IN SHORT

New hires

The Central Lincoln County YMCA in Damariscotta hired Casey Clark Kelley as director of healthy living. Kelley was most recently creative director and writer for SportPort Active, a health-focused athletic apparel company.

The Ecology School in Saco hired Caitlin Brooke as community relations coordinator. Brooke was previously with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

Maine Initiatives in Portland hired Shima Kabirigi as program officer for its Immigrant-Led Organizations Fund.

Gorham Savings Bank hired Josh Steirman as senior credit officer. Steirman most recently was a commercial bank examiner and team leader for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Community Health Options in Lewiston hired Edward Yoon as chief medical officer and Kirk Miklavic as HR director. Yoon most recently served as medical director for the Southern Maine Health Center-Saco while Miklavic was director of human resources for Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, hired Chad Higgins and Christopher Dargie as shareholders. Higgins, formerly of the Boston law firm Goodwin Procter, joined the firm's litigation and dispute-resolution practice group where he will focus on a variety of litigation matters, including products liability, energy, higher education and commercial and contract disputes. Dargie, formerly of Perkins Thompson, joined the firm's business practice group where he will focus on private equity, M&A, commercial transactions and provide general counsel for businesses of all sizes.

Vince Ciampi was hired as group vice president, sales for MaineToday Media and Sun Media Group. Ciampi most recently was the vice president of sales at Gatehouse Media.

Consumer Title in Bangor hired Deb Whitman as vice president of marketing and closing officer and Gail Bowman as a loan processor.

CES Inc., a firm of engineers, environmental scientists and land surveyors in Brewer, hired Curt Bartram as a senior mechanical engineer and project manager in Brewer; Eric Thompson as a senior project professional in its environmental division in Saco; and Nicole Ireland as a natural resources scientist in Brewer.

Fontaine Family – The Real Estate Leader hired Natalie Kramer as a team member in Auburn.

Lynch Logistics, a full truckload freight carrier in Bangor, hired Dana Burleigh as vice president. Burleigh was director of account development for Schneider Logistics and Schneider National in Green Bay, Wisc.

SIS Bank in Sanford hired Ellen Niewoehner as commercial lender in Buxton. Most recently, Niewoehner was with TD Bank in Portland.

James W. Sewall Co., a natural resources, energy and infrastructure consulting firm in Old Town, hired Levi Ladd as a GIS analyst.

The Maine Community Foundation hired Thalassa Raasch as program communications associate. Raasch previously taught photography at Rhode Island School of Design and Lesley University.

Day One, an agency in South Portland dedicated to addressing substance use and mental health needs among children and young adults, hired Sara Dulac as an outpatient clinician working at Casco Bay High School and Thornton Academy.

First National Bank and its parent, The First Bancorp in Damariscotta, hired Tammy Mote as municipal business development officer and Glenn Griffin as digital commerce manager. Mote was finance director and deputy city manager for the city of Ellsworth while Griffin has 22 years of banking experience.

Promotions

Day One, an agency in South Portland dedicated to addressing substance use and mental health needs among children and young adults, promoted Kate Rhein to program coordinator at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland and Sue Ackerman to program manager at both Long Creek Youth Development Center and Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston. Rhein was previously lead substance use counselor at Long Creek while Ackerman program supervisor at Mountain View.

CES Inc., a firm of engineers, environmental scientists and land surveyors in Brewer, promoted Jason Paterson to a natural resources scientist in its environmental division.

SMRT Architects and Engineers in Portland promoted Suzette Bois to CFO. Bois, who has 20 years of experience in private sector finance and public accounting, was previously senior principal.

Appointments

Henry Felch, associate professor of cyber- security at the University of Maine at Augusta, was appointed by the U.S. Coast Guard Federal Maritime Security Coordinator to a five-year term as a member of the Sector Northern New England Area Maritime Security Executive Steering Committee. The committee assists in the development, review and updating of the Area Maritime Security Plan.

The Ecology School in Saco appointed Amy Ouellette to its board of directors. Ouellette is a retired psychiatrist.

The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a business and technical assistance program in Augusta, added John Wolanski, Kevin Raye and Harvey Smith to its board of directors. Wolanski is vice president of sales and marketing for GAC Chemical Corp. in Searsport, Raye owns and operates Raye's Mustard Mill in Eastport and Smith is director of quality at Kennebec Technologies in Augusta.

Richard Snow, owner of Maine Indoor Karting in Scarborough, was appointed to serve on the U.S. Small Business Administration's Regional Regulatory Fairness Boards. The boards represent the voice of small businesses on regulatory fairness. Snow will represent Region I, which includes Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Gov. Paul R. LePage appointed Bryan Dench to the State Board of Arbitration and Conciliation Services as an employer representative. The board is part of the Maine Labor Relations Board, which administers and enforces Maine's state laws that govern collective bargaining for public sector employers and employees. Dench is chairman of the board of directors at Skelton Taintor & Abbott, a law firm in Auburn.

