2009 P.A.C.E. Business Person of the Year

The Life of Phil...
Moved to Plaistow in 1956.

Has lived in several area towns, including Plaistow for 23 years, and now Hampstead for 22 years.

His near 36-year banking career has been spent serving the Greater Plaistow market area for all but two of those years.

Older people will remember Phil as a teller at Plaistow Bank & Trust, in the early 70’s, where he climbed the organization ranks to ultimately become President in 1992. At that time he was the youngest bank president in New Hampshire, and there were a lot more banks.

Philip Plante of Ocean Bank

In 1995 Phil & Dave Gauron embarked upon plans to establish Homestead Community Bank on Main Street in Plaistow. Homestead ultimately opened as Community Bank & Trust in 1996. Phil has remained at this location for 13 years while the bank has under gone several recent acquisitions. Today, this location is an office of Ocean Bank, a Division of People’s United Bank.

Early in 1995 Phil was approached by PACE Co-President, Frank Taillon, to become the next President. He did so, and continued as a Board member for 10 years.

Other notable affiliations include:

• 15-year member of Atkinson & Sandown Lions Clubs
• Past Finance Chair for Lonetree Council BSA
• Past Campaign Chair and Board member for DLT United Way and subsequently, a Board Member of Heritage United Way

Today Phil is completing his sixth year as a Board member for the Center for Life Management. This organization provides mental health services to the towns in the PACE catchment area, as well as Salem, Derry, Windham, Pelham, and Chester. As Board Chair he has helped guide the organization through a bond issue and the construction of a new 28,000 square foot consolidated facility in Derry, eliminating the need for 3 other older properties.

Phil enjoys golfing. He freely admits that with the amount of time he spends golfing, that his scores should be significantly lower. He attributes these higher scores to not wanting to hurt the feelings of his opponents, a technique he insists he learned from his good friend Bill Mears.