In short from September 21, 2009 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

The Maine College of Art in Portland recently hired Christopher Whittey as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. Previously, Whittey was the dean of academic services at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Md.

Disability RMS, a reinsurance provider in Westbrook, recently hired Kate O’Brion as a claims support specialist.

Pro Search Inc., a recruiting and placement service in Portland, recently hired Dave Vasconcelos as director of business development. Previously, Vasconcelos was an account executive for Time Warner media sales in Portland.

Ferry Beach Ecology School in Saco recently hired Maureen Duggan as its associate director. Previously, Duggan was director of community relations at Jobs for Maine’s Graduates in Augusta.

Lovejoy Health Center in Albion recently hired Yueer Ren as a family nurse practitioner.

Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct-sales company based in Alexandria, Minn., that sells easy-to-prepare food products, recently hired Heather Hamilton as an independent consultant in Old Orchard Beach.

TD Banknorth recently hired Michael Quinlan as manager of the company’s Caribou branch. Previously, Quinlan was the branch manager at KeyBank in Presque Isle.

Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington recently hired Shane Lydon as a general surgeon. Previously, Lydon practiced medicine at Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport.

The Bangor Center Corp. recently hired Shirar Patterson as economic development officer and downtown coordinator. Previously, Patterson was a program director with the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.

LearningWorks, a community-based organization in Portland, recently hired Jeanne Whynot-Vickers as director of educational excellence. Previously, Whynot-Vickers was interim superintendent of the Portland public school district.

Androscoggin Bank in Lewiston recently hired Erin Collins and Rodney Cote as vice president and trust officer. Previously, Collins was assistant vice president and wealth management officer at Maine Bank and Trust Co. in Portland and Cote was assistant vice president and trust officer at TD Banknorth in Lewiston.

News 8 WMTW-TV in Portland recently hired Roger Griswold as a weekend meteorologist. Previously, Griswold was an on-air meteorologist at WCSH 6 in Portland.

Legacy Properties-Sotheby’s International Realty in Kennebunk recently hired Ginny Whitney as senior vice president.

The Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council recently hired Katye Charette, a LEED-accredited architect, as its executive director.

Thomas College in Waterville recently hired the following to its faculty: Lisette Bordes, Fred Brown, Heidi Holst, Susan Kaye, Sandra Keliher, Karen Kelley, Bonnie Kouletsis, John Majewski, Joseph Massey and Pamela Thompson. Thomas College also hired Jason Higgins as head coach of its men’s soccer team. Previously, Higgins was interim head coach and assistant men’s soccer coach at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta recently hired James Schellenger as a family medicine physician. Previously, Schellenger was a clinical instructor at Boston University’s Department of Family Medicine.

Danielle Salhany, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist, recently joined Kennebec Valley Obstetrics and Gynecology in Augusta. Salhany recently completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Promotions

The Embassy Suites Hotel in South Portland recently promoted Stacy O’Reilly to general manager and Lisa Castagneto to director of sales.

Maine Medical Center in Portland recently promoted Stephen Mette to chief of critical care. Previously, Mette was the president of the medical staff.

Lebel and Harriman, a financial planning company for individuals, nonprofits and businesses in Falmouth, recently promoted Laurie Reed to partner. Previously, Reed was managing director of retirement plans.

Rinck Advertising in Auburn recently promoted Karly Eretzian to creative director. Previously, Eretzian was art director.

Appointments

The Bangor Theological Seminary recently announced the appointment of the following to its board of trustees: Paul Burlin, founding chair of the department of history at the University of New England in Biddeford; Benjamin Haskell, executive vice president and academic dean of the New England School of Communications in Bangor; and Charles Miller, founder and director of The Children’s Initiative in Portland.

Margaret Keohan, vice president at New York-based Goldman, Sachs and Co., has been appointed a member of the Maine Community Foundation’s investment committee.

Portland Ballet Co. recently elected the following to its board of directors: Leslie Sewall, an information technology project leader at Unum in Portland; Jonathan Block, a partner at Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood; and Susan Barnicle, a certified financial planner at U.S. Trust in Portland.

