In short from April 19, 2010 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Pierce Atwood, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Margaret O’Keefe as a partner in the intellectual property & technology and litigation practice groups.

Digital Measurement Metrology Inc. in Scarborough recently hired Bill Cox as director of technology.

Northeast Bank headquartered in Lewiston recently hired of Peter Bielicki as a senior mortgage loan officer serving the Seacoast area, including Maine and New Hampshire. Northeast Bank also hired Bruce Harrington as a commercial lender serving its central Maine market.

Custom Coach and Limousine in Gorham recently hired Kat Powers as marketing/sales director.

Consumers for Affordable Health Care, consumer health organization in Augusta, recently hired Andrea Irwin as health policy advocate and coalition coordinator.

GrowSmart Maine in Portland recently hired Nancy Smith as executive director.

AspenCross Financial Group in Bangor, a financial advisory, investment management and employee benefits firm, recently hired Robert Iaderosa as a senior associate. Previously, Iaderosa was vice president and co-founder of Howard Financial Services in Hampden.

Pierce Atwood, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Jane Dobrovolny as benefits specialist in the human resources department.

Maine Medical Center in Portland recently hired Thomas Downing as director of the Lifeline Workplace Health Program.

Soft Trac, a consulting firm which specializes in nonprofit and governmental technology in Falmouth, recently hired Charlynn Tschida as project manager.

Haley’s Metal Shop Inc., a construction company in Biddeford, recently hired Matthew Haley as the fifth generation of their 93-year-old family business.

Oxford Networks, a communication provider in Lewiston, recently hired Carl Richardson as central office manager. Previously, Richardson was a central office technician for Standish Telephone.

PM Construction, a commercial construction firm in Saco, recently hired William Nason as president and chief executive officer.

The Maine State Employees Association, SEIU Local 1989, recently hired Chris Quint as executive director.

Thayer Corp. in Auburn, an HVAC service co., recently hired Matt Dugal as a maintenance sales representative.

Promotions

SystemArchitecture.NET, a provider of software, website, and IT support services in Windham, recently promoted Evan Desjardins to IT support manager.

Legacy Publishing Co. in Westbrook, a producer and publisher of personal development products, recently promoted Rick Fox as a national media buyer. Previously, Fox worked as a sales representative and shift leader in the Westbrook sales center.

Vreeland Marketing & Design in Yarmouth recently promoted Rich Davies, Katherine Gallant and Rebecca Morse from senior staffers to vice president.

Sage Data Security Inc. in South Portland recently promoted Joe Kurlanski to vice president.

The Acadia Hospital in Bangor recently promoted Naomi Brown to administrator, adult outpatient mental health and substance abuse services. Previously, Brown was administrator of adult outpatient mental health services.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust in Bar Harbor recently promoted Russell Patton to vice president/information security, Bob Lavoie to vice president/information systems and Lester Porter to assistant vice president/assistant controller.

Sunday River ski resort in Newry recently promoted Nick Lambert to director of sales and marketing. Previously, Lambert was brand manager.

Camden National Bank recently promoted Tamara Bryant as vice president, Bangor region market manager.

Appointments

Skowhegan Savings Bank recently appointed the following to its board of directors: Doreen Poulin; Calvin Ames; Jason Brochu; Robert Browne; Reginald Perry; Raymond Haskell; and Ted McCarthy. It also reappointed Howard Sevey and Claire Theriault-Perkins.

Lebel & Harriman, a financial planning firm in Falmouth, recently appointed Monica Knight as retirement investment counselor in the client services department.

Little Dolphin School for Early Education in Scarborough recently appointed the following to its board of trustees: Susan Austin, senior community relations consultant at Unum in South Portland; Steve Brier, executive director of Little Dolphin School; Jennine Cannizzo, vice president of business development at Maine Manufacturing in Sanford; Shawna Chigro-Rogers, director of advancement services and donor relations at the University of New England in Portland; Amy Conlon, senior director of retention solutions/product manager, Noel-Levitz Inc.; Catherine Daniels of financial services at Little Dolphin; Angela Hansen, human resources consultant at Little Dolphin; Dan Koloski, director of business development, systems and applications management of Oracle Technology Network; and Christopher Lewis, finance consultant at Little Dolphin.

Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington recently appointed Nancy Cummings to the ethics committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons at its annual meeting.

Seventy-Five State Street, an independent and assisted-living community for senior citizens in Portland, recently appointed Paula Banks to its board of trustees.

Gov. John Baldacci recently appointed Sarah Ferrand to the Land Use Regulation Commission in Augusta. He also reappointed the following to the commission: Ernest Harvey, Gwendolyn Hilton; Rebecca Kurtz; Edward Laverty; James Nadeau; and Steve Schaefer. He also recently reappointed Mila Kofman to superintendent of the Bureau of Insurance, Lloyd LaFountain to superintendent of the Bureau of Financial Institutions and William Lund to superintendent of the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection.

