In Short from Dec. 1, 2008 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Biddeford Savings Bank recently hired Charles Petersen as president and CEO. Previously, Petersen was president and CEO of First Community Bank in Woodstock, Vt., for eight years.

Disability RMS, a reinsurance provider in Westbrook, recently hired Alton Hall as an actuarial assistant.

Lovejoy Health Center in Albion recently hired Kimberly Pollis as a family nurse practitioner in November. Pollis brings experience as a cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation nurse, exercise instructor and classroom teacher.

Richmond Area Health Center recently hired Karen Guiou as a family nurse practitioner. Guiou’s clinical areas of expertise include wound care.

Maine Tomorrow, a consulting firm in Hallowell, recently hired Rick McCarthy as vice president for governmental affairs. McCarthy spent the past 11 years in the Maine Senate President’s office.

Soyatech LLC, a marketing company for food and agribusiness in Bar Harbor, recently hired Chris Erickson as CEO. Previously, Erickson was partner and managing director for St. Louis, Mo.-based HighQuest Partners, Soyatech’s parent company.

Youth Alternatives Ingraham, a social service nonprofit in South Portland, recently hired Katie Howard as development coordinator and Patty Rickards as nurse educator for the organization’s Continuous Improvement Department. Previously, Howard was executive assistant and special events coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, and Rickards was a nurse at Maine Medical Center and taught clinical studies at the University of Southern Maine.

Consigli Construction Co. Inc.’s Portland office recently hired Derek Converse as a project manager. For the last six years, Converse was a project manager at Wright-Ryan Construction in Portland.

Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport recently hired Kevin Strong to take over the pediatrics practice in Rockport of Edna Sayat. Strong was previously in private practice in Fairfield, Conn.

Oxford Networks recently hired Mike Grant as a network technician at its Lewiston headquarters. Grant was previously a member of the United States Marine Corps.

Bangor Hydro Electric Co. recently hired Michael Clisham as associate counsel and Robert Lysaght as vice president of human resources. Previously, Clisham worked in private practice at Eaton Peabody in Bangor. In the past, Lysaght worked as human resources manager for Maine Yankee Atomic Power and CYRO Industries in Sanford.

Franklin Community Health Network and Franklin Memorial Hospital recently hired Rebecca Ryder as president and CEO. Ryder will begin her new job on Jan. 5, 2009. At the moment, Ryder is interim chief executive officer at McAllen Medical Hospitals in McAllen, Texas.

The town of Madison recently hired Joy Hikel as the director of economic development, a position that the town was forced to leave vacant for many years due to lack of funds. But due to TIF funds obtained from the Backyard Farms greenhouse, the town can now support the full-time position. Previously, Hikel was a commercial and mortgage lender at Northeast Bank and Skowhegan Savings.

Promotions

Christopher Rugullies was promoted to commercial loan officer in the commercial lending department at TD Banknorth, a financial services firm based in Portland and Cherry Hill, N.J. Rugullies previously worked as a commercial portfolio loan officer at the bank.

MMG Insurance Co. in Presque Isle recently promoted Keith Sperrey to personal lines assistant manager and Sarah Fisher to personal lines lead underwriter. Sperry previously worked as a lead underwriter and Fisher worked as personal lines underwriter.

Bangor Hydro Electric Co. recently promoted Dan McCarthy to manager of field operations. McCarthy previously was superintendent of electrical operations and meter tech.

Laurie Rocque was recently promoted to customer service representative at the South Portland branch of Saco and Biddeford Savings Institution. She previously worked as a teller in the Scarborough branch.

Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport recently promoted Luke Engeriser to medical director of outpatient psychiatry and Sally Cooper to associate medical director for child psychiatry. Both were previously staff psychiatrists.

Erik Murphy was recently promoted to director of business development at the SymQuest Group offices in Portland. Murphy previously worked as regional sales manager. SymQuest is a technology services company based in Burlington, Vt.

Christine Beachem was recently promoted to manager of the Camden branch of Key Bank, a financial services firm based in Cleveland, Ohio. Beachem previously worked in Key’s business banking, commercial lending and retail banking bureaus.

Gretchen Johnson was recently promoted to marketing manager at Verrill Dana, a law firm based in Portland. Johnson previous was the marketing coordinator at the firm.

