In short from Nov. 15, 2010 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Broadreach Public Relations in Yarmouth recently hired Joanne Jordan as a production coordinator. Previously, Jordan was a special events/community relations manager at the Maine Cancer Foundation.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Erin Berry and Adam Shub as associates.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Ellen Palminteri, Andrew Helman and Travis Brennan as associates.

WBRC Architects and Engineers in Bangor recently hired Michael Pritchett as director of the health care studio. Previously, Pritchett was a facility architect at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

The city of Portland recently hired Michael Miles as human resources director. Previously, Miles was the vice president of human resources and training for Youth Alternatives Ingraham.

Pen Bay Healthcare in Rockland recently hired Tom Woodman as a safe patient and family-centered care project manager.

The University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service recently hired Gino Nalli as interim director of the Cutler Institute of Health and Social Policy.

Sebago Brewing Co. in Gorham recently hired Elise Loschiavo as marketing manager of its brewery and restaurant group in southern Maine.

AARP Maine in Portland recently hired John Hennessy as the associate state director for advocacy. Previously, Hennessy was with Moose Ridge Associates in Augusta.

HealthInfoNet recently hired Mary Gemma Cannon as a regional extension center service coordinator, Glenn Labrecque as a database administrator and Benjamin Sweeney as an applications analyst. Previously, Cannon was a tobacco treatment specialist at MaineHealth, Labrecque was a database administrator at Maine Medical Partners and Sweeney was an applications developer at Idexx Laboratories.

Machias Savings Bank recently hired Eric Belléy as vice president of commercial banking. Previously, Belléy was vice president, senior business relationship officer at The First.

Erica Marston and Linda Duntley, both of Scarborough, have recently become independent consultants with Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct sales company featuring easy-to-prepare foods.

Thayer Corp., an engineering and design firm in Auburn, recently hired Terry Russell as a greenhouse system engineer. Previously, Russell was a systems designer and engineer for TrueLeaf Technologies and GreenLink.

Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington recently hired Lee Ann Baggott as a pulmonologist.

Maine Prep in Brunswick, an SAT and ACT prep company, recently hired Claire Hirschmann to teach SAT prep classes.

Portland’s Downtown District recently hired Sayre English as a special events and public relations manager.

Legacy Properties Sotheby’s International Realty recently hired Cindy Lang as an associate broker for the Camden area.

The Maine Municipal Association recently hired Jeff Austin as vice president of government affairs and communications.

Promotions

Universal American, which offers Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare prescription drug plans through its family of companies, recently promoted Terri Bellmore to vice president and general manager for Maine. Previously, Bellmore was an executive director.

The Acadia Hospital in Bangor recently promoted Naomi Brown to director of magnet and research, Dan Johnson to director of education and Jeanne Wypyski to administrator for adult inpatient services.

The Portland Water District recently promoted Scott Firmin to director of wastewater services.

KeyBank in Portland recently promoted Gary Chavoustie to senior vice president and district retail leader for KeyBank’s Maine District.

Appointments

The North Yarmouth Academy recently appointed Brad Choyt as its headmaster effective July 1, 2011.

Gorham Savings Bank recently appointed Joe Malone, president and founder of Malone Commercial Brokers, to its board of directors.

Bates College in Lewiston recently elected Michael Bonney as chair of the board and Alison Bernstein as vice chair. The college also elected the following to its board of trustees: Andrea Bueschel, Richard Forde, James McNulty, Carol Rattray and Lena Sene.

The Bangor Region Development Alliance recently elected Stephen Bolduc as president.

The Yarmouth Historical Society recently appointed Michael Chaney as executive director.

Company News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently approved $36,600 for the Eastport Public Library Association and $49,000 for the Shaw Public Library Association in Greenville. The Eastport funding will be used to repair a library and construct an outside reading area, while the Greenville funding will be used to purchase property to serve as an annex to the main library.

The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology has awarded $9.1 million in grant funding for a new Center for Ocean Health at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay. The new research center will facilitate the study of microbial life in marine ecosystems and the health of the oceans.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded a grant of $1.5 million to the Maine Department of Labor under the Disability Employment Initiative to improve education, training and employment opportunities and outcomes of youth and adults who are unemployed and/or receiving Social Security disability benefits.