The Brewer Economic Development Corp. recently added three new members to its board: Bob Platt, manager at Bangor Hydro Electric Co.; Jeff Sanford, director of financial services at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Brewer; and Dale Graham, practice manager at Penobscot Eye Care, also in Brewer.

The Maine Trial Lawyers Association recently appointed Peter Clifford, a partner in the law firm Hodsdon & Clifford in Kennebunk, as president.

Company News

The Tidal Energy Demonstration and Evaluation Center at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine recently achieved energy independence with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C.

Christophermichaelsullivan, an art firm in Portland, recently launched its new website and a full re-branding package that will make the site more organized and accessible.

The American Board of Internal Medicine-Pulmonology in P.A. recently issued Donald Woloszyn of Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick with board certification as a sleep study provider.

Saint Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish recently launched an online master of accountancy degree to prepare people with an undergraduate business degree for a career in public accounting or auditing, and for taking the certified public accountant exam.

Kingfield Elementary School recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the installation of two multi-fuel heating systems by Skanden Energy in Sumner.

Sunday River, a ski resort in Newry, recently raised over $300,000 for Maine Handicapped Skiing at its 25th Annual Ski-a-Thon.

Sargent Corp. in Hampden and Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield have been identified by the Wellness Council of America as Gold Level Well Workplaces. The recognition evaluates the quality of a company’s health promotion programs for its own employees.

Lamey-Wellehan Shoes recently celebrated the opening of its store in Scarborough.

Libbey O’Brien Kingsley & Champion, a law office in Kennebunk, recently announced that Gail Kingsley and Brian Champion have been named as fellows to the Maine Bar Foundation in Hallowell.

The Maine Department of Transportation in Gorham recently certified VIVA - Virtually Indispensable Virtual Assistants, a communication tool for businesses around the world, as a disadvantaged business enterprise.

The Financial Authority of Maine recently announced the availability of low-cost economic development financing for certain eligible projects made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Camden National Corp. in Camden recently announced that its board of directors declared a $0.25 share dividend payable on April 30 for shareholders of record on April 15.

Time Warner Cable in Portland recently announced that it is expanding broadband services on the islands of Vinalhaven and North Haven, and the Long Lake area of Madawaska.

HM Payson & Co., an investment firm in Portland, recently produced a total return of 36.55% in 2009, outpacing the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index by a full 10 percentage points with The Payson Total Return Fund.

Michael Webber, CEO of BitSec Global Forensics in Augusta, recently served as a speaker at the EuroForensics Digital and Medical Forensic Sciences Conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

Maine Limousine Service recently moved to a new location at 184 Main St. in South Portland.

Dorothy Egg Farms in Winthrop recently delivered more than 100,000 eggs to Good Shepherd Food-Bank in Auburn that will be distributed to hunger relief organizations throughout the state.

The Small Business Development Center at the University of Southern Maine at Portland recently announced it is one of 10 centers to receive a federal grant to increase entrepreneurial assistance to veterans. The grants will provide funding for programs to veterans that promote business ownership and provide services to small businesses dealing with the deployment of key personnel overseas.

Fluid Imaging Technologies Inc. in Yarmouth, recently announced that its FlowCAM imaging particle analyzer will be a key component in an algae-to-biofuel research and commercial development project engineered and built by BioMarine Fuels Inc. of Gulf Breeze, Fla.

Acadia Insurance in Westbrook recently announced the launch of its new Acadia Clean program, which targets the specific needs of commercial janitorial, residential, as well as carpet, rug, furniture and upholstery service companies.

Sage Data Security Inc. in South Portland recently announced that employee Ben Greenfield has been awarded the Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification by the Security Certification Consortium Inc.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently awarded $347,189 in grants to Maine Housing Authority programs. The grants were authorized through the 2009 Housing Choice Voucher-Family Self Sufficiency Program.

Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington recently announced that employee Larry Labul has earned an honorary degree of fellow for excellence in the practice of internal medicine by the American College of Internists. Labul also earned the first-ever senior fellow in hospital medicine designation from the Society of Hospital Medicine. Franklin Memorial Hospital also announced that Marco Madison completed his doctorate of physical therapy degree from the University of New England.

Robert Stier, a partner at Portland law firm Pierce Atwood, was one of 54 members elected to the American Law Institute on March 16.

Quantrix, a software developer in Portland, recently released version 3.7 of its business modeling and analytics software solution, Quantrix Modeler. The new version improves the ability to extract data from enterprise databases for modeling and calculation, and to then push data back into enterprise databases for sharing and reporting.

Patricia Royall, founder of Jazzy Johnnys Cancer Patient Wear in Richmond, was recently selected as a keynote speaker for the National Breast Cancer tele-summit “From Surviving to Thriving” airing the week of April 19.

