In Short from Sept. 8, 2008 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community


New Hires

Portland-based accounting firm Baker Newman Noyes recently announced the following new hires: Kristyn Foltz as staff II in the audit division, and Justin Conrad, Nichole Corkum, Caitlin Davis, Danielle DeCaro, Jeremy Dumond, Nancy Henry, Mary Michaud, Bill Newton and Nick Paquette as staff I in the audit division. In the tax division, Laura Hewson and Sarah Jardim were hired as staff I. Vicki Higgins was hired as audit administration supervisor.

Sanford Institution for Savings recently hired Deborah Mullen as marketing director. Mullen most recently was assistant vice president of retail products and services for Portsmouth, N.H.-based Ocean Bank.

Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood recently hired Maggie Callicrate as chief operating officer. Previously, Callicrate was a partner with Kerma Partners, a consulting firm with offices in New York, London and Toronto.

Heartwood College of Art in Kennebunk recently announced that Amy Clark was hired as a ceramics instructor and Jennifer Field was hired as an instructor in glass beads and lampworking.

The World Affairs Council of Maine in Portland recently hired John LaBrie as its executive director. LaBrie, a Maine native, joins the council’s staff as its first full-time executive director in more than 20 years. LaBrie was previously dean of continuing studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Museum L-A in Lewiston recently hired Jennifer Dube-Works as development director. Dube-Works previously was director of sales for PowerPay, a Portland-based payments solutions company.

Michelle Grondin Raber State Farm Insurance Agency in Scarborough recently hired Justin George as a marketing representative.

Colleen Griffin has been hired by O2 Salon in Portland as an apprentice cosmetologist under owner Jennifer Leigh.

Portland-based Spinnaker Trust recently hired Christopher Wiers as assistant portfolio manager and Kimberly Volk as chief financial officer.

Portland law firm Perkins Olson PA recently hired Joseph Stevens as an attorney specializing in environmental land use and real estate development.

Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport recently hired Jeffrey Landfair, Ted Wissink and Michael Kumin as primary care physicians.

Salvatore Bonetti recently was hired as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Management in Portland. Previously, Bonetti was a financial advisor and senior partner with Coordinated Asset Management in Portland.

Saint Joseph’s College in Standish recently hired Rick Burrill as head athletic trainer. Burrill previously was an athletic trainer for the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.

The Acadia Hospital in Bangor recently hired David Proffitt as president and CEO. Proffitt previously was superintendent of Riverview Psychiatric Center in Augusta.

Katahdin Cedar Log Homes in Oakfield recently hired Tony Guerriero as regional sales manager for Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

United Way of Greater Portland recently hired Emily Rines as director of the organization’s “Let’s Go!” project. Previously, Rines was program director for the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition at the University of New England’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Brooklin-based WoodenBoat Publications recently hired Scott Akerman as a sales representative for WoodenBoat and Professional BoatBuilder magazines.o

Promotitions

Denis St. Peter recently was promoted to executive vice president at CES Inc., a Brewer-based consulting firm. St. Peter is a principal of CES and had been the department manager of the company’s environmental engineering group.

Toby Daney recently was promoted to customer service manager at Volk Packaging Corp. in Biddeford. Daney previously worked as a customer service representative for the manufacturer of corrugated boxes, cartons and containers.

Jason Block recently was promoted to district manager at H&R Block in Portland. He will oversee 30 company offices in Maine for the financial services firm. Bloch most recently was a district manager in training in Boston.

Atlantic Regional Federal Credit Union, based in Brunswick, recently announced the following promotions: Roger Sirois from executive vice president to president and CEO; Keith Rioux from vice president of branch operations and Freeport branch manager to senior vice president of operations; Scott Bursey from vice president of business lending to senior vice president of planning and administration; and Rick Koch from senior business loan officer to vice president of business lending.

