In short from Nov. 30, 2009 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Spectrum Medical Group, a multi-specialty, physician-owned and directed professional organization in Portland, recently hired Brad Clark as director of operations. Previously, Clark was a partner at Anodyne Health, headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga.

The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland recently hired Christopher Brownawell as director. Previously, Brownawell was director of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Md.

The Maine Maritime Academy in Castine recently hired William Brennan as president.

Patient Advocates, a Gray-based health management partner that helps employers and consumers navigate the health care system, recently hired Greg Roberts as customer service manager.

MaineGeneral Medical Center recently hired Kelley Harmon, a family physician, to the active medical staff of the Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency in Augusta. MaineGeneral also hired Arun Ranganath, an internist, to its hospitalist service in Augusta.

Frank Martin Sons Inc., a construction and forestry equipment dealer in Fort Kent and Madison, recently hired Brent Angevine as field service technician.

Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington recently hired Calli Meader as a physician assistant to the medical staff of Franklin Health Urology.

Local Thunder, a provider of networked local online advertising in Portland, recently hired David Vazdauskas as president of the company. Previously, Vazdauskas was a partner at Lippincott and Margulies in New York, N.Y.

Drummond and Drummond, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Julia Pitney as an associate member.

Disability RMS, a reinsurance provider in Westbrook, recently hired Timothy Lachance as an underwriting rating associate.

The Acadia Hospital, a private, nonprofit psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment provider in Bangor, recently hired Allen Schaffer as chief medical officer. Previously, Schaffer was chief medical officer for the hospital’s substance abuse treatment services.

Allen and Selig Realty, headquartered in North Yarmouth, recently hired Beth Bell, Ann Bever, Allen Bever and Deb Sileo.

Norton Insurance Financial, a provider of business insurance and employee benefits in Cumberland Foreside, recently hired Leigh Howison as a human resources generalist and Jenny Gaghan as a sales producer, servicing the midcoast region.

Maine Medical Center in Portland recently hired Catherine Garlid as director of pastoral services and Mark Bundner as director of hospital applications.

Promotions

Camden National Bank recently promoted Judy Brogden, assistant vice president, to branch manager of its Camden Square branch.

Good Will-Hinckley, a service provider for young people and families in Hinckley, recently promoted Natalie Jones as the interim executive director of the school. Previously, Jones was the department head of human resources.

Disability RMS, a reinsurance provider in Westbrook, recently named Susan Spokes, legal counsel, to privacy officer for the company. Disability RMS also recently promoted Danya Michaels and Joseph Toppen to underwriting rating associates.

Maine Medical Center in Portland recently promoted Gwen Rogers to the director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology.

Appointments

Colleen Khoury, former dean of the University of Maine School of Law in Portland, was recently appointed as the 2010 chair of the Campaign for Justice in Portland.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine in Bangor recently elected the following to its board of directors: Gary Eckmann to president; Sheila Peabody to vice president; Tom Perkins to board secretary; and Roger Poulin as board treasurer. The organization also appointed the following new members: Mary Bertolet and Dan Coker.

Andrew Dodge of L.L. Bean in Freeport was recently elected as director to the board of the Incentive Marketing Association.

Spotlight

The New England School of Metalwork in Auburn recently announced that it is now certified by the American Bladesmith Society to offer professional training in bladesmithing skills and will provide the first courses in its ABS-certified bladesmithing training in the spring of 2010. The school is one of only three in the United States certified for professional bladesmith training, according to a press release from the school.

Hands-on training will focus on the art and science of the forged blade, including knife and tool design and fabrication, metal forging and heat-treating processes, and related skills such as handle and guard construction, finishing and marketing, leading students to earn ABS certification as journeyman and master bladesmiths.

Company News

Town and Country Federal Credit Union in South Portland and AAA of Northern New England recently announced a collaborative agreement to provide financing for automobile and recreational vehicles for AAA members throughout southern Maine.

Portland Adult Education recently received a $4,485 federal grant to provide training for local workers.

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra recently received a $10,000 grant award from the Maine Arts Recovery program of the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Downeast Energy and Building Supply in Brunswick recently announced it has raised $61,556.04 in this year’s campaign to help the agencies served by the United Way.

Journey’s End Marina in Rockland was recently recognized as a clean marina by the Maine Clean Boatyards and Marinas Program.

MaineGeneral Medical Center’s vascular laboratory at the Thayer Campus in Waterville has been reaccredited by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories.

The state Department of Economic and Community Development awarded $590,000 to the following six Maine communities: Snowman Printing in Hermon received $200,000; Somerset Grist Mill in Skowhegan received $50,000; Coast of Maine Organics in Portland received $60,000; Farmer’s Fare in Rockport received $100,000; Cobscook Bay Co. in Washington County received $120,000; and Cousineau Wood Products in Anson received $60,000.

