In short from Dec. 27, 2010 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

CompuPay Inc., a payroll provider in Freeport, recently hired Heather Barlow as a district sales manager.

Pulp+Wire, an advertising firm in Portland, recently hired Daniel Snyder as a production manager in the creative department. Previously, Snyder was a manager with Intrigue Music.

Tilson Technology Management, an information technology project management company in Portland, recently hired Amy Hayes as a senior consultant. Previously, Hayes was a construction project manager on Universal Studios Hollywood’s theme park attraction King Kong: 360-3D.

Garrand, a communications agency in Portland, recently hired Mario Proia as a production/studio director, Christina Dalessio as an account supervisor, Scott Dinsmore as an associate creative director, Claire Venegas as an office manager and Bill Dodson as traffic manager.

University Credit Union in Orono recently hired Eileen Byram as assistant vice president of risk management and Amy Irish as a marketing manager. Previously, Byram was vice president of business development and Irish was a graduate intern at the credit union.

Opera House Arts at the Stonington Opera House in Stonington recently hired Elisabeth Ingoldsby as development director and Amy Jirsa as an education associate.

Shamrock Sports Group, a Portland-based sports marketing agency, recently hired Harry Poole as the account manager for its client, USA Ski Jumping.

Jim Gillies Lumber Co. in Gray recently hired Camille Dubois. Previously, Dubois was a manager at Hancock Lumber.

MACTEC Engineering and Consulting Inc. in Portland recently hired Nathan Lewis and Christopher Pickles as staff engineers in its design center.

Consumers for Affordable Health Care, a consumer health organization, recently hired Greg White as a public relations coordinator. Previously, White was consulting for the organization and the Collingwood Group, a financial services firm located in Washington, D.C.

Hancock Lumber in Brunswick recently hired Peter Bernier as its midcoast general manager.

Rudman & Winchell, a law firm in Bangor, recently hired Jennifer Eastman in its estate planning and elder law practice areas.

Katahdin Trust Co. recently hired Lewis Payne as vice president, commercial services officer at its commercial loan office in Bangor.

Androscoggin Bank recently hired Greg Connors as assistant vice president, business and government services officer for the Lewiston branch area.

The Council on International Educational Exchange, a student exchange services company in Portland, recently hired James Pellow as president and CEO. Previously, Pellow was executive vice president and COO at St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y.

Maine Senior Guide, a statewide online resource for Maine seniors and their families at www.maineseniorguide.com, recently hired Dennis Frappier as sales manager.

The Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor recently hired Niles Parker as executive director. Previously, Parker was executive director of the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport.

Capture Media Associates, an online digital marketing agency, recently hired Hilary Rackliff as a project and client services manager.

Bangor Savings Bank recently hired Amy Keating as vice president and branch manager and Maria Edwards as assistant branch manager of its Falmouth location.

Pen Bay Internal Medicine in Rockport recently hired Jennifer Dreher, an adult nurse practitioner.

Promotions

Garrand, a communications agency in Portland, recently promoted Caitlin Loveitt to account executive.

Northeast Bank in Lewiston recently promoted Tina Willard to vice president.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield recently promoted Steve Buchanan to director of regulatory compliance.

Appointments

Jessica Stevens, the social media strategist and public relations coordinator at Vreeland Marketing & Design in Yarmouth, was recently elected treasurer of the Maine Public Relations Council, an organization for public relations professionals.

Andrew Dodge, vice president, corporate sales at CashStar in Portland, was recently elected to serve on the Incentive Marketing Association Board of Directors.

Paula Silsby, former U.S. attorney for the district of Maine, was recently appointed as the 2011 chair of the Campaign for Justice.

Donato Tramuto, CEO and vice chairman of Physicians Interactive and owner of Caffé Prego and Five-O, restaurants in Ogunquit, was recently appointed to serve on the Leadership Council of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. Gov. John Baldacci also appointed Tramuto to the Maine Economic Growth Council.

The Maine Potato Growers Inc. recently appointed Ned Berce as chairman.

Downeast Energy in Brunswick recently announced that Lennie Burke, vice president of regional operations, was appointed to the board of directors for the Maine Energy Marketers Association.

Pen Bay Healthcare trustees recently appointed Joel Lafleur, a physician at Pen Bay Healthcare in Rockport, as chairman of the organization’s governing body.

