In Short from June 30, 2008 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

MariCal, a biotechnology company in Portland, recently hired Bruce Andrews as president and CEO. Previously, Andrews was president and CEO of the animal health division of Alpharma Inc., based in Bridgewater, N.J.

Key Bank, based in Cleveland, recently hired Jane Dagley as vice president and manager of its Rockland branch. Previously, Dagley was a relationship manager at Union Trust Co., part of Camden National Bank.

MetLife of Greater Maine, based in Cumberland Foreside, recently hired Luke Goodine as a financial service representative. Previously, Goodine was director of sales and marketing at Elm City Photo in Waterville.

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution recently hired Denise Nickerson as a loan officer in its Scarborough branch. Previously, Nickerson was a mortgage loan officer at Kennebunk Savings Bank.

Spectrum Generations, a social service agency in Augusta, recently hired Elizabeth Crawford as a community case manager and Susan Garascia as administrator of its adult day care programs.

Bret LeBleu recently was hired as a designer in the landscape architecture division of Gawron Turgeon Architects, an architecture, interior design, planning and landscape design firm in Scarborough.

Moss Shapiro, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Jennifer Norvell as counsel. Previously, Norvell was founder and president of Workplace Advisors in New Hampshire.

Shoestring Creative Group, a marketing and communications firm in Gardiner that serves nonprofits, recently hired Lynn Hendrickson as creative services director.

Lewis + Malm Architecture in Bucksport recently hired Harmony Jellison as finance manager and Marc Farrar as director of marketing.

Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center in Gardiner recently hired Kathy Veilleux as supervisor of its teen band shows, which take place twice a month. Veilleux also is special assistant to the commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Dawson, Smith, Purvis & Bassett, an accounting firm in Portland, recently hired Prisca Allen, Kevin Brunelle and Chris Meier as staff members.

Saint Joseph’s College in Standish recently hired Holly Braley as controller. Previously, Braley was a vice president at TD Banknorth, based in Portland.

The Maine chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, located in Portland, recently hired Denise Clavette as president. Previously, Clavette was parks and recreation director for the City of Portland.

Bowdoin College recently hired Adrienne Shibles as head coach of its women’s basketball program. Previously, Shibles was athletic director at Gould Academy in Bethel.

True North, a nonprofit health care practice in Falmouth, recently hired Chris Bartlett as a family practice physician.

Promotions

Robert Burgess recently was promoted to senior vice president of credit administration at Maine Bank & Trust, based in Portland. Previously, Burgess was vice president and group manager of credit administration.

The Baker Co., a company in Sanford that designs and manufactures laboratory products, recently promoted David Eagleson to president.

Mercy Hospital in Portland recently promoted David Terwilliger to administrative director of its hospitalist and physician extender program. Previously, Terwilliger was manager of the program.

Saint Joseph’s College in Standish recently promoted Thomas Hancock to director of its masters of science in education program, which is part of its online graduate and professional studies division. Previously, Hancock was an adjunct instructor at the college.

Anissa Smith recently was promoted to business development and sales manager at TD Banknorth’s branch at 417 Payne Rd. in Scarborough. Previously, Smith was customer service and sales manager at the bank’s Gorham branch.

Appointments

The Scarborough Economic Development Corp. recently appointed the following to its board: Stuart Axelrod, a division general manager at Pine Tree Waste in Scarborough, and Bob Vautin, director of sales and marketing at Prescott Metal in Biddeford.

Clifford Ruprecht, an attorney at Portland law firm Pierce Atwood, recently was elected to the American Law Institute in Philadelphia. In addition, Pierce Atwood attorney Ralph Lancaster was elected president of the Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C.

Ron Schneider, a member of the litigation practice group and the labor and employment practice group at Portland law firm Bernstein Shur, recently was appointed to the new state Judicial Branch Indigent Legal Services Commission.

Terry Clifford, a post-anesthesia care unit nurse at Mercy Hospital in Portland, recently was elected vice president/president-elect of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses, headquartered in New Jersey.

John Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, recently was appointed to the federal Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee.

Spotlight

Peter Homer, founder of Flagsuit LLC in Southwest Harbor, is showing his prize-winning astronaut gloves at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival this month in Washington, D.C.

Homer, whose prototype won NASA’s Astronaut Glove Challenge last year, is displaying four of his astronaut gloves at a festival booth honoring NASA’s 50th anniversary. One of the gloves is inside a transparent vacuum chamber, so when visitors put their hands inside the glove, they can feel what it’s like in space.

