Newsworthy people and performances

New hires

Xpress Natural Gas recently hired Harry Hadiaris as president. Hadiaris was previously president of Irving Oil Marketing.

Saint Andre Home in Biddeford recently hired Diane Skog as director of marketing and development and Sara MacLaughlin as adoption manager. Skog was previously with the Finance Authority of Maine and MacLaughlin was the resource coordinator at the Opportunity Alliance.

Eastern Maine Development Corp. recently hired Robin Fisher and Lesley Rossi as general accountants. Fisher was previously with the town of Hermon; Rossi was with H.O. Bouchard.

Fluid Imaging Technologies, a laboratory instrumentation manufacturer in Scarborough, recently hired Camilo DenBrok as director of sales, process water markets. DenBrok was previously with Chemtrac Systems Inc. and AquaSummit.

FRP Engineering Solutions, a fiberglass manufacturer in Windham, recently hired William Fleig as its sales representative for the Northeast.

Bangor Savings Bank recently hired Dyan Macomber as branch manager of the bank's two Farmington locations. Macomber was most recently with Franklin Somerset Federal Credit Union.

PeoplesChoice Credit Union recently hired Brenda Parsons and Heather Boyle as tellers for its Biddeford branch.

Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Alyssa Tibbetts as an associate. Previously, Tibbetts was the assistant town manager for Cumberland.

The Bank of Maine recently hired Christopher Rugullies as vice president of commercial lending. Rugullies was previously a commercial lender at TD Bank.

Crescendo Consulting Group in Portland recently hired Kate Skog as a communications and research consultant. Previously, Skog was a program coordinator for the Maine Quality Counts Learning Community.

Hall Internet Marketing in Portland recently hired Stephanie Podraza as a marketing assistant.

Promotions

Norway Savings Bank recently promoted Tricia Brooks to assistant vice president – human resources. Brooks was previously a payroll and benefits specialist.

Eaton Peabody, a law firm in Bangor, recently promoted Ryan Dumais, a resident in the firm's Brunswick office, to shareholder.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust in Ellsworth recently promoted Sonya Mitchell to managing director of Bar Harbor Financial Services.

The board of directors of The Bangor YMCA recently announced that Diane Dickerson was promoted to CEO. Dickerson was previously executive vice president of marketing, development and community engagement.

Penn National Gaming Inc. recently announced that Jose Flores has been promoted to general manager of Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor. Flores was previously the assistant general manager of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races in Charles Town, W.Va.

Norton Insurance Agency in Cumberland Foreside recently promoted Scott Stacey to vice president. Stacey was most recently an account executive.

Appointments

LifeFlight of Maine, a nonprofit air medical and critical care transport organization in Camden, announced that The LifeFlight Foundation board of trustees recently elected Daniel Bookham as chair. Bookham is a business insurance specialist and director of business development at Allen Insurance.

The Maine Innkeepers Association announced that its board of directors recently elected Jeanne Carpentier of Emerald Hospitality as chair and that Jim Ostrowski of the Inns at Blackberry Common in Camden will serve as past chair for 2014. New to the executive committee as an at large member is James Harmon, owner of the Moontide Motel & Cottages in Old Orchard Beach, as well as Chip Gray of the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Ed Palmer of the Marriott at Sable Oaks in South Portland and Matthew Levin of the Lord Camden and Grand Harbor Inns in Camden. Additional committee members include: First Vice Chair Jean Ginn Marvin, Nonantum Resort, Kennebunkport; Second Vice Chair Jamey Kitchen, Hampton Inn & Suites, Thomaston; Treasurer Sue Ferrell, Down East Village, Yarmouth; at-large members Alvion Kimball, Orland House B&B, Orland and Scott Cowger, Maple Hill Farm B&B Inn, Hallowell; Senior Adviser Gus Tillman, Holiday Inn By The Bay, Portland; Legislative Chair Peter Daigle, Lafayette Hotels, Bangor; and American Hotel and Lodging Association representative Bob Smith, Sebasco Harbor Resort, Sebasco Estates.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently appointed Brandon Berce and Jay LaJoie to the National Potato Promotion Board. Berce and LaJoie were among the 38 newly appointed members of the board.

