In short from April 18, 2011 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Aurora Financial Group in Portland recently hired Kimberly Volk as vice president of finance and chief compliance officer.

Friends of Casco Bay in Portland recently hired Sarah Lyman as development and communications assistant. Previously, Lyman was community director with the Maine Chapter of the March of Dimes.

Gannett Broadcasting recently hired Steve Carter as president and general manager at WCSH 6 in Portland. Previously, Carter was vice president of marketing and promotion at KUSA/KTVD-TV, Gannett’s NBC and MyNetwork affiliates in Denver.

KeyBank recently hired Ryan Pelletier as branch manager for the Maine district’s Lewiston branch, located at 12 East Ave., and Jay Kiel as branch manager and vice president for its Gorham branch, located at 45 Main St. Previously, Pelletier was an assistant manager at Bank of America in Brunswick and Kiel was vice president for Gorham Savings Bank in Falmouth. KeyBank in Portland also hired Kenneth Giaquinto as relationship manager of Key@Work. Previously, Giaquinto was a loan executive for United Way of Greater Portland.

Trask-Decrow Machinery in South Portland recently hired Louise Douglas in its administration department.

ReVision Energy, based in Portland, recently hired Heather Fournier as its office and marketing manager at its Exeter, N.H., office.

Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport recently hired Elizabeth Lodge as executive director. Previously, Lodge was director of museum programs at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass.

Northeast Bank in Bangor recently hired Chris Montemurro as a mortgage sales manager serving the Bangor market. Northeast Bank also hired Frank Dumais as a mortgage loan officer in its Scarborough insurance office.

Shamrock Sports Group, a Portland-based sports marketing agency, recently hired Marybeth Hoover as a marketing manager.

Walch Education, a publisher of educational materials in Portland, recently hired Lylia King to work with its district partners in Texas and to expand regional awareness of its Texas initiatives and resources.

Tilson Technology Management, an information technology project management company in Portland, recently hired Steve Greve and Ana Freitas as consultants and members of Tilson’s wireless and telecommunications group.

TD Bank recently hired Patricia Hannigan as manager of its branch at 10 Tibbetts Drive in Brunswick.

Unity College in Unity recently hired Bert Audette as director of information technology. Previously, Audette was director of information technology at Thomas College in Waterville.

Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker, an accounting firm in Portland, recently hired Ryan Wrisley as a senior consultant in its government consulting group.

Winxnet, an IT consulting firm based in Portland, recently hired Tony Piltzecker as the regional director of its new Massachusetts office.

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution in Westbrook recently hired Dennis Dalton as a loan officer in the residential/consumer lending department.

Patriot Insurance Co. in Yarmouth recently hired Jeffrey Nutter as a commercial lines underwriter II.

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Sara Hirshon as an associate in its litigation and trial group.

Thomaston Yoga Studio recently hired Jessica Day to offer Music Together classes.

Promotions

KeyBank in Portland recently promoted Robert Davis to wealth credit adviser for Key Private Bank, and Susan Pope to senior business banker of KeyBank’s southern Maine business banking team.

U.S. Cellular recently promoted Amanda Emery to sales manager for its store in Bangor and Emily MacRae to sales manager at its store in Brewer.

Patriot Insurance Co. in Yarmouth recently promoted Kara Grant and Mary Caswell to commercial lines senior field managers.

Appointments

Bates College in Lewiston recently appointed William Carey, a member of the board of Financial Research Corp., an asset management market research firm in Boston, to its board of trustees.

Skowhegan Savings recently elected the following corporators: Linda Griffin; Charles Lumbert; Charles O’Brien; and Robert Shank. Skowhegan Savings also re-elected to the board of directors James Austin and Warren Shay.

The Independent Filmmaker Project recently selected Louise Rosen, a Maine-based international film and television executive, for its 2011 advisory board.

The Portland City Council recently appointed acting city clerk Katherine Jones as city clerk, replacing Linda Cohen.

Spotlight

Stantec, an engineering firm in Scarborough, recently announced it is now working on two projects to produce energy from landfill gas, according to press release from the company. Ground has already broken on two new power plants designed by Stantec.

The Brea, Calif.-based Olinda landfill gas-to-energy facility was funded in large part by a $10 million Department of Energy grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Along with the existing 5-megawatt facility, the new plant is expected to generate up to 32.5 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 22,000 homes.

A plant at the central landfill in Johnston, R.I., is projected to generate up to 40 megwatts of renewable energy and received a $15 million stimulus grant from the DOE.

Company News

Spectrum Medical Group, a physician-owned, multi-specialty practice in South Portland, recently announced it has established a partnership with St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston to provide the hospital with pathology services.

Great Falls Construction in Gorham recently announced it is preparing to renovate and restore the historic Walker Memorial Library in Westbrook, saving the building structure from water damage.

RE/MAX By The Bay in Portland recently announced that John Chase, CEO of Chase Custom Homes and Finance, is now part of a newly formed team called The Chase Team.

The Harold Alfond Foundation in Waterville recently announced a commitment of $5 million to support the construction of the Harold Alfond Academic Center and the establishment of the Harold and Bibby Alfond Scholarship Fund at Thomas College.

Mazonson, an insurance brokerage firm in Wakefield, Mass., recently announced the sale of the company to Bangor-based Cross Insurance, a subsidiary of Cross Financial Corp., to form Cross Insurance Wakefield.

The Association for Consulting Expertise recently announced the following new members: Bill Bayreuther of William A. Bayreuther Grant Writing in Portland; Bill Moore of Pine Tree Data Systems in Readfield; David Robinson of Fides CFO in Freeport; F. Lee Bailey of Bailey & Elliott in Yarmouth; and Scott Balfour of Magnusson Balfour Commercial & Business Brokers in Portland.

