In short from March 21, 2011 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Tilson Technology Management, an information technology project management company in Portland, recently hired Carri Preble as manager of wireless programs and Michelle Pacheco as a consultant and member of its wireless and telecommunications group.

TD Bank recently hired Tammy Watt as manager of its Shaw’s store location at 417 Payne Road in Scarborough.

Aquarius Property Management in Portland recently hired Joel Bancroft as a building operations manager.

USI New England, an insurance brokerage firm in South Portland, recently hired Chris Chapman as vice president of property and casualty.

Woodard & Curran, an engineering, science and operations firm in Portland, recently hired Dan Kelley as vice president and James DeWachter as a senior project manager.

CashStar, a digital gifting and incentives company in Portland, recently hired Larry Weissbach as vice president, client services and operations, and Debbie Murray as vice president, project management and client on-boarding.

Harbor Technologies, a composites manufacturer in Brunswick, recently hired Judy Knaub as chief financial officer. Previously, Knaub was chief financial officer for Woodard & Curran, a consulting and engineering firm in Portland.

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Aaron Harris as a marketing assistant.

Winxnet, a Portland-based IT provider, recently hired Chris Smith as a technical support specialist on its managed services team.

United Way of York County in Kennebunk recently hired Tim King as communications and community relations manager.

Ransom Environmental Consultants Inc., an environmental consulting firm in Portland, recently hired Bob Gerber as a senior consultant.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage recently hired Karen Jones as an associate broker in its Portland office.

The Times Record in Brunswick recently hired Frank Curran as vice president of sales and marketing.

The Environmental Health Strategy Center in Bangor recently hired Lauralee Raymond as sustainable economy program manager.

Vreeland Marketing in Yarmouth recently hired Stephanie Love as traffic manager/office coordinator.

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, an accounting firm in Portland, recently hired David Lawler as systems administrator. Previously, Lawler was the director of IT for the city of Saco.

Fluid Imaging Technologies Inc. in Yarmouth, manufacturer of the FlowCAM imaging particle analysis system, recently hired Andrew Gelinas as an industrial sales coordinator to its sales team.

Fairfield Kilgore Agency in Winthrop, an affiliate of Norton Insurance Agency Inc., recently hired Karen Bryant as an inside sales representative.

Portland Webworks in Portland recently hired Todd Merry as a project manager.

Patriot Insurance Co. in Yarmouth recently hired Donna Jackman as a senior commercial lines underwriter and Michelle Pettis as a senior personal lines underwriter.

PDT Architects in Portland recently hired Kathryn Cogan as an architectural designer.

Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor recently hired Pamela Proulx-Curry as academic dean.

Allied Engineering in Portland recently hired Peter Wilkie as a commissioning agent.

The city of Bangor recently hired Tanya Pereira as a business development specialist. Previously, Pereira was the deputy director of economic development in Brewer.

Drake Inglesi Milardo Inc., a business consulting firm in Portland, recently hired Michelle Hayes as vice president of human resources and business solutions.

Promotions

Patriot Insurance Co. in Yarmouth recently promoted DeeDee Morse to a senior personal lines underwriter.

KeyBank recently promoted Nicole Morton to manager of its Brunswick branch at 172 Maine St. KeyBank also promoted Morgan Allarie to area retail leader for the western area of the Maine district.

Norton Lamb & Co., an information technology firm in Yarmouth, recently promoted Linda Gee to vice president, finance and administration.

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, recently promoted Gretchen Johnson to director of marketing.

Vreeland Marketing in Yarmouth recently promoted Jessica Stevens to web and social marketing manager.

Agren Appliance & Television recently promoted Matt Clement to store manager at its store located at 40 Minot Ave. in Auburn.

People’s United Bank recently promoted Debra Burrows to financial service manager, assistant vice president in its South Berwick branch.

TD Bank in Portland recently promoted Jordan Butterworth to commercial loan specialist manager.

Spotlight

The U.S. Treasury recently awarded $77 million in New Markets Tax Credits for economic and community development to Coastal Enterprises Inc. in Wiscasset, through its subsidiary CEI Capital Management, according to a press release from the organizations.

CEI Capital Management was chosen for a top-level award based on its focus on funding projects in highly distressed rural locations and for its ability to sustain its promised rate of successful transaction closings.

The New Markets Tax Credits program permits individual and corporate taxpayers to receive a credit against federal income taxes for making equity investments in community development projects. The investor receives a credit totaling 39% of the cost of the investment.

Appointments

The Maine Department of Economic & Community Development recently appointed Carolann Ouellette as director of the Maine Office of Tourism.

Paul Smith, senior vice president, head of loan operations with TD Bank in Lewiston, was recently appointed chairman of the 2011 Heart Walk.

