She's a self-professed workaholic. But for Laurie Ferguson, her passion is her job. And in her own words, "When you are passionate about what you do, it's easy."

Laurie will be the first to tell you that she is head over heels in love with the state of New Hampshire. "I love everything about [it]," she said. "It's a beautiful state and I love the people in it." But she wasn't born and raised here. Laurie grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and went to college in Vermont before traveling to New York and Boston for work. It wasn't until 1985 that she moved to New Hampshire and used her experience in marketing to create Ferguson Communications, a marketing agency, in 1995. Though she did not grow up in the state, she often traveled to New Hampshire as a child for summer camps or to participate in ski races. For Laurie, permanency in New Hampshire seemed like a good choice.

In the early1990s, Laurie began to reevaluate and stumbled upon the founding taskforce of what would become NH Made. Her experience in marketing and public relations proved to be a strong asset. At the time, NH Made existed only as an idea, Laurie said. Essentially, the taskforce was made up of a number of individuals who were passionate about the state of New Hampshire and what it had to offer tourists and the local community. "Visitors are surprised by how much is here," Laurie said. "There are an incredible number of craftsmen and artisans. [At the time] no one knew how many beers and wines were made here. It would be an economic stimulus for all the little guys," she said. "I knew we had a story to tell."

In fact, the original name of the organization was NH Stories for that reason alone — New Hampshire had a story to tell and Laurie and the other founders were on a mission to share it. Laurie's passion was contagious. By 1997, NH Made was incorporated as a 501C3 non-profit organization that provided educational programs and support for local businesses and sought to increase demand for New Hampshire products. Laurie never intended on running the program; however, in 2004, the previous director, Molly Smith, chose to relinquish her position. Laurie then received a phone call asking if she would be interested in overseeing the position as director.

"The timing was right," Laurie said. "We were just about to take off. We just needed one more push. It was time for me to jump in." So Laurie took a risk and began working full-time as the director of NH Made. "The first two years were scary," she said. "We were in debt and had 400 members. But it's all good news. I have no regrets." Since Laurie has come on board, membership has more than doubled and the organization is no longer in financial crisis. The challenge is keeping everyone on the payroll. With only two full-time and two part-time employees, Laurie has her work cut out for her. Though the organization is always after corporate sponsorship, Laurie says she is a huge proponent of generating their own income.

The way NH Made generates their income makes their networking organization unique. Like most networking groups, they are a paid membership-based agency. They have also recently revamped their website to increase revenue through e-commerce. However, their most unique feature is their physical stores that sell New Hampshire-created merchandise. Unlike other networking organizations, NH Made does not offer workshops or educational seminars. "What other organizations are doing is fabulous," Laurie said. "But that's why we don't do that – because they are doing it already." She recognizes what other
networks have to offer and is eager to partner with them. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Laurie makes sure that the networking opportunities and events that other organizations are offering are listed in their e-newsletter as another resource for their members. "Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships," Laurie said. "We tell our members about those workshops every week. We partner with everybody and elaborate on what everyone else is doing."

Rather than host training events that teach members how to sell their product, NH Made acts as a marketing vehicle for entrepreneurs to expand their reach beyond their community.

"Some people don't have a website yet," Laurie says of start-up businesses. "[NH Made] gives them access to online. They get a full page on our website—not just a listing. It allows them to be part of a website with a lot of traffic." In addition, members have license to use the "NH's Own" logo in their own advertising, marketing and promotional materials. "There's a lot of power in a common logo," Laurie said. "We give [our members] a logo that is recognizable and has the value of being part of something bigger than themselves."

According to Laurie, people are becoming more savvy about supporting local ventures and buying local products. "We hope that NH logo will make people in Hannaford choose their home state product," she said. (Joann I have a question in to Samantha about this quote)

Though she never expected to run the organization, Laurie has brought forth 450 new members in the past six years, brought an entire non-profit group out of debt, integrated new concepts and new ideas, created a new publication, changed the store fronts, re-designed the website, and brought several organizations under their wing. Laurie Ferguson is a tried and true example that hard work pays off.

"Women are far more talented and capable than they think they are," Laurie said. Diagnosed with breast cancer a year-and-a-half ago, Laurie hopes women will see that despite illness and obstacles, nothing can stop a heart's passion or a woman's ability to give back to their community. "You just have to have the nerve to do it," she said. "I'm still here. I'm still wearing NH Made."

For more information contact her at laurie@nhmade.com or (603) 766-4560 or visit them at www.nhmade.com/

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