In short | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Embassy Suites Hotel in Portland recently hired Kerry Rasor as director of sales.

Maine Mental Health Partners in South Portland recently hired Mike Abbatiello as chief financial officer.

Pierce Atwood, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Kyle Kirby as an associate in the firm's litigation practice group.

Pemaquid Communications, a web design firm in Portland, recently hired Trish Altieri as director of client services.

Macdonald Page & Co., an accounting firm in South Portland, recently hired Lauren Duplin as a staff accountant.

East Shore Studio & Print in Portland recently hired Tim Pothier as account executive to lead outside sales.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, recently hired attorney Benjamin Piper as an associate.

Maine Organic Milling in Auburn recently hired Warren Cook as general manager.

Comfort Keepers, a non-medical home care company in Scarborough, recently hired Margy Gambell as quality assurance coordinator.

InfoSecurus, an information security firm in South Portland, recently hired Keith Gosselin as a senior information security consultant.

The Telling Room, a youth writing center in Portland, recently hired John Holdridge as creative director.

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England in Portland recently hired Anna Roosevelt as CEO.

Winxnet, a Portland-based IT service provider, recently hired Andrew Robitaille as a customer sales representative.

Rinck Advertising in Auburn recently hired Kristy Phinney as an assistant account executive/social media specialist.

Maine Community Action Association recently hired Rick McCarthy as senior adviser.

R.W. Gillespie & Associates, a geotechnical engineering, materials testing and environmental consulting firm in Saco, recently hired Jay Hargy as a geotechnical engineer.

Levey and Wagley, a law firm in Winthrop, recently hired attorney Patrice Putman.

Pierce Atwood, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Timothy Maguire as a partner in the firm's corporate practice group.

Jobg8, a global marketplace for online job boards in Portland, recently hired Randy Lussier as account manager.

GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc. in Portland recently hired Jim Hillier, a geologist; Brad Tirone, a hydrogeologist; and Amy Fitzherbert, an environmental scientist.

Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor recently hired Justin Karrel and Megan Ryan to its dental center as full-time staff dentists.

Digital Research Inc., a marketing research firm in Kennebunk, recently hired Tony Pagliocco as director of technology and Sylvia Kinnicutt as research associate.

Saint Joseph's College in Standish recently hired Colleen Dutile and Suellen Chaplin-Beckett to its nursing faculty, and Colleen Sullivan to its psychology faculty.

The Institute for Family-Owned Business in Brunswick recently hired Gina Weathersby as executive director.

The Portland Water District recently hired Katrina Venhuizen and Meghan Rounds as environmental educators.

The Penobscot Theatre in Bangor recently hired Jasmine Ireland as director of education and outreach.

Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct sales food company, recently hired Rachel Hoglund of South Portland as an independent consultant.

Burns & McDonnell, an engineering firm headquartered in Wallingford, Conn., recently hired Vishal Verma as a project controls manager at its office in New Gloucester.

Franklin Health Women's Care in Farmington recently hired Susan Jacoby, a certified nurse midwife and doctor of nursing practice.

Opus Consulting Group, a financial management consulting firm in Portland, recently hired Brad Francis as a consultant.

The College of Business at Husson University in Bangor recently hired Marilynne Jones Mann as director of the tourism research institute at Husson and instructor in the School of Hospitality, Sports and Tourism Management.

Promotions

cPort Credit Union in Portland recently promoted Patricia Gratto to assistant branch manager and Laura Miller to marketing coordinator.

Maine Mental Health Partners in South Portland recently promoted Greg Bowers to executive vice president and treasurer.

U.S. Cellular in Portland recently promoted Matthew Arnold to service manager for New England.

Appointments

The Maine Department of Conservation recently named Roderick Falla acting division manager of permitting and compliance for the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission.

Saint Joseph's College in Scarborough recently named Carol Seavor as the chairperson of the department of nursing.

Doreen Bell, director of business systems at Tilson Technology Management in Portland, was recently appointed to chair the communications committee of the Maine Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association.

Scott Firmin, director of wastewater of the Portland Water District, was recently appointed to serve on the Water Environment Federation's Collection Systems Committee.

Lee Baggott, of the Easy Breathing Clinic in Augusta, was recently named chair of a protocol evaluation committee of the American College of Chest Physicians.

United Cerebral Palsy of Maine recently appointed Michael Haenn, owner of the Law Office of Michael S. Haenn in Hampden, as board president.

David Webbert, an attorney with the Augusta law firm of Johnson & Webbert, has been elected for a second term as president of the board of directors of the Disability Rights Center.

Company News

The board of directors of Portland's Downtown District recently voted to support the Cumberland County Civic Center Bond to expand and renovate the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Simmons Ardell, a communication design firm in South Portland, was recently engaged by the town of Scarborough and the Scarborough Economic Development Corp. to provide design and branding services.