John Osborne, general manager of Hollywood Slots Hotel & Raceway in Bangor, was recently appointed chairman of the board of the Greater Bangor Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Ferry Beach Ecology School in Saco recently appointed Kelly Towle, an environmental educator at Maine Audubon in Falmouth, and Corey Hascall, a public relations consultant at Barton & Gingold, to its board.

Company News

University of New England assistant professor Colin Willis was recently awarded a $50,000 Migraine Research Foundation grant to study the mechanisms of blood-brain barrier dysfunction in medication-overuse headaches.

Bangor Savings Bank recently awarded $56,000 to Good Shepherd Food-Bank in Auburn.

The First Bancorp recently announced that the bank has launched several environmentally friendly initiatives.

The Environmental Funders Network recently awarded $526,400 in grants to the following organizations through its ongoing Quality of Place initiative: Casco Bay Estuary Partnership; GrowSmart Maine; Healthy Community Coalition; Maine Conservation Voters Education Fund; Maine Downtown Center; Maine Farmland Trust; Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine; Trust for Public Land; Androscoggin Land Trust; Friends of Midcoast Maine; Mahoosuc Land Trust; Maine Coast Heritage Trust; Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association; and The Nature Conservancy.

The University of Maine at Farmington is launching a masters of science degree in the education, early childhood program beginning in June. The program will be delivered in a hybrid course model that will feature online, face-to-face and blended courses to meet the needs of early childhood educators.

Town & Country Federal Credit Union in South Portland recently announced it has become a 2011 gold partner and sponsor for the Maine Cancer Foundation and will support its four signature events: Mary’s Walk, the Pink Tulip Project, Tri for a Cure and the Cure Breast Cancer for ME luncheon.

Maine Credit Unions’ Campaign for Ending Hunger recently announced it raised $402,740 in 2010, an increase of nearly $27,000 over the previous year’s record.

Reed & Reed, a construction firm in Woolwich, recently announced that the company now has more than 200 wind turbines either installed or under construction.

Time Warner Cable in Portland recently announced the availability of its Whole House DVR for its East Coast customers. The new technology offers a variety of new features, including the ability to network multiple DVRs and set-top boxes, and the ability to store up to 75 hours of high-definition programming.

Coupon Evolution in Portland recently announced the launch of its new website, couponevolution.com, which offers local coupons, daily deals and national discounts.

Jewett Metal Buildings and Steel Erectors of Raymond, N.H., under contract with PM Construction in Saco, recently completed construction at a Walgreens in Portland. The project included reinforcement of the existing building and the addition of more than 4,000 square feet of new steel.

Shively Labs in Bridgton, a division of Howell Laboratories Inc., recently partnered with Brazilian products manufacturer Ideal Indústria e Comércio de Antenas LTDA to provide high-power FM antenna systems.

Biovation, a manufacturer of anti-microbial formulations and non-woven fiber products for food packaging and wound care in Boothbay, recently announced it has developed a line of anti-bacterial and anti-microbial textile treatments for upholstery used in the health care marketplace.

The Department of the Navy recently awarded $6.7 million to Bath Iron Works for a previously awarded project to provide additional systems engineering services associated with the design and construction of the DDG-1000 class destroyer.

DeLorme, a mapping and GPS technology company in Yarmouth, recently announced that its topographic World Base Map is now available for DeLorme GPS and desktop software customers to download online.

The Maine Wedding Co. in Portland recently announced the launch of its new Maine-specific online wedding guide, www.maineweddingguide.com, created by Forge, a branding and design firm in Portland.

Albin, Randall & Bennett, a CPA and consulting firm in Portland, recently announced that it has been accepted as the exclusive member of the Real Estate & Construction Advisors Association, a nationwide association of CPA firms.

Harriman, an architecture and engineering firm in Auburn, recently announced that Mark Ouellette, a designer in its architectural studio, received his professional license to practice architecture.

Spectrum Generations, an Augusta-based agency on aging, recently announced that president/CEO Muriel Scott will retire effective this June.

Rose’s Commercial Cleaning in Lewiston recently announced its certification as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise by the Maine Department of Transportation.

Blue Marble Geographics, a developer and provider of geographic software products in Gardiner, recently announced the release of its GeoCore 2.0, a data conversion developer tool kit for geospatial data.

Bangor Car Care, a used car dealership in Brewer, recently announced the launch of its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/bangorcarcare, which offers information and updates on available cars, links to articles and provides answers to car questions.

The Maine Lobster Festival recently named its 64th annual event taking place in August Lobster-Palooza.

Argo Marketing Group recently announced it has moved from Auburn to Lewiston to accommodate its growth from 25 to 51 employees. In addition, the company added a customer contact call center to its facility.

