both trailers are also available to hire for private catering. This winter, Spelas said she and Waterman plan to change the Monster’s Tacos and Let’s Get Loaded trailer names to Truck Off Tacos and Fork Up Ahead, respectively.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A good knife is really important … but there’s also nothing more frustrating than a can opener that won’t open the can. So a good can opener. And I also have to have my personal favorite spatula.

What would you have for your last meal?

It would have to be steak and potatoes.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

The Flying Goose [Brew Pub & Grille in New London]. That is my favorite date-night place to go. … They do a really solid fish, and they have a really good spinach dip. And I love their daily seasonal soups.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from one of your trailers?

I would like to see Matthew McConaughey.

What is your favorite thing on your menu from each trailer?

On the taco truck, I love the carnitas pork, and then I add black beans. … Then for Let’s Get Loaded, I can make my own fried dough every day of the week if I want to, which is pretty awesome. But I also definitely dig the pulled pork sundae. You cannot go wrong.

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

I think non-alcoholic beverages are becoming a thing. … The other thing we’ve gotten a lot of calls for are vegan and vegetarian options.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

We’ve started doing some of those meal subscription boxes, and those have been a really big hit. It’s been really fun to try out different things that we wouldn’t normally do … and the kids have really gotten into helping us out with those. … We made pork flautas, and those were super yummy.

Homemade lime crema
From the kitchen of Jenn Spelas and Troy Waterman of the Monster’s Tacos and Let’s Get Loaded food trailers

8 ounces sour cream
1 lime
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
Salt and pepper to taste

Zest the lime and set aside (you may not need all of the zest). Squeeze the lime juice into a small bowl. Add the sour cream and the garlic. Add in your desired amount of lime zest, then add the salt and pepper to taste. (Optional: If using the crema as a drizzle, add small amounts of milk or cold water until you’ve reached the desired consistency).

Featured photo: Jenn Spelas with her husband, Troy Waterman.

On The Job – Samantha Borbone

Senior caregiver

Samantha Borbone is a senior caregiver and owner of Bee Helpful, which provides non-medical in-home services to seniors in the greater Hampstead area.

Explain your job and what it entails.

As a business owner, I put myself in charge of most tasks and determine what tasks to outsource, like payroll taxes. As a caregiver, I assist seniors who are living in their own home to have the best quality of life that they can. I do this through cooking, cleaning, problem-solving, picking up prescriptions and food, helping with their phones, hanging up pictures or whatever else makes them happy.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been a business owner for almost three years. I guess I’ve been a caregiver almost all my life, either caring for grandparents, my children, my own aging parents, seniors I volunteer to help and caring for myself.

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

Growing up, both of my parents were entrepreneurs, and still are. With their help and a lot of luck, I graduated from Merrimack College with a B.A. in Business. I am a hands-on learner, so sitting in a classroom will never be my best friend. … Later in life, I worked and volunteered in different places, and I found helping people is what I wanted to do for a career. … By volunteering at Community Caregivers of Greater Derry, assisting seniors in their homes, I decided to focus my passion and business skills on helping local senior citizens.

What kind of education or training did you need?

As a business owner, I really just needed to work out in the world and gain confidence and resilience. My business degree is helpful, but it focuses mostly on big business, corporations. I only have one class in small business basics. On the caregiver side, I don’t think you can actually train someone to be a caregiver. I mean, I certainly train the staff in infection control, food safety and proper hand washing, but as a caregiver, you either are or you aren’t. It takes patience and compassion and an open mind to care for family, but especially to care for strangers.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

If working from home, I’m wearing comfy workout clothes. When I work directly with clients, I love my black scrubs with all kinds of pockets, paired with a black logo tee.

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

I was scheduled to open April 1, 2020. That did not happen. So I had to do something different. I became an errand service for seniors. I primarily did grocery shopping for clients that first year. I was very lucky that my husband’s job was not affected by the pandemic.

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

I wish I knew I wanted to help people for a living. I would’ve gone to school for health and human services.

What was the first job you ever had?

Working for my dad at his warehouse company, helping him unload one-ton bags of talc from train cars. I would climb on top of the bags. He would come at me with the forklift, and I would pick up the four straps attached to the bags and put them on the forks.

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

Caregiving isn’t about what you hoped to do; it was about understanding what the other person needed. The best business advice, I got from my dad. He said, ‘Never hire family, and read Dale Carnegie’s books.’