Homer developed the exhibit, called “Hands in Space,” with Island Astronomy Institute, a nonprofit in Bernard. The festival runs from June 25 to July 6.

Company News

Dale Holman, a broker at Malone Commercial Brokers in Portland, recently received a broker’s license for Maine and New Hampshire.

Matt Zito, a Web developer in Gouldsboro, recently launched www.mainecreates.com, a free social-networking site for artists and creative professionals in Maine. More than 30 people have joined the site since its launch.

The Brunswick campus of Southern New Hampshire University recently launched four new majors. To its bachelor of science degree program in business administration, SNHU has added concentrations in human resource management, small-business management and organizational leadership. The university also began offering a bachelor of arts degree in psychology with a focus on child and adolescent development.

Granny Kirkwood’s Bakery, a shortbread bakery in South Portland that donates after-tax profits to Maine Medical Center’s adult oncology unit, recently said it has begun selling its product at seven Hannaford Bros. Co. supermarkets in Maine, Whole Foods in Portland, Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, Lois’ Natural Marketplace in Scarborough, DiPietro’s Market in Portland and IGA in South Portland. In addition, the bakery has hired A. R. Williams Creative in Biddeford Pool to design its branding, packaging and display materials.

David Serreze and Yi-Guang Chen, researchers at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, recently co-authored a report about diabetes prevention in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. In the report, Serreze, Chen and their colleagues at Yeshiva and Rockefeller universities said they found a way to kill a type of T cell that can cause diabetes.

Nick and Maria Northcott recently opened North Cottage Coffee in Damariscotta. The shop offers sandwiches, gelato and coffee from Wicked Joe Coffee Roasting Co. in Brunswick.

Current Publishing LLC, a company in Westbrook that publishes six weekly newspapers, recently began publishing Maine Women, a new quarterly publication for and about women in Maine. Jane Lord is the editor of the publication.

Wireless Directory Network, a company in Carrabasset Valley that produces a directory of wireless telephone numbers, recently said it has secured a patent for its ComNote software. With the ComNote software, companies can text message private cell phone numbers. The text, which the caller pays for, contains the caller’s identification and phone number, and users may decide whether to take the call or block the caller.

Saunders, a company in Readfield that makes office products, recently said its entire line of hardboard clipboards and sketchboards are now made from 100% recycled or recovered materials and certified as Environmentally Preferred Products by the Composite Panel Association.

Maine & Maritimes Corp. in Presque Isle recently divested its remaining 50% ownership in Maricor Properties Ltd., a Canadian real estate and development firm. The company will use about $530,000 from the share redemption and related fees to pay off debt.

Sisters of Charity Health System in Lewiston recently changed its name to St. Mary’s Health System. The health system also has renamed its St. Marguerite D’Youville Pavilion as St. Mary’s D’Youville Pavilion and its Maison Marcotte as St. Mary’s Residences. In addition, the system recently broke ground on an expansion that includes tripling the size of its emergency department, renovating a transitional rehabilitation unit at D’Youville and building a new outpatient facility in Auburn.

Guy Marsden, owner of Art Tec LLC in Woolwich, recently launched a new website for the business, www.arttechsolar.com. Marsden’s company, launched in 2006, makes solar-power differential temperature controllers, which are designed to make solar power systems more efficient.

Ronald Cedrone, an optometrist at Maine Optometry in Brunswick and Freeport, recently spoke at a conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists. Cedrone spoke about recent developments in multifocal contact lens design.

Amanda Turcotte, a technologist at FirstMRI in Bangor, recently passed the advanced registry exam in magnetic resonance imaging, which is administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.

The following employees at Rich Aluminum & Restoration Co. in Portland recently were certified as vinyl siding installers by the Vinyl Siding Institute: Armand LaChance, Albert Mockler, Robert Lind, James Daigle and Doris Daigle.

Amy Cotton, a geriatric nurse at Rosscare in Bangor, recently was accepted to the Geriatric Nursing Leadership Academy, which is administered by Sigma Theta Tau International, a nursing association in Indianapolis, Ind. Rosscare, a geriatric nursing facility, is part of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Brewer.

Jim Ward, president and founder of Patient Advocates LLC in Gray, recently spoke at “Bridging the gap: Affordable health care for New York’s uninsured,” a conference in New York City sponsored by the Center for Medical Progress at the Manhattan Institute and the New York State Health Foundation. Patient Advocates manages employer-sponsored health and welfare plans.

