In short from July 25, 2011 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Flyte New Media, a web design and Internet marketing company in Portland, recently hired Joan Crocker as a search engine marketer.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Willette Elder as an associate in the firm’s tax, trusts and estates practice group.

Murray, Plumb & Murray, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Chelsea Callanan as an associate attorney. Previously, Callanan was an associate attorney at Furman Gregory Deptula in Biddeford.

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, a provider of free and low-cost immigration legal assistance in Portland, recently hired Noël Young as an asylum coordinator attorney.

SymQuest Group, a provider of network and document technology solutions and services in Westbrook, recently hired John Giuliano as an account executive for document solutions.

Career Management Associates in Portland recently hired Christy Hillman as director of client services. Previously, Hillman owned and operated Off The Grid Jobs.

People’s United Bank in Portland recently hired Daniel Thornton as senior vice president of commercial banking.

Camden National Bank recently hired Domenic Efter as vice president and regional retail manager for the Down East market. He will be based in the Ellsworth branch.

The Cumberland Club in Portland recently hired Steven Hayward as general manager. Previously, Hayward was executive director of Hawthorn Golf & Country Club in Fishers, Ind.

Community Credit Union recently hired Nancy Richard as branch manager of its Auburn location.

MaineGeneral Allergy and Asthma in Augusta recently hired Scott Dyer, an allergy and asthma specialist and internist.

The United Way of Mid-Maine recently hired Peter Lyford as resource development coordinator.

Unity College recently hired William Trumble as vice president for academic affairs.

Preti Flaherty, a Portland-based law firm, recently hired William Saturley as a director who will practice with the litigation group in the Concord, N.H., office.

Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty recently hired, as part of its recent merger with Powers Real Estate in Yarmouth, Patrick Powers, Heidi Hall and Joi Kressbach as real estate brokers.

Backyard Farms, a greenhouse grower of vine-ripened tomatoes in Madison, recently hired Chuck Green as president and CEO.

Richard Birkel was recently hired as director of the Cutler Institute of Health and Social Policy at the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service.

Saint Joseph’s College in Standish recently hired Michael Dempsey as the vice president for institutional advancement.

The Samoset Resort in Rockport recently hired Julie Slade as spa director. Previously, Slade owned Elegant Nails in Camden.

The Maine State Library has hired Patrick Therrien as the technology and education training specialist for the Maine Public Library Information Commons Project, funded by the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant.

Downeast Energy recently hired Jim Hubbard as its South Portland and Yarmouth delivery/transport manager.

The Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta recently hired Ambreen Ijaz, a medical oncologist/hematologist.

Joseph McDonnell was recently hired as dean of the University of Southern Maine’s College of Management and Human Service.

Promotions

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, a provider of free and low-cost immigration legal assistance in Portland, recently promoted Hayden Anderson to interim executive director and Susan Roche to legal director.

The Marginal Way Preservation Fund in Ogunquit recently promoted Catherine Palmer to executive director. Previously, Palmer was development director.

U.S. Cellular recently promoted Jennifer Novicki as business account executive in Portland and southern Maine.

Macdonald Page & Co., an accounting firm with offices in South Portland and Augusta, recently promoted Robert Dube to director of the Augusta office.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust recently promoted Sam McGee to vice president, business banking, and James Lacasse to assistant vice president, business banking.

Appointments

The Maine International Trade Center in Portland recently appointed the following to its board of directors: Dennis Leiner, founder and chief technology officer of Lighthouse Imaging, a medical optics design and manufacturing company in Portland; Kelly L’Heureux, a licensed customs broker and manager of OCEANAIR Inc., a customs house brokerage and freight company in Portland; and Kent Peterson, CEO of Fluid Imaging Technologies, a technology firm in Yarmouth.

Preble Street, a service provider to people with homelessness, housing, hunger and poverty problems in Portland, recently appointed Terry Sutton, vice president of e-commerce at L.L.Bean in Freeport, to its board of directors.

The Maine Bankers Association recently elected Peter Judkins, president and CEO of Franklin Savings Bank, as association chairman.

Oxford Networks in Lewiston recently announced that Dawna Hannan, director of customer satisfaction, regulatory affairs and human resources, was appointed to the United Way of Androscoggin County board of directors.

