In short from Dec. 13, 2010 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Key Private Bank in Portland recently hired William Becker as vice president and investment solutions specialist for the wealth segment’s Maine district. Previously, Becker served as campaign manager for Matt Jacobson’s gubernatorial bid.

Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Portland recently hired Julie Galvin as a real estate broker. The company also hired Barbara Russo as an agent in its Camden-Rockport market.

Ram Trust Services in Portland recently hired Emily Getchell as a portfolio assistant. Previously, Getchell was a client relationship manager at The Vanguard Group.

Macdonald Page & Co., an accounting firm in South Portland, recently hired Ashley Campbell as a senior staff accountant.

TD Bank in Portland recently hired Robert Small as vice president, commercial loan officer in commercial lending.

People’s United Bank in Portland recently hired Elliott Barry as vice president, commercial banking.

Portland Chiropractic Neurology in Portland recently hired chiropractor Elizabeth McNally.

Allen & Selig Realty in North Yarmouth and Bath recently hired Deb Sileo as a broker.

The Maine Manufacturers Association recently hired Richard Grich as the director of the Maine Aerospace Alliance. Previously, Grich was the program manager, design group leader for Hubble Space Telescope.

MaineGeneral Pulmonology Services in Waterville recently hired Daniel Doornbos, a specialist in pulmonary medicine and critical care.

Weatherization Wizards in Auburn recently hired Todd Anges as its client development manager. Previously, Anges was the field staff manager of the weatherization program at People’s Regional Opportunity Program in Portland.

Skelton, Taintor & Abbott, a law firm in Auburn, recently hired Daniel Sonneborn as an associate attorney.

19 Oaks and Custom Sales Team, a marketing firm in South Portland, recently hired Angela Kelly as office manager.

SPX Communication Technology, a manufacturer of broadcast antenna systems in Raymond, recently hired Hans Dahlén as an international sales manager for the European, Asian and African regions.

Black Bear Entertainment in Oxford recently hired Scott Smith as community development director.

C.E. Carll Agency in Gorham recently hired Eric Eddy as a sales representative at its Chalmers Insurance Group in Gorham.

Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden recently hired Elizabeth Brann as a business insurance account executive.

Pen Bay Healthcare in Rockport recently hired Julie White, a vascular surgeon.

Androscoggin Bank recently hired Chris Perry as vice president and regional market manager for the Portland and Gray branches.

Fluid Imaging Technologies Inc. in Yarmouth, a manufacturer of the FlowCAM imaging particle analysis system, recently hired Kevin Stewart as a technical customer support specialist.

Promotions

The Salt Exchange, a restaurant in Portland, recently promoted Jeffrey Hodgdon from sous chef to executive chef.

Spectrum Health Systems in Maine recently promoted Tom Kelly to state director.

KeyBank recently promoted Michael Chamberlain to relationship manager, business banking, for the Bangor metro market.

Northeast Bank in Lewiston recently promoted Colette Twigg-Rowse to senior credit officer. Previously, Twigg-Rowse was the director of credit and operational risk in the risk management division.

Appointments

The Manufacturers Association of Maine recently elected Leo Roche as the chair of the board of directors and Paul Meserve as the vice chair of the board of directors.

The United Way of Greater Portland recently announced the following new board members: David Bass, vice president, associate relations, Delhaize America; Bill Fletcher, partner, Verrill Dana; Greg McCarthy, vice president, information services and health plan operations, Martin’s Point Health Care; Deanna Sherman, vice president, petroleum division, Dead River Co.; and Nicole Witherbee, founder and managing partner, PolicyEdge.

Portland SCORE recently appointed Doug Bagin as its new chapter chair.

The Association of State Chamber Professionals recently appointed Joyce LaRoche, vice president of membership and marketing for the Maine State Chamber, as president–elect for 2010-11.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine in Portland recently announced the following new members of the board: Bill Burbine of Turner Barker Insurance; Molly Callaghan of Verrill Dana; Caleb DuBois of Bernstein Shur; Brooke Holmes of Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker; Chuck Piacentini of UNUM; and Kirsten Piacentini of L.L.Bean.