Five favorites

Favorite book: The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler M.D.
Favorite movie: National Lampoon’s Vacation
Favorite music: Right now, I love Glass Animals, Bruno Mars and anything happy I know the words to.
Favorite food: Does coffee count? If not, then chocolate.
Favorite thing about NH: The friends I have here, and the mountains, especially Mt. Cardigan.

Featured photo: Samantha Borbone. Courtesy photo.

Safety first

New director of homeland security, emergency management

Meet Robert Buxton, who was nominated by Gov. Chris Sununu to be the director of the New Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Buxton was sworn in to the position on Sept. 6.

What is your background in this type of work, and how did you come into this position?

I was a 30-year fire service employee. I retired out of the town of Hudson; I [served for] nine years as fire chief there. I graduated from UNH with a master’s degree in public administration. One of my core roles in Hudson was to be the emergency management director. This position provided that next step of opportunity for me in my career, and I thought it was a great opportunity to come in with a really motivated staff to put out good customer service to the communities in New Hampshire.

What do you and the Division do?

The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management covers a lot of opportunities surrounding community preparedness, community outreach, emergency management, disaster planning and public assistance grants. The Homeland Security side co-manages the state’s Information Analysis Center. We provide a lot of support to the local communities surrounding Homeland Security information and emergency management. … I’m on Day 3 [of the job]. The day to day right now looks very busy in regards to getting my arms around the different divisions and having an understanding and creating a routine with staff and basically looking at the vision of the organization and setting that out. Right now we provide forward-facing customer service to 234 communities in the Granite State, and we look to continue that as we move forward.

What are some of the biggest issues the Division is working to address right now?

We’re still providing a lot of support to the local community surrounding Covid and the Covid monies and disaster relief funds. Secondarily to that, we’re also heavily engaged in the school safety process. We continue to work the different levels of emergency response surrounding Seabrook Station [Nuclear Power Plant] and those events are probably the top three or four that I can give you right now. Those are the top three things right now.

What is your role in responding to the pandemic? How is it different from the role of other state departments, such as the Department of Health?

This is a collaborative effort on the state level with DHHS, and right now, probably the biggest responsibility and collaborative piece that we’re working through is in regards to the recovery money, making sure that we’re supporting the communities and getting the relief money [to them] and managing those grant processes. Additionally, we continue to work on messaging, making sure those messages are put out in the state of New Hampshire and that they are clear.

How do you work with each New Hampshire community to ensure that it has the funds, training and preparedness to respond to an emergency quickly?

One of the strengths of this Division over the years … [has been] their hard work in collaborating with the local municipalities. They’ve created a very supportive environment for the emergency management directors across the state in making sure that they’re getting the resources that they need to be able to prepare and provide the service to their constituencies when an emergency does arise. There’s a very strong foundation that has been put in place, and we look to continue to grow that as I phase into my position.

What do you find rewarding about this line of work?

This line of work is one of the most rewarding things, I think, that you can look at. You have a direct impact to all 234 communities across the state of New Hampshire, and it’s a great opportunity [for them] to see us continue to prepare, so we can make sure that folks understand what they need to do if we’re getting close to a potential disaster and make sure they have the tools. It’s that day-in-and-day-out impact that we push out to the local communities that’s the most rewarding.

What can individuals and families do to prepare for and stay safe during an emergency?

There are four key steps that I would like them to look at: stay informed, have a plan, make a kit — a kit for no power, a kit for cold weather, those sorts of things — and get involved. They can sign up for the New Hampshire alerts to stay informed on what potentially could be happening in their area.

Featured photo: Robert Buxton. Courtesy photo.

In the kitchen with Greg Sturgis

Greg Sturgis of Concord launched The Pizza Project (thepizzaprojectnh.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @thepizzaprojectnh), a series of pizza pop-ups at several breweries and other area businesses, earlier this year. Through the Air Force, Sturgis traveled overseas to Naples, Italy, where he fell in love with Neapolitan-style pizza. He’s been perfecting his own pies ever since, acquiring an interest in different pizza styles along the way. Sturgis’s goal is to ultimately open a brick-and-mortar location, where he plans to focus on Roman-style pizzas, as well as other revolving styles. For now you can find him slinging pizzas at Lithermans Limited Brewery (126B Hall St., Concord) on Friday, Sept. 16, at 4 p.m., and at Henniker Brewing Co. (129 Centervale Road) on Friday, Sept. 23, at 3 p.m. During a special fundraising event for Slice Out Hunger at Lithermans on Saturday, Oct. 8, Sturgis will donate all proceeds to The Friendly Kitchen in Concord.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Outside of the oven, it’s either a pizza peel or pan grabbers, depending on the style of pizza.