The United Way of York County recently appointed David Eagleson, president of The Baker Co., a Sanford-based manufacturer of laboratory equipment, as chair the 2011 campaign cabinet. The organization also appointed the following to the cabinet: Charles Petersen of Biddeford Savings Bank; Jim Fitzgerald of Kennebunk-Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce; Martha Muldoon of Strategic Marketing and Communications; Mike McMahon of Pratt & Whitney; Nichole Brunette of Hannaford Bros. Co.; Rhonda Hebert of Biddeford Savings Bank; Stacy Gile of Unum; Elizabeth Johnson of Goodall Hospital; and Kevin Robert of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

The Maine Real Estate & Development Association recently elected the following officers for the 2011/2012 fiscal year: Thomas Lea of People’s United Bank, president; Anne Littlefield of Dead River Properties, vice president; Drew Sigfridson of CBRE/The Boulos Co., vice president; William Shanahan of Northern New England Housing Investment Fund, treasurer, James Otis of Otis | Atwell, assistant treasurer; and Dennis Keeler of Pierce Atwood as secretary/registered agent. The association also elected the following board members: Brian Curley of Maine Licensed Architect; Christian Chandler of Curtis Thaxter; and Peter Dufour of Macdonald Page & Co.

The Rotary Club of Portland recently elected Jack Carr, senior vice president of Criterium Engineers in Portland, as president.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recently elected Bill Plouffe, an attorney at Portland-based law firm Drummond Woodsum, as vice-chair of the board of directors.

The Maine Community Foundation recently elected Eileen Epstein, a partner at Portland-based law firm Epstein & O’Donovan, as chair of the board of directors.

The Maine Philanthropy Center recently elected the following board members: Frank Douglass of Wright Express Corp.; Janet Wyper of L.L.Bean; and Peter Taylor of Maine Community Foundation.

William Harwood, chair of Verrill Dana’s regulatory and legislative department’s water and wastewater utilities group, was elected chair of the boards of the Brady Campaign and Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

Spotlight

Biodiversity Research Institute, a nonprofit ecological research group in Gorham, recently established a new wildlife and renewable energy program to study and understand the movements of birds and bats and to assess the potential interactions between energy facilities and wildlife, according to a press release from the institute.

Since 2009, the institute’s wildlife biologists have studied the migration and movement patterns of birds and bats over the Gulf of Maine and elsewhere along the Atlantic coast. This information can be used to understand how migrating birds and bats might be affected by offshore structures, such as wind turbines.

Part of the Biodiversity Research Institute’s mission is to provide scientific data that will help inform policy and regulatory decisions.

Company News

BerryDunn, an accounting firm in Portland, recently elected Sno Barry, a member of the firm’s tax services group, as principal.

Attorney Jamie Broder has joined Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, as a shareholder.

David Story, a mechanical engineer-intern at Harriman, an architecture and engineering firm in Portland, recently received his professional engineer license from the Maine Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers.

Mercy Health System of Maine, a provider of health care services, recently announced the opening of Mercy Cardiology, a practice located at Mercy Hospital, 144 State St., 5th floor, in Portland.

Wright-Pierce, an engineering firm in Portland, recently announced the following new company shareholders: Anthony D’Amelio, David Skidgel, Thomas Simbro, David Bowen, Tim Vadney, Robert Barnes, David Laskey, Douglas Rice and Scott Hinckley.

Cambridge Coffee Bar in South Portland recently changed its name to Café Cambridge.

The board of the Maine Crafts Association recently announced the resignation of executive director Tracy Michaud Stutzman. Lynn Thompson, former board vice president and special projects consultant to the organization for the past three years, will serve as interim executive director.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine recently donated $100,000 from its charitable foundation to develop a new, high-tech laboratory to train nursing students using patient simulators. The new Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation Nursing Simulation Center will enable nursing students at Central Maine Community College in Lewiston to gain valuable clinical experience in a safe, simulated environment.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded a National Emergency Grant to the Maine Department of Labor for $337,897 to provide employment-related services to workers affected by the closure of Associated Grocers of Maine Inc. in Gardiner.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor recently received a $1.25 million challenge to establish a faculty chair in earth systems from Anne and Robert Bass of Fort Worth, Texas, and Mt. Desert Island. The chair will be called The Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Chair in Earth Systems and GeoSciences.

The Maine Technology Institute recently approved four new development awards totaling $761,348 for Maine companies developing innovative technologies. The awards were matched with combined contributions of more than $890,047 and are conditional loans that the companies must pay back as they achieve success. Wizbe Innovations in Manchester received $64,000 for its parachute fabric, match amount $74,000; Pika Energy in Gorham received $274,291 for its low-cost wind turbine system, match amount $342,989; Cerealus Holdings in Waterville received $261,849 for its new filler technology, match amount $311,850; and RainStorm Inc. in Orono received $161,208 for its CourseStorm registration software, match amount $161,208.

Bangor Savings Bank recently announced record earnings of $17.7 million at its 159th annual meeting in June.