Tedford Housing in Brunswick recently elected the following new officers to its board of directors: Joel Merry, president; Sandra Holland, vice president; Barbara Lee Gaul, secretary; and Irene Martin, treasurer.

Avesta Housing in Portland recently appointed Rebecca Greenfield, an attorney at Pierce Atwood in Portland, to its board of directors.

Amy Cotton, director of Rosscare in Bangor, was recently selected as president-elect of the National Gerontological Nursing Association.

Jeanne Gulnick, a professor at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, was recently appointed to the board of directors of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

John Rainone, dean of institutional advancement at York County Community College in Wells, was recently chosen president-elect of the 2011 board of directors for the Council for Resource Development in Washington, D.C.

Gov. John Baldacci recently nominated Bruce Mallonee, an attorney at Rudman & Winchell, to serve as a district judge.

Company news

The Good Shepherd Food-Bank recently received a $100,000 grant and a new refrigerated food delivery truck from the Walmart Foundation.

Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, a luxury real estate firm with offices in Portland, Camden, Kennebunk and Brunswick, recently participated in the sixth annual Sotheby’s International Realty Leadership Forum in Atlanta.

Great Falls Construction in Gorham was recently selected by Hannaford Bros. to update a section of the store at 109 Portland Road in Bridgton for returnable cans and bottles to accommodate Clynk, a Maine recycling company.

The Center for Grieving Children in Portland recently announced it is sponsoring The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s National Survivors of Suicide Day.

Stephan Babirak, a diabetes specialist, recently opened a diabetes health care center called Metabolic Leader on Route 1 in Scarborough.

Portland-based aesthetician Jessica Harrison recently completed her certification in clinical oncology aesthetics from Touch For Cancer and is expanding her practice to serve individuals with or recovering from cancer. Harrison will offer the treatments at Amore Skin Center in Portland.

Maine Authors Publishing and its parent company Custom Museum Publishing recently announced it has moved to 558 Main St. in Rockland.

Crossroads for Women, a substance abuse and mental health treatment provider, recently announced the expansion of its outpatient services by opening Windham Counseling Center at 120 Main St. in Windham.

Rebecca Ryder, president and CEO of Franklin Community Health Network and Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington, was recently a featured panelist at the annual meeting of the Northern New England Association of Healthcare Executives in Meredith, N.H.

Cianbro, a construction firm headquartered in Pittsfield, recently acquired Starcon International Inc., a Texas-based company that provides maintenance and other services to refineries and petrochemical plants across the country.

Lighthouse Imaging Corp., a developer of endoscope products in Portland, recently announced the release of its EndolumeTM, a portable handheld device that measures the luminous intensity of endoscopic system light sources as well as light transmission through light cables and rigid or flexible endoscopes.

The Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System recently announced it authorized $20 million for the following transportation projects: improving three major intersections in Scarborough, Westbrook and Portland; buying bus shelters and a bus in Biddeford; installation of a real-time tracking system for the location of city buses; construction of four trail and sidewalk projects in Cumberland, Portland, South Portland and Scarborough; preservation of 11 miles of collector roads in six cities/towns; installation of mobile data terminals at the Regional Transportation Program; reconstruction of Cummings Road in South Portland; construction of a bus maintenance facility and a central bus hub in South Portland; and installation of an electronic ticketing program at Casco Bay Lines.

Cary Medical Center in Caribou recently earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval. The Joint Commission conducted an unannounced, on-site evaluation of Cary Medical Center on May 18, 19 and 20 of 2010.

Don Hanson, co-owner and director of behavior counseling and training at the Green Acres Kennel Shop in Bangor, recently completed 30 hours of continuing education, while attending the Association of Pet Dog Trainers annual educational conference in Atlanta.

Shamrock Sports Group, a sports and entertainment marketing agency in Portland, recently announced that Casco Bay Sports has selected the company as its strategic sales and partnership marketing agency.

