In short from Nov. 29, 2010 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Winxnet, an information technology provider in Portland, recently hired Marcus DeSanctis as a help desk technician, Suzanne Bryan as an assistant project manager and Amy Shaw as a technical support specialist.

Tilson Technology Management, an information technology project management company in Portland, recently hired Jon Oplinger as senior consultant.

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker recently hired Matthew Bowker to the firm’s management and information technology consulting group.

Portland Chiropractic Neurology in Portland recently hired chiropractor Elizabeth McNally.

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Elek Miller as an associate, practicing in the area of intellectual property law with a focus on trademarks and copyrights.

Unum Group in Portland recently hired David Leopold as the new vice president of marketing strategy and communications for Unum US. Previously, Leopold was the regional vice president of marketing and sales for Time Warner Cable.

MaineGeneral’s Winthrop Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine recently hired Logan Murray, a pediatrician. MaineGeneral Surgery in Waterville hired Timothy O’Brien, a general surgeon.

Furman Gregory Deptula, a law firm in Biddeford, recently hired attorney Chelsea Fournier as a senior associate.

Brown & Meyers, an e-transcription and records management company in Portland, recently hired Edward Martinson as regional sales manager for the records management portfolio of services. Previously, Martinson was an account executive at Unicel.

No. 10 Water Restaurant at the Captain Daniel Stone Inn in Brunswick recently hired Susan Daggett as dining room manager.

The Creative Portland Corp. and the Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance recently hired Jennifer Hutchins as executive director for both organizations.

Bates College in Lewiston recently hired Michael Martinez as associate dean for admission and student transition.

Promotions

Leonardo’s Pizza in Portland recently promoted Christopher Hathaway to store manager. Previously, Hathaway was assistant manager.

KeyBank in Portland recently promoted Anthony DiSotto, vice president, to area retail leader for the southern area of the Maine district.

Procter & Gamble recently promoted Felicia Coney to plant manager of its Tambrands Inc. in Auburn facility. Previously, Coney was the HDL supply chain leader at Procter & Gamble’s Alexandria, La., facility.

Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco recently promoted Cory Hutchinson to general manager. Previously, Hutchinson was general manager of Splashtown USA Water Park.

Appointments

The Maine Real Estate & Development Association recently appointed Tim O’Neil of Monks O’Neil Development in Portland and Carol Epstein of Epstein Commercial Real Estate in Bangor to its Council of Directors Emeritus.

Junior Achievement of Maine in Portland recently appointed Amy Thomas as president.

Amanda Meader, an associate at Portland-based law firm Bernstein Shur, was recently appointed to the Animal Welfare Advisory Council.

The Maine Development Foundation recently elected the following to its board of directors: Pamela Ann Joy, vice president, community affairs at FairPoint Communications; Danielle Ripich, president of the University of New England; and Scott Schnapp, executive director of the Maine Association of Nonprofits.

Maureen McQuade, former innkeeper and owner of Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, was appointed a Master of New England Innkeeping by the New England Inns and Resorts Association.

Company News

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded $10.5 million to the Maine Department of Transportation to repair and improve the Montreal, Maine & 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 first quarter net income for the period ending 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.

Big Claw wine, distributed in Maine by Mariner Beverages Inc. of Portland, recently announced it is a corporate sponsor of the Maine Red Claws, the NBA Development League team based in Portland.

Time Warner Cable New England in Portland recently introduced its Remote DVR Manager, giving digital cable customers in portions of Time Warner Cable’s service area in Maine and New Hampshire access to their home DVR to record shows and series, to modify settings and to search for programming by various themes from any web-enabled computer or browser-enabled mobile device.

Consigli Construction Co. Inc. in Portland recently completed a $4.2 million renovation at 82 Running Hill Road in South Portland, owned by Dead River Co.

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that attorneys Joanna Tourangeau, Matt Upton and Peter Felmly have been elected as the newest shareholders of the firm. Drummond Woodsum also announced that attorney Bill Stockmeyer was elected by unanimous vote as a fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced that Penobscot County and Eastern Maine Development Corp. will receive $770,988 to conduct a two-year study to assess transportation needs and assets of the region.

Katahdin Bankshares Corp. in Houlton, parent company of Katahdin Trust Co., recently announced earnings through Sept. 30 of $3,596,000 before preferred stock dividends, an increase of 28.8% over the same period last year.