Building Solutions, a plan, design and build firm of commercial and industrial facilities in Oxford, recently announced it is seeking to fill eight development sites at Kitty Hawk Business Park in Auburn. The available sites are permit-ready through the Auburn Planning Board and other associated agencies such as the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

Camden National Corp. recently declared a $0.25 per share dividend payable on July 29 for shareholders of record on July 15.

Care and Comfort, a home health, mental health and home modification service agency in Bangor, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

The U.S. Veteran’s Administration Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs recently approved the fiscal year 2012 military construction funding bill, which includes $15.6 million for the construction of a 52,000-square-foot Training Readiness Center in Bangor to house all elements of the Maine National Guard’s 52nd Troop Command; and $23 million for the construction of a 59,000-square-foot Armed Forces Reserve Center in Brunswick to support the missions of the Maine National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion headquarters and other units.

Groundbreaking was recently held at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station for a new research and manufacturing facility for Molnlycke Healthcare. The groundbreaking represented the first new construction project in the civilian redevelopment at the base, now named Brunswick Landing.

Accolades

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, recently announced its employee benefits and executive compensation group’s blog, www.employeebenefitsupdate.com, received the Top 10 Blogs in Compensation and Benefits award from HR Daily Advisor.

Kennebec Behavioral Health in Waterville recently presented Inland Hospital with its Outstanding Community Partnership Award; Winthrop Family Medicine with its Transformational Clinical Collaboration Award; and Rep. David C. Webster with its Recognition Award for longstanding work on behalf of quality mental healthcare legislation at the state level.

Portland Downtown District and Portland Buy Local recently shared the award for outstanding special or retail event presented by the Maine Downtown Center.

Katahdin Bankshares Corp. in Houlton, parent company of Katahdin Trust Co., was recently named a Top 200 Community Bank by U.S. Banker magazine, marking the fifth consecutive year the company has been named to the list.

Betty Walker, director of volunteer services at Cary Medical Center in Caribou, was recently selected as the Maine Hospital Association’s 2011 Caregiver of the Year.

Jane Carreiro, associate professor and chair of the University of New England Department of Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, was recently profiled in the book, The Feminine Touch: Women in Osteopathic Medicine, by Thomas A. Quinn (Truman State University Press, 2011).

Camden International Film Festival’s founder and director, Ben Fowlie, was recently named to MaineToday Media’s Forty Under 40 list of Maine’s emerging generation of leaders.

The Maine State Bar Association honored William Harwood, an attorney at Portland-based law firm Verrill Dana, with its Volunteer Lawyers Project Director’s Award for his commitment to pro bono legal service and to increasing Mainers’ access to legal aid.

Becky McKinnell, founder of website and graphic design company iBec Creative, recently received an Entreverge Award from PROPEL, a networking and professional development group for young people in greater Portland, recognizing her entrepreneurship and business innovation.

Kevin Merrill, a structural engineer in Stantec’s Scarborough office, has been named the Young Civil Engineer of the Year by the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Judith Coburn, counsel in the private clients and fiduciary group at Portland-based law firm Verrill Dana, recently received the Meg Baxter Legacy Award from the United Way of Greater Portland Foundation.

Wind Power for ME and the Maine Renewable Energy Association recently applauded the Environmental Business Council of New England’s selection of TransCanada’s Kibby Wind Power Project as this year’s winner of the Outstanding Environmental, Energy Achievement Award.

Pine Tree Quilters Guild recently announced that Wendy Caton Reed, co-coordinator of Maine Quilt Heritage, was selected by her peers as the 2011 Meet the Quilter.

The Maine Historical Society and the project team of Consigli Construction Co. Inc. in Portland recently received a 2011 Maine Preservation Honor Award for Excellence in Historic Renovation for the restoration of the Brown Library and Longfellow Garden at the Maine Historical Society in Portland.

The Society for Human Resource Management and the Maine State Human Resource Council recently presented the following awards: The HR Hall of Fame to Laura Bosse, human resource director for Geiger in Lewiston; Kristine Avery, human resource director for FISC Solutions in Lewiston; and Carrie Lord, HR manager for Fisher Engineering in Rockland; and the 2011 HR Leader of the Year Award was presented to David Pease, senior vice president/chief resource officer at Androscoggin Bank in Lewiston.

Preble Street, a service provider to people with homelessness, housing, hunger and poverty problems in Portland, recently presented the following awards: The Community Partner Award to Hannaford Bros. Co. in Scarborough; the Joseph D. Kreisler Community Impact Award to Lucky Hollander in Portland; the Volunteer of the Year Award to Lynne Goodwin; and the Board Member of the Year Award to Charlie Roscoe.

Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick was recently recognized as one of five hospitals in Maine, and the only hospital in the greater Brunswick area, as a preferred Tier 1 hospital by the Maine State Employee Health Commission for outstanding quality, patient safety and clinical experience.

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