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

Gary LaPierre, an account executive at The Rowley Agency in Concord, N.H., was recently elected 2011 chairman of the Maine Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

The Hospice of Southern Maine in Scarborough recently appointed Robert Schools, senior vice president of retail operations at Hannaford Bros. Co., and Maryanna Arsenault, president and CEO of HomeHealth Visiting Nurses of Southern Maine, to its board of directors.

Spotlight

MaineGeneral Health in Augusta recently announced the formation of a campaign cabinet and steering committee to help raise $10 million in local funds to build a new regional hospital in Augusta.

The local funds will be matched by a $10 million challenge grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation, part of a $35 million gift the foundation announced in early May to support the project.

The new regional hospital was formally approved by Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Brenda Harvey. Groundbreaking for the new facility is planned for the spring of 2011, with the new hospital set to open in the winter of 2014.

Mark Johnston, president of Kennebec Savings Bank, was appointed chair of the steering committee.

Company News

The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce recently announced the launch of a new mobile application called Portland, Maine developed by Portland-based mobile commerce company Mowbi. The mobile website allows users to search under key categories including Where to Eat, Go Shopping, Where to Stay, Things to Do and Find a Business.

Rachel Lawrence, director of finance at Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, recently earned the professional designation of certified legal manager by the Association of Legal Administrators.

Saddleback Maine ski resort in Rangeley recently announced it is offering discounts on furlough days for Maine state employees for the 2010-2011 ski season. On Jan. 14 and March 18, Maine state employees can purchase $29 lift tickets by showing a state worker ID.

Husson University in Bangor recently unveiled a new masters of business administration program.

$30,000 was recently donated anonymously to the Maine Farm, Dairy, and Seafood Initiative, a program that aims to bring fresh and nutritionally balanced Maine-harvested food to needy Maine families.

U.S. Cellular recently installed new towers in Biddeford and Livermore to improve coverage in the town of Biddeford, along Route 9 and at the University of New England, and in Livermore Falls and Livermore, at Shy Corner and along Route 4. U.S. Cellular also installed new towers in Troy and Limestone to improve coverage in the town of Troy, as well as provide service along Routes 7, 9 and 202 and in the town of Limestone, at the former Loring Air Force Base, as well as provide service along Routes 1A and 89.

Maine Maritime Academy in Castine recently announced that Capt. Laurence Wade, master of the college’s training ship, will retire in 2011.

Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor recently announced it will receive $4 million in federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration for the Island Explorer Transit System. The funding will be used to support site preparation for an intermodal bus facility and welcome center.

The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor recently received a grant for $100,000 from the William Carey Foundation to kick-start student enterprises and further the Sustainable Business Program.

The Bangor International Airport recently announced that its passenger traffic was up 19% for the month of October compared to October 2009.

The following hospitals recently announced they will participate in the Aligning Forces for Quality hospital network, a nationwide program led by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston; Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor; H.D. Goodall Hospital, Sanford; Maine Medical Center, Portland; MaineGeneral Medical Center, Augusta; Mercy Hospital, Portland; Mid Coast Hospital, Brunswick; Penobscot Bay Medical Center, Rockport; Penobscot Valley Hospital, Lincoln; Redington-Fairview General Hospital, Skowhegan; and Rumford Hospital, Rumford. The initiative is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s effort to lift the overall quality of health care in targeted communities, as well as reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models for national reform.

The Naval Sea Systems Command recently awarded Bath Iron Works an $8.5 million contract modification for additional work on the DDG-1000 destroyer.

Mandy Davis and Erica Hebold recently partnered to launch E+M Marketing, a Portland-based marketing and advertising firm.

Great Falls Construction in Gorham recently announced it will be remodeling the Irving Oil Big Stop in Baileyville.

The Maine Technology Institute awarded the following seed grants: Grow-Tech in Lisbon Falls, $12,500, match $20,050; Green Comfort Safe Inc. in South Bristol, $4,000, match $6,500; Wassail in Portland, $12,200, match $20,190; Bodark Engineering in Gorham, $12,500, match $48,000; Pantheon Guitars in Lewiston, $12,500, match $15,688; Advance Electronic Concepts in Portland, $12,000, match $15,575; Zum Sport in Yarmouth, $12,300, match $23,500; Jotul North America in Gorham, $12,500, match $13,180; Allen Johnson in Newport, $23,750, match $25,500; VetEnvoy Inc. in Portland, $12,281, match $39,321; and RainStorm Inc. in Orono, $12,500, match $16,944. The Maine Technology Institute also made the following development awards: Biovation in Boothbay, $474,000; Energy Circle in South Freeport, $274,758; Hall Web Services in Scarborough, $484,016; Mega Industries in Gorham, $206,745; Twin Rivers Paper Co. in Madawaska, $500,000; and VFG Energy Systems in Kittery, $61,300.

