Fourth-generation freight company owner is Citizen of the Year

NASHUA – It’s hard to pull a fast one on Jack Law.

The Nashua native and local businessman knew exactly what was going to happen when he was called to the stage Wednesday night at the Crowne Plaza Nashua. He even had time to prepare a speech.

Law was supposed to be some 1,500 miles south for the winter, making it impossible for his family to hide that he was about to win one of Nashua’s most prestigious awards, the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.

“Well, unlike some previous recipients, I knew I was going to receive this award,” Law admitted when he took the stage, making a joke of the spoiled secret. “It was the only way they could keep me from going to Florida weeks ago.”

But knowing ahead of time didn’t seem to make the award any less important to Law, particularly because he’s one of only three second-generation winners in city history. His father, George Law, who died in March, was named Citizen of the Year in 1972.

“It means a great deal to me. I looked up to my father my whole life,” Jack Law said after the ceremony. “I’m sure he’s very, very pleased.”

Law, 68, of Hollis, is the fourth generation to run a family business that started in Nashua more than 100 years ago as a horse and carriage transportation outfit. Since then, the company has grown to a freight, storage and real estate mini-empire that employs about 100 in New Hampshire. Perhaps the best known of the Law Companies is Law Warehouses, which manages regional and national distribution of everything from lumber to wine.

The Law family is also well known for its charitable contributions and involvement in Greater Nashua civic organizations, a fact that was not lost on the judges who selected Jack Law from the nominees. Law is the former chairman of the Nashua division of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the first chairman of the board of The Nashua Bank, and chairman of the group that raised $3 million several years ago to build the Hospice House in Merrimack, to name a few.

Law received the award at the chamber’s largest event of the year, the 81st annual dinner. Although the event is old, the theme and setup were fresh this year. The Vegas-style event featured casino games like blackjack, Texas hold ’em, roulette and craps tables. Instead of gambling for money, guests traded in their chips at the end of the night for raffle prizes.

A band played oldies, big band hits, pop music and show tunes throughout the night. Instead of a sit-down dinner, there were various buffet-style stations, from carving stations with beef and pork to Mediterranean pastas and salads. The speaking portion was shorter than normal to allow time for the games to resume.

Law was introduced by friend John Sias, last year’s Citizen of the Year, and son Brian Law, the fifth generation to run the family business.

Sias pointed to Law’s good deeds over the years, many of which were aimed at helping children. As Rotary Club of Nashua president, he convinced the club to donate $10,000, the largest donation the club had made in its 60-year history, to start the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Nashua. He’s been an advocate for Girls Inc. of New Hampshire and helped raise $900,000 to build an auditorium for Hollis/Brookline High School.

“He gets things done in a quiet and unassuming manner,” Sias said. “And because of him, the Greater Nashua area is a better place.”

Brian Law spoke more about his father’s business accomplishments. Rather than being satisfied playing a role in the family business, Jack Law started his own Londonderry trucking company, BSP Trans, in 1973. He has served as chairman of the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association and a member of the Daniel Webster College School of Business advisory board.

Law’s wife, Lori Law, said she was delighted to see her husband honored in the city he loves so much.

“Nashua is everything to him,” she said. “I’ve never known someone to love his hometown so much.”

Ashley Smith can be reached at 594-6446 or asmith@nashuatelegraph.com.