In short from Feb. 22, 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 Nathaniel Bryans as an associate in the firm’s intellectual property practice group. Previously, Bryans was a law clerk for Judge John Woodcock in Maine. The firm also recently elected Eric Wycoff to the partnership. Previously, Wycoff worked as a litigation associate at Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C.

McClain Marketing Group, a marketing solutions firm in Portland, recently hired Patrick Krulik as a graphic designer.

Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington recently hired Rodney Sparks in the emergency department. Previously, Sparks worked at Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan.

Northeast Bank recently hired Robert Staab as a senior mortgage loan officer at its Brunswick branch, and Edward Oliver as a mortgage loan officer at its Waterville branch.

Sen. Peter Mills recently hired Marc Pitman as his gubernatorial campaign director.

Disability RMS, a reinsurance provider in Westbrook, recently hired Heather Hanson as a customer service representative, Alicia Russell as claims technician, Eric Stevens as claim support specialist and Lisa Burns as senior premium analyst.

FairPoint Communications recently hired Ray Allieri as executive vice president and chief strategy officer at its Portland office. Previously, Allieri worked in the telecom industry as a business strategist.

Downeast Energy and Building Supply in Brunswick recently hired Sharon Zylla as manager of inventory planning and supply. Previously, Zylla was an accounting manager at Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. in Long Beach, Calif.

Weichert Realtors in Old Orchard Beach recently hired Ron Berthiaume as a licensed associate broker.

HealthReach Community Health Centers in Bethel recently hired Meredith Moses as a physician assistant.

Coastal Enterprises Inc., a community development corporation and community development financial institution in Wiscasset, recently hired Jason Thomas and Mechelle Nash as foreclosure prevention counselors.

Tastefully Simple Inc., a national home taste-testing company featuring easy-to-prepare foods and gifts, recently hired Stacey Rogers and Marcie Holland as independent consultants.

Hall Web Designs, a web design and Internet marketing firm in Portland, recently hired Josh Valentine as the director of marketing-small business group.

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Jeffrey Piampiano as a shareholder.

Norway Savings Bank recently hired Gail McBride as vice president and retail collections manager at its main office.

Crossroads for Women, a substance abuse and mental health treatment facility in Portland, recently hired Nicole Oliver as program manager in Portland; Kelly MacKenzie, Randi Sheehan and Tracy Riggins as counselors at Crossroads for Women Residential Rehabilitation program in Windham; and Katie Bloom and Jessica Hopkins as counselors at its outpatient office in Portland.

U.S. Cellular in South Portland recently hired Ryan Kaichen as a business account executive.

The Maine Professional Guides Association, an organization of outdoor guides in Augusta, recently hired Don Kleiner as executive director. Technology Systems Inc., a defense-department-oriented software company in Brunswick, recently hired Vivien Chinnapongse as a software engineer.

Northeast Bank in Waterville recently hired C.E. Carll Insurance Agency in Standish recently hired Tammy Farthing as an insurance professional.

Community Partners Inc. in Biddeford recently appointed Amy Stafford as manager of development and community relations.

Promotions

KeyBank in Portland recently promoted Sterling Kozlowski to president of its Maine district.

MEMIC, a workers’ compensation insurer in Portland, recently promoted Karl Siegfried to assistant vice president, loss control and safety services.

Disability RMS, a reinsurance provider in Westbrook, recently promoted Alan Roy to senior managed disability analyst and Audra Plummer to claims technician.

Norway Savings Bank in Portland recently promoted Mary Hewitt to vice president, employee development and training manager, and Rob Harville to junior commercial lender.

Appointments

Gorham Savings Bank recently appointed Brad Wise, senior vice president of human resources at Hannaford Bros. Co., to its board of directors.

Maine Maritime Academy in Castine recently appointed John Worth to the post of director of career services and cadet shipping.

Union Trust in Ellsworth, a division of Camden National Bank, recently appointed Ellen Curtiss as regional commercial manager.

The Maine Association of Mediators, a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the benefits of alternative dispute resolution in Portland, recently appointed Peter Malia, a partner at Hastings Law Office in Fryeburg, as president.

Day One, an adolescent substance abuse agency in South Portland, recently elected the following officers: Dianne Nason, president of Key Private Bank, as president; Jack Quirk of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield as vice president; Steve Eddy as treasurer; Lisa Downing, human resources manager for Diversified Communications in Portland, as secretary and co-chairwoman of the resource development committee; Kevin Freeman, director of business development for the Pizzagalli Construction Co., as co-chairman of the resource development committee; and Susan York-Wilbur as chairwoman of the nominating committee.