The Center for Grieving Children in Portland, an agency offering support to grieving children, teens and families, recently announced the following new board members: Tim Brewer of Peak Performance in Yarmouth; Michael Gendreau of Central Maine Medical Family in Yarmouth; Paul Letalien of Baker Newman Noyes in Portland; and Colleen McGrory of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in Weymouth, Mass. The center also appointed Michael Moore, David Wheaton and Scott Whytock to its board.

The York County Community College Foundation Inc. in Wells recently appointed Daniel D’Entrement, president of Ferry Crossing in Biddeford, and Andrew Lederer, branch automation manager at Kennebunk Savings Bank in Kennebunk, to its board of directors.

The International Association of Privacy Professionals in York recently appointed Richard Thomas, retired information commissioner for the United Kingdom, to its board of directors.

Spotlight

The U.S. Air Force recently awarded ANGEL Secure Networks, a research and development company specializing in national defense software in Orono, a $4.9 million contract to continue development of its DASH software that protects the software in weapons from tampering, sabotage and theft. The initial appropriation from the Air Force contract is $1.44 million. ANGEL also recently received an $850,000 Small Business Initiative Research award from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund development of a software security system to protect the department’s high-performance networks from cyber attacks.

The funding could lead to hundreds of new high-skill jobs over the next several years, according to the Bangor Daily News. A press release from ANGEL Secure Networks credited Sen. Susan Collins with help securing this round of funding.

Company News

Skowhegan Savings Bank announced that employees Jessica Brown, Tracy Dean, Crystal Deck and Heather Kerstetter recently graduated from its advanced customer service program.

Nationwide Payment Solutions, a credit, debit and check card processing company in Scarborough, recently announced it ranks No. 2,692 on the 2009 Inc. 5,000, an online list of the fastest-growing private companies, with three-year sales growth of 108.7%. Nationwide also ranked No. 108 on the list for the financial services industry and No. 9 overall in the state of Maine.

Nellie’s Tea and Gifts recently announced it has relocated from Biddeford to 5 Industry Road in South Portland.

Boston-based companies New England Lumber, New England Drywall Supply, New England Door Supply and New England Capitol Wood Floor Supply have been acquired by Hampden Holdings Inc. of St. Louis. The acquisition was facilitated by the business brokerage firm Caswell Vlachos Group, headquartered in Portland.

The Maine Environmental Funders Network, a joint project of the Maine Community Foundation and the Maine Philanthropy Center, recently awarded $523,000 in grants to eight organizations through its collaborative funding initiative, “From Vision to Action: A Commitment to Maine’s Quality of Place.” Grants ranging in size from $30,000 to $100,000 were made to the following: Casco Bay Estuary Partnership in Portland; GrowSmart Maine in Portland; Healthy Community Coalition in Farmington; Maine Conservation Voters Education Fund in Augusta; Maine Development Foundation in Augusta; Maine Farmland Trust in Belfast; Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine in Augusta; and the Trust for Public Land in Portland.

Northeast Hearing and Speech, a nonprofit corporation that serves people with hearing and speech disabilities in Portland, recently launched a campaign called Moving Forward to expand its services and support its move to a larger facility in the historic Portland Star Match building, located at 81 West Commercial St.

Add Verb Productions, a Portland-based nonprofit that uses live theatre for health and wellness education, recently announced an anonymous donor has pledged an unrestricted gift of $75,000 over three years.

Quality Counts, a nonprofit organization in Scarborough working to improve Maine health care systems, recently received a Quality Grant award from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. The Harvard Pilgrim grant will help fund the Maine Patient Centered Medical Home Pilot, a three-year initiative led by the Dirigo Health Agency’s Maine Quality Forum, Quality Counts and the Maine Health Management Coalition.

Christy Hillman, former director of temporary staffing at Pro Search Inc. in Portland, recently announced the launch of her new business, Off The Grid Jobs, a direct-hire recruiting service to green and alternative energy companies and recycling firms.

Community Concepts, a nonprofit social services organization in Auburn, recently received a $10,000 grant from the BJ’s Charitable Foundation of Natick, Mass.

Susie Porter, a critical care nurse at MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Augusta campus, was recently chosen as a reviewer for the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination.

Lincoln Canoe and Kayak in Freeport recently announced the creation of Maine Kayak Source, the exclusive U.S. distribution network for Lincoln products as well as the following Quebec-based paddling brands: Boroldesign, Maelstromkayak and Beluga OutdoorSports Equipment.