Cellular Sales, a Verizon premium wireless retailer, recently announced the opening of its store at 3 Somerset St. in Portland.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development recently awarded Portland Housing Authority $52,855 and Westbrook Housing Authority $40,607 to help link low-income families with the necessary education and job training to put them on a path to self-sufficiency.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine in South Portland recently announced it is now offering Blue View Vision, a flexible vision plan that provides access to more than 125 network providers across the state, and more than 50,000 providers and provider locations nationwide.

GrowSmart Maine recently received a $25,000 grant from The Old Bug Light Charitable Fund to update its website and communications software and to expand its ReEnvisioning the Highway Strip project to include a demonstration site.

Keith Pelletier, director of engineering at SPX Communication Technology in Raymond, recently presented on TV antenna systems using vertical polarization for lower-power applications at the 2011 PBS Technology Conference in Las Vegas.

Dana’s Grill in Bangor recently announced it is not reopening this season at the Hampden marina. Instead, the restaurant owners are looking for a new location for next summer.

Fireside Inn & Suites in Portland recently announced it is in the process of making renovations to the hotel at 81 Riverside St.

Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor was recently recognized by the Maine State Employee Health Commission as a preferred provider.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced that former workers at Fraser Timber Limited in Ashland and Anderson Hardwood Floors in Patten are now eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance.

Fiddlehead Artisan Supplies recently announced it will open in May at 159 High St. in Belfast.

Richard O’Meara, an attorney and director with the law firm Murray, Plumb & Murray in Portland, was recently admitted as a member of the New Hampshire State Bar.

Tilson Fiber Technology in Portland, a member of the Tilson family of companies, recently announced that construction began ahead of schedule in Orient on a section of Maine Fiber Company Inc.’s Three Ring Binder Project.

Dandy Diaper Service, an eco-friendly diaper service in Mount Desert Island, recently announced it is now open for business.

Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Portland recently announced the launch of its new property search capabilities through its website www.legacysir.com.

Blue Marble Geographics, a software developer in Gardiner, recently announced the release of its latest version of GeoCalc 6.4.5 coordinate transformation library and toolkit, which supports time-stamped coordinate reference frames for mapping in areas of the Earth where there is tectonic shifting and movement of the Earth’s crust.

University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford was recently recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 rankings of best graduate schools.

Laser Focus Coaching in Portland, an integrated coaching and mentoring company, recently announced it is open for business.

BitSec Global Forensics, a computer forensics and information security training provider in Augusta, was recently awarded a sub-contract from Lockheed Martin to assist with the development and delivery of three new computer forensic courses for a major U.S. government client. BitSec also recently trained 10 detectives from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

AU, a manufacturer of bags and totes in Portland, recently announced the launch of its new Sailwax collection.

York County Community College was recently chosen by the Maine Community College System to pilot a program to assist adult students to complete an associate degree in one year. The program provides financial, academic and personal support to students.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has obligated $20 million in funding for the replacement of the Memorial Bridge between Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery.

The F.W. Horch Sustainable Goods & Supplies store at 56 Maine St. in Brunswick recently announced it is for sale.

Sunday River ski resort in Newry recently announced that, weather permitting, the resort will close for the winter season following the last day of skiing and riding scheduled for April 24.

Berenson Associates, the developers of Freeport Village Station, recently announced that the Nordica Theatre, a new six-screen cinema complex with a 3D movie screen, will open this fall at Freeport Village Station.

Wright Express Corp., a provider of payment processing and information management services in South Portland, recently announced it has acquired the assets of rapid! PayCard, a privately held provider of payroll debit cards, e-paystubs and e-W2s in an all-cash deal that includes additional considerations for performance milestones.

The Portland Symphony Orchestra recently announced a partnership with the American Red Cross of Southern Maine to raise funds in support of the response to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

Norman Rattey, an attorney with the Auburn law firm of Skelton, Taintor & Abbott, recently spoke at a seminar, “Maine Foreclosures and Workouts,” given by the National Business Institute in Portland.

Michelle Hood, president and CEO of Eastern Maine Healthcare System in Brewer, recently accepted the resignation of David Proffitt, president and CEO of The Acadia Hospital in Bangor.

U.S. Cellular recently announced its new cell site in Pownal and Newcastle will increase its coverage in the towns of Pownal and North Yarmouth, along Routes 9 and 231 and in Newcastle, along Routes 1, 129 and 130.

WinsMor Garage Door Co. Inc. in Belfast recently teamed up with The Rockport Co. to build and install custom wood carriage house doors.

Accolades

The Maine International Trade Center recently announced the following winners of the 2011 Maine International Trade & Investment Awards: Exporter of the Year, Cozy Harbor Seafood in Portland; International Service Provider of the Year, Council for International Educational Exchange in Portland; International Innovator of the Year, Artel in Westbrook; International Investor of the Year, Sappi Fine Paper North America in Westbrook and Skowhegan; the President’s Award, John Gulliver of Portland.

The Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau recently presented DiMillo’s on the Water restaurant in Portland with its Casco Bay Award for achievements that advanced the tourism industry in southern Maine.

The Maine Bar Foundation, a nonprofit grant-giving agency, recently honored Jennifer Archer, an attorney with the Portland law firm Kelly, Remmel & Zimmerman, with the Arnie MacDonald Maine Bar Fellows New Lawyer Award for her contributions to justice in Maine.

Camden National Corp., the holding company for Camden National Bank and Acadia Trust, was recently named to the 2010 Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Bank Honor Roll of superior performers.