The First Bancorp in Damariscotta recently announced unaudited results for the quarter ended Sept. 30. Net income was $3.2 million, up $305,000 or 10.6% from the same period in 2009, and earnings per common share on a fully diluted basis of $0.29 were up $0.03 or 11.5% from the same period in 2009. Compared to the previous quarter, net income was up $35,000 or 1.1% and earnings per common share on a fully diluted basis were unchanged at $0.29.

DeLise Décor, a home décor shop in Portland, recently announced the launch of its website, www.delisedecor.com.

Biovation in Boothbay, a manufacturer of non-woven fiber products for food packaging and wound care, recently announced it was one of 10 companies awarded funds from the Maine Technology Asset Fund, which it plans to use for laboratory facilities to further develop and commercialize its wound care products.

The Finance Authority of Maine recently approved low-cost financing through the Recovery Zone Facility Bond Program for LaBree’s Bakery in Old Town.

Chris Houle, CEO of Quantrix, a business modeling and analytics solutions provider in Portland, was recently a featured speaker at the Financial Forecasting & Planning Summit on Nov. 17-18 in London.

The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor recently received a $17,000 grant from the Quimby Family Foundation to support its high school outreach program, Islands Through Time.

KICTeam, a manufacturer of cleaning cards in Auburn, recently announced the launch of two new cleaning kits for the VidTroniX ATP Series and MAP Thermal Printers used to print bag tags and boarding passes.

Dielectric Communications, a manufacturer of broadcast antenna systems in Raymond, recently announced that it will now operate under the name of SPX Communication Technology, effective immediately.

The University of Maine School of Nursing programs in Orono have been reaccredited for another 10 years by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded $600,000 to the New England Passenger Rail Authority. The funding, which will be distributed under the High Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Planning Grant Program, will be used to complete a study to define what improvements need to be made on the Downeaster line to expand service, reduce travel time and increase the number of daily round trips between Portland and Boston.

A University of Southern Maine three-member team of marketing students, Ashley Yerrick, Brian Andrews and Cody Seguin, under the guidance of professor Jeanne Munger, was selected to be in a marketing competition sponsored by Honda. The goal of the competition is to harness the energy and creativity of university students to help Honda create buzz among younger drivers about its CR-Z hybrid sports car.

DeLorme, a GPS and mapping technology provider in Yarmouth, recently announced its entry into a corporate partnership with professional snowboarder Seth Wescott.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded $500,000 in grant funding to the Bangor International Airport to support potential future service for United Express air service between the Bangor International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport or Washington Dulles International Airport.

Camden National Corp. recently reported net income of $7.4 million for the three months ended Sept. 30, compared to $6.3 million in the third quarter of 2009 and $5.6 million in the second quarter of 2010. Net income for the third quarter of 2010 compared to the same period a year ago increased $1.1 million or 18%. Earnings per diluted share for the third quarter of 2010 were $0.97 compared to $0.83 for the same period last year and $0.73 in the previous quarter. For the third quarter of 2010, return on average assets was 1.29% and return on average equity was 14.66%.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded a $595,548 grant, allocated through the Health Resources and Services Administration, to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for maternal and child health services.

Maine Prep, an SAT and ACT prep company based in Brunswick, recently announced it is expanding its business to include SAT prep classes for high school students in the Scarborough area.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded a $770,000 TIGER II transportation planning grant to Penobscot County. The initiative was developed through Mobilize Maine. Eastern Maine Development Corp. designed the proposal and Penobscot County commissioners acted as the applicant.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Rural Development recently awarded funding to the following organizations: Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, $250,000 loan, $62,500 grant; Northern Maine Development Commission, $500,000 loan, $105,000 grant; MaineStream Finance, $500,000 loan, $105,000 grant.

Bar Harbor Bankshares, the parent company of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, recently announced record net income available to common shareholders of $2.9 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up $158,000 or 5.8% on a linked-quarter basis and representing an increase of $37,000, or 1.3% compared with the third quarter of 2009. The company’s diluted earnings per share amounted to $0.75, up $0.04 or 5.6% on a linked-quarter basis, while representing a decline of $0.20, or 21.1% compared with the third quarter of 2009.

At its store at 730 Center St. in Auburn, U.S. Cellular recently debuted queuing stations that let customers keep track of their place in line while using the interactive touch screens to search for products.