GWI Inc. in Biddeford, a provider of Internet communications services, recently announced it is seeing growth in sales of its newly launched Hosted PBX enterprise class business phone system.

The Inn at Ocean’s Edge in Lincolnville recently announced it will open for the season on May 6.

SPACE Gallery in Portland recently announced the addition of its new venue, located at 534 Congress St. The space will be renovated as an auxiliary to its main facility at 538 Congress St.

Richard Higgins Architects Inc. in Rockland recently made Jason Merriam, vice president, a partner. The firm also changed its name to Higgins + Merriam Architects.

Fluid Imaging Technologies Inc. in Yarmouth, manufacturer of the FlowCAM imaging particle analysis system, recently announced the launch of its FlowCAM Front-Fill Illumination particle imaging and analysis system.

Katahdin Trust Co. in Houlton recently announced it is teaming with Intuit Financial Services to offer FinanceWorks, a new and free financial management solution that provides consumers a way to budget and gain control over their spending.

Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co. in Houlton, recently announced it has declared a cash dividend of $.082 per share for the first quarter of 2011. The dividend will be payable on March 28 to all shareholders of record as of March 14.

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England recently celebrated the grand opening of its new Auburn store and donation center.

Aging Excellence, a non-medical elder care company headquartered in Portland, recently announced the launch of Swift, a home care wellness program for its employees and clientele.

The Maine Integrated Pest Management Council recently launched its new Got Pests? website, gotpests.org, at the Maine YardScaping Partnership exhibit of the Portland Flower Show. The website is designed specifically for Maine homeowners, to help them identify the most common pests found in their homes and gardens, and point them to information on pest management, with an emphasis on low-risk methods.

The Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded the Millinocket Municipal Airport a grant of $80,750 for land acquisition and a $90,000 grant for rehabilitation of airport infrastructure; the Central Maine Airport of Norridgewock a grant of $136,759 to remove runway approach obstructions; and Auburn/ Lewiston Municipal Airport a $235,000 grant to conduct an environmental study.

Angus Garfield and Sharon Lima recently announced the launch of RelyLocal – Greater Portland, Maine, an online advertising and promotion needs company.

Accolades

Mass High Tech recently honored Jean Hoffman, CEO and founder of Putney Inc. in Portland, with a 2011 Women to Watch Award. Putney Inc. was also chosen by Inc. magazine as the Inc. 5000 Applicant of the Week for the week of Feb. 14.

Best Lawyers, a peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Durward Parkinson, a lawyer in Kennebunk, as the Portland, Maine Municipal Lawyer of the Year.

Rick Campbell, president of Gnome Landscapes, Design & Masonry in Falmouth, was recently awarded the 2011 Al Black Award by the Maine Landscape and Nursery Association.

Holbrook Health Center at Piper Shores, a nonprofit retirement community in Scarborough, recently received a ranking of five stars overall in U.S. News & World Report’s 2011 Best Nursing Homes.

The Bayview in Bar Harbor was recently awarded 10th place in the TripAdvisor 2011 Traveler’s Choice Awards in the Top 10 Hotels for Service in the United States category. It also ranked No. 7 in the Top 25 Hotels in the United States.

Friends of Casco Bay recently presented Oakhurst Dairy and the Bennett Family the Friend of Casco Bay Award, which celebrates environmental practices that have provided significant, long-term benefits to Casco Bay.

Chef Geoffroy Deconinck of Natalie’s at the Camden Harbour Inn in Camden has been selected to compete for the title of 2011 People’s Best New Chef, a new national award from Food & Wine magazine in partnership with CNN’s Eatocracy.

The National Extension Association of Family Consumer Science, the professional association of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Orono, was recently honored by the Greater Portland Conference and Visitor’s Bureau with a Phoenix Award for the local economic impact of the association’s national convention in Portland last fall.

Chewonki, a nonprofit educational institution in Wiscasset, recently received the Eleanor Eells award from the American Camping Association.

McClain Marketing Group, a strategic marketing firm in Portland, recently received 11 awards in the eighth annual Service Industry Advertising Awards national competition, including three gold awards, two silver, two bronze and four merit awards.

The Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community recently presented Mary Cathcart with the 2011 Merle Nelson Women Making a Difference Award.

Kleinfelder/S E A Consultants in Augusta recently announced it is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ 45th annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition for designing the Royal River Bridge-in-a-Backpack in Auburn.

The Maine Bar Foundation, a nonprofit grant-giving agency, recently honored Thomas Cox with the Howard H. Dana Jr. Award for his contributions to justice in Maine.

Maine’s HealthInfoNet recently received a 2011 Innovator Award from Healthcare Informatics, a national executive-level publication specializing in health information technology.