Thomas Denenberg, deputy director, chief curator, and the William E. and Helen E. Thon curator of American art at the Portland Museum of Art, has accepted the position of director at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vt.

Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington recently announced its selection and participation in Aligning Forces for Quality: Transforming Care at the Bedside, a program that leads to improvements in the quality and safety of patient care. It is a part of a nationwide program led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Larry Sudbay, president and CEO of SymQuest Group, a provider of network and document technology services in Westbrook, recently announced the launch of its large-format printer division.

FairPoint Communications recently announced it will sponsor the fall membership drive of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce. With its sponsorship, FairPoint will provide a $100, first-year dues subsidy to each new member who joins the chamber between now and Dec. 1. The program will be offered to the first 50 businesses to join the chamber.

The Telling Room, a nonprofit youth writing center in Portland, recently announced a new three-year partnership with AmeriCorps VISTA. With the help of the Maine Commission for Community Service, this partnership will place two full-time VISTA members with the organization to expand its capacity to offer more services to youth affected by poverty in the greater Portland area.

Career Management Associates, a human resources consulting firm based in Portland, recently announced the launch its newly expanded contract staffing service.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission recently announced it is promoting the telephone programs, Lifeline and Link-Up Assistance, which offer discounts to low-income residents to ensure access to basic local telephone service.

We are Better Than Average, a maker of jams, jellies and sauces in Mechanic Falls, recently sent 800 jars of jam to the Emmy awards to be included in the television event gift bags.

Elizabeth Smith, an attorney with Portland-based law firm Verrill Dana and the Maine member on the National Workers' Compensation Defense Network, has been asked to assist The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Division of Medicare Benefit Coordination with a study of the workers' compensation Medicare set-aside program.

Sebago Brewing Co. in Gorham recently released its fall seasonal beer, Local Harvest Ale.

The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve has received a $287,000 federal grant to assist with the permanent protection of a 130-acre parcel with high conservation value along the Merriland River in Wells. The Wells Reserve and the Wells Conservation Commission collaborated in requesting the grant, which was awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program.

Maine Civil Liberties Union recently changed its name to the ACLU of Maine.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration recently allocated $55,719 in health and safety training grants to the state of Maine for fiscal year 2011.

Melinda Caterine, a partner in the Portland office of law firm Fisher & Phillips, will be a faculty member at the 2011 Association of Corporate Counsel annual meeting in Denver on Oct. 23-26, where she will be part of a panel discussing managing leaves of absence, accommodations and accessibility.

The Senator George J. Mitchell Scholarship Research Institute recently announced that Colleen Quint, the institute's executive director, will be stepping down at the end of the year to pursue other opportunities.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor recently announced it will be receiving $1 million from the Partridge Foundation to expand its work in sustainable agriculture. About 75% of the funds will go to scholarships for rural Maine and New England students interested in pursuing a focus on sustainable agriculture.

The Maine Tourism Association recently announced a partnership with WPXT, New England Telemedia and Sephone Interactive Media to list and promote all Maine Tourism Association members through WPXT's mobile app.

Nicole Avery and Monica Swan recently announced launch of Zone 3 Fitness, a fitness center in Scarborough.

Penquis Child Development in Bangor recently announced it will be closing four infant toddler classrooms.

The Parkwood Inn in Brunswick was recently purchased by Giri Hotels. The hotel will continue to operate under the Parkwood Inn name.

ReVision Energy recently announced a dealer partnership between installer and solar tracker manufacturer AllEarth Renewables in Williston, Vt.

The University of Maine at Farmington recently announced the creation of the UMF Stevens Scholarship, a new academic scholarship available to first-year applicants from Maine beginning fall 2012.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that the following businesses will receive investments to implement renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in their operations: Haley Construction Inc., Sangerville, $16,526; Bancroft Contracting Corp., South Paris, $40,000; Grant's Bakery Inc., Lewiston, $19,957; Americas' Wood Co., Washington, $18,750; Lincoln County Publishing Co., Newcastle, $18,750; North Country Rivers Inc., Bingham, $29,359; OKJ Construction Inc., Skowhegan, $20,000; and Arundel Business Center, Arundel, $19,997.

Loyal Citizen Clothing in Portland recently introduced its 2011 fall/winter collection of printed T-shirts designed in Maine and made in the U.S.A called Explore.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded nearly $5 million in competitive grant funding to the Maine Department of Transportation for statewide infrastructure improvements.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently awarded a $1.1 million federal grant to Maine's Department of Marine Resources to help Maine marine resource officials in their efforts to track the recovery of the endangered Atlantic salmon in Maine.

Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co., recently announced a cash dividend of $.082 per share for the third quarter of 2011. The dividend was payable on Sept. 26 to all shareholders of record as of Sept.12.