The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in Washington, D.C., recently announced Peter Bennett, president of the Bennett Law Firm in Portland, as a newly elected fellow.

The Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland recently released a limited quantity of cellar-aged Barley Wine Style Ale.

Lee Cabana and Silas Lawry, account executives at the GHM Agency, an insurance agency with offices in Waterville, Augusta and Auburn, recently completed the annual continuing education requirement of the Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.

Maine Bank and Trust recently celebrated the reopening of its Scarborough branch after renovation construction.

Coastal Enterprises Inc., the Wiscasset-based community development and financial entity, recently announced that it will receive $765,000 in capital from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Services to invest in Maine small manufacturing enterprises in the greater Portland region.

The JTG Foundation recently awarded Good Shepherd Food-Bank in Auburn with a two-year grant of $300,000 to improve the way the food-bank acquires and distributes food, and to open new food channels within Maine to help eliminate hunger throughout the state.

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England recently celebrated the opening of its new Ellsworth store.

Bruce Gerrity, an attorney at Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, was recently appointed as an appellate judge to the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court.

Agren Appliance and Television recently announced that its outlet store in Augusta will soon be consolidating with Agren’s Route 1, Waldoboro, retail store. Sales records and contracts for items purchased at the Augusta location will be transferred to Waldoboro. The service department will operate out of the Waldoboro location as well. Agren also announced a partnership with Pricefalls, an online reverse auction site headquartered in Las Vegas.

The Maine Health Access Foundation recently awarded nearly $1.4 million in grants to the following six Maine nonprofits for projects that support better integration of mental and behavioral health with primary health care services: Quality Counts in Portland received $229,995; The Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control in Augusta received $229,999; Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor received $220,770; Mercy Hospital in Portland received $230,000; Health Reach Community Health Centers in Belgrade, Coopers Mills, Richmond, Madison and Bingham received $230,000; and TriCounty Mental Health Services in Bridgton received $230,000.

The HomeHealth Visiting Nurses in Saco recently received a $20,000 grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation to expand access to home telehealth care for elders at high risk of hospitalization.

Old Town Canoe and officials from its parent company, Johnson Outdoors Inc., recently celebrated the opening of its Gilman Falls Avenue facility in Old Town. The building now houses the distribution, office and manufacturing of the paddle sports brand operations for Old Town Canoe.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine recently announced the launch of its new website, www.somebigs.org. The new website was designed and hosted by Winxnet, an IT consulting firm in Portland.

Robert Barnes, infomercial executive producer at Groff Films in Portland, and Dan Molloy, former general manager of Ship-Right Solutions in South Portland, recently partnered, forming revDRTV, a direct marketing company in Portland.

Keiser Industries Inc., a modular building manufacturer in Oxford, recently announced it was purchased by R.J. Finlay and Co., headquartered in Milford, N.H.

Gifford’s Ice Cream in Skowhegan recently announced the release of its annual “Special Batch” flavors for fall and winter, along with a new seasonal package design.

Sunday River ski resort in Newry recently announced it is now open seven days a week.

The Finance Authority of Maine board of directors recently approved commercial loan insurance on two loans from Farm Credit of Maine totaling $2.15 million for LMJ Enterprises, a producer of pine shavings for large animal bedding in Lincoln. The insurance will help the company construct a manufacturing facility in Lincoln. The board approved an economic recovery loan of $500,000 to Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway to fund working capital and approximately 200 miles of track maintenance in Maine. The board also approved a new round of investments totaling $985,000 as part of the Maine Economic Development Venture Capital Revolving Investment Fund Program.

The United Way of Greater Portland recently announced that it has exceeded its fundraising goal of $8,174,000 and expects to raise more than $8.4 million when the campaign is completed.

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association recently received a two-year $68,450 grant from the USDA’s Farmers Market Promotion Program to work with MaineGeneral to increase the health care system’s purchases of foods from growers in Kennebec and Somerset counties. MaineGeneral plans to spend a major portion of its produce budget with area growers.

Volunteers of America Northern New England recently announced it has broken ground on a new 55-unit affordable senior housing community in Bangor. The project is bringing more than $10 million in federal funds, including stimulus money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, into Maine.

The Equity Fund of the Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth recently awarded $40,000 in grants to eight nonprofits supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender programs in Maine.

MEMIC, a workers’ compensation insurer in Portland, recently sent checks totaling $10 million to approximately 20,000 Maine employers. The checks are attributed to the company’s annual dividend, which has helped put $110 million back into the hands of the company’s policyholders since 1998.

Employees and customers of Merrill Bank in Bangor recently donated supplies to the visiting nurses program at Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.

Putney Inc., a pet pharmaceutical company in Portland, recently closed a $6.7 million Series B funding round. The funding provides capital to double the number of products under development for dogs and cats and to deepen the company’s management team with 10 new hires in sales, marketing, business development and research and development. 

