In April 2010 Guy Marshall became President of Lamprey Brothers—a local son at the helm of a local company.
"I grew up in Durham, NH, with the Oyster River and Mill Pond in my backyard. As kids we spent our days playing kick-the-can and building tree forts. In the winter we made saucer runs from my house on the hill down to the frozen river and played boot hockey on the Mill Pond. Like my three younger sisters I went to the Oyster River schools, and many of the friends I made in those childhood years are still my friends today.
"Even as a kid I had a business mind—I mowed lawns, snowblowed driveways (sometimes getting up at 3am to get them all cleared before school), and sold cordwood off my parents' seven acres. So I guess it was only natural that I'd study business at university, first at Northeastern and then at UNH where, alongside my studies, I started my first business, a painting company, which eventually grew to a workforce of 58 (52 painters and six carpenters) with an office and shop in Newmarket.
"In the 1980s I moved to South Berwick raising my two older daughters, Emily and Hannah. Now I'm remarried, to Jenny, and have a new daughter, Eleanor—a bundle of joy and energy who keeps us all on our toes and laughing. We live in a small colonial built in 1766 in Portsmouth's South End—another tightknit neighborhood, full of people who look out for one another and help out when they can. Emily and Hannah are all grown up and graduated, but they're still around—joining us for family events and celebrations, or popping in for a simple family supper.
"And they're all helping me in the new 'family business' here at Lamprey Brothers. I'm so proud to be the new President of this old, local company. To join this incredible workforce, to own a small part of Seacoast history, to be serving my friends and neighbors in this unique corner of the world that we call home...these are opportunities that I could only have dreamed of when I was selling cordwood as a kid in Durham."
"If you're ever passing the office, come in and say hello, we're always happy to meet our neighbors, and if there's anything we can do to improve our service, please let me know.
"Lamprey Brothers has been here since 1923, serving the wonderful people of the Seacoast region...I'd like to think we'll still be here, not just in 2023, but in 2123 and beyond!"