In short from August 10, 2009 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Austin Associates, an accounting and business advisory firm in Auburn, recently hired Steve Bosinger as chief operations officer.

The Salvation Army Northern New England Division in Portland recently hired Elizabeth Badger to the divisional development team as the donor relations director. Previously, Badger was development director at Riding to the Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham.

Spinnaker Trust, an investment planning firm in Portland, recently hired Amanda Vamvakias Rand as vice president of business development. Previously, Rand was a trusts and estates lawyer at Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood.

Portland-based Listen Up Español, a Hispanic call center specializing in direct response television campaigns, recently hired Randall Anderson as vice president of sales and new business development. Previously, Anderson was vice president of client services, sales and business-to-business operations at Taction in Waldoboro.

Runyon Kersteen Ouellette, an accounting and business consulting firm in South Portland, recently hired Ryan Cormier as a senior accountant in the municipal department.  Previously, Cormier was a staff auditor at a local accounting firm.

Portland-based Maine Magazine recently hired Chris Plumstead as advertising manager. Previously, Plumstead was publisher of Gourmet News in Portland.

Norton Insurance and Financial in Cumberland Foreside recently hired Michael Schneider as an applications specialist. Previously, Schneider was a manager of client services at PowerMed in Portland.

Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockland recently hired the following physicians to the hospital’s emergency department: Tracy Jalbuena, Whitney Randolph and McKenzie Savidge. Jalbuena recently completed her residency in emergency medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio; Randolph was previously a flight physician at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa.; and Savidge recently completed her residency in emergency medicine at the Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, N.J.

Spurwink, a behavioral health, educational and residential service provider in Portland, recently hired Nicole Boivin as senior program director of educational services. Previously, Boivin was a speech pathologist with the REACH School in South Portland.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently hired attorney Leslie Klenk. Previously, Klenk was senior vice president and counsel in Citigroup’s office of the general counsel.

The University of New England recently hired Susan Pierter as associate director of communications to manage public relations efforts at the university’s Portland campus. Previoulsy, Pierter was director of public and government relations at MaineGeneral Health in Augusta.

Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood recently hired Christopher Batio as director of marketing and business development. Previously, Batio was an assistant director for business development and competitive intelligence at Crowell and Moring in Washington, D.C.

Camden National Corp., parent company of Camden National Bank, recently hired Diane Norton as vice president of marketing and communications. Previously, Norton was the interim publication manager of The 2009 Jewel of the Maine Coast, the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce’s annually published magazine.

The United Way of York County in Kennebunk recently hired Marin Magat as manager of community and volunteer engagement. 

The Nathan Clifford Elementary School in Portland recently hired Beverly Coursey as principal. Previously, Coursey was principal at two schools in the Sabattus school department.

Maine Street Solutions, the public affairs and consulting division of Portland-based law firm Verrill Dana, recently hired Toby McGrath as political director. Previously, McGrath was the associate administrator overseeing national field operations of the Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C.

Broadreach Public Relations in Yarmouth recently hired Eric Blom as vice president of public relations. Previously, Blom was the local and business news editor of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram newspaper and website.

MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta recently hired Timothy Borelli, an infectious disease specialist, to its active medical staff. Borelli recently completed residency training in internal medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland. TD Banknorth recently hired Derek Bonser as manager of its Kittery branch.

Portland-based Drake Inglesi Milardo Inc., a human resources consulting firm that serves northern New England, recently hired Janet Allen as vice president.

Living Wealth Partners in Portland, a general agency of the Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, recently hired Kenneth Gardiner as a field representative. Previously, Gardiner was an instructor of psychology at the University of Southern Maine.

Beal College in Bangor recently hired Connie Elliott as program director for health information technology.

The Manufacturers Association of Maine in Westbrook recently hired Ron Fish as director of the Maine Aerospace Alliance.

Macdonald Page and Co., a certified public accounting firm, recently hired Matthew Fleming as a staff accountant in the firm’s Augusta office. The company also hired Ekaterina Pichugina and Sean Hutchinson as staff accountants in its South Portland office.

Beacon Hospice Inc. in Bangor, a provider of end-of-life care, recently hired Linda Sargent as clinical services manager. Previously, Sargent was a supervisor of the central intake department at Community Health and Counseling Services in Bangor.

Promotions

Austin Associates, an accounting and business advisory firm in Auburn, recently promoted Hillary Flynn Eaton to director of marketing and business development. 

Main-Land Development Consultants, a land use planning service provider in Livermore Falls, recently promoted Rick Dunton to IT director. Previously, Dunton was a project manager.

Unum, an employee benefits products and services provider in Portland, recently promoted Michelle Boucher to vice president of distribution development and Tim Harper to vice president of inforce block management.