The Maine Bar Foundation, a statewide nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to law-related charitable work in Portland, recently elected the following officers: Sarah Ruef-Lindquist, attorney at Planning for Good, as president; Eric Stauffer, attorney at Preti Flaherty in Portland, as president-elect; and Deborah Shaw, attorney at Pierce Atwood in Portland, as treasurer. Virginia Davis, attorney at Preti Flaherty in Augusta, was named to the executive committee. The foundation also elected the following board members: David Owen, from the University of Maine School of Law; David Pierson, attorney at Eaton Peabody in Brunswick; and David Wakelin, attorney at Wakelin, Hallock & O’Donovan, in Portland.

United Way of Greater Portland recently elected Shawn Gorman, vice president of card services and direct to business at L.L.Bean in Freeport, and Jacquelyn Hedlund, medical director at Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute in Portland, to its board of directors.

Linda Spalding, manager of provider analytics at Health Dialog in Portland, was recently elected to Crossroads for Women’s board of directors.

Gov. John Baldacci recently appointed Richard Hanley to the state board of corrections, and Andrew Mclean to a two-year term on the Maine Commission for Community Service.

Portland Trails, a nonprofit urban land trust and trail building organization, recently appointed Heather Chandler as a board member. It has also recently re-elected the following to its board: Aurelia Scott as board president, Rob Levin, John Osbourn as committee chair, and Jeanie Campbell.

The Maine Humanities Council in Portland recently appointed the following board of directors: Maryanne Ward, Liam Riordan and David Richards.

Gardiner Main Street board of directors recently appointed Christopher West as executive director.

Thaxter Trafton, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development, recently appointed Brian Hodges as deputy commissioner.

Spotlight

International WoodFuels, a Portland-based thermal energy provider, recently partnered with the Maine Department of Corrections to install a metered wood pellet heating system at the Mountain View Youth Development Center in Charleston.

The state estimates the installation of the new wood pellet boiler will eliminate the center’s use of approximately 145,000 gallons of heating oil annually, reducing the department’s overall consumption of heating fuel by 20%, according to a release from the Gov. John Baldacci’s press office.

The center will begin utilizing the WoodFuels’ program later this year, which includes the engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of an industrial wood pellet boiler and storage silo, at no cost to the state. The company, along with center staff, will monitor the system in real time via the web, and pellets will be delivered as needed by WoodFuels, according to the release.

Company News

Downeast Energy and Building Supply recently announced the opening of a new store in Bath.

Mary Herman, public policy consultant and former first lady of Maine, recently launched Mary J. Herman Consulting in Brunswick, a consulting firm specializing in growth strategies and problem solving for businesses and nonprofits.

Gardiner Main Street, partnering with the Gardiner Board of Trade and the city of Gardiner, recently welcomed and congratulated the following businesses: Mr. P’s Car Wash, the Mad Dog Pub, the Girltrend Shop, Sweet Love/Baxter Tea Co., www.mainefurniture.org, ShipOnSite, Kennebec Savings Bank, Karass Financial and Accounting and Green Sharks Billiards.

The Maine Technology Institute in Gardiner recently awarded Jazzy Johnny’s of Richmond, a clothing store that specializes in eco-friendly cancer patient wear, with a seed grant for introducing a plant fiber fabric to the health care industry and making them accessible to health care providers.

Coastal Cleaning Services, a house cleaning company in Portland, recently announced it is open for business.

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor and Boston, Mass.-based renewable energy company Bodega Algae recently received a six-month, $150,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation to develop and test a prototype for growing high concentrations of algae for use as biofuel.

Jeff Marquis, project manager, and Nate Roberts, field engineer/assistant project manager, at CCB Inc. in Westbrook recently received LEED Green Associate status from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Kimberly Polley, operations supervisor at Community Credit Union in Lewiston, recently received her certificate as a CUNA Certified Financial Counselor.

Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland recently announced the release of its Brewer’s Brown Ale.

Maine Businesses for Sustainability recently launched its new website, www.mainebusinessesforsustainability.org, which includes information about membership levels, upcoming events, networking opportunities, its green event certification program and job postings.

