Mary Carroll Murphy
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Mary Carroll Murphy, an award-winning entrepreneur and former executive at a Fortune 500 company, was born and raised in Western Massachusetts. She relocated to Bedford, New Hampshire, in 1990 when Digital Equipment Corporation recruited her to market their revolutionary integrated office systems.
Murphy has a distinguished career spanning decades in the information technology and financial services sectors, earning numerous high-profile awards. Today, she leads a groundbreaking software company and, with her husband, owns significant acreage in Francestown, New Hampshire. There, they have built their "forever" home, Black Shoals, on the picturesque banks of the Piscataquog River.
Current Roles
Cost Cures
Murphy serves as the CEO of Cost Cures, based in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Founded in 2024, this disruptive software company is set to revolutionize the healthcare industry by providing transparency in pricing for dental, healthcare, and vision services, aiming to reduce the high costs of healthcare nationwide. The firm is currently developing an AI-based database and search capability that will enable users to find low-cost self-pay, cash, or negotiated prices for medical, dental, and vision tests and procedures across the country. Under her leadership, the company is also integrating telemedicine and medically trained concierge services, which will be accessible directly through its website and a dedicated mobile application.
Black Shoals Farm
In 2022, Murphy and her husband established Black Shoals Farm, a non-GMO, chemical-free fruit and vegetable farm in Francestown, New Hampshire. This startup farm focuses on sustainability and also produces edible flowers, medicinal herbs, and gourmet herbs.
Career History
Charles Schwab
In 2011, Murphy was chosen from thousands of candidates to become the first Charles Schwab Independent Branch franchisee in the nation. Over ten years, she grew her franchise to become one of the largest independent wealth management practices in New Hampshire, managing nearly $1 billion in assets by early 2022. Charles Schwab recognized her pioneering efforts with the creation of the Charles Schwab Champion Award, celebrating her contributions to the viability of the Independent Branch Service model. She sold her successful franchise in mid-2022.
Earlier Roles
She began her career in 1979 with what is now Eversource in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. She quickly advanced in the technology-driven insurance industry, securing a position as a Technical Analyst at ITT/Hartford Insurance Group in 1982, rising to Assistant Systems Manager and then Director of a Hartford subsidiary. From 1982 to 2001, Murphy climbed through the ranks of various high-tech companies, including Digital Equipment Corporation, Lotus Development Corporation, and IBM. IBM/Lotus Development eventually relocated her to Europe to lead a division tasked with deploying public Internet and email applications worldwide.
After a hiatus in 2001 to care for her elderly parents, Murphy earned a master's degree from Rivier University in 2004 and briefly taught mathematics and personal finance. She then transitioned to financial advising, joining UBS Financial Services and later becoming an independent financial advisor and career agent with MassMutual.
Academic Background
Bridgewater State College
Murphy graduated from Bridgewater State College in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, in 1978. She completed her bachelor's degree in communications, arts, and sciences, achieving minors in psychology and English studies. She was also a class officer, swim team member, and forensic and debate team champion.
Rivier University
In 2004, Murphy earned an M.Ed. with high distinction from Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire, a private Catholic university accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Awards
Murphy's career includes numerous accolades, such as DEC 100 and Decathlon sales awards from Digital Equipment Corporation. She played a vital role in the global adoption of email, earning an Electronic Mail Association Leadership Award in 1992. At IBM/Lotus, she received a Lotus Achievers Award and the Summit Award for Manager of the Year in 1995. As a financial advisor, she earned UBS Leaders Circle Awards and, as a Charles Schwab franchisee, received the prestigious ICON Award and the Champion Award.
Philanthropic Endeavors
Together with her husband, Murphy supports local organizations, including the Francestown Old Meetinghouse and the Francestown Volunteer Fire Department. They donated an 11-acre riverfront conservation easement to assist local land conservation efforts. She is actively involved in community service, volunteering at events, and sponsoring fundraisers for regional institutions.
Board Memberships
Murphy has served on the Board of Trustees at Rivier University since January 2016. Between 2016 and 2019, she was on the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph Hospital, supporting the administration and mission of these institutions.
Personal Life & Interests
Mary Carroll Murphy considers New Hampshire her "forever" home. She and her husband, a former chemical engineer, share a passion for Belgian Malinois dogs and own several Jubilee Orpington chickens named after close friends and family. She enjoys gardening, reading non-fiction, antiquing, kayaking, sport shooting, and cooking for friends and family. As a former guest columnist and an active community member, she continues to influence and inspire in both her professional and personal life.