The Greater Portland Public Development Commission recently announced a multi-year grant of $375,000 to the Greater Portland Economic Development Corp., a regional organization that focuses on job creation and retention and attracting and keeping business in the greater Portland area.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham $4.5 million in competitive grant funding for offshore wind risk research and assessment.

The Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs Act, under the U. S. Small Business Administration, recently awarded Washington Hancock Community Agency $140,204, the University of Maine $83,750 and Penquis Community Action Program $67,000 in PRIME grants to provide business-based training and technical assistance to low-income and very low-income entrepreneurs to help them start, operate, or grow a small business.

Coastal Enterprises Inc. in Wiscasset recently announced it is being awarded a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Treasury's Community Development Institutions Fund to help expand access to fresh, nutritious food in rural areas.

Maine Medical Center has been awarded accreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, recognizing its commitment to ensuring the protection of research participants and for promoting high-quality research.

DennyMike's Award Winning Sauces and Rubs recently announced distribution deals with QFC, a Washington-based market chain with more than 170 grocery stores in the Northwest, and with J.C. Wright, a Seattle distributor of gourmet, ethnic and natural foods. The company also signed with the East Coast division of UNFI, a national distributor of natural foods.

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor recently signed a licensing agreement with Satlantic Inc., an advanced ocean technology company in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The agreement provides Satlantic with exclusive rights to use Bigelow Lab's Underway Aiming System software.

Elizabeth Johnson, a veterinarian at Putney Inc., a pet pharmaceutical company in Portland, will be a guest lecturer in the veterinary pharmacy course offered this fall at the University of New England College of Pharmacy.

Spotlight

Martin's Point Health Care in Portland and Central Maine Healthcare in Lewiston recently announced a new partnership to focus on ways to improve population health and patient experiences, and to moderate rising health care costs, according to a press release from both organizations.

Through this partnership, Central Maine Healthcare-affiliated physicians will become participating providers for Martin's Point-administered health plans: Generations Advantage, US Family Health Plan – TRICARE Prime and MaineSense, a new commercial plan of the Maine Wellness Association. Martin's Point and Central Maine Healthcare will work together to explore new patient-centered care approaches and opportunities to better serve the communities of both organizations.

Accolades

Wright Express Corp., a payment processing company in South Portland, recently announced it was included on InformationWeek 500, an annual listing of the nation's most innovative users of business technology.

MEMIC, a workers' compensation insurer in Portland, and insurance agency partner Cross Insurance in Bangor recognized electrical contractor E.S. Boulos Co. in Westbrook for surpassing the 1 million-hour mark without a lost-time workplace injury.

The Maine Department of Corrections Online Money Deposit Service and the Judicial Branch Electronic Court Fine Payment Services were recently recognized by the Center of Digital Government for exceptional service and modernization in portals and online services as part of its Best Fit Integrator awards program.

Fifty-three attorneys from Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012. Best Lawyers also ranked Bernstein Shur No. 1 in the United States in the categories of municipal law and malpractice law and No. 1 in Maine in 29 categories. In addition, the following attorneys from Eaton Peabody, a law firm in Bangor, were recently selected by their peers for inclusion: David Austin; John Cunningham; Edward Feibel; P. Andrew Hamilton; Bernard Kubetz; Clare Payne; David Pierson; Nathaniel Putnam; and Daniel McKay. Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, also announced that attorneys Jeff Piampiano, Gary Vogel and Aaron Pratt have been listed for the first time in The Best Lawyers in America 2012. Sixty-six lawyers from Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012. McTeague Higbee, a law firm in Topsham, recently announced that attorneys G. William Higbee and Jeffrey Young were selected by their peers for inclusion in the directory.

Gov. Paul LePage, the Maine Department of Conservation and the Maine TREE Foundation recently honored Robbins Lumber Co. in Searsmont with the sixth annual Austin Wilkins Forest Stewardship Award for outstanding contributions to forest management.

The Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project recently presented attorneys Barbara Cardone and Martha Novy-Broderick with the 2011 Louis Vafiades Award for the impact of their volunteer efforts.

Bill Green and Susan Kimball, news anchors with WCSH 6 in Portland, were recently inducted into the Maine Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

The University of Maine was recently included on the Military Friendly Schools Guide, a list of military-friendly colleges, universities and other educational institutions that offer noteworthy services, opportunity and support for veterans of the U.S. military service.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor was recently included in the 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges.

Maine Public Broadcasting Network reporter Irwin Gratz recently received the Yankee Quill award from the Academy of New England Journalists through the auspices of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors Foundation for his leadership in the Society of Professional Journalists. In related news, the Society for Environmental Journalists recently awarded Maine Public Broadcasting Network reporter Susan Sharon third place in the small market category for her outstanding beat reporting, specifically for her coverage of environmental issues.

WMGX-FM in South Portland was recently named AC Station of the Year at the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Awards.

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