Appointments

The Maine Philanthropy Center recently appointed the following to its board of directors: Jay Espy, executive director of the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation in Brunswick; Barbara Leonard, vice president for programs at Maine Health Access Foundation in Augusta; Andy Mayo, director of the Hannaford Foundation in Scarborough; Marcia Minter, vice president and creative director at L.L.Bean in Freeport; and Michael Rayder Jr., senior vice president, foundation manager and community development manager for the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation in Maine.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission recently elected the following as trustees of its Energy and Carbon Savings Trust: Tom Tietenberg, retired professor of economics at Colby College in Waterville; P. Andrews Nixon, retired chairman of the Dead River Co. and member of the Maine Board of Environmental Protection; and Stephen Diamond, former commissioner of the Maine PUC and former state deputy attorney general. The trustees will administer funds generated by the auction of carbon allowances under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

The Bicycle Coalition of Maine, an organization that promotes bicycle safety and access, recently appointed the following to its board of directors: Angela Arey, attorney and instructor at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland; Phil Coffin, president of the Tri-State Defense Lawyers Association and the Maine chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates; Joel Fishman, retired business owner; Mark Ishkanian, director of corporate communications for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine; Will Thomas, founder and president of Tri-Maine in Portland; and John Brooking, founder of the Portland Bicycle Commuting Meetup in Westbrook.

Jo Linder, a physician at Maine Medical Center in Portland, recently was named director of the hospital’s Division of Community and Preventive Medicine. The hospital also appointed Marjorie Love, an independent health management consultant, as program manager of the division.

The Maine Brewers’ Guild, a nonprofit organization that promotes the craft brewed beer industry, recently elected Fred Forsley as president. Forsley is president of Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland.

Catherine Renault recently was appointed to the board of trustees for the State Science and Technology Institute, a national nonprofit organization based in Ohio that helps states develop tech-based economies. Renault is the director of the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of Innovation, and science advisor to Gov. John Baldacci.

The Junior League of Portland Maine Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes women in voluntarism, recently appointed the following to its board of directors: Kristen Crean, director of development at Spurwink Services in Portland, as president; Lisa Fraley, vice president of major gifts at United Way of Greater Portland, as president-elect; Jill Bryant, tax manager at PricewaterhouseCooopers, as treasurer; Julie Whited, associate process consultant at Idexx in South Portland, as community vice president; Kate Anderson, an independent clinician, as fund development vice president; Heather Jury, service delivery manager at Massachusetts-based TalentFusion Inc., as membership vice president; and Quincy Hentzel, director of governmental affairs at the Maine Credit Union League in Westbrook, as public relations vice president. The organization also appointed Jill Ellis as recording secretary, Martie Lachance as nominating/mentoring vice president and Patty Grennon as sustainer director.

Roger Whitehouse recently was named to the Oxford County Board of Assessment Review, a volunteer board that handles tax abatements at the county level. Whitehouse works at Riverside Realty in Mexico.

Tri-County Mental Health Services in Auburn recently appointed Ismail Ahmed, a self-employed consultant, to its board of directors. The organization also appointed Peter Letourneau, vice president and national accounts manager at Geiger in Lewiston, to its board.ght

Spotlight

The Kids First Center, a private nonprofit in Portland that works with children and parents coping with broken marriages, recently published a book to help parents and professionals reduce the negative effects of divorce on children. The book, “Kids First: What Kids want Grown-ups to Know,” was published by Tower Publishing in Standish. It describes typical reactions children demonstrate during their parents’ separation and divorce. The book describes those events from a child’s perspective, showing the link between children’s emotional responses and their parents’ behavior.

Company news

Maine Medical Center in Portland has opened a new garage with 480 spaces on its Bramhall campus for patients and visitors. The new garage can be accessed from Congress Street and is connected to the medical center on two floors. Maine Medical Center also recently was named one of the nation’s “most wired hospitals” by the 2008 Most Wireless Survey and Benchmark Study released in the July issue of the Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

Coastal Fitness Inc. in Kittery has opened a new 12,000-sq.-ft. club in Westbrook at 200 Larabee Rd.

