In Short from May 4, 2009 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Landis and Arn, an immigration and naturalization law firm in Portland, recently promoted Marcus Jaynes to equity owner and changed the firm’s name to Landis, Arn and Jaynes. Previously, Jaynes was an associate.

Spectrum Generations, a nonprofit agency on aging headquartered in Augusta, recently hired Jennifer Donohoe as a referral and scheduling specialist and Linda Slater as a supervisor in the Bridges Home Care Division. 

TD Insurance Inc. in South Portland, a subsidiary of TD Bank headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, recently hired Kari Meidahl-Ernst as an account executive. Previously, Meidahl-Ernst was an insurance agent for State Farm.

Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting firm in Portland, recently hired Carol Cherry as a senior consultant in the healthcare management consulting division of the firm. Previously, Cherry worked as a nurse medical management senior and provider outreach and education consultant with National Government Services Inc. in South Portland.

Weichert Realtors — Waterglen Group in Portland recently hired Jenn Vogel as a licensed sales agent. Vogel is also vice president at Harborside Design and Fine Lines Construction in Yarmouth.

Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry recently hired real estate agents Julia Young, Cheri Thurston and Margie Finley for its sales team.

Westbrook-based Disability RMS, a provider of turnkey disability risk management products and services, recently hired Kevin Tierney as vice president and general counsel. Previously, Tierney was senior vice president and general counsel at Unum in Portland.

Smiling Hill Farm Inc. in Westbrook, a producer of milk, cheese, ice cream and other dairy products, recently hired Richard Page as the general manager overseeing all operations.

Maine Medical Center in Portland recently hired Susan Pelletier as associate vice president of human resources. Previously, Pelletier was vice president of human resources at Maine Medical Partners in South Portland.

Oxford Networks, a communications provider, recently hired Jeremy Nelson as system administrator at its Lewiston headquarters. Previously, Nelson worked as a senior system administrator for Magna Carta Cos. in New York City, N.Y.

Tilson Technology Management, an IT consulting firm in Portland, recently hired Hadley Schmoyer as an executive assistant and consultant. Previously, Hadley was a marketing coordinator for Wright Ryan, a construction firm in Portland.

Kittery Estates, a retirement community in Kittery, recently hired David Linehan as a community relations manager.

Promotions

Camden-based insurance company the Allen Agency recently promoted Diane Thompson as personal lines payroll deduction manager. Previously, Thompson was a personal lines manager.

Libby, O’Brien and Kingsley, a law firm in Kennebunk, recently promoted Brian Champion to partner and changed the firm’s name to Libby, O’Brien, Kingsley and Champion.

Appointments

The United States Potato Board in Presque Isle recently elected Maine chip stock grower Tom Qualey, owner of Three Oak Farms in Sherman Mills, as chairman of the board.

Daniel Landry, executive director of the southern anesthesiology division at Spectrum Medical Group, was elected as president and chairman of the board of Spectrum Medical Group, a physician-owned, multi-specialty practice in Scarborough.

Kathryn Dobrowolski, a vice president and financial advisor with Charter Oak Capital Management in Portland, was recently named director of its nonprofit endowment management division.

The South Portland Housing Authority board of commissioners, a nonprofit organization providing housing for low and moderate income seniors and families, recently selected Michael Hulsey, chief financial officer at Westbrook Housing, as its executive director.

Dawn Stiles, president of Spurwink Services, a nonprofit organization providing behavioral health, educational and residential services in Portland, was recently selected as a fellow in the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, a program of Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.

Spotlight

Portland Pie Co., headquartered in Portland, recently leased 20,000 square feet of warehouse space in the Scarborough Industrial Park to make its pizza dough for distribution throughout New England and as far west as Michigan. The specialty dough is a manufacturing product of the It’ll Be Pizza brand, created as a separate but supporting venture of the Portland Pie Co. restaurants.

The dough recipe was developed in 1998 by business partners Steve Freese and Nathaniel Getchell when they opened their first Portland Pie Co. take-out location in Portland.

Five varieties of It’ll Be Pizza dough will be manufactured at the new warehouse and delivered through food service distribution channels. Twenty tons of dough will be produced in the new Scarborough facility each week, with an additional capacity to turn out 100 tons a week.

Company News

Portland-based Intelligent Spatial Technologies Inc., a developer of location-based mobile search software, was recently featured in an episode of “The Economic Report,” which airs on a variety of networks including Fox, the Discovery Channel, CNN Headline News, CNN and MSNBC. The company was part of the show’s report on leading developments in geo-spatial solutions. Intelligent Spatial Technologies also recently presented at AT&T’s fourth annual Fast-Pitch Consumer Application contest in Las Vegas.

Verizon Wireless, headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., recently expanded its network with a cell site in Naples. The new cell site provides increased wireless voice and 3G coverage along Route 302, Route 11, Route 35, parts of Route 114 and parts of Route 107 in Naples and Bridgton.

Cerulean Fine Art Gallery in Hallowell recently announced that proprietor Hélène Farrar had three paintings selected for an exhibit opening at the Duxbury Art Museum in Massachusetts.