Putney Inc., a pet pharmaceutical company in Portland, recently earned a Pine Tree Development Zone certificate from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. The Pine Tree Development Zone designation recognizes Putney’s planned corporate growth and rewards Putney with an annual tax incentive for five years.

Downeast Energy in Brunswick recently donated $25,000 to heat assistance programs in Maine and southern New Hampshire. Downeast Energy also announced its employees have raised $57,063 in this year’s campaign to help agencies served by United Way.

Philip Moss, of counsel with Fisher & Phillips, a law firm in Portland, recently presented at the Maine Innkeepers Association’s 89th annual meeting and conference in Ogunquit.

Viking Lumber Inc., headquartered in Belfast, and Rhoades Building Products Inc., headquartered in Holden, recently announced the merger of the two building materials companies as of Jan. 1, 2011. The new partnership will result in the Viking Lumber brand displayed on 10 locations throughout Maine.

The Maine Fiber Co. and Axiom Technologies recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Three Ring Binder Broadband Expansion Project in Machias.

The Maine Department of Conservation recently announced four Aroostook County oil-to-wood heating projects are receiving $3 million in federal recovery funds: RSU 39, Limestone Community School, $750,000 for the installation of a wood chip boiler to supplement the current heating system; Madawaska Junior/Senior High School, $750,000 for the installation of a wood chip boiler to heat the main building; Northern Maine Medical Center, $750,000 for the replacement of the current system with a wood chip boiler to heat the main building; and University of Maine at Presque Isle, $750,000 for the installation of a wood chip boiler to heat Folsom and Pullen halls.

MaineHealth, an integrated healthcare delivery network, recently announced it has consolidated most of its operations into a single location at 110 Free St. in Portland.

Bath Savings Institution was recently chosen to participate in the FDIC’s one-year Model Safe Account pilot project to evaluate the offer of safe, low-cost checking and savings accounts that are responsive to the needs of underserved consumers.

Prentiss & Carlisle, a forest management firm headquartered in Bangor, recently announced the acquisition of Upland Forestry, a timberland management company with offices in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine in Bangor recently announced it awarded grant funding totaling $164,165 to 16 Maine nonprofit organizations in 2010.

All Season Home Improvement Co. in Augusta recently installed a 2.4-kilowatt wind generator on the grounds of the Pemetic School in Southwest Harbor.

Rainmaker Spring Water recently relocated from Portland to 15 Eisenhower Drive in Westbrook.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded the state of Maine $564,040 in grant funding to support improvement of health and wellness in child-care settings.

Maine’s Own Organic Milk Co. recently partnered with Wayside Food Programs of Portland to supply fresh organic milk to the many food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens and other institutions served by Wayside.

Blue Marble Geographics, a developer and provider of geographic software products in Gardiner, held a workshop at the third annual conference of GIS educators in Maine at the Augusta Civic Center on Nov. 18.

Norway Savings Bank and Community Concepts Finance Corp., a certified community development financial institution and an affiliate of Community Concepts Inc., have announced a partnership in which Norway Savings Bank will provide $400,000 annually to Community Concepts to provide loans to low- and moderate-income home buyers, businesses and other borrowers who are eligible to borrow from a community development financial institution.

Andre Cushing, deputy mayor of Hampden, recently presented a key to the city to Jon Prescott, president and CEO of Katahdin Trust Co.

Fetch, a pet supply company in Portland, recently announced the opening of its new store, Fish & Bone on Newbury Street in Boston.

Saint Joseph’s College in Standish recently announced it will offer a special education major beginning in the fall 2011 semester.

Wasco Skylights, a manufacturer of skylighting products for the residential and commercial building industries, recently announced it is moving its entire manufacturing facility from Sanford to Wells in January.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine and H & R Block recently teamed up to create two new online resources, a grandfathering tool and a tax calculator tool, which are available at www.anthem.com/healthcarereform.

The SunriseGuide, a book that provides advice and community resources together with coupons, recently announced it is expanding into the midcoast area.