Lisa Harvey-McPherson, CEO and president of Eastern Maine HomeCare in Brewer, was recently elected to the board of the National Association of Home Care and Hospice. The association serves as a unified national voice for home care and hospice community.

Bangor Housing recently announced the officers for the board of commissioners for 2014. Paul Chaiken, an attorney at Rudman Winchell, will continue to serve as board chair and Dan Belyea, director of administrative, student services and auxiliary enterprises at Eastern Maine Community College, will serve as board vice chair.

Achievements

Bisson Moving and Storage in Westbrook recently won the Atlas Van Lines Sales Achievement Award. The award honors agents that book more than $1 million in sales.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, recently received the Legislator of the Year Award from the Congressional Fire Services Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy institute established in 1989 that seeks to promote Congress' awareness of the needs of first responders.

Occupational Medical Consulting LLC in Leeds announced that Larry Catlett, founder and chief medical officer, recently became re-qualified as a certified medical review officer.

Natalie's at Camden Harbour Inn in Camden was recently honored as one of OpenTable Diner's Choice Top-100 Best Restaurants in America based on five million reviews of 19,000 restaurants nationwide.

Stantec, an engineering, consulting and design firm in Scarborough, announced that Jim Manzer, engineer, recently earned his Professional Traffic Operations Engineer certification. The certification recognizes a transportation professional's knowledge, skill and ability in the specialized application of traffic operations engineering.

Putney Inc., a pet pharmaceutical company in Portland, was recently named Portland's 2013 Business of the Year in recognition of the company's contribution to Portland's economic growth.

Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting firm in Portland, announced that Managing Principal Ellie Baker recently led a discussion at the New England Practice Management Conference about leadership challenges specific to women and what the future holds for women leaders in accounting. She was chosen to lead the segment, “Women Taking Charge,” for her leadership in the profession. The firm also announced that Jeffrey Wheeler, an audit principal, was named the Director of the Year at the 2013 annual meeting of the Boys and Girls Club of Manchester, N.H.

Mayflower Van Lines recently announced that Jon Carr of Allen's Mayflower in Scarborough was named Residential Salesperson of the Month for November.

Eastern Maine Development Corp. in Bangor recently named its 2013 champions, including Bangor Savings Bank for its partnership in the SBA 7(a) Community Advantage Lending program; city of Bangor Health and Community Services for its collaboration to ensure that economic development organizations are included in discussions concerning creating healthy, sustainable and desirable communities; Eaton Peabody for providing leadership to Mobilize Eastern Maine, serving on the brownfields advisory group and other initiatives; Zone Radio/The Pulse AM 620 - The Pulse Morning Show for providing an avenue for the corporation's small business clients to share stories of success; and Eastern Maine Community College, United Technology Center and Bangor Adult Education for aiding the corporation's Pathways Project.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently announced that attorneys Eben Albert-Knopp, Christopher Aslin, Brita Forssberg, Jack Montgomery and Joel Moser were selected for the 2013 Katahdin Counsel Recognition Program. The counsel was created by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to recognize the pro bono work done by Maine lawyers and to encourage lawyers to provide legal services for Maine's low-income and elderly residents.

Catholic Charities of Maine's case management staff recently presented Jessica Manaker, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Community Health and Counseling Services, with the 2013 Provider of the Year Award.

Hurley Travel Experts in Portland was recently recognized at the annual Sandals Star Awards. The company captured the Northeast Regional Highest Group Sales Award and the Best of the Best in travel agencies, an award given to agencies making 50 travel bookings or more in one year with Sandals or Beaches Resorts. Beth Skypeck was also honored with an invitation from Sandals Resorts International to join the Chairman's Royal Club, of which she is a charter member. She also won a Sandals Spirit award for promotion of the Sandals & Beaches brands and her work on behalf of the Sandals Foundation, the organization's philanthropic arm.

