"An Interview With Alfred Janvrin"
News Review, Wednesday, May 27, 1970
Where formerly most industries were kept in centralized form, the new idea of spreading out came from a need for better tax considerations, an enjoyment of increased transportation facilities and threat of atomic war.
The town’s Master Plan published in 1956 recommended, “that taxable mercantile property for insurance against periods of recession by diversification of business activities would add to the stability of Hampton.”
And so, after that town meeting the Hampton Industrial Council was formed consisting of, Thomas Downs, John Dunphy, Dean Shindledecker, Walter Vanderpool, Leslie Merrill, Douglas Hunter, Frederick Alter, Alfred Janvrin, David Drummond, Lawrence Hackett and John True.
As stated in the original petition, the group set about the task of bringing small and diversified industry to Hampton.
Members have been reappointed and replaced during the last 14 years but the primary aim of the committee remains the same. Present members are, Alfred Janvrin, the longest standing member; Oliver Colvin, Leon Sicard, Attorney Wilfred Sanders, Lyman Cousens and Raymond Garnett. Town Manager Norman Cole serves as an ex-office member.
Today, according to the 1968 Master Plan, there are nine small industrial outlets in the town that employ a total of about 150 persons and occupy a total of 13 acres at a gross industrial density of twelve employees per acre. In 1956 the total work force was less than 50 with only 3 acres devoted industry.
These nine outlets occupy land evaluated at over $315,000 and pay property taxes of over $10,000 not including “stock and trade, machinery and equipment” taxes. Stock and trade and related levies are now defunct with the passing of the 6 percent business profits tax passed by the 1970 legislature, but officials expect that the state will reimburse like amounts formerly garnished through these taxes from the profits tax.
An Interview With Alfred Janvrin
He has served that group, now known as the Hampton Industrial Committee, since that date. Among many other honors he has served as past president of the Portsmouth Board of Realtors, a past president of the New Hampshire Retail Lumber Dealers Association, as former chairman of the Industrial Division of the Chamber of Commerce and has been active in many phases of community service over the years.
Janvrin said he felt good progress had been made in the past 15 years toward bringing industry to the town. Quoting from the 1956 Master Plan prepared for the town of Hampton Planning Board by the firm of Anderson-Nichols and Company of Boston he said, “in 1954, industry occupied 3 acres of land in Hampton and employed less than 50 people.”
“That would be C. E. Greenman right here on High Street. They’ve been there since 1918.”
“Today we have J. D. Cahill, Pearse Leather, Hampton Machine and Tool, S. & H. Precision with two outlets and now Cinch Corporation after the first of June.”
The Review asked Janvrin if the new 6 percent business profits tax would affect industry coming to Hampton. He replied that the profits tax would do away with “stock and trade” levies and this could open the doors to many industries that “would have liked to come here in the past.”
“I remember a few years past when a distribution segment of the steel industry approached me with plans for building a plant in Hampton."