The Northern Border Regional Commission recently awarded $450,000 in grant funding for three infrastructure projects in rural Maine. The funding will support the completion of critical infrastructure projects in Eastport and on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, as well as the expansion of recreational tourism from Bethel to the Moosehead Lakes region.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services recently awarded a combined $1.48 million in grant funding to the following law enforcement agencies under the COPS Hiring Program: Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, $225,321; Houlton Police Department, $166,581; Kennebunkport Police Department, $217,047; Oakland Police Department, $183,464; Penobscot Indian Nation Warden Service, $150,306; Presque Isle Police Department, $167,981; Veazie Police Department, $156,747; and York County Sheriff’s Department, $212,423.

The city of Old Town recently completed the $992,706 reconstruction of the Airport Road to make it more accessible for the city’s Airport Business Park. Total cost of the project was $1.37 million, and included construction of sewer, water, natural gas and electricity lines, as well as telephone and telecommunications fiber.

The U.S. Navy recently announced it is awarding Consigli Construction Co. in Milford, Mass., a contract for $16.9 million to design and construct a waterfront support facility at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery. The U.S. Navy also awarded Bath Iron Works a $33.6 million contract modification for additional work on the Arleigh Burke destroyer program.

Joshua Broder of Maine Fiber Co. Inc. in Portland recently delivered a presentation at the third annual New Brunswick Innovation Forum at the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre in Saint John, N.B.

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development recently launched a new website, www.mobilizemaine.com, and e-mail newsletter to provide news and updates about Mobilize Maine, the state’s new regionally-based economic development strategy.

TPD Construction in Sanford recently signed an agreement to build a 10-unit, three-story structure at 114 Blake St. in Lewiston for Tedford Housing.

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s LabVenture! program recently celebrated five years of operation.

Thomas College in Waterville recently announced it will offer a 10-month accelerated Master’s of Business Administration program. Following two, one-week intensive courses held in the summer, students will then enroll in a sequenced set of core requirements in management, marketing, accounting, finance and economics.

USBanker magazine recently selected Camden National Corp. as a best performing mid-tier bank.

Accountant Jonathan Hussey has partnered with Thomas Robustelli and Gary Soucy to form Robustelli, Soucy & Hussey, a successor to the Lewiston accounting firm of Robustelli, Rotz & Soucy. Previously, Hussey worked for Macdonald & Page Co. of South Portland and Ouellette & Associates of Lewiston.

Aaron MacArthur of Portland Chiropractic Neurology was recently named a fellow of the American Board of Vestibular Rehabilitation.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Communities Regional Planning Grant Program recently awarded $1.6 million to the Greater Portland Council of Governments to support continued regional planning efforts that integrate housing, land use, economic and work force development, transportation and infrastructure. The department also awarded $800,000 to the Northern Maine Development Commission of Caribou for the purpose of engaging nonprofit, municipal and county organizations of Washington and Aroostook counties to create an integrated regional plan that addresses housing, transportation, water infrastructure, environmental planning, economic opportunity and work force development.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded $10.5 million to the Maine Department of Transportation to repair and improve the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway line in Aroostook and northern Penobscot counties.

Siemens Industry Inc.’s Building Technologies Division in Scarborough recently earned the Energy Star label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Katahdin Trust Co. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new office at 57 Western Ave. in Hampden.

Hardy Girls Healthy Women in Waterville recently announced it was a lead organizer for the first national SPARK Summit held at Hunter College in New York City on Oct. 22.

Dead River Co. in Brunswick recently announced the launch of its official Facebook fan page and has tied its introduction to a philanthropic effort called Share the Warmth.

Northeast Bancorp in Lewiston recently announced its first quarter net income for the period ended Sept. 30 of $960,691, an increase of 94% over net income of $495,669 for the same period in the previous fiscal year.

Fryeburg Academy, a private school in Fryeburg, recently announced it received a restricted gift approaching $15 million from the estate of Bion Cram and his partner, John McCoy.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded the state of Maine $135,000 to help fund its Consumer Assistance Program.

Cape Memory Care, a new, 72-bed assisted living residence for people with Alzheimer’s and other memory impairment challenges, recently announced it is open for business at 126 Scott Dyer Road in Cape Elizabeth.

Dean’sSweets in Portland recently announced the launch of its new confection, bacon butter crunch.

The Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded the Penobscot Community Health Center in Bangor $2.1 million and Katahdin Valley Health Center in Patten $2.9 million for construction, renovation and expansion projects.