Portland Magazine recently promoted Jesse Stenbak from production manager to associate publisher and Karen Gilbert from advertising executive to senior advertising executive.

Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting firm in Portland, recently promoted J. Christopher Currie, Warren Evans and Matthew Prunier to manager. The company also promoted the following to audit senior accountant: Andrew Bouchard, Gisele Couturier, Tiffany Gray, Samantha Howe, Stephan McMahon, Whit Mitchell, Mary Ordemann and Kristyn Sheehan.

Appointments

Karen Hart, a director at Portland-based law firm Macdonald Page and Co., was recently elected as president of the board of Maine Estate Planning Council.

Gov. John Baldacci recently named the following as members of the board of the Efficiency Maine Trust: Michelle Atherton, James Atwell, Adam Lee, Naomi Mermin, Glenn Poole, John Rohman and Tom Tietenberg.

S E A Consultants Inc. in Augusta recently named the following nine new stockholders: Doug Reed, Andre Martecchini, Terry Tolosko, Joan Fontaine, Mike Cunningham, Neil Kulikauskas, Rob McCoy, Dan Tenney and Bill Corley.

Derek Langhauser, general counsel of the Maine Community College System, was recently elected president of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.

The Animal Welfare Society, a companion animal shelter in Kennebunk, recently appointed the following officers to its 2009-2010 board of directors: Gail Arnold as president; Archer Wright as treasurer; Janet Eastman as vice president; Gail Rouse Stewart as secretary; and Jill Fogg as corresponding secretary.

The Southern Maine Community College Foundation Board in South Portland recently elected the following officers to serve one-year terms: Robert Lynch, of Lynch Chiropractic Arts Center, has been re-elected to serve as president; Tim Walton, director of external affairs at Cianbro, will serve as vice chair of the foundation board; and Sean O’Hare, principal of O’Hare Associates, will serve as treasurer.

The Institute for Civic Leadership in Portland recently named the following to its board of directors: Edgar Anderson, human resources director for the city of Portland; Thomas Francoeur, senior vice president and business center manager at Woodard and Curran in Portland; Maureen Kenney, director of insurance, disability and claims management for Hannaford Bros. Co. in Scarborough; and Shireen Shahawy, owner of Shahawy Communications in Portland.

Spotlight

The musicians of the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Musicians Association and the Portland Symphony Orchestra Board of Trustees recently announced a four-year labor agreement with the American Federation of Musicians, the first collective union agreement in the Portland Symphony Orchestra's 84-year history. The new collective bargaining agreement, which is retroactive to Sept.1, 2008, and extends to August 31, 2012, provides stability in musician and management relations for four years, according to a press release. The agreement sets compensation levels, guarantees minimum services and provides guidelines for scheduling flexibility.

The new agreement is part of PSO's three-year sustainability plan and bridge initiative, adopted in March 2009 in response to the organization's "significantly deteriorated financial health," according to the release. The organization hopes the plan and the labor agreement will cut its expenses by 30%, or $1 million.

Company News

Frederic Lilly, a construction manager at design and building company Knickerbocker Group in Boothbay, recently earned certification as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional.

Maine Medical Center in Portland and Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Mass., recently partnered to create a new medical school program that will address the physician shortage in Maine. The program provides medical education to Maine students at a reasonable cost and prepares students for future practice in Maine. Nancy Knapp of Madison Area Health Center in Madison, Burton Knapp of Rangeley Family Medicine in Rangeley and Amy Madden of Belgrade Regional Health Center in Belgrade Lakes have all been accepted as preceptors in this program.

Pasta’z Italian Restaurant recently announced it has opened for business at 304 Water St. in Gardiner.

The Guest Houses at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester has been certified as a Maine Environmental Leader Lodging Business through the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s Pollution Prevention Program.

The Game Loft, a downtown Belfast youth center, recently merged with Spurwink Services, a nonprofit organization in Portland that provides behavioral health, education and residential services for children, adults and families.

Maine Fitness and Nutrition, a personal training, nutrition and weight management firm specializing in adult, baby boomer and senior wellness programs, recently announced it has relocated to 506 Main St. in Westbrook.

Npress, a Portland-based marketing firm, recently announced it has opened for business. The new firm will provide marketing systems for doctors and dentists with a concentration on low-cost guerrilla marketing and educational marketing tools.

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine in Augusta recently announced it will offer valet bicycle parking and park-and-pedal options at the American Folk Festival in Bangor on August 28-30.

Consigli Construction Co. Inc., based in Massachusetts and with an office in Portland, was recently selected to provide construction management services for Central Maine Medical Center’s 51,000-square-foot expansion and renovation project, which will double the size of the existing emergency department and add over 10,000 square feet to the hospital’s laboratory. 