The University of Maine in Orono and Dickinson College, a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, recently signed an articulation agreement to formalize academic collaboration in areas of mutual strength and interest. The new arrangement will allow priority admission of Dickinson students into the UMaine Master of Arts in Global Policy program in the School of Policy and International Affairs.

PeoplesChoice Credit Union recently announced that its loan growth is up 22.6% through September and is expected to hit or pass an annualized rate of 30% through year’s end.

The Maine Military Authority recently donated $20,000 in labor services to refurbish two search and rescue high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles for the Down East Emergency Medicine Institute, which has a hangar at Bangor International Airport.

Shamrock Sports Group, a sports marketing firm in Portland, recently announced it has signed an exclusive sports marketing contract with United States Ski Jumping.

Winxnet, a Portland-based information technology provider, recently announced that Andrew Hanson successfully completed the Quest vWorkspace Certified Administer training.

Spotlight

The Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System recently allocated over $600,000 in federal and state transportation funds to the following municipalities: Falmouth, $147,344; Biddeford, $58,173; Cape Elizabeth, $40,085; Cumberland, $250,000; and Portland, $107,630, according to a press release from the organization.

The Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System program rewards municipalities for spending 100% local funds on state roads.

The municipalities will use these funds for federally eligible transportation projects in their communities and must provide a local match. In some cases, the towns will use the federal and state funds to reduce their local share in an existing federally funded transportation project.

Accolades

Thirty-seven lawyers from Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2010 edition of New England Super Lawyers and Rising Stars.

Efficiency Maine Qualified Partners recently presented Investment Engineering in Yarmouth with the Most Comprehensive Project award.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that it has been ranked in the 2011 Maine Chapter of Benchmark: Litigation as a highly recommended law firm. In addition to the firm ranking, attorneys Jonathan Piper, Daniel Rapaport, Gregory Hansel and Neal Pratt have been listed as litigation stars.

State Sen. David Trahan of Waldoboro recently received the Maine Merchants Association’s 2010 Government Service Award. The Maine Merchants Association also recently presented its 2010 Merchant of the Year award to The Beadin’ Path in Freeport.

Pine Tree Council, Boy Scouts of America and the Distinguished Citizen Award Committee recently presented the 33rd Annual Distinguished Citizen Award to Robert Harmon, president and CEO of Norway Savings Bank.

The Downing Foundation recently presented the 25th Annual Downing Award to Julie Mallett, an attorney for Legal Services for the Elderly.

The United Way of York County was selected as the 2010 Nonprofit of the Year by the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce.

U.S. News and World Report recently named Topsham-based law firm McTeague Higbee in the top tier of Maine law firms practicing in the fields of employment law for individuals and workers’ compensation for claimants.

The United Way of Oxford County recently honored Oxford Networks’ employee and volunteer Karen Sweeney with its 2010 Dick Adams Volunteer of the Year award.

Kno-Wal-Lin Home Care and Hospice in Rockland, a member of the Pen Bay Healthcare family of services, recently announced that it has been named to HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States.

Avesta Housing in Portland recently presented the Genesis Fund with its annual Mike Yandell Award in recognition of its significant contribution to affordable housing.

gBritt, a public relations and marketing firm in Portland, recently earned best in show, as well as three gold awards and two silver awards from the Maine Public Relations Council.

Jennifer McCormack, a breast cancer prevention coordinator for the Healthy Community Coalition in Farmington, and Susan Rowan, executive director of the Maine Cancer Foundation in Portland, recently received the Maine Breast Health Leadership Award.

The London Times recently featured Camden Harbour Inn in Camden at No. 10 for a recommended seaside escape in its Twenty Great Inns for Autumn New England Getaways issue.

Portland-based law firm Fisher and Phillips recently announced that Jonathan Shapiro, regional managing partner of the Portland office, partners Eric Uhl and Melinda Caterine, and Philip Moss, of counsel, have been included in the 2010 New England Super Lawyers. Rudman & Winchell, a law firm in Bangor, also announced that attorneys Paul Chaiken and David King have been included in the 2010 New England Super Lawyers.

Rinck Advertising, a public relations firm in Auburn, recently received two Golden Arrow Awards at the Maine Public Relations Council’s 20th annual awards ceremony.