Cheryl Bascomb, marketing director at Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, an accounting firm in Portland, is a contributing author of Bull’s-Eye! The Ultimate How-To Marketing & Sales Guide for CPAs.

Bangor law firm Rudman & Winchell recently announced that Paul Chaiken, a partner with the firm, has been nominated for fellowship in the Litigation Counsel of America.

The Harborside Hotel, Spa & Marina in Bar Harbor recently announced that it has been recognized as a AAA Approved, Four-Diamond property.

Chimani, a developer of mobile applications in Yarmouth, recently announced the launch of its Yosemite National Park iPhone/Droid app.

The Franklin Community Health Network recently proclaimed the former McLean House on Wilton Road in Farmington as the Dixon House, a residence for third-year medical students working at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

PolicyOne Research, an economic development company in Scarborough, recently announced it has merged with Camoin Associates of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and will now be known as Camoin Associates.

The Maine Technology Institute recently approved a total of $7.25 million in awards to the following 10 applicants across Maine: University of Maine in Orono, $533,300, for an advanced biomechanics laboratory; Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, $532,550; Biovation in Boothbay, $125,000; University of Maine in Orono, $600,000, for fisheries innovation; University of Maine in Orono, $497,392, for commercialization of new technologies for animal disease surveillance; University of Maine in Orono, $1,659,655, for biomass engineered fuel; Ocean Renewable Power Corp. Maine, $1,200,000; University of Maine in Orono, $250,000, for development, economic growth and research; The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor; $900,000; and Packgen in Auburn, $950,000.

Spotlight

OTT Communications in Bangor recently announced it has expanded its business into New Hampshire, according to a press release from the company. The telecommunications company, launched with the merger of Mid-Maine Communications and Pine Tree Networks earlier this year, is now operating in Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth, extending its services into three of the six New England states.

The companies merged to continue to provide business services and products that include hosted PBX, high-speed Internet, business voice communications, wide area networking and collocation.

To date, the company has hired four people in New Hampshire and is promoting itself in the state through transit advertising, trade shows, online media, print advertising and community involvement.

Accolades

The Maine Development Foundation recently presented the Maine Technology Institute with its Champion of Economic Development award.

Peopleofsize.com was recently nominated as a Global Hero by the Portland Indie Biz Awards, sponsored by Buy Local, Portland Independent Business and Community Alliance.

MaineHealth, an integrated health care delivery network, recently received the Henri A. Benoit Award for Leadership in the Private Sector from the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Bangor Hydro Electric Co. was recently identified by the Wellness Council of America as a Gold Level Well Workplace. The recognition evaluates the quality of a company’s health promotion programs for its employees.

Denise Douglass, an insurance agent at Clark Insurance in Portland, recently received the Award of Excellence from Safeco Insurance, a member of Liberty Mutual Group.

The Incentive Marketing Association recently presented CVS/Pharmacy, together with CASHSTAR of Portland, with its 2010 Circle of Excellence Awards for the development of the GOGO program.

Elm Street Printing and Graphics Inc. in Camden was recently honored for its sales growth by CPrint International.

The Morrell family, owners of Downeast Energy in Brunswick, recently received the Lumber Person of the Year award at the annual meeting for the Retail Lumber Dealers Association of Maine.

DeLorme, a provider of map products in Yarmouth, recently announced its Earthmate PN-60w with Spot Satellite Communicator received a top 10 Breakthrough Product award from Popular Mechanics magazine.

Landis Arn & Jaynes, a law firm in Portland, recently announced it has received national first tier ranking in the immigration practice area in the 2010 U.S. News-Best Lawyers Best Law Firms guide.

Bar-Bet-Tom Farms in Hodgdon recently received the New England Green Pastures award from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources.

The Maine Department of Conservation and the Maine TREE Foundation recently presented Prentiss & Carlisle Co. Inc. in Bangor with the Austin Wilkins Forest Stewardship award.

The Society of Certified Insurance Counselors recently presented Kenneth Ross, president of Clark Insurance in Portland, with a certificate honoring his 30 years of participation in advanced education.

Garrand, a communications firm in Portland, was recently named one of Advertising Age’s 2010 Best Places to Work in Media and Marketing.

Deep Customer Connections, a research firm in Massachusetts, recently ranked MEMIC, a workers’ compensation insurer in Portland, the top insurer in the property-casualty insurance industry on a range of measures including customer service and overall ease of doing business.