Melissa Fairfield, legal program coordinator at Next Step Domestic Violence Project, was recently honored by the Maine Judicial Branch with the 2013 Advocate for Justice Award. The Performance Council of the Maine Judicial Branch annually presents the award to someone who has effectively championed the cause of justice in society.

Coffee News, a weekly restaurant publication in Bangor, was ranked 93rd out of the top-500 franchises nationwide in Entrepreneur magazine's 35th annual Franchise 500 Ranking.

Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden announced that Holly Hill-Coombs, Meesha Luce, Leann McKusic and Chris Wilson recently achieved the designation of Accredited Customer Service Representative from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America. All four are based in the company's Rockland office.

Coastal Women's Healthcare in Scarborough recently announced that Cecilia Caldwell and Barbara Slager were included in Down East Magazine's Maine TopDocs Physician Survey 2014 in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Caldwell and Slager were chosen through a peer review.

The Presque Isle Elks, Presque Isle Kiwanis, Presque Isle Rotary and Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce recently presented its annual awards. Paul and Norma Desjardins were named the Citizen of the Year in recognition of their dedication to dental health of children in Aroostook County and beyond; Virginia Joles was chosen to receive the 2013 Lifetime Achievement award for the many years of service she has provided to residents of central Aroostook and beyond; and McCain Food USA was named Business of the Year for 2013 in recognition of its contributions area events and organizations and the company's investment in its facility in Easton.

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, represented Legacy Supply Chain Services Inc. in its recent purchase of Vitran Corporation Inc.'s Supply Chain Operation Division. The transaction was recently recognized by The M&A Advisor as its Retail Manufacturing/Distribution Sector Deal of the Year.

Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Commissioner Walter Whitcomb recently presented the 2014 Commissioner's Distinguished Service Award to Ralph and Lisa Turner, owners of Laughing Stock Farm in Freeport. The award recognizes notable contributions to Maine agriculture.

Michelle Raber, owner of Raber State Farm Insurance Agency in Scarborough, recently received a quality award for life insurance and annuities and multi-lines from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

The Pen Bay Medical Center Stroke Program in Rockport recently achieved recertification from the Joint Commission, an independent overseer of medical care quality. The recertification is the center's third since original certification in 2007.

The American Heart Association in Maine recently honored Jerry Whalen, vice president for business development at Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, and Thomas Brown, of counsel at Eaton Peabody, as Distinguished Service Honorees.

WGTECH, a resource for advanced information technology services in Westbrook, recently announced that Shawn Pennington, senior systems engineer, is now certified as a Cisco Certified Network Professional – Security, and as an Interactive Intelligence Interaction Center Certified Engineer 4.0, and Josh Randall, network engineer, is now certified as a Cisco Certified Network Associate – Security, Cisco Certified Network Associate – Wireless, and as a Cisco Borderless Network Mobility Support Specialist.

InterMed P.A. in Portland was recently named to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's 12th annual Physician Group Honor Roll. The honor highlights physician groups that have achieved exceptional results in their approach to disease prevention and the treatment of acute and chronic illness for both adult and pediatric patients. In addition, Down East Community Hospital, Machias; Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmington; Inland Hospital, Waterville; Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, Ellsworth; Mayo Regional Hospital, Dover-Foxcroft; Miles Memorial Hospital, Damariscotta; Mount Desert Island Hospital, Bar Harbor; Northern Maine Medical Center, Fort Kent; St. Joseph Hospital, Bangor; Southern Maine Medical Center, Biddeford; and Stephens Memorial Hospital, Norway were named to the Hospital Honor Roll.

An article written in part by Market Decisions' Research Director Patrick Madden, in collaboration with Rebecca Murphy-Hoefer, Dorean Maines and Carol Coles, was recently published in Preventing Chronic Disease, a peer-reviewed journal by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The article, “Prevalence of Smoke-Free Car and Home Rules in Maine Before and After Passage of a Smoke-Free Vehicle Law,” is the first study to examine the occurrence of reported smoke-free rules in private cars and homes prior to and after the passage of a smoke-free vehicle law.