Graphiti, a screen printing company in York, recently celebrated its 20th year in business.

Nancy Marshall Communications, a marketing communications company in Augusta, and Marshall Interactive, a division of Nancy Marshall Communications, have been hired by Skowhegan Savings Bank to manage its marketing program, including advertising, public relations and Internet marketing efforts.

Clarence, N.Y.-based AdaptaVan, a national sales and marketing organization created exclusively for the promotion and distribution of AdaptaVan wheelchair accessible vehicles, recently selected Autotronics of Bangor as the exclusive distributor of AdaptaVan wheelchair-accessible vehicles in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Portland-based Interim Holdings LLC recently purchased The Birch Knoll Estates housing development in Hazleton, Pa. The property, with 75 lots and a mix of homeowners and renters, sold for $368,066.

Blue Goose, a health care organization offering Medicare options in South Portland, recently selected Thomas Hillman Design of South Portland to create a new brand identity. Thomas Hillman Design was also recently selected by Lukas Foods in Biddeford to create packaging design for a new line of gravies.

Yes Marketing Group, a full-service marketing communications and design firm based in Yarmouth, recently completed a total rebranding of Augusta-based precision machine manufacturer, Kennebec Technologies, formerly Kennebec Tool and Die. The project included renaming the company, creating a tagline, designing a new brand identity, updating exterior signage, and developing a new factory tour video, website and printed sales collateral.

James Sanborn and Mindy Noonan, account executives at Waterville-based GHM Insurance Agency, recently completed the annual continuing education requirement of the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.

Sun Media Group, parent company of the Sun Journal in Lewiston and The Employment Times, has launched www.MyJobWave.com, an employment website for Maine and New Hampshire.

Central Maine Community College in Auburn recently began offering a free regional training and education program on developing precision manufacturing skills.

CARF International, an independent, nonprofit accrediting body, announced that The Progress Center, a nonprofit organization in Norway, has been accredited for a period of three years for its employment services, community employment services, job development and job supports programs.

Portland-based Kelsey and Co., a provider of e-learning, instructor-led training and printed training materials, recently launched a website featuring its custom interactive learning programs and services, Kelseycompany.com, which enables companies to review training options and find ways to improve their business.

KeyBank in Portland recently announced that it has provided more than $2 billion in capital to qualified women-owned businesses nationally through its Key4Women program, surpassing its 2007 pledge to lend these funds to women-owned businesses by 2012.

Gilchrist Scott, a Microsoft certified partner that specializes in accounting and back office software in Portland, recently said that Biddeford-based Community Partners Inc., a provider of community-based supports for Maine residents with developmental and multiple disabilities, went live with Microsoft Dynamics GP, an accounting and business management software.

Portland-based insurance company MEMIC recently announced that subsidiary MEMIC Indemnity Co. has earned an upgrade in its financial strength rating from A- to A from the insurance industry reviewer A.M. Best.

The Allen Agency, a Camden-based insurance agency, distributed $20,000 this past winter in fuel assistance checks to people in the midcoast as part of Concord Group Insurance’s Fuel Assistance Program Lottery.

Martin’s Point Health Care recently received approval from the Portland Planning Board to build a 42,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art primary care medical center at the company’s main campus in Portland. 

The University of New England recently dedicated its newest academic building as Peter and Cécile Morgane Hall. Peter and Cécile Morgane Hall opened in January, and houses classrooms, undergraduate teaching laboratories and offices.  

The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor and Clare Stone recently announced the creation of the Allan Stone Chair in the Visual Arts. The chair honors gallery owner, collector and art advocate Allan Stone, who had been a supporter of the college for more than two decades.

Speaking Roses of Maine, a floral imprinting business based in Belfast, recently opened for business.

Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor and the University of Maine at Fort Kent recently agreed that graduates of Eastern Maine Community College’s nursing associates program can continue their education for a baccalaureate degree in nursing at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, taking the remaining two years of coursework entirely online.

Auburn Manufacturing Inc., a developer, manufacturer and marketer of textile products for extreme temperature industrial applications in Mechanic Falls, recently announced that it has been awarded a Seed Grant of $12,500 from the Maine Technology Institute, a state-funded nonprofit organization, for the commercialization of insulation kits for institutional district energy distribution systems.

CreativeMind Search Marketing in South Berwick recently announced the launch of a series of educational workshops in social media. The four-part Social Media Workshop Series is designed to help business owners and marketing professionals use social media to increase brand awareness, communicate with customers and attract new business in a down economy.

Tri-County Mental Health Services and St. Mary’s Hospital, both in Lewiston, have launched a pilot program to integrate each facility’s medical and mental health services.

Thomas College in Waterville recently adopted a new college seal. The design process was conducted by the college’s strategic marketing committee and enlisted the graphic design services of Mahan Graphics in Bath.

