In short from March 8, 2010 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Cordjia Capital Project Group, a consulting firm in Camden, recently hired Mark Blair as vice president of mechanical and electrical engineering services.

SMRT Inc., a full service architecture, engineering, planning, interior design and commissioning firm in Portland, recently hired John Beaumont as a member of the mechanical engineering practice, Steven Florenz as a structural drafter and Abigail Cram as an architectural designer.

Cold River Vodka, a vodka distillery in Freeport, recently hired Tabitha Blake and Laura Zimmerman as spirits brokers.

Legacy Publishing Co. in Westbrook recently hired Ginny Marvin as online marketing manager.

Dawson, Smith, Purvis & Bassett, an accounting firm in Portland, recently hired David Gilman and Michael Kelly as accountants.

Counseling Services Inc., a mental health agency in Saco, recently hired Michael Abbatiello as chief operating officer.

Wright-Pierce, an engineering firm, recently hired Jennifer Chaster as a landscape architect at the firm’s civil/infrastructure engineering practice group in Portland.

Fisher & Phillips, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Shiloh Theberg as an associate attorney.

The Portland Regional Chamber recently hired Laura LeBrun as marketing and communications manager.

Great Falls Construction in Gorham recently hired Rick Cormier to its estimating team.

Keller Williams Realty in Portland recently hired Karen Jones as an associate broker in residential real estate.

KeyBank in Portland recently hired Stephen deCastro as market manager of Key Private Bank for the Maine District.

Crisis & Counseling Centers in Augusta recently hired Teresa Clark as director of compliance and quality assurance.

Camden National Bank recently hired Dan Keneborus as vice president and commercial lending officer. Previously, Keneborus was a senior business development officer at Maine Bank & Trust in Auburn.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor recently hired Catherine Clinger as the inaugural holder of the Allan Stone Chair in the Visual Arts.

Promotions

CCB Inc., a construction firm in Westbrook, recently promoted Marc Belanger to vice president of operations and Sean Ferguson to controller.

Kennebunk Savings recently promoted the following: Lisa Shanholtz to assistant vice president, branch manager of its Berwick office; Kevin Gray to assistant vice president and branch manager of its Eliot office; Michael Moloney to vice president, retail market manager of its York offices; Dawn Robinson to vice president, information technology manager; Derek Berlew to assistant vice president, core systems and support services manager; Michael Broadhead to assistant vice president, facilities manager; Kristen Johnson to assistant vice president, employment manager; Andrew Lederer to assistant vice president, branch automation and delivery administrator; and Karyn Scharf Morin to vice president, branch administrator.

Downeast Energy and Building Supply in Brunswick recently promoted Brad Libby to general manager for its South Portland and Yarmouth offices.

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

Hall Web Services, a web design and Internet marketing firm, recently promoted Matt Harrison to chief technology officer and Amanda O’Brien to vice president of marketing.

Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution recently promoted Melissa Boilard, Jeff Roberts and Alie DiCarlo to assistant vice president.

McTeague Higbee, a law firm in Brunswick, recently promoted Jeffrey Cohen to president and managing partner.

Community Concepts, a social service provider in South Paris, recently promoted Carrie Colley to associate director of finance.

Katahdin Trust Co. recently promoted Robert Cawley to assistant vice president, senior credit analyst and Barrett Potter to vice president, commercial services officer.

Maine Medical Center in Portland recently promoted Christopher Wellins to medical director of care coordination and Michael Roy to chief of the department of medicine.

Appointments

The Maine Winery Guild, an association of winemakers, distillers, winery owners and wine growers, recently met at the Maine Department of Agriculture in Augusta to appoint the following new officers: Bettina Doulton, owner of Cellardoor Winery in Lincolnville, as president; Ben Alexander, co-owner of Maine Mead Works in Portland, as vice president; Elmer Savage, co-owner and winemaker of Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery in Union, as treasurer; and Constance Bodine, co-owner of Sweetgrass Farm Winery and Distillery in Union, as secretary.

The Human Resources Association of Southern Maine recently appointed Kristine Avery to president, Deborah Whitworth to president elect for 2010, Robert Smith to treasurer and Jodie Griffith to secretary.

Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, a concert organization at the municipal building in Portland, recently appointed Bruce Lockwood to president of the board.

Marc Hahn, dean and president for health affairs at University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, has recently been named to the board of directors of the American Board of Pain Medicine, the specialty board that certifies interdisciplinary pain medicine physicians.

Gov. John Baldacci recently appointed the following: Elizabeth Townsend to commissioner of the Department of Conservation in Augusta and to the Maine Commission of Community Service in Augusta: Brenda Puleso, director of public policy for the Maine Association of Nonprofits in Portland; Stephen Letourneau, chief executive of Catholic Charities Maine in Portland; Rhyan Romaine, director of resource development at York Community College; Joan McDonald, chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of Maine in South Portland; and Barbara Wentworth, director of community impact at United Way of York County.

Major Norman Garcia of the Salvation Army Advisory Board recently appointed Gary Curtis to the board.

Bath Savings Institution recently appointed Oliver Andrews as the newest trustee of the board.

Johnson Hall Performing Art Center in Gardiner recently appointed the following to the board of directors: Cynthia Yachanin, Charles Batchelder and Nancy Davis of the development committee.

Richard O’Connor, board chairman of Kennebec Savings Bank, recently appointed William Mitchell to the board of trustees.