Two Maine organizations are receiving a total of $700,000 in federal funding from the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill passed last month. The University of Southern Maine is receiving $450,000 to expand its nursing simulation laboratory, and Coastal Enterprises Inc. of Wiscasset is receiving $250,000 to launch its green business investment and job creation initiative.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor recently received nearly $144,000 from the Davis Educational Foundation to build an experiential curriculum in sustainable business and to develop a business incubator for sustainable undergraduate enterprises.

Tilson Technology Management, an IT consulting company in Portland, recently launched a website, www.tane.org, for the Telephone Association of New England, a trade association for the local exchange carrier industry headquartered in Warner, N.H.

Katahdin Trust Co. in Presque Isle recently signed a contract to provide investment services through PrimeVest Financial Services, with Brad Berthiaume to serve as the lead financial professional.

Maine Handicapped Skiing in Newry, a nonprofit organization that provides year-round recreation activities for Maine children with physical disabilities, was chosen as the beneficiary of this year’s TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race.

File-Busters, a Lisbon-based company that provides confidential records storage and destruction, recently announced it was acquired by Records Management Center, a division of Lynco Inc., which has locations throughout Maine. RMC has hired an additional employee and plans to add up to five new jobs this year. File-Buster’s previous owner, Heather Rideout, will become an independent consultant for the company.

The Wal-Mart Foundation recently awarded a $25,000 grant to the Center for Grieving Children, a provider of support to grieving children, teens and families in Portland.

Rebecca Dillon, an architect at Gawron Turgeon Architects in Scarborough, recently earned the designation of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. in Portland recently announced that its Halloween Ale will be available in stores in August.

MaineHealth, a nonprofit integrated health care system and parent organization of Maine Medical Center in Portland, has been awarded a $35,000 grant from the Cardinal Health Foundation.

The Maine Office of Tourism in Augusta recently announced it awarded more than $949,000 in grants to three major special events and eight regional tourism organizations as part of the Maine Tourism Marketing Partnership Program. The special event recipients are: Portland’s Harvest on the Harbor; Central Aroostook Summer Festivals and Fairs Committee; and Central Maine Medical Center’s Dempsey Challenge. The regional grant recipients are: Aroostook County Tourism; Down East and Acadia Regional Tourism; the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau; the Kennebec Valley Tourism Council; the Maine Beaches Association; the Midcoast Maine Chamber Council; Maine’s Lakes and Mountains Tourism Council; and The Maine Highlands.

Woodard and Curran, an engineering, science and operations company in Portland, recently announced that the following have been named associates of the firm: Cary Parsons, Robert Severance, Sheldon Smith, Jim Sturgis and Carl Wilcox.

Maine Media College in Portland recently announced the first year of its multimedia professional certificate program.

The Maine Technology Institute’s board of directors recently approved 15 seed grants for companies to develop products that will advance Maine’s innovation economy. These awards, totaling $153,963, support research and development in all seven of the state’s targeted technology clusters.

Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co., recently announced earnings of $1,778,000 for the first six months of 2009, down from 2008. A second-quarter net income of $1,010,000 was a 31.5% increase over the first quarter. 

Portland-based Sea Bags, designers and makers of handmade bags and accent pieces from recycled sails, recently opened a second retail location at 6 Bow St. in Freeport Village.

Marcia Mansfield, a financial consultant with Acadia Financial Consultants in Camden, was recently featured in Bank Investment Consultants, a national magazine focused on the financial services industry.

Project Canopy, a program of the Maine Forest Service and the Pine Tree State Arboretum, recently awarded more than $100,000 to 19 communities to support local community forestry efforts. The 2009 grants focus on planting trees to support downtown revitalization efforts.

Great Works Internet in Biddeford recently partnered with Maine Hosting Solutions in Bath and Nexus Management IT Services in Brunswick to provide Maine businesses and residents with more services, including email marketing tools, content management systems and website building tools. Nexus will provide the secure server infrastructure and integration required via an existing relationship with Maine Hosting Solutions.

Virtually Indispensable Virtual Assistants in Gorham, a Spanish-speaking virtual assistant business that provides remote business support services using the Internet and other technologies, recently opened for business.

Christmas Magic in Boothbay Harbor recently announced it has opened an online store at www.christmasmagicofmaine.com.

KICTeam in Auburn, a manufacturer of cleaning cards, recently introduced the Canon CR-Series Check Transport Cleaning Tool software to be used in conjunction with KICTeam’s Waffletechnology Cleaning Card.