Tom’s of Maine in Kennebunk has created a new line of aluminum-free deodorants for sensitive skin in two scents: bay-lime and cucumber grapefruit. The third stick is fragrance free.

Merrill Bank, which has 13 branches in central and eastern Maine, has opened a new branch in Bangor, at 727 Broadway.

Kennebunk Savings Bank celebrated a recent ribbon cutting for its new offices in Springvale and downtown Sanford.

Downeast Dog News in Rockland has released its “Ultimate Guide to Dog Parks, Beaches and Trails in Maine,” a directory to hundreds of places to have fun with dogs in Maine.

New research at The Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health is intended to identify early signs of poor adjustment and post-traumatic stress in the siblings of children with cancer, in an effort to help siblings cope during this time. Sandra Sigmon and Marie Hayes, psychology professors with the University of Maine and affiliated senior scientists at the institute, hope to identify factors that lead to an increase in distress.

Johnson Hall Performing Arts Center in Gardiner has created a new program, Upstage Youth Company, a theatre troupe for teenagers.

The TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K launched a pilot program to collect the medical history of runners and enhance care on race day.

Portland Ballet’s 2008 fall season opens with “Halloween Spooktacular,” an October family program at Portland’s John Ford Theater. In December, the Nutcracker will be performed at Portland’s Merrill Auditorium in a unique version, “The Victorian Nutcracker,” set in Victorian-era Portland. To conclude the season, the Ballet Company will present three performances of the romantic classical ballet “Giselle” in Portland at the John Ford Theater.

Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care’s Tri-Town Center, in Mechanic Falls, recently installed new playground equipment purchased by the town of Mechanic Falls.

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston received a donation from Goodwill Industries to help stock its Medical Equipment to Go (METGO) program. METGO loans medical equipment to area residents who are unable to buy or rent their own crutches, walkers, wheelchairs, commodes and more. Many of these items were donated by Goodwill and other philanthropists.

The Maine Community College System board of trustees approved a new Criminal Justice Degree program for York County Community College, starting in the fall 2008 semester.

Rebecca Akeley and Darcy Fraser, both of Damariscotta, will soon open Patricia’s Closet, an intimates store in Damariscotta.

The Center Theatre for the Performing Arts in Dover-Foxcroft is offering several theatrical opportunities for children of different ages, skill levels and interests. The first is the Center Theatre Children’s Summer Drama Camp for kindergarten through ninth grade. For those interested in lighting and sound, the theatre is offering a technical class for high school students and adults. The theatre also will be hosting acting classes taught by actor Rick Kuhlman.

Thomas College in Waterville recently had its installation of the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system featured as a case study on the Microsoft website. The studies provide successful working examples of Microsoft products.

Thomas College also has recently changed its campus phone system. The college has removed all analog phone lines from residence hall rooms due to limited demand by students, since so many use cell phones rather than land lines. Thomas College also was one of 25 participants selected for a national workshop sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and the Association for Institutional Research. A team of four senior officers were invited to attend the three-day training on how to base strategic decisions on data-targeted information.

Peter Palermo, general manager of Elm Street Printing & Graphics Inc. of Camden, recently participated in the CPrint Certified Printers International World Conference in Marietta, Georgia. Palermo attended the conference as a CPrint member and a featured speaker.

Nancy Horie of Auburn and Susanna Chatametikool of Lewiston have established the Seward Fund to support educational projects in Androscoggin County. Grants from the fund, which honors their parents, Robert and Barbara Seward, will be made through the Androscoggin County Committee of the Maine Community Foundation. Robert Seward was a language professor at Bates College in Lewiston from 1930 to his death in 1966.

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Scarborough says that signups have begun for the 2008 Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment Program, which helps deliver certainty for the crop year and the option of a timely advance payment. Contracts are available at USDA Service Centers and signup will continue until Sept. 30.