Bradford Paige will be promoted to president and CEO of Kennebunk Savings Bank, a financial services firm based in Kennebunk, when the bank’s current president and CEO retires at the end of the 2008. Paige currently serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer of the bank, its investment division and its insurance subsidiary.

Appointments

Michelle Atherton was recently appointed to the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s Energy Conservation Board, which helps the MPUC develop strategies for reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Atherton is co-owner of New Form Building Systems in Bucksport.

Portland-based Preble Street, a nonprofit organization that serves homeless people, recently appointed Charlie Roscoe to its board of directors. Roscoe is the retired managing partner of accounting firm Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker in Portland.

Dress for Success Southern Maine, a nonprofit organization in Portland that offers workplace clothing and career development services, recently appointed Jeff Putnam and Marti Kinsel to its board of directors. Putnam is director of operations at Living Wealth Partners LLC, an insurance agency in Portland, and Kinsel is a tax manager at Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker. In addition, Susan Kring, Dress for Success Southern Maine’s executive director, was recently appointed to the Dress for Success Worldwide Leadership Council, based in New York, N.Y.

Spotlight

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor is working with two European institutions, the Organic Research Centre at Elm Farm, United Kingdom’s primary center for research into organic food systems, and a graduate program in organic agriculture at Germany’s University of Kassel to establish its Trans-Atlantic Partnership in Sustainable Food Systems. The college has also created the John and Polly Guth Chair in Sustainable Food Systems and will hire a new faculty member to fill the position. The entire project is being funded by a $3.5 million donation from the Partridge Foundation.

Company news

Morningstar Marble and Granite in Topsham recently changed its plant layout to be leaner and more efficient, with the help of the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership. It conducted a plant layout kaizen, or a system of continuous improvement, and redesigned the outside and the inside loading area, saving 4.25 hours of labor per day.

Enerjoy Health & Fitness Inc., a fitness center in Falmouth, recently celebrated 25 years in business. Owner Liz Bradford opened Enerjoy as a one-woman operation in 1983.

U.S. Cellular recently built a new tower in Northport. The new tower was built with support from the federal Universal Service Fund, a resource for rural America that faces the threat of cuts at the hands of the Federal Communications Commission.

Goodwill Industries in Portland recently celebrated its 75th anniversary in a 1930s-themed annual meeting. The meeting featured a historic slideshow, exhibits of 1930s local and national history and a keynote address by Ned Helms, Goodwill board member and grandson of the original founder of Goodwill Industries, Dr. Edgar J. Helms.

Brown & Meyers, a transcription, document management and court reporting firm in Portland, recently selected Thomas Hillman Design in South Portland to create a logo for its document management service, Paper to eDoc.

The Maine Credit Union League, based in Westbrook, recently donated $15,000 to Auburn-based Good Shepherd Food Bank, which serves more than 600 hunger agencies in Maine. The check will fund all deliveries for the upcoming year to hunger organizations across Maine by Maine’s first and only Food Mobile.

The Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Portland was recently awarded a $10 million grant from The National Institutes of Health for stem cell research. Research scientists at the institute will focus on specific cells with the potential to treat kidney injury and illness, anemia, vascular disease, skeletal and neuro-muscular disorders.

WarmME, a nonprofit in Wells, recently purchased 500 blankets for distribution through local Community Action Agencies and other social service organizations. Going forward, WarmME has partnered with Cuddledown in Portland, a corporate sponsor, to help supply more blankets.

Debra Richard of Old Orchard Beach recently opened The Personal Financial Assistant, a money management company for individuals in southern Maine who need help with financial paperwork and related tasks.

Michael LaCombe, a cardiologist at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta, recently co-edited three collections of poems and stories by and about physicians published in the past year by the American College of Physicians. “On Being a Doctor 3” is a collection of short stories, essays and poems by physicians and patients that originally appeared in the Annals of Internal Medicine, a medical journal.

The Bangor affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation received 10% of the proceeds from each sale of 48Longstems.com’s “Premium Pink” long stem rose bouquet during the month of October.

Yarmouth-based Powers Real Estate, formerly Patrick Powers Real Estate, has relocated to 360 U.S. Rte. One and hosted an open house Oct. 25.