MariCal, an animal health and nutrition biotechnology company in Portland, has begun a research collaboration with the National Prawn Co., a shrimp cultivator. The project uses MariCal’s proprietary calcium sensing receptor technology to target improvements in shrimp aquaculture production. MariCal was also recently awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant of $99,400 from the National Science Foundation for research in controlling pollution of marine surfaces.

AT&T, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, recently announced the opening of a wireless retail store in Portland.

The Maine International Trade Center in Portland recently announced the official launch of its Asia Desk, providing Maine companies technical assistance, market research, trade leads, and organizes trade missions. 

Joseph Lee, president of Saint Joseph’s College in Windham, recently joined other college presidents nationally and signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which commits the college to create a plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions on campus and to raise awareness of global warming.

David Richards and Kristi Woloszyn, architects at Gawron Turgeon Architects in Scarborough, have earned the designation of LEED Accredited Professionals.

True North, a nonprofit health care practice and research organization in Falmouth, was recently invited to join Quality Counts, a nonprofit organization working to improve Maine health care systems.

Garrett Plumbing and Heating in Kennebunkport recently purchased Pillsbury Plumbing and Heating in Kennebunk. The acquisition merges the two plumbing and heating contracting companies. Garrett Plumbing and Heating has hired the entire Pillsbury Plumbing and Heating contracting and administrative team and changed its business name to Garrett Pillsbury Plumbing and Heating.

Portland-based retail store for dog lovers Agatha and Louise recently announced the launch of the home decorating and gift website, www.aandlhome.com. The site acts as a sister store carrying the same types of traditional home goods with other images and themes.

The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons recently granted three-year approval with commendation to the Cancer Care program at Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport.

Spurwink Services, a nonprofit organization providing behavioral health, educational and residential services in Portland, recently launched a new agency website, www.spurwink.org. Developed by Digital Goat Consulting in Bath, the website provides comprehensive information about the agency’s residential, educational and outpatient services in Maine.

Log Homes Inc., headquartered in Kenduskeag, recently announced it is expanding with the launch of its sales representative and associate programs.

Zyacorp Entertainment, headquartered in Manchester, N.H., recently announced that the Cinemagic Theatre in Saco has been remodeled to include an IMAX Stadium Theatre and the Previews Grill and Bar, a full service restaurant.

Accolades

Sebasco Harbor Resort in Sebasco Estates was recently named Business of the Year by the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber.

Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. in Portland recently earned the title of Portland’s Best Bar in the Maine Sunday Telegram annual readers’ poll and Best Brew Pub in The Phoenix readers’ poll. 

Alexandre Dauge-Roth, an assistant professor of French at Bates College in Lewiston, recently received the 2009 Donald Harward Faculty Award for Service-Learning Excellence from Maine Campus Compact. The Maine Campus Compact also recently honored Christina Bechstein of the Maine College of Art in Portland and Nancy Ross of Unity College in Unity.

Patsy Thompson Leavitt, an assistant professor of nursing at Saint Joseph’s College in Windham, recently received the Volunteer of the Year award from the Portland chapter of Altrusa International, an organization that specializes in community needs, literacy, the environment and AIDS/HIV outreach.

Lincoln Academy, an independent secondary school in Newcastle, recently received the Siemens Foundation Award for Advanced Placement programs. The Siemens Foundation honors the nation’s top performing American high schools in advanced placement math and science.

The American Heart Association recently awarded Cardiovascular Consultants of Maine in Scarborough, Hannaford Bros. Co. in Scarborough, L.L.Bean in Freeport and Mercy Health System of Maine in Portland with the Start! Fit-Friendly Company Award for promoting physical activity and health in the workplace.

Kennebunk Savings Bank in Kennebunk recently received an award from the American Bankers Association for promoting volunteerism.  

WMTW-TV in Portland recently received two Region Ten 2009 Edward R. Murrow Awards for Continuing News Coverage and Breaking News Coverage.

Arthur Thompson of Thompson-Hamel, a financial services firm in Presque Isle, was recently inducted into the Union Central Life Insurance Co. hall of fame at its annual sales conference in San Francisco, Calif.

Cinque Terre, a restaurant in Portland, was recently featured in the May issue of GQ Magazine as one of the magazine’s four recommended restaurants for “Soil to Table Inspiration.”

The Grill Room and Bar in Portland was named Portland’s Best New Restaurant in a recent Phoenix readers’ poll.

Gov. John Baldacci recently presented the following six companies with the 2009 Governor’s Award for Business Excellence: GHM Agency in Waterville; Hallowell International in Bangor; Hammond Tractor Co. in Fairfield, Jotul North America in Gorham; Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Inc. in Warren; and Nason Mechanical Services in Auburn. Gov. Baldacci also presented Trekkers, a nonprofit, outdoor mentoring program in South Thomaston, with the Outstanding Non-Profit Award, Bayside Supermarket in Milbridge with the Small Business Volunteerism Award and Hannaford Bros. Co. in Scarborough with the Corporate Volunteerism Award.

Firestone Building Products Co., headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., recently named Augusta-based G and E Roofing Co. Inc. a winner of the 2009 Firestone Partner in Quality Award.