Portland Shellfish recently announced that its wild-caught frozen Maine lobster and Jonah crab now are available in 22 BJ’s Wholesale Clubs throughout New England, and the company’s fresh Maine lobster salad is being distributed in over 60 Big Y markets throughout western Massachusetts.

The Neely Studio in Westbrook recently donated rare Tiffany glass jewels circa 1880 to the Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation of the Metropolitan Museum of New York. The jewels will be used by Tiffany scholars and glass scientists for comparative purposes with other Tiffany windows and glass pieces.

MaineHealth, an integrated health care delivery network in Portland, recently announced its purchase of an 80,000-square-foot office building, located at 110 Free St. in Portland, for $3.5 million. The four-story building allows the system to consolidate some of its operations into a single location and increase efficiency.

Maine Biofuel in Portland, a producer of ASTM-certified biodiesel, recently announced it has opened a pump at 51 Ingersoll Dr. in Portland.

Patten-based Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co., recently announced it has declared a cash dividend of $.082 per share for the third quarter of 2009. The dividend will be payable on September 28, 2009 to all shareholders of record as of September 14, 2009.

Harry Colt, program director of the Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency in Fairfield, was one of 42 doctors nationally to recently complete a program director fundamentals fellowship sponsored by the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors.

Merrill Bank in Bangor recently pledged a $50,000 gift to CancerCare of Maine’s Champion the Cure capital campaign for advancing cancer care and research.

Maine Home+Design in Portland recently announced the launch of Maine magazine, published monthly.

Saddleback Maine, a ski resort in Rangeley, recently announced a new glade called Casablanca, with 44 acres of inbound ungroomed tree skiing. The ski resort also announced the opening of its 66th trail, a single black diamond called Family Secret.

Lake Region High School in Naples recently announced that San Diego-based International WoodFuels has been contracted to install a state-of-the-art boiler and silo system, reducing the school’s carbon emissions by nearly 560 tons in the first year.

Trident Yacht Basin, a facility of Yachting Solutions in Rockland, was recently recognized as a designated clean marina by the Maine Clean Boatyards and Marinas Program.

Bangor-based Realty of Maine recently announced the launch of its new content management website, www.realtyofmaine.com. PointVision Web Development in Newton, Mass., provided design, development and hosting.

Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor recently signed an education partnership agreement with the graduate and professional studies online division at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish that gives hospital employees fee waivers and discounts for a variety of online courses offered by the college, including undergraduate and graduate courses in health care administration and nursing.

Scarborough-based Guiding Stars, a nutrition navigation system, recently announced a partnership with University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H. The Guiding Stars nutrition rating system is now being used in all of the school’s dining facilities.

KeyBank in Brunswick recently announced that Donna Aucoin, relationship manager, and Cathy Barter, vice president and relationship manager, are celebrating their 25th anniversaries in September.

Accolades

John McCallum, a partner at Portland-based law firm Robinson, Kriger and McCallum, was recently selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. In addition, Sumner Lipman, Roger Katz and Robert Stolt, attorneys with Augusta-based law firm Lipman, Katz and McKee, were also selected for inclusion. Sixty-one lawyers from Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood were also included.

C.M. Almy and Sons, a manufacturer of textile and metal goods for the church and clergy in Pittsfield, recently received the Safety and Health Council of Northern New England’s Best Practice of On-Site Occupational Health Services award.

Justin Gamester and Scott Carson of Piscataqua Landscaping Co., a landscape design, installation and lawn care company in Eliot, were recently honored as employees of the year at the Snow and Ice Management Association’s annual symposium in Louisville, Ky.

The senior management team at Cary Medical Center in Caribou was recently awarded Top Leadership Team in the small hospital division by HealthLeaders Media, a national premier publisher of health information.

The University of New England in Biddeford recently honored the following with the 2009 Deborah Morton Award: Kate Chappell, artist and co-founder of Tom’s of Maine in Kennebunk; Josephine Detmer, a retired school teacher; Meredith Jones, president of the Maine Community Foundation in Portland; and Laurie LaChance, president of the Maine Development Foundation in Augusta.