Stafford Advisors, an investment and tax planning firm, recently moved from Portland to its own building in Falmouth. The new location at 301 Foreside Rd. is larger and provides more parking for customers.

Portland-based Good Clean Food’s Simmer Sauces for seafood and poultry were recently featured in the September issue of Better Homes and Gardens and the summer issue of Get Active! magazines.

KICTeam, an Auburn manufacturer of cleaning cards, will provide its Waffletechnology to Canon U.S.A. Inc for the new Canon CR-Series Check Transport Cleaning Card.

HomeHealth Visiting Nurses, a nonprofit home health care agency in Saco, recently received a $10,000 grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation to support charity care to children and adults in southern Maine.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a grant of more than $1.8 million to support preventive health services for women and children throughout southern Maine. The Parent and Child Health program operates as a collaborative with HomeHealth Visiting Nurses in Saco, Androscoggin Home Health and Hospice in Lewiston and Portland Public Health. The collaborative will receive $631,390 per year from 2008 to 2011.

The Maine Bureau of Insurance has been awarded reaccreditation by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. First accredited in 1993, this is the agency’s fourth certificate of accreditation. It certifies that the bureau maintains high standards and sound practices in the financial regulation of insurance companies.

The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation recently committed $25,000 to help York County Community College establish a resource center for small businesses.

L.L.Bean and Planet Dog in Portland have joined again this holiday season to offer L.L.Bean’s Naughty and Nice Gift Tote for Dogs. In 2002, Planet Dog began designing and manufacturing private label products for L.L.Bean, based in Freeport.

Solaris LLC in Portland has been awarded the southern Maine dealership for Infloor/Thermomax Solar systems. These solar thermal collectors provide both heat and hot water for homes or offices.

Putney Inc., a Portland pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of generic drugs for pets, will roll out a new line of pet specific generic pharmaceuticals. Putney plans for its first FDA approved veterinary products to roll out in 2009, with more following in 2010 and 2011.

Hannaford Bros. Co. was named principal corporate sponsor for Scarborough Middle School’s 22nd annual Ed Wimert Bike/Walk-a-thon for AIDS. The Scarborough-based supermarket chain made a $10,000 sponsorship donation to the event.

North Yarmouth Academy recently received a $50,000 grant from the Davis Family Foundation in Falmouth for the advancement of the school’s 10-year comprehensive master plan. The plan will provide wide-scale campus improvements including renovations and new buildings to modernize the school and accommodate the growing student body.

Black Dinah Chocolatiers, an artisanal truffles and caramels maker on Isle au Haut, premiered its Farm Market Collection Oct.19 at the Blue Hill Foliage Food and Wine Festival and also served them Oct. 25 at the Harvest on the Harbor Culinary Marketplace in Portland. The collection features a rotating assortment of nine new French-style fresh cream truffles and one caramel.

The U.S. Family Health Plan at Martin’s Point Health Care was recently rated one of the top 10 health plans in the nation on the 2008 Annual Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey, which ranks member satisfaction of health plans. The Portland-based nonprofit health care company earned a score of 94.6% in overall member satisfaction, which was the highest score achieved by any of the 242 national health plans that participated in the survey.

Judi Keene, a promotional consultant, recently completed a week-long creativity seminar at Geiger’s corporate headquarters in Lewiston. The training program included 12 hours with Jeff Tobe, lecturer, author of “Coloring Outside the Lines” and trainer for various industry regional associations.

Top Dog Professional Grooming and Dog Wash has opened at 120 Center Street Plaza in Auburn.

Portland-based Creative Work Systems’ furniture company, Maine WoodWorks, had one of its products featured in the fall issue of O at Home. The Maine-made, cottage-style desk appeared in the HomeList section of the publication, which is an affiliate of O, the Oprah magazine.  

The Rogue Wallet Co. in Saco has a new product, the Rogue Vault wallet, which fights identity theft with a nearly theft-proof front pocket design and an ultra-thin layer of RFID blocking material.

Norway Savings Bank in Norway and HomeQuest, an affiliate of Community Concepts NeighborWorks Homeownership Center in Paris, have announced a partnership in which Norway Savings Bank will provide HomeQuest with $50,000 for energy-related improvement loans to low and moderate income homeowners in the greater Oxford Hills area.