Frannie Peabody Center recently hosted an AIDS walks in Ogunquit in collaboration with Portland Public Health. The groups raised more than $13,000 to support AIDS services in Maine. The 2008 AIDS Walk of Northern New England was organized by Maine Community AIDS Partnership, Frannie Peabody Center and seven other AIDS service organizations throughout Maine and New Hampshire.

Harriman, a full-service architecture and engineering firm in Portland, recently announced that Judy Johnson and Timothy Hart have received their Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) accreditation. LEED-accredited professionals are experienced building industry practitioners who have a demonstrated knowledge of green building practices and principals.

W. Douglas Hankins, a technical leader in Wright-Pierce’s Wastewater Practice Group, recently attended the triennial International Fair Trade Association conference and trade show in Munich, Germany.

The University Credit Union recently donated a new television to the University of Maine at Farmington’s Fitness and Recreation Center. The television will be used to display information to the students and members of the center regarding programs and opportunities at the center as well as on upcoming camps and classes.

Ann Veronica in Cape Elizabeth has designed three new 100% cotton canvas totes, inspired by the Maine towns of Friendship, Hope and Unity.

The University of Maine’s Folder Library recently received hundreds of historic documents detailing Maine’s first carpenter unions. The papers, which include articles, ledgers and correspondence, were donated by the local chapter of United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

Spectrum Generations, an adult education and services company in Augusta, recently was recognized for its volunteer work by Greater Brunswick Physical Therapy.

Michael Fagone, an attorney at Portland law firm Bernstein Shur, recently attained a national certification in business bankruptcy law.

Prentiss & Carlisle, a forestland management company in Bangor, recently said it will expand its Woodlot Services Division to western and southern Maine.

The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport recently received an 83-foot fishing vessel to add to its new Hall of Maine Built Boats. The sardine carrier, named the Jacob Pike, was a gift from Martha White and Taylor Allen of Rockport.

TD Banknorth, a Portland-based financial services company, recently donated over $400,000 to several Maine charities through its TD Charitable Foundation. The company also made a $300,000 corporate donation to statewide branches of the United Way.

Village NetMedia LLC, a media company in Rockland, recently hired Portland-based firm Simmons Ardell Design to provide communication and design services.

Dr. Mike’s Madness, a café in Lisbon, recently hired Drapeau’s Costumes of Maine, a costume company in Lisbon Falls, to design a mascot based on its signature meal — Guinness-marinated brisket and kugel — for the Moxie Parade in Lisbon Falls.

First Federal Savings, a financial services company in Bath, recently created a new savings plan to help customers pay for heating bills. The program is called the Winter Fuel Fund.

Susan Rowan, the executive director of the Maine Cancer Foundation in Portland, recently won the Extreme Office Make-Over contest sponsored by Springvale-based supply company, Warren’s Office Supplies.

Don Kleiner, a Maine master guide and the owner of Maine Outdoors, an outdoor recreation company in Union, recently accompanied two Pennsylvanians on a fishing trip to the St. Georges River as part of a tourist package offered by Maine Eastern Railroad, a tour company in Rockland.

Moss Inc., an event decoration company based in Lincolnwood, Ill., with a location in Belfast, recently was purchased by Century Park Capital Partners, a private equity firm in Los Angeles, Calif.

The Little River Lighthouse in Cutler recently received three antique rugs. The rugs were donated by Glen Price of Parsonsfield. Meanwhile, Friends of the Little River Lighthouse, a Cutler-based chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, recently received a 16-foot catamaran-style boat. The vessel was donated by Mac McCullough.

Blue Marble Geographics, a mapping software company in Gardiner, will offer a new version of its applied geodesy training at the ESRI User Conference in San Deigo, Calif.

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency said it will allow producers ineligible for new disaster relief coverage to qualify by paying a fee, as mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill.

The Hutchison Center at the University of Maine is seeking nominations for its Midcoast Leadership Academy.

Community Concepts, a social services company in South Paris, recently hired Encompass Marketing, an advertising firm in Auburn.