Carl Finley, an audiologist at Pine Tree Society in Bath, recently earned his doctor of audiology degree from George S. Osborne College of Audiology at Salus University in Elkins Park, Pa.

Joseph Brunette, a Portland-based filmmaker, is the 2009 recipient of the Jane Morrison Film Fellowship, awarded by the Maine Community Foundation.

Accolades

KG Partners, an advertising, public relations and interactive agency in Portland, recently received a gold award for commercial website design at the 2009 Ad Club of Maine Broderson Awards.

Portland-based Shipyard Brewing Co.’s XXXX IPA was recently honored with a silver award at the Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival.

The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce recently announced its selection of the following award recipients for its upcoming 99th annual awards and recognition dinner: Danny Lafayette and Carla Lafayette of Hampden were selected to co-receive the Norbert X. Dowd Award; Bangor Savings Bank was selected to receive the Business of the Year Award; U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe was selected to receive the Catherine Lebowitz Award for Public Service; Hilda Hutchins McCollum, a community volunteer and benefactor, was selected to receive the Community Service Award; Eastern Maine Medical Center was selected to receive the Non-Profit of the Year Award; John Simpson, a retired business CEO and economic development advocate, was selected to receive the Arthur Comstock Professional Service Award; and Mark Wellman, publisher of Bangor Metro, Real Maine Weddings and Maine Ahead magazines, and editor Tori Britton were selected to receive the Entrepreneurship Award.

The Maine AFL-CIO recently honored Charles Scontras, a professor, historian and research associate with the University of Maine’s Bureau of Labor Education in Orono, with the president’s award.

Melissa Hewey, chair of the trial services group at Portland-based law firm Drummond Woodsum, was recently named one of New England’s top 50 women lawyers in Super Lawyers’ 2009 New England Edition. 

Jeffrey Stewart, executive chef at the Woodlands Club in Falmouth, was named “Chef of the Year” at Greater Portland’s Ninth Annual March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction Fundraiser held on Nov. 2.

Weichert, Realtors – Waterglen Group in Portland recently recognized Jenn Vogel as its top producer for October.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that 27 attorneys from its offices in Portland and Augusta and Manchester, N.H., were included in the New England Super Lawyers and Rising Stars directories, compiled by New England Lawyers.

Carol Bartlett, a certified kitchen designer at Downeast Kitchens in Brunswick, is featured in a six-page spread for the November/December 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens’ special interest publication, Kitchen and Bath Ideas.

Peter Clifford, an attorney at Hodsdon and Clifford in Kennebunk, was recently selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of New England Super Lawyers, under the category personal injury plaintiff -- general.

Briggs Advertising, a Bath marketing firm specializing in branding, web design and online media, recently won a silver award in the packaging category for Cold River Blueberry Flavored Vodka at the 2009 Broderson Awards. The Broderson Awards celebrate design excellence in the Maine advertising industry and is organized by the Ad Club of Maine. 

Callinectes Boatworks in Kennebunkport recently received an Antique and Classic Boat Society Show Award for Best of Class Contemporary Replica.

The Manufacturers Association of Maine recently inducted Joseph Moreshed of Precision Screw Machine Co. of Biddeford and Bob King of King Precision of Coopers Mills into its 2009 Hall of Fame at its recent third Annual Meeting and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Richard Pfeffer, co-owner and publican of Gritty McDuff’s Brewing Co. in Portland, is featured in a business book just released by Just Write Books Publishing in Brunswick titled Uncomplicating Management by Rick Dacri.

Roger Renfrew, governing board chairman of the HealthReach Community Health Centers headquartered in Waterville, recently received the Rural Health Clinician Award at the 12th Annual New England Rural Health RoundTable Symposium in October. The Downtown Portland Corp. recently presented its 14th annual business awards to the following three businesses: the University of New England received the 2009 Economic Development Achievement Award in recognition of its newly constructed College of Pharmacy on its Portland campus; Kepware Technologies received the 2009 Business of Year Award; and BioProcessing Inc. received the 2009 Small Business of Year Award.

Peter Plumb, Thomas Newman, Richard O’Meara and Thomas Douglas, attorneys from the Portland-based law firm Murray, Plumb and Murray were recently included in the New England Super Lawyers magazine. 

Scott Cowger, innkeeper and owner of Maple Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast and Conference Center in Hallowell, was recently named Innkeeper of the Year by the Maine Innkeepers Association.

Portland-based law firm Fisher and Phillips recently received first place for business development initiative from the Legal Marketing Association Southeast Chapter for the firm’s legal educational program, “This Year, We’re Bringing It to You.” 

Roger Katz and Walter McKee, attorneys at law firm Lipman, Katz and McKee in Augusta, have been recently selected as top attorneys in New England by the 2009 Super Lawyers.