What would you have for your last meal?

For a last meal, I tend to think of comfort food, but I would also have to have it be a meal that I had not had before. So I guess I would try to combine those two, with maybe something that Jeffrey Paige of Cotton could surprise me with.

What is your favorite local eatery?

It’s got to be The Crust & Crumb [Baking Co. in Concord]. … I either get one of their bars, their lemon cookies or their Key lime bars.

What celebrity would you like to see trying one of your pizzas?

Baseball was always a connection I had with my dad, and now I’m lucky enough to have that same connection with my daughter. So, I would say pretty much any player or manager from the Boston Red Sox. Except for Bobby Valentine.

What is your favorite pizza that you’ve ever offered?

My favorite topping combination that I do is spinach, feta and mozzarella on top of a white sauce.

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

I think that over the pandemic, going back to your favorite restaurants, you see that the menus have pared down quite a bit. … I think that these places are really scaling down and doing the things that they sell well, and I think that really raises the bar for specialization and creativity.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

For non-pizza, I like to make baklava at home. My mother worked at a Greek restaurant in New Hampshire when she was young, so I kind of grew up making it … and so now it’s something where I really enjoy the process and also the product.

Homemade white pizza sauce
Courtesy of Greg Sturgis of The Pizza Project (makes enough for about two regular-sized pizzas)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small diced onion (yellow or white)
1 clove minced garlic
¼ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme

In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute longer. Add the cream and reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer until the cream thickens and reduces slightly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the thyme. After it cools completely, spread on your pizza dough as you would your red sauce.

Featured photo: Greg Sturgis of Concord, owner of The Pizza Project. Courtesy photo.

On The Job – Pamela Whitney

Environmental remediation specialist

Pamela Whitney is the owner of New England Decon, an environmental remediation and restoration company based in Bedford.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I own and operate a biohazard decontamination company with my husband. We remediate biohazards and specialize in mold remediation, death clean-up, hoarding and rodent feces cleanup.

How long have you had this job?

We opened our doors three years ago.

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

My husband and I wanted to own and operate a company that ultimately helped others restore their environment. We wanted to be able to travel around New England, work in a variety of settings, meet new people and provide a service that really made a difference in the home and workplace.

What kind of education or training did you need?

Hazmat Training, Mold Remediation Certificate, Safety Protocol Training and Chemical Use.

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

Not much changed for us. We wear gloves, full or half face masks and practice biohazard protocols on every job. Because we can remediate viruses, our expertise was greatly needed during the beginning of the pandemic. We were able to focus our expertise on Covid decontamination to support essential workers.

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

I wish I had understood that my career would take lots of twists and turns, and the most important thing was to think of everything as an opportunity to learn something new. I never would have imagined that completing my doctorate in education would lead me to my current profession.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Prior to arriving at the job site, we put a lot of thought into the work plan that we ultimately implement. We customize each plan to fit the physical layout of the job, map out the steps to remediate, pull the necessary equipment, tools and chemicals for the job and communicate the work plan to the customer. Each job is unique, and we want to make sure our customers’ concerns are thoroughly addressed.

What was the first job you ever had?

When I was 9, my older brothers took me with them to work. They babysat and mowed lawns in our neighborhood. They put me to work and sat back and relaxed. Once their customers realized I was the one changing diapers, playing with the kids, and mowing the lawns, the next summer the neighbors hired me, and my brothers had to look for work elsewhere.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I’m typically in a bio suit, full face mask and gloves all day long. It’s one of those jobs where you take a long hot shower at the end of the workday versus at the beginning of the day, and let me tell you, most days a shower is greatly needed.

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

Treat others as you’d like to be treated, be fair and communicate effectively with your customers.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Anything historical fiction.
Favorite movie: I’m not a TV or movie watcher, but I do watch a few of the holiday classics when the season rolls around.
Favorite music: These days I tend to listen to podcasts, not music. My favorite podcast is Job Wars.
Favorite food: Tomatoes and basil out of my garden drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
Favorite thing about NH: The White Mountains. I’m on a quest to hike all the 4,000-footers before my knees give out.

Featured photo: Pamela Whitney. Courtesy photo.

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