Murphy has a distinguished career spanning decades in the information technology and financial services sectors, earning numerous high-profile awards. Today, she leads a groundbreaking software company and, with her husband, owns significant acreage in Francestown, New Hampshire. There, they have built their "forever" home, Black Shoals, on the picturesque banks of the Piscataquog River.
Current Roles
Cost Cures
Murphy serves as the CEO of Cost Cures, based in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Founded in 2024, this disruptive software company is set to revolutionize the healthcare industry by providing transparency in pricing for dental, healthcare, and vision services, aiming to reduce the high costs of healthcare nationwide. The firm is currently developing an AI-based database and search capability that will enable users to find low-cost self-pay, cash, or negotiated prices for medical, dental, and vision tests and procedures across the country. Under her leadership, the company is also integrating telemedicine and medically trained concierge services, which will be accessible directly through its website and a dedicated mobile application.
Black Shoals Farm
In 2022, Murphy and her husband established Black Shoals Farm, a non-GMO, chemical-free fruit and vegetable farm in Francestown, New Hampshire. This startup farm focuses on sustainability and also produces edible flowers, medicinal herbs, and gourmet herbs.
Career History
Charles Schwab
In 2011, Murphy was chosen from thousands of candidates to become the first Charles Schwab Independent Branch franchisee in the nation. Over ten years, she grew her franchise to become one of the largest independent wealth management practices in New Hampshire, managing nearly $1 billion in assets by early 2022. Charles Schwab recognized her pioneering efforts with the creation of the Charles Schwab Champion Award, celebrating her contributions to the viability of the Independent Branch Service model. She sold her successful franchise in mid-2022.
Earlier Roles
She began her career in 1979 with what is now Eversource in Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. She quickly advanced in the technology-driven insurance industry, securing a position as a Technical Analyst at ITT/Hartford Insurance Group in 1982, rising to Assistant Systems Manager and then Director of a Hartford subsidiary. From 1982 to 2001, Murphy climbed through the ranks of various high-tech companies, including Digital Equipment Corporation, Lotus Development Corporation, and IBM. IBM/Lotus Development eventually relocated her to Europe to lead a division tasked with deploying public Internet and email applications worldwide.
After a hiatus in 2001 to care for her elderly parents, Murphy earned a master's degree from Rivier University in 2004 and briefly taught mathematics and personal finance. She then transitioned to financial advising, joining UBS Financial Services and later becoming an independent financial advisor and career agent with MassMutual.
Academic Background
Bridgewater State College
Murphy graduated from Bridgewater State College in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, in 1978. She completed her bachelor's degree in communications, arts, and sciences, achieving minors in psychology and English studies. She was also a class officer, swim team member, and forensic and debate team champion.
Rivier University
In 2004, Murphy earned an M.Ed. with high distinction from Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire, a private Catholic university accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Awards
Murphy's career includes numerous accolades, such as DEC 100 and Decathlon sales awards from Digital Equipment Corporation. She played a vital role in the global adoption of email, earning an Electronic Mail Association Leadership Award in 1992. At IBM/Lotus, she received a Lotus Achievers Award and the Summit Award for Manager of the Year in 1995. As a financial advisor, she earned UBS Leaders Circle Awards and, as a Charles Schwab franchisee, received the prestigious ICON Award and the Champion Award.
Philanthropic Endeavors
Together with her husband, Murphy supports local organizations, including the Francestown Old Meetinghouse and the Francestown Volunteer Fire Department. They donated an 11-acre riverfront conservation easement to assist local land conservation efforts. She is actively involved in community service, volunteering at events, and sponsoring fundraisers for regional institutions.
Board Memberships
Murphy has served on the Board of Trustees at Rivier University since January 2016. Between 2016 and 2019, she was on the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph Hospital, supporting the administration and mission of these institutions.
Personal Life & Interests
Mary Carroll Murphy considers New Hampshire her "forever" home. She and her husband, a former chemical engineer, share a passion for Belgian Malinois dogs and own several Jubilee Orpington chickens named after close friends and family. She enjoys gardening, reading non-fiction, antiquing, kayaking, sport shooting, and cooking for friends and family. As a former guest columnist and an active community member, she continues to influence and inspire in both her professional and personal life.