Coastal Enterprises Inc. in Wiscasset recently received a second rating by the CDFI Assessment and Ratings System in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Neal Associates in Lincoln recently merged with Varney Agency, an insurance company in Bangor. The Maine Technology Institute recently awarded the seed grants to the following technology companies: AXAT Inc. in Holden; Griffin in Brunswick; the Maine Conservation Medicine Center in Waterville; Kenway Corp. in Augusta; Energy Circle in South Freeport; Bazaar Strategies in Falmouth; Discover Motion in Carrabassett; Hall Web Services in Portland; Labeling Solutions in South Portland; Refill Management Systems in Yarmouth; McCabe and Associates in Winslow; and Mega Industries in Gorham.

The University of Maine recently announced that the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business has granted reaccreditation to the University of Southern Maine School of Business in Portland.

Camden National Corp. recently reported net income for 2009 of $22.8 million, or $2.97 per diluted share, compared with 2008 net income of $15.3 million, or $2 per diluted share. Return on average assets increased to 1% for 2009 compared to 0.67% for 2008 and returns on average equity amounted to 12.81% and 9.15%, respectively.

The Lifeline Workplace Health Program has recently joined Maine Medical Center in Portland.

The christophermichaelsullivan art firm in Portland recently signed away authorship of its self-titled video project to former firm partner D. S. Lobley.

Gwen Hall with Logo Owl Promotional Advertising in Cumberland, a full-service promotional marketing company, recently received certification from The Women’s Business Enterprise Council.

The Hannaford Charitable Foundation recently gave a gift of $250,000 to the University of Southern Maine for the conversion of a grass field into a lighted, synthetic field at the university’s Gorham campus.

Terralink Systems Inc. in Portland, a developer and distributor of management software for shipping and storing hazardous materials, recently announced updates to its Terralink Data eXchange, including an alarm manager tool, save and restore capabilities for select search and a new billing drop-down menu on the profile form.

KICTeam, a manufacturer of cleaning cards in Auburn, recently announced the release of the Bixolon Waffletechnology Thermal Printer Cleaning Card, designed specifically for Bixolon thermal printers.

Tile Connection in Boothbay recently announced that Rookwood Pottery Co. in Cincinnati has named Tile Connection its exclusive dealer for the state of Maine.

Androscoggin Bank in Lewiston recently announced its senior management succession plan. Current president and CEO Steven Closson is expected to step down Dec. 31, 2011, and be succeeded by Paul Andersen, the bank’s current executive vice president and COO, effective Jan. 1, 2012.

The Ware Street Inn, a bed and breakfast in Lewiston, recently received expanded licenses from the city of Lewiston and the state of Maine to offer meals other than breakfast to its overnight guests, as well as to community members who schedule small meetings and other events at the inn.

Quantrix, a business modeling and analytics company in Portland, recently announced the release of its Enrollment Insights, a set of customizable planning models that enable colleges and universities to glean in-depth information about student enrollment for use in budgeting and strategic planning.

Kennebec Valley Dental Center, a nonprofit dental clinic in Augusta, recently received a $10,000 grant from the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation.

GHM Insurance Agency in Waterville recently raised over $25,600 in disaster relief for Haiti through a $10,000 dollar-for-dollar match fundraising campaign.

Bank of America in Auburn recently awarded Community Concepts Inc., a nonprofit community action agency, a $10,000 grant to develop an organization-wide communications plan.

Portland Harbor Hotel recently raised over $17,000 at its annual Ice Bar. The funds will be shared with the following local organizations: Center for Grieving Children, Junior Achievement and Share Our Strength Southern Maine. An additional $2,300 will go to the American Red Cross in support of relief in Haiti.

Bar Harbor Bankshares, the parent company of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, recently announced a record net income available to common shareholders of $9.3 million for 2009, compared with $7.7 million in 2008, representing an increase of 20.5%.

J & M Machining in Skowhegan recently received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce for $30,000 in technical assistance through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

Accolades

Allen & Selig Realty in North Yarmouth recently announced that broker JoAnn Daigle was awarded top honors for individual sales production in sales volume for 2009.

Weichert Realtors in Portland recently recognized Mary Desjardin and Jim Walsh as its top brokers for 2009.

Poland Spring Water Co. recently received the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce’s first-ever Poland Business of the Year Award for its significant investments in the town of Poland that are fundamental to the area’s ability to prosper.

The Harraseeket Inn in Freeport and the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk were named to the list of the 500 Best Hotels in the World in the January issue of Travel and Leisure magazine.

The Animal House, a pet supply store in Damariscotta, recently won Downeast Magazine’s best pet supply store in its Best of the Best issue in 2009. Also, Pet Product News International, a monthly trade newsmagazine covering issues affecting all sectors of the professional pet industry, recently awarded Animal House with its outstanding web presence award.