Sealander Architects in Ellsworth, in collaboration with Coplon Associates in Bar Harbor, landscape architect, and Sustainable Design Studio in Portland, civil engineer, has recently completed a phased master plan for Husson University in Bangor. The plan, developed in close conjunction with the university’s senior staff, faculty and student representatives, lays out a rational approach for continued growth at the Bangor campus.

Samoset Resort in Rockport recently announced it is now a member of the Preferred Hotel Group, under the Summit Hotels & Resorts brand.

The Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina in Bar Harbor recently announced it is a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

St.Germain & Associates Inc., an environmental consulting and engineering firm in Westbrook, recently announced it has changed its name to St.Germain Collins, which recognizes both Mark St. Germain, the company founder, and Scott Collins, principal and vice president.

Thayer Corp., an HVAC service company in Auburn, recently announced it has become a qualified business partner of the Efficiency Maine program. Efficiency Maine’s Business Program created the new designation, qualified partners, for the most experienced vendors, contractors, suppliers and other professionals that supply or install energy-efficient equipment.

The Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce recently announced the following new members: Classic Cuts in Rockland; Cow Pasture Travel in Rockland; Loyal Biscuit Co. in Rockland; Maine Coast Personal Assistance Services in Rockland; Merrill’s Lucia Beach Cottages in Windsor Locks, Conn.; Métier in Rockland; and Sea Ginger in Rockport.

Spotlight

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay recently announced it is planning to build a LEED Platinum-rated education center, with landscaping that emphasizes sustainability, according to a press release from the organization.

Its board of directors voted to expand the current capital campaign by making the decision to build a LEED Platinum net-zero-energy structure, one which will produce as much energy as it consumes, taking advantage of technology and environmentally sound practices.

Landscaping around the structure — designed by landscape architect Herb Schaal, a principal of EDAW Inc., in Fort Collins, Colo. — will demonstrate a variety of sustainable features, including native plant groupings, rain gardens that collect and use rainwater and wildlife habitats.

Accolades

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that it is the winner of the Best Law Firm in Maine for Securities Work by Corporate INTL Magazine’s 2009/10 Legal Awards.

Parkview Adventist Medical Center in Brunswick is one of six hospitals in Maine to receive the Gold Star award from the 2010 Maine Tobacco-Free Hospital Network Gold Star Standards of Excellence Recognition Program.

Gifford’s Ice Cream in Skowhegan was featured on Food Network’s popular “Unwrapped” show April 12.

R.J. Grondin & Sons, a construction company in Gorham, recently received national recognition for its safety achievements. Associated General Contractors of America reviewed applicants from across the nation for the annual safety awards.

Firestone Building Products Co., headquartered in Indianapolis, recently presented IRC Roofing Co. in Lewiston with the 2010 Firestone Master Contractor Award, as well as the Firestone Inner Circle of Quality Award for its dedication to long-term commercial roofing system installation quality.

Ecomaine in Portland, a nonprofit group that handles recycling and waste disposal for area municipalities, has given an eco-Excellence Award to the carpentry class taught by Frank Kehoe at Portland Arts and Technology High School.

The Good Shepherd Food-Bank in Auburn will honor Larry Wold, president of TD Bank-Maine, with its JoAnn Pike Humanitarian Award on May 17 at the JoAnn Pike Humanitarian Award dinner at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

Patriot Subaru in Saco recently received the Chairman’s Roundtable award from Subaru of America.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently honored Mary Liberty with the GME Program Coordinator Excellence award for excellence in program management at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

The 20th Annual Governor’s Award for Business Excellence went to the following businesses at the annual Leadership Conference at Colby College on April 1: Gifford’s Ice Cream; Maine Manufacturing in Augusta; Old Town Canoe Co.-Johnson Outdoors; Sprague & Curtis Real Estate in Augusta; and Yankee Marina & Boatyard in Yarmouth. The 2010 Governor’s Award for Nonprofit Excellence went to the following: Health Access Network in Lincoln; Woodfords Family Services in Portland; Portland Symphony Orchestra; Spruce Run Association in Millinocket; Hardy Girls Healthy Women in Waterville; and Youth Arts in Camden.

Attorneys from law firm Pierce Atwood in Portland were recognized by the Maine Trial Lawyers Association on March 26.

Linda Howe, vice president of marketing/public relations at Down East Credit Union, recently received the first-place Louise Herring Award for Philosophy in Action.

Franchise Times magazine recently recognized Tim Bryant, attorney at Preti Flaherty in Portland, for his expertise and skill in the area of franchise law.

The Rotary Club of Saco Bay announced that members Tom LaChance and Jerry LaPierre were recently honored as Paul Harris Fellows, one of the highest honors bestowed upon Rotarians and non-Rotarians.

Gina Philippon, sales & estimates manager of Mid-Coast Energy Systems in Damariscotta, was featured in the March issue of “the NEWS,” a national HVACR trade publication.