Engineers without Borders, a professional chapter of engineers specializing in water, renewable energy and sanitation projects in Portland, recently appointed Brandon Newman as president, Kyle Coolidge as vice president, Shanta Keller as treasurer and Katherine Kern as secretary.

The Maine State Bar Association in Augusta recently elected Anne-Marie Storey, a partner in Rudman and Winchell, a law firm in Bangor, as vice president for 2010.

The Maine Marketing Association in Portland recently appointed Susan Foote to the board of directors.

Spotlight

Maine Marine Composites of Portland and Boston-based Resolute Marine Energy Inc. were together awarded a $150,000 U.S. Department of Energy Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant to further develop a wave energy converter, a device that harnesses the power of waves to produce energy, that may soon be generating power in the Gulf of Maine, according to a press release from Maine Marine Composites.

Maine Marine Composites will create advanced simulation models for a wave energy converter that is mounted to the ocean bottom, to identify the optimum size and shape of its paddle, the portion that sways back and forth as the waves pass above. The company will also oversee the fabrication of components incorporating composite materials that increase durability and lower maintenance requirements.

Company News

OEST Associates, an architectural and engineering firm in South Portland, recently joined AMEC, a project management and engineering firm headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., and has changed its name to AMEC Earth & Environmental.

The Healthy Community Coalition, an affiliate of Franklin County Community Health Network in Farmington, has recently been awarded a $45,000 one-year grant from The Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund.

Sweet Love, a company specializing in cupcakes and wedding dresses, recently opened a new store in downtown Gardiner and will be sharing space with Baxter Tea Co.

Ocean Communities Federal Credit Union in Biddeford recently launched Kasasa, a new brand of free checking and savings accounts, in the Portland area.

United Way of Greater Portland has recently partnered with Preble Street in Portland for the Pantry Project of 2010, with support of Maine Bank & Trust in Portland. It has also recently received a $20,000 donation from Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, to support food security.

Goold Health Systems in Augusta was recently certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for its pharmacy point of sale system.

College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor is offering a $15,000 scholarship to all accepted community college graduates with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Reed & Reed Inc., a general construction contracting company in Woolwich, has recently been selected as the design-build contractor for the state’s largest transportation project this year, replacing the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in Portland, under a $63 million contract.

Norway Savings Bank recently renewed its sponsorship of the Lunch and Learn Workshop series of 2010, a monthly workshop that teaches business practices, growth strategies and business management to entrepreneurs in the Portland area.

Environments at Work, a furniture dealer in Portland, recently opened its new office at 30 Danforth St. and hired Amy Plummer as general manager.

Northeast Charter and Tour Company Inc. in Augusta recently unveiled its new website: www.northeastchartertour.com.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission in Augusta recently awarded a $9.5 million grant to 87 Maine communities, through the U.S. Department of Energy under the Maine Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant system.

HM Payson & Co., an investment firm in Portland, recently established its first branch office in Damariscotta at 10 Bristol Road.

Spurwink Services, a mental health treatment center in Portland, recently announced that the Compass Project, which specializes in boatbuilding and rowing to engage youth in personal development and community building, has become a member of the organization.

Great Falls Construction in Gorham recently won the award to convert the old Circuit City retail store in South Portland into the new flagship site for Goodwill Industries.

The Old Canada Road Historical Society in Bingham recently bought the Pierce-Quimby house on Sidney Street in Bingham to serve as its headquarters.

Michael Webber, CEO of BitSec Global Forensics in Augusta, will be a presenter at the High Technology Crime Investigation Association conference in Boston.

The Baxter Library Building, located at 319 Congress St., Portland, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on March 11.

Accolades

Chef Rick Hirsch, owner of the Damariscotta River Grill, was recently named the Maine Restaurant Association’s 2010 Chef of the Year.

The Spirit of Women magazine, a national hospital-sponsored health publication for women, recently featured Brunswick-based Parkview Adventist Medical Center Vice President Sheryl McWilliams and Executive Chef Oleg Opalnyk in a section called “Power Up Your Day with a Healthy Breakfast.”

Theodora Kalikow, president of the University of Maine at Farmington, and the university’s Sustainable Campus Coalition were recently recognized by U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud and the U.S. House of Representatives for their clean energy campus efforts.

Allen & Selig Realty in North Yarmouth and Bath recently announced that Brent Hershey and Barbara Hershey of the Hershey Home Team in Bath have been designated the top listing team for 2009.

Gregg Frame, a partner with the law firm of Taylor, McCormack and Frame in Portland, was recently nominated and confirmed as a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Kepware Technologies, a communication software company in Portland, recently announced that its KEPServerEX product has been selected as winner of the connectivity category in the annual Control Engineering Magazine, “Engineers Choice” awards.

The Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently awarded David Flood with the A. William Kany, Jr. Leadership Award.

Ashanti Johnson, executive director of the Institute for Broadening Participation in Damariscotta, recently received the presidential award for excellence in science, mathematics and engineering mentoring from President Obama.

The Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, owned and operated by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, received the “Commitment to Tourism Growth” award from Gov. John Baldacci.

Simply Divine Brownies in Freeport and Portland announced that Amy Atlas Events, a New York, N.Y., event planning boutique firm specializing in stylized dessert bars and event design, recently featured the company’s brownies in a number of dessert tables.

Gritty McDuff’s, a brewery in Portland, was recently named one of six breweries and brewpubs in Portland in Imbibe magazine, a national trade publication for drink professionals.