Lilian Childress, an assistant professor of physics at Bates College in Lewiston, recently received a $45,000 Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement for her work on atomic phenomena called spin systems.

The Finance Authority of Maine recently approved commercial loan insurance on a Skowhegan Savings Bank loan to Saddleback Inc. and Saddleback Land and Timber Corp. in Rangeley. The loan will support expansion and operating costs for the western Maine ski resort. 

Berry, Dunn, McNeil and Parker in Portland recently announced the sale of its retirement plan, third-party administration practice unit to Downeast Pension Services of New Gloucester. As part of the sale, Leander MacVane joins Downeast Pension Services as a senior account executive.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland recently held an event at the Maine Mall in South Portland in partnership with eWaste Recycling Solutions of Auburn. For those who made a small donation to Habitat for Humanity, eWaste disposed of unwanted electronic gadgets.

Kate Anagnostis, a certified athletic trainer and licensed massage therapist in Brunswick, recently participated in the Kinesio Tape National Symposium in Chicago.

Portland-based Winxnet Inc., a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, recently completed two Microsoft Unified Communications pilot deployments for Aetna and Harvard Vanguard that cut telecommunications-related overhead costs for both corporations.

Maine Medical Center’s Cancer Institute in Scarborough is one of five cancer programs in the nation selected to participate in the Association of Community Cancer Centers’ Prostate Cancer “Best Practices” project.

Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport recently announced that construction on the expansion of the hospital’s first floor has begun. The 2,200-square-foot expansion will provide improved storage and staff working areas.

Printing company Digital ImageWorks recently announced it has moved to 18 Silver St. in Waterville.

Skowhegan Savings Bank recently announced that employees Ashley Holt and Amanda Bell graduated from its advanced customer service program.

Rebecca Darling of Casco Bay EyeCare in Scarborough recently earned certification as a senior professional in human resources from the HR Certification Institute.

Sunday River in Newry recently announced the opening of a new biking trail for beginners called Easy Tiger.

The Maine Historical Society in Portland recently announced it has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Davis Family Foundation to help support the restoration of the Longfellow Garden, the final component of the society’s nearly completed $9.5 million campaign to renovate and expand its library. 

The First Bancorp in Damariscotta recently announced net income of $3.8 million for the second quarter ending June 30, 2009, a 4.4% increase from the same quarter of 2008, and up 0.9% from the previous quarter.

McClain Interactive, a division of McClain Marketing Group in Portland, recently opened offices at 27 West 24th St. in New York City.

Nemo Publishing in Portland has released its fourth action figure variant in the Commander X collection. The Commander X Barbary Knight is a limited edition, Mego-style, eight-inch collectible action figure from the graphic novel series “The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli,” written and illustrated by Jay Piscopo of Portland.

Linda Bean of Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll recently announced the opening of her third take-out counter in Camden.

B. Potter Wine Chocolates, a producer of specialty truffles flavored with Maine wines in Lyman, recently launched its new website, www.bpwinechocolates.com, where customers can buy its truffles online.

John Wise, director of the University of Southern Maine’s Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, recently received a $1.6 million award from the National Institutes of Health to fund research on how chromium causes normal cells to develop into tumors.

Accolades

Burgess Advertising and Marketing, a full-service agency in Portland, recently won two awards for work the agency produced for client Mercy Hospital at the 16th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards, a national competition sponsored by Healthcare Marketing Report. Burgess received a silver award for its radio commercial for Mercy XPress Care, and won a merit award for its video production for Mercy’s eating disorders program.

MaineGeneral’s Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta recently won awards for interior design and masonry work from the New England Chapter of the International Interior Design Association, a national panel of architects.

Selma Botman, president of the University of Southern Maine, was recently honored at the Frances Perkins Center’s First Annual Garden Party, an event held to recognize women in Maine who have become political, business, educational and community leaders.

Central Maine Power Co. in Augusta recently ranked No. 1 in residential customer satisfaction among large electric utilities in the east for the second year in a row, according to an annual study by J.D. Power and Associates, a global marketing information services company.

Annie Finch, director of the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program in creative writing, recently received the Robert Fitzgerald Prosody Award for her lasting contribution to the art and science of versification by the West Chester University Poetry Conference.

Skowhegan-based Gifford’s Ice Cream recently won first prize at the 2009 New Jersey Ice Cream Festival for its Old Fashioned Vanilla.

Susan Fekety, a founding practitioner at True North: Maine’s Center for Functional Medicine and the Healing Arts in Falmouth, is the 2009 recipient of the Maine Association of Certified Nurse Midwives Excellence in Midwifery and Women’s Health award. 

Poland Spring recently presented Blaine Grimes of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland with its 2009 Natural Leader award.