By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
CLAREMONT, N.H. — Mike Satzow has been an importance presence in the city of Claremont for decades, as a Stevens High School alumnus, successful business owner, a charitable volunteer, and leader at the local and state level. On Friday morning, The Mike Satzow Visitor Center was aptly named in his honor.
Satzow was at the visitor center with his family and friends to receive the honor, surrounded by a room full of supporters who took the time to thank him for his years of service in the Claremont community. He sat in the front row with a smile on his face, and said he was humbled by the support he received from the people of the city he loves so much.
“The turnout here today has been amazing,” he said. “I’m very proud of Claremont. We stick together. I am happy to be a part of Claremont’s great future.”
After Satzow graduated from Stevens High School and then Middlebury College in 1970, he joined the family meat packing business, which eventually evolved into North Country Smokehouse. This is a brand widely recognized on a national level for producing specialty meats and cheeses, with their items seen in grocery stores far and wide.
Satzow went on to sell North Country Smokehouse to the Breton Family of Quebec in 2015 with a stipulation that the new, ultra-modern 65,000-square-foot meat processing facility be built in Claremont. The business has provided jobs for members of the community and kept Claremont on the map as the location for one of the top producers in the industry.
Over the years, he has been on a number of national industry committees and was co-President of the North American Meat Association. He has been involved in civic and nonprofit organizations, as well as being the chairman of the Claremont Police Commission, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Clubs, and a member of a variety of boards including Valley Regional Hospital, New Hampshire Humanities Council and the Claremont Development Authority. One of his main priorities was the revitalization of the Claremont Mill District, where he worked for years to bring the project to fruition.
Mayor Dale Girard spoke at the ribbon cutting about what Satzow meant to the Claremont community, saying that he and his wife Sheila have quietly been donors to organizations across the city for years. He noted that shortly after selling North Country Smokehouse, Satzow created The Greater Claremont Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation as a vehicle for local residents to support deserving nonprofits.
Girard said that this fund has made a real difference in supporting nonprofits that connect children with reading mentors, provide dental care, prevent domestic violence and strengthen the community.
Girard added that Satzow has been a tireless supporter of Claremont for his entire life, and that everyone has benefited from his wisdom, humor and humility.
“Dedicating this office in his name is a small but meaningful way to show our gratitude for everything he has done for Claremont,” Girard said. “Thank you, Mike, for your lifetime of service and for making Claremont a better place for all of us. Your legacy will live on in the work that continues here at the Claremont Visitors Center and in the hearts of everyone you’ve touched.”
Satzow had several family members in the audience, including his wife, Sheila, who said the event was special to all of them. She took pride in the efforts her husband made when selling the business in 2015 to keep operations in Claremont. She said this was remarkable for Mike, knowing that what had been a staple of Claremont would remain that way in the future.
“The growth would continue with the company, thereby enabling more employment in Claremont for years to come,” she said.
Sheila said that there was no better way to honor Mike than bringing members of the community together in the visitor center being named in his honor.
“This is the way Mike has spent his whole life,” she said. “He’s welcomed businesses, he’s welcomed people. Anything he could do to sing praises of Claremont and the community, he has.”
Satzow’s daughter, Danielle Maryott, agreed with her mother, echoing what a joy it was seeing him be honored by his peers with a prominent city building named after him.
“We’re so incredibly proud of him and just so thankful for the community to come out and celebrate him,” Maryott said. “It means so much to all of us.”