95 Ocean, a restaurant in Kennebunkport’s Nonantum Resort, recently was visited by the “TV Diner,” a New England Cable News television show hosted by Billy Costa. TV Diner is noted for reviewing restaurants for New England Cable News and giving them a culinary critic’s rating of silver, gold or platinum. The Nonantum Resort received the highest platinum plate rating.

The Orton Family Foundation in Middlebury, Vt., has awarded $100,000, plus staff support and technical assistance, to Heart of Biddeford, a downtown revitalization organization, to develop a new approach to land use planning. The foundation also recently announced a partnership with the town of Damariscotta, which received $100,000.

Kate’s Homemade Butter in Old Orchard Beach recently was featured on The Frugal Yankee Radio Hour, a radio show on Boston radio station WNTN 1550. Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine’s summer issue also was featured on the radio show in July.

Lewiston-based St. Mary’s Health System’s Nutrition Center for Maine program was awarded one of five national NOVA Awards from the American Hospital Association in Washington, D.C. The hospital program was honored because it improves community health by extending help to low-income, uninsured or underserved children and adults, the chronically ill and racial and ethnic minorities.

Avesta Housing in Portland recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of Pearl Place Apartments, 60 affordable apartments in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood. The project redeveloped a former warehouse site and included environmental remediation, and was Maine’s first affordable housing development to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

Accolades

Phil DuBois, administrator of Market Square Health Care in South Paris, recently was chosen as a future leader in long term care by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

Seaside Vacation Rentals in York recently received an honorable mention in the Gannett Family Business Awards given by the Institute for Family Owned Business at the University of Southern Maine. 

Preble Street recently handed out its 2008 Community Service Awards: The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project in Portland received the Community Partner of the Year Award for its commitment to providing free and low-cost immigration information and legal assistance to low-income Maine residents; Naomi Schalit received the Force for Good Award in recognition of her seven-part opinion series For I Am Hungry, published last summer by the Kennebec Journal; Herbert F. Janick III, a partner at Bingham McCutchen in Portland, was recognized as Board Member of the Year. Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Brenda and Harty Norris of Portland.

Penobscot Bay Internal Medicine in Rockport recently received three “blue ribbons” from the Maine Health Management Coalition, a nonprofit coalition of more than 50 Maine employers, doctors, health plans and hospitals. The three blue ribbons recognized the practice, which is part of Pen Bay Healthcare, for its “well developed clinical office systems for managing patient care,” the practice’s success in measuring outcomes and achieving recognized results for diabetes treatment and for its success in the treatment of heart disease.

Poland Spring recently presented Lynne Richard, environmental education coordinator for the Portland Water District, with the 2008 Poland Spring Natural Leader Award. Richard was recognized for developing the salmonid hatchery curriculum adopted by the Poland Spring education staff for their Trout in the Classroom program, as well as her overall dedication to water education.

US Banker magazine recently ranked Camden National Corp., the holding company for Camden National Bank and Acadia Trust, 20th among the top 200 publicly traded mid-tier banks — banks with between $1 billion and $5.99 billion in assets — and 32nd on the list of top-performing community banks, making it the highest-ranking community bank in Maine. The rankings were based on a three-year average return on equity of 17.91% for the period ending Dec. 31, 2007.

The downtown revitalization of Bridgton, led by the design and planning team of Wright-Pierce, which has offices in Topsham and Portland, and Gardiner-based Kent Associates, recently was named the “2008 Best Planning Project” by the Maine Association of Planners.

The Damariscotta River Grill recently received the “Award of Excellence” designation from Wine Spectator magazine for its extensive wine list and variety of selections.

L.L.Bean recently gave a 2008 L.L.Bean Outdoor Hero Award to Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne, spokesperson for the nonprofit Friends of Casco Bay. Payne was selected as one of six outdoor enthusiasts around the nation “who by their words, attitude, and actions have helped connect people to the world around them.”

The Maine Health Care Association recently presented a 2008 Celebrating Excellence in Caregiving awards to Ryan Paradis, a certified nursing assistant and medical technician at St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion in Lewiston.