Northeast Bank in Lewiston has launched a new brand awareness campaign to reach current customers and prospects in multiple age groups on the Web.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Verso Paper Corp. has announced that its four paper mills, including those in Jay and Bucksport, have been independently audited and certified to the ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system standard. This internationally recognized standard identifies requirements for organizations that want to implement a comprehensive EMS aimed at continuous environmental performance improvement.

Big Lots has opened a new store in the Pine Tree Shopping Center at 1100 Brighton Ave. in Portland.

Will-Dale Press in Bowdoin has added wide-format, full-color printing and laminating for trade show exhibits, signage and point-of sale displays. Will-Dale Press is a graphic design, offset printing, screen printing and sign company.

Maine’s Little Book, a quarterly home resource guide in Portland, in 2009 will launch a new book focused on sustainable building, energy and design. The Little Green Book will be printed on recycled paper and be published biannually, giving consumers a resource for locating businesses in Maine who design and build, provide and sell green products and services.

Bangor Savings Bank says the renovations to its bank branch in Saco are complete. The Main Street building has undergone interior and exterior reconstruction, including a new drive-through.

Accolades

James Harmon, executive director of the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce, was named the “Chamber Executive of the Year” at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce annual meeting.

Black Mountain of Maine, a ski resort in Rumford, has been named “Corporate Landowner of the Year” by the State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and the Maine Snowmobile Association for its active cooperation with snowmobilers to provide open access to trails.

Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice in Rockland, a division of Pen Bay Healthcare, has been named to the 2008 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home healthcare providers in the United States.

Stephen Vlachos, a principal in the business brokerage firm Caswell Vlachos Group in Portland, has earned the accredited merger and acquisition advisor designation from APMAA, the Association of Professional Merger and Acquisition Advisors.

The Unity Foundation in Unity has been named “Outstanding Foundation of the Year” by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Northern New England.

Maine Audubon Director of Conservation Sally Stockwell has been awarded the University of Maine’s Award of Professional Excellence for her contributions to wildlife conservation in Maine. Through this award, the University of Maine’s Wildlife Program recognizes alumni who have made outstanding, long-term contributions to the wildlife profession.

The Maine Office of Tourism and its website contractor, Portland Webworks, recently won four W3 Awards from the International Academy of the Visual Arts. The W3 Awards honor the world’s best websites, Web marketing and Web video. Rinck Advertising was also recently selected by IAVA as a 2008 W3 Awards Winner in two categories for design and execution of the Gorton’s Seafoods website. Rinck was honored with a Gold Award in the category of Food and Beverage and with a Silver Award in the category of Best Visual Appeal.

Azure Café of Freeport received the 2008 Business of the Year Award at the Disability Right Center’s 8th Annual Membership Dinner on Oct. 23. The Annual Business Award was presented to Azure Café because of its “commitment to making their restaurant accessible to patrons with disabilities.”

The Franklin County Community College Network recently won the Maine Community Foundation’s 2008 Noyce Award for Nonprofit Excellence. With locations throughout Franklin County, FCCCN offers training and educational programs that serve a broad range of interests and abilities and give community members a way to achieve their career goals.

Susan Baracco, a business coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source in Portland, was awarded the Business Coaching Excellence Award at the FranchisEsource Brands International Annual annual conference in Miami.

The national Association of Air Medical Services presented the Program of the Year award to LifeFlight of Maine, based in Bangor and Lewiston, the state’s only emergency air medical service. The award recognizes an emergency medical transport program that has demonstrated a superior level of patient care, management prowess, quality leadership through visionary and innovative approaches, customer service, safety consciousness, marketing ingenuity, community service and commitment to the medical transport community as a whole.

Samuel Ladd, chairman, president and CEO of Maine Bank & Trust, was recently awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America, Pine Tree Council. Ladd is only the second Mainer to ever receive this distinction.

Four Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems continuing care caregivers were recently honored by the Maine Health Care Association for “outstanding service and dedication to Maine’s long term care residents.” The recipients, Vicki Dyer of Lakewood Continuing Care Center in Waterville, Christy Tripp of Ross Manor in Bangor, Brian White of Stillwater Health Care in Bangor and Jody Wildes of Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home, were recognized during a Celebrating Excellence in Caregiving Awards Luncheon.