Mercy Hospital in Portland added Laura Blaisdell and Lisa Toner to its board of trustees. Blaisdell is a practicing pediatrician and currently serves as the chair of the department of pediatrics at InterMed. Toner recently retired as director of human resources for Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

Lincoln Merrill Jr. was appointed chairman of the MaineHousing board of commissioners by Gov. Paul R. LePage. Merrill is president and CEO of Patriot Insurance Co. in Yarmouth.

Coastal Mountains Land Trust in Camden added Gianne Conard, David Thanhauser and Judy Wallingford to its board of directors.

City of Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque announced Matt Leonard, CEO of Military Talent Source, will serve as chair of the Mayor's Committee on Economic Development and Marketing. Other committee members include Brian Dubois and Marnie Dubois, DuBois Realty Group at Keller Williams Realty; Jim Pross, attorney, Skelton, Taintor & Abbott; Debbie Bodwell, vice president, RMS; April Shanaman, co-owner, Lost Valley Ski Resort; Bill David, director of sales, marketing and corporate relations, Twin City Thunder; Tracey Levesque, principal, 64 Lisbon St LLC; Jessica Donovan, general manager, Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch; Josh Pritchard, partner and COO and Stephen Gilbert, partner and CEO, Anchour; Matt Kovacevich, principal, Thalo Blue; Phil Savignano, senior tourism officer, state of Maine; Steve Milks, managing partner, Thompson Properties; Ethan Kane, digital marketing manager, Sinclair Broadcast Group; and Steve Wallace, CEO, Auburn-Lewiston YMCA.

Achievements

Rick Frantz and Jennifer Fox, owners of Andy's Old Port Pub in Portland, received the “Friend of Casco Bay Award” at the Friends of Casco Bay's annual members meeting and volunteer appreciation celebration. The organization also recognized 10 individuals for milestones in Water Quality Monitoring including Erno Bonebakker, 25 years; Dick Stevens, 15 years; Sheila McDonald and Debora Price, 10 years; and Michelle Brown, Craig Burnell, John Todd, Jan Flinterman, Rob Sellin and Natalie West, five years.

The Portland Water District's environmental education staff was honored with the Maine Environmental Education Association's “2017 Excellence in Environmental Education Program Award.” The award recognizes the organization's innovative and effective curriculums and its commitment to sharing them with other organizations and teachers throughout the state.

Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce recently presented its 2018 Kenney Awards. Winners included Norman Elvin, “Peter G. Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award;” Lajoie Brothers Inc., “Large Business of the Year;” Capital Area Staffing Solutions, “Small Business of the Year;” Thomas College, “President's Choice Award;” Cecil Munson, “Community Service Award;” and Erika Bush, “Cynergy Young Professional Award.”

Katahdin Financial Services in Houlton said that Brad Berthiaume, vice president, financial consultant, achieved National Social Security Advisors certificate from the National Social Security Association LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio. The certificate promotes advanced Social Security education providing Berthiaume with the knowledge to counsel clients on the best way to claim Social Security benefits in order to optimize lifetime Social Security income.

Huston & Co., furniture makers in Kennebunkport, received the “Product of the Year” award in LibraryWorks' fourth annual Modern Library Awards. The awards were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry.

Visiting Angels, an in-home health care services company in Bangor, received the “Best of Home Care-Leader in Excellence Award” from Home Care Pulse, the leading firm in quality assurance for home care. The award is the highest recognition awarded and is given to select home care businesses that consistently rank among the very highest in 15 or more quality metrics.

Coria Inc., a consulting firm in Portland, said that Michael Thompson, vice president of sales and marketing, was named a “Most Valuable Professional” in the Ambassador category by Sitecore, an international management software firm. Thompson was one of only 63 Ambassadors named worldwide.

Laura Rowe, commercial lines manager at GHM Insurance in Waterville, earned the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor from the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.

Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty in Portland said it retained the No. 1 ranking in 2017 for luxury property sales priced over $1 million in Maine, for 2017 single family residential and condo sales over $400,000 and for 2017 for waterfront property sales in Maine. The agency also reported that it ranked fourth among real estate companies in Maine sales statewide.

Maya Bogh, co-owner and business manager of Great Northern Builders Inc. in South Berwick, was selected as a “2017 Region A Young Professional” finalist by the National Association of Home Builders. The award recognizes leaders, ages 45 and under, who contribute in an executive capacity to their companies through innovation and a commitment to excellence in the industry as well as community awareness though service and volunteerism on the local, state and national level.

Emily Farr and Mattie Rodrigue, former members of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries' team, were accepted as Knauss Fellows by the National Sea Grant College Program. Farr is working in the Habitat Protection Division for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries' Office of Habitat Conservation while Rodrigue is serving as the special assistant to Craig McLean, the assistant administrator for NOAA Research.