TD Bank’s charitable giving arm, the TD Charitable Foundation, awarded $100,000 to Avesta Housing in Portland as part of the bank’s Housing for Everyone program.

First Command Financial Services recently celebrated the grand opening of its new office at 38 Hubbard Lane in Wells.

University Credit Union announced the opening of its seventh branch in the Memorial Union at the University of Maine in Orono.

Prime Nissan recently announced it has moved its facility to 860 Portland Road in Saco.

Northeast Bank Insurance Group recently announced that its Scarborough office has relcoated to 383 U.S. Route 1.

Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co., recently announced a cash dividend of $.082 per share for the fourth quarter of 2010. The dividend is payable on Dec. 27 to all shareholders of record as of Dec. 13.

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, an accounting firm in Portland, recently announced that senior manager Arthur Marshall has been awarded the accredited senior appraiser designation by the American Society of Appraisers.

Occupational Medical Consulting, a workplace wellness provider in Leeds, recently acquired Kennebunk Savings Bank in Kennebunk and Titan America LLC in Norfolk, Va., as clients.

The Front Room, a restaurant in Portland, recently celebrated its fifth year in business.

Accolades

Wright-Pierce, a Portland-based water, wastewater and infrastructure engineering firm, recently earned an engineering excellence award from The American Council of Engineering Companies of Maine for the design of the recently completed Mirror Lake water treatment facility upgrade project in Rockport.

Eastern Maine Medical Center recently received the 2010 Energy Star Combined Heat and Power Award for its successful operation of a natural gas-fired CHP system powered by a turbine providing over 90% of the hospital’s electricity and steam.

Hancock Lumber’s retail store Home Again in South Portland recently received the 2010 Dealer of the Year Award from Window & Door magazine.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that the following attorneys have been selected by Best Lawyers as 2011 Lawyers of the Year: Robert Keach for bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law; Kenneth Lehman for administrative law; Peter Rubin for mass tort litigation; Nathan Smith for real estate law; and Christopher Vaniotis for land use and zoning law.

Efficiency Maine Qualified Partners recently honored the following companies: largest mechanical project, Mechanical Services in Presque Isle; most completed projects, contractor, Mechanical Services in Portland; most completed projects, supplier, Graybar Electric in Portland; most comprehensive project, supplier, Investment Engineering in Yarmouth; largest lighting project, Kaplan Electrical Construction in Winthrop; contractor of the year, Energy Management Consultants in South Portland; supplier of the year, CED Gilman Electric in Newport; qualified partner of the year, Trask-Decrow Machinery in South Portland.

Adele Nichols, personal lines account manager at The Insurance Center, a Turner Barker/Gorham Savings Bank company, was recently selected as Rookie of the Year by the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Insurance Women.

KeyBank recently awarded Jen Corbeil, founder of Mainely Kidz PT, with the Key4Women Achieve Award.

Portland-based law firm Robinson, Kriger & McCallum, one of 38 independent provider law firms for pre-paid legal services, recently received the award of excellence as the top legal service firm at the annual Provider Law Firm Awards.

In Travel + Leisure’s 15th annual World’s Best Awards readers’ poll, the Samoset Resort in Rockport recently ranked No. 40 in its categories of America’s best family hotel and world’s best family hotels and cruise.

Planet Dog in Portland recently received the 2010 Editors’ Choice Award for its ball-tossing device, the wood chuck, from the editors of Dog Fancy Magazine.

Hannaford Supermarkets, a central strategic partner of Share Our Strength Maine, recently was recognized by Share Our Strength with a local corporate partner leadership award.

Broadreach Public Relations in Yarmouth recently received two gold awards and one silver award from the Maine Public Relations Council.

The Downtown Portland Corp. recently presented the following awards: Jon Jennings, president and general manager of the Maine Red Claws received the 2010 Economic Development Achievement Award; B&M, a division of B&G Foods, received the 2010 Business of the Year Award; and Allagash Brewing received the 2010 Small Business of Year Award.

Lisa Rutstein of the Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute was recently awarded the 2009 State Chair Outstanding Achievement Award by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Cancer.

The Woodlands Club executive chef, Jeffrey Stewart, was recently named Signature Chef of the Year at Greater Portland’s 10th annual March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction Fundraiser.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust recently received the Outstanding Corporation award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Northern New England Chapter.

PDQ Door Co. in Hampden was recently selected by the International Door Association as the recipient of the 2011 Joseph A. Caputo Door Dealer of the Year Award.