Axiom Technologies LLC, an Internet service provider in Machias, recently began offering high-speed Internet access in Washington County. To provide access, Axiom has hooked into high-speed access that Lewiston-based Oxford Networks recently installed in Bangor. The company received an $80,000 grant last year from the Connect ME Authority to fund part of the project.

Wicked Good Films, a film production company in Damariscotta, recently started production on the third episode of Artifact, a science fiction series that’s available at www.whatistheartifact.com. Company founder Will Fraser has hired Portland actors Stephen Barnard and Daniel Noel to perform in the episode.

Camp Sunshine, a summer camp in Casco for families whose children have life-threatening illnesses, recently completed a 7,000-square-foot addition to its Viterbi Family Activity Center, which includes a teen room, a library, a crafts classroom and the development office.

The VIA Group, a marketing firm in Portland, recently was hired by Welch’s, the Concord, Mass.-based grape juice maker. VIA will handle Welch’s marketing, advertising and branding efforts.

Prentiss & Carlisle, a forest resource management firm in Bangor, recently was hired to oversee over 42,000 acres of timberland in Quebec owned by Quebec Forestlands LP, an investment fund of The Forestland Group.

The University of Maine System recently said it plans to relocate its University College - Springvale campus to Sanford. UMS officials plan to cut one full-time position and two part-time positions to save money after the move. They didn’t say when the campus would relocate.

Rand Ardell and Jessica Simmons recently launched Simmons Ardell Design, a design and communications firm in Portland. Previously, Ardell was director of marketing at Bernstein Shur in Portland. Simmons previously was principal of J. Simmons Design in Portland.

Coffee By Design, a Portland-based coffee roaster and retailer, recently opened a new location inside L.L.Bean’s flagship store in Freeport. CBD employs 10 people at the new shop.

Andover College, a division of Kaplan Higher Education in Washington, D.C., recently relocated its Portland campus to South Portland.

KG Partners, a marketing, public relations and Web design agency in Portland, recently began offering pro bono public relations services for the Maine Center for Creativity in Portland. The agency is publicizing the MCC’s Art All Around public art project, in which a selected artist will paint Sprague Energy Corp.’s tanks in South Portland.

Bangor Hydro Electric Co. recently hired McCabe, Duval & Associates in Portland to handle its marketing.

Maria Fox, an employment law attorney and mediator in private practice in Portland, recently spoke at the annual Maine Human Resources Association convention. Her talk was titled, “Cut the costs of workplace conflict with two underutilized tools: Mediation and independent investigation.” Fox also recently spoke at the regional conference for the National Employment Lawyers Association about whistleblower protections under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

James Gauthier, a designer in the architectural studio of Harriman in Auburn, recently was licensed to practice architecture in Maine.

Don Foshay’s Discount Tire & Alignment, based in Biddeford, recently acquired the Hallowell location of Lee’s Tire & Service in Brunswick. With the acquisition, Don Foshay’s Discount Tire has five locations in Maine.

Linda and Tim Roach, residents of Morrill, recently opened a franchise of The Interface Financial Group, a company in Irvine, Calif., that provides funding to small businesses.

Kleinschmidt, a Pittsfield-based energy and water resource consulting firm, recently opened an office in Falmouth.

JeffAir LLC, Jeff Russell’s aviation and airline consulting firm in Hampden, recently merged with BFT International, Adrian Fox’s advertising and communications firm in Falmouth. JeffAir is now a division of BFT and has changed its name to BFT Aviation Marketing.

CLYNK, a bottle and can redemption company in Scarborough, recently opened a bottle redemption center at Hannaford Bros. Co.’s supermarket at 787 Riverside St. in Portland.

Kristen Cady, director of the Maine Downtown Center, part of the Maine Development Foundation in Augusta, recently attended a week-long workshop in Portland on historic preservation. The workshop was sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Greater Portland Landmarks.

Stages Academy, a Scarborough performing arts school for kids, recently was featured in the May 2008 issue of Entrepreneur’s StartUps. The story was about people who run “enrichment businesses,” or for-profit after-school programs.

Elaine Abel and Kim Traina recently launched Jumpstart Creative, a marketing and communications firm in Edgecomb. Previously, Traina was a self-employed graphic designer. Abel ran a property management firm in Waldoboro.

The Freaky Bean Coffee Co., based in Westbrook, recently began selling a new coffee variety called PMF Musician’s Blend. Freaky Bean will donate one dollar from the sale of each 12-oz. bag to the Portland Music Foundation, an organization in Portland that works to promote local musicians.

The Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth recently donated $1 million to the Washington County Fund, a permanent endowment for nonprofits in Washington County. With the grant, the fund has $1.6 million in total assets. The fund is administered by the MCF’s Washington County Committee.

Maine Course Hospitality Group in Freeport recently opened a Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel in South Portland. MCHG owns and manages the 92-suite property.

Thomas College in Waterville recently broke ground on three new student residences that contain 88 beds total. The residences are expected to be complete by fall 2008.

Jeremy Knope and Matt James, staff programmers at RainStorm Consulting, a Web consulting firm in Orono, recently earned PHP 5 certification from Zend Technologies Inc., a company in Cupertino, Calif., that develops products and services for PHP applications. PHP is an open-source language that programmers use to make Web pages.

Scott Whytock of Aurora Financial Group LLC in Portland recently was certified as a financial planner by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. Along with the certification, Whytock was promoted from director of operations to director of advisory services at the firm.

The Allen Agency, an insurance company in Camden, recently was endorsed by the American Sail Training Association in Newport, R.I. By officially endorsing the Allen Agency, the ASTA agrees to refer its 400 members to the firm’s five insurance products for the marine industry, according to Gene McKeever, an ocean marine producer at the firm.

Accolades

U.S. Cellular, based in Chicago, recently appointed the following to its Directors Club: Jennifer Kidd of Portland, Donald Pratt of Presque Isle, and Laurel Feeney, William Gilbert and Wendy Ossinger of Bangor. The Directors Club recognizes employees who offer excellent customer service and exceed sales goals.

Maine Equal Justice Partners, a group in Augusta that provides free legal representation for low-income people, recently received the John Marvin Memorial Award from the Maine Council of Senior Citizens – Alliance for Retired Americans. The award is given annually to an individual or organization that promotes senior citizens’ rights.

Patti Capouch, executive director of Frannie Peabody Center, an organization in Portland that serves people with AIDS, recently received the Peter Medoff Award from the AIDS Housing Corp. in Boston. The award recognizes an individual who demonstrates exceptional commitment to meeting the housing needs of those living with HIV/AIDS.

Michelle Grondin Raber, a State Farm Insurance agent in Scarborough, recently was named to State Farm’s Chairman’s Circle. The circle recognizes agents who excelled in sales performance and customer service in 2007.

Maine Initiatives, a foundation in Augusta that supports grassroots organizations, recently gave its annual Watering Can Awards to Karin Roland, a Portland-based Web manager for MoveOn.org; Thom Harnett, an assistant attorney general in Maine; and Lael and Ron Stegall of Deer Isle. The awards recognize people who work for social change in Maine.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor recently received a Sustainability Innovator Award from the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a nonprofit in Cambridge, Mass. Every year, the institute evaluates the sustainability practices of colleges and universities with the 200 highest endowments; this year, it gave four Sustainability Innovator Awards to schools that didn’t make the list but have exceptional sustainability practices.

The Maine Ski Hall of Fame, a division of the Ski Museum of Maine in Farmington, recently inducted the following into its 2008 class: Bill and King Cummings, Hans Jenni, Tim LaVallee, Pat Miller, Dan Simoneau, Julie Parisien, Bob Kendall and Leslie Bancroft. The hall recognizes those who have contributed to Maine’s skiing tradition and history.

Jeff Soifer, creative director at Encompass Marketing and Design in Auburn recently was awarded first place in the New England Museum Association’s annual Publication Awards competition. The award honors a guide he designed for Portraits & Voices: Millworkers of Seven Mills, an exhibit at Museum L-A in Lewiston.

Video Production Services, a film production company in North Monmouth, recently received a Telly Award for its work on “Cornerstone: The Story of Elsie Viles.” The Telly Awards, based in New York, recognize outstanding local regional and cable shows and commercials.

Kenway Corp., a company in Augusta that makes fiberglass products, recently was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership. The annual award honors outstanding manufacturing practices.

VIP Parts, Tires and Service, an automotive retailer based in Lewiston, recently received the Innovation in Technology Award at the annual Supply Chain Management Summit hosted by Aberdeen Group in Boston. The company also recently received a Polk Inventory Efficiency Award from R.L. Polk & Co. in Southfield, Mich.

Oxford County Commissioner Dave Duguay recently received an honorary membership in the Mountain View National Honor Society for his community service.

Maine Running Company in Portland recently was named the best running specialty store in New England by Runner’s World magazine.