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development’s Maine products marketing program, Maine Made, recently announced the following new members: Ella’s Candy in Lewiston; Heart of the Earth in Clinton; Lost Loon Farms in Cambridge; Mainesscent in Kennebunk; Moose Hill Turnings in Jay; Nana Mary’s Stitches in Farmingdale; North East Wipers in Hartland; Pinnacle Studio in Canaan; Pure & Simple Soaps in Brunswick; Savage & Sons Gourmet Coffee in Bangor; and TriPom Chews in Brunswick.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded $1 million to the Maine Department of Labor through the Workforce Data Quality Initiative which will be used to build or expand longitudinal databases of workforce data that also link to education data.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently gave final approval to MaineGeneral’s $322 million project to build a new regional hospital in Augusta and renovate its Thayer Campus in Waterville to maintain outpatient and emergency services.

The Midcoast Leadership Academy in Belfast recently announced it will begin its fourth program year in January of 2011, and it is seeking nominations for the academy.

Blue Marble Geographics, a developer and provider of geographic software products in Gardiner, recently held its second annual users conference in Houston. The conference was attended by Blue Marble users, developers and geodesists from a variety of industries and companies from around the world.

Lisa Marie Lindenschmidt, chief chocolate-maker for Rite Chocolate in New Gloucester, recently announced that her line of raw spoonable chocolate is now available at Barrels Market in Waterville, The Market at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Axis Natural Foods in Auburn and Square Root Natural Foods in Poland.

The Brewer Housing Authority recently presented a check to Penquis for $20,000 to assist residents in public housing become homeowners. The money is designated as matching funds for family development accounts, federally known as individual development accounts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, which provides loans and grants to help farmers, ranchers and owners of rural businesses reduce energy costs and develop new sources of renewable energy, recently awarded the following grants: Exeter Agri-Energy, $110,024; Kennebec County Soil & Water Conservation District, $100,000; and the Maine Governor’s Office of Energy Independence & Security, $100,000.

The Franklin Community Health Network board of directors recently gave approval to build a 13,500-square-foot medical arts center in Livermore Falls.

The University of New England Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, the Neuroscience Institute at Maine Medical Center and Spectrum Anesthesiology recently co-sponsored a panel visit by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Josh Chase, a certified financial planner professional, recently started Chase Financial Solutions in Portland.

The Technology Association of Maine recently announced that Andrew McAfee, the principal research scientist at the MIT Center for Digital Business, was the keynote at the 18th annual Technology Conference in Portland.

Accolades

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that James Goggin, partner, and Jamie Kilbreth, of counsel, have been named Local Litigation Stars by Benchmark Litigation.

Trask-Decow Machinery in South Portland recently won the award for Qualified Partner of the Year from Efficiency Maine.

The Maine Public Relations Council recently honored Jon Paradise, governmental and public affairs manager at Maine Credit Union League, with the 2010 Edward L. Bernays Award and Kate Bachman, an account coordinator at Broadreach Public Relations, with the 2010 President’s Award.

Skelton Taintor & Abbott, a law firm in Auburn, recently announced that estate planning attorney Jill Checkoway was selected for inclusion on the 2010 list of New England Super Lawyers, published in the New England Super Lawyers magazine.

Bernstein Shur, a Portland-based law firm, recently announced that 34 attorneys from its offices in Portland, Augusta and Manchester, N.H., were included in the New England Super Lawyers and Rising Stars directories.

Pulp+Wire, a print and online media marketing company in Portland, was recently selected by Graphic Design USA Magazine as a multi-award winner in the 2010 American Graphic Design Awards.

Vreeland Marketing & Design in Portland was recently recognized with four gold awards and two silver awards for outstanding work in the public relations field at the Golden Arrow Awards, hosted by the Maine Public Relations Council in Portland.

Spotlight

The National Science Foundation recently awarded $619,000 to Bates College in Lewiston and two other Maine schools to continue a long-term study of the relationship among climate, the environment and human activity in the Shetland Islands, northeast of Scotland, according to a press release from the college.

With Bates as the lead recipient, the University of Maine in Orono and the University of Southern Maine in Portland are collaborators in the grant.

The three-year grant supports the Shetland Islands Climate and Settlement Project, which examines climate changes, dramatic transformations of northern coastal environments and ways that people have adapted to these crises and sometimes contributed to them.