Newsworthy people and performances

New hires

The Maine Department of Corrections recently hired Scott Reiff as director of industries.

Gowen Power Systems, a generator sales and service company in Portland, recently hired Mark Andersen as operations manager. Andersen was previously with Gowen Marine.

Piper Shores, a nonprofit retirement community in Scarborough, recently hired Mary DeSalle as director of community health services. DeSalle has served as a gerontological health practitioner for more than 25 years.

Community Health and Counseling Services in Bangor recently hired Sibel Algon as part of its psychiatry team.

Unum, a financial protection benefits company in Portland, recently hired Wendy Harlan as assistant vice president and senior counsel. Harlan was previously associate general counsel at Idexx Laboratories.

Vreeland Marketing & Design in Yarmouth recently hired Jessica Wallace as digital marketing director and Jessica Cote as marketing director. Wallace was most recently a digital marketing analyst at Hall Internet Marketing. Cote most recently served as an account executive at Rinck Advertising.

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce in Waterville recently hired Tanya Verzoni in sales and marketing. Most recently, Verzoni was with Mountain Wireless Radio.

Might & Main, a design firm in Portland, recently hired Regis Biron as a designer. Biron previously was a web designer at CIEE.

Husson University in Bangor recently hired Patricia Bixel as dean of its School of Science and Humanities. Previously, Bixel was an associate academic dean and professor of history at Maine Maritime Academy.

The MEMIC Group, a workers' compensation insurer in Portland, recently hired Tod Austin as vice president, underwriting. Austin will work out of the company's Tampa, Fla. office.

Department of Administrative and Financial Services recently hired Gregory Mineo as director of the Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations. Mineo is the managing director of Beviamo Consulting LLC.

Diversified Communications, an international media company in Portland, recently hired Michelle Whitney and Liz Fallon as customer relationship representatives. Whitney was previously with Stella & Dot in San Francisco, while Fallon was with PureWire Publishing.

cPort Credit Union in Portland recently hired Benjamin Guerette as training coordinator. Guerette was previously operations coordinator at Tilson Technology.

The city of Auburn recently hired Timothy Holden as general manager of the Norway Savings Bank Arena. Holden was previously rink manager of the MHG Ice Center in Saco.

Promotions

Gowen Power Systems, a generator sales and service company in Portland, recently promoted Pete Thompson to service manager and Rebecca Howard to office manager/inside sales.

Might & Main, a design firm in Portland, recently promoted Morgan DiPietro to senior designer. DiPietro was previously a designer.

The Maine Department of Corrections recently promoted Jim Howard to director of adult educational and vocational programming.

The University of New England in Biddeford recently promoted Martha-Velerie Wilson to dean of the College of Graduate Studies. Wilson was previously the director of the School of Social Work.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust recently promoted Sara O'Connell to vice president/human resources. O'Connell was previously assistant vice president/ human resources.

S.W. Cole Engineering Inc. in Bangor recently promoted Robert Chaput Jr. to president and CEO, Chad Michaud to COO and executive vice president, Paul Kohler to senior vice president, Roger Domingo to vice president of construction services, Timothy Boyce to vice president of engineering and Gary Bucklin to vice president of geoscience services. Chaput is also the manager of the firm's Augusta office; Michaud is the manager of the firm's Somersworth, N.H., office; Kohler was previously president and CEO and is the manager of the firm's Gray office; Domingo was previously the construction services manager in Gray; Boyce has been with the firm since 1999 and was also named to the firm's board of directors; and Bucklin was previously the director of GeoEnvironmental services.

Appointments

Baker Newman Noyes, a CPA and consulting firm in Portland, announced that Brett Seekins, senior manager in the firm's health care management consulting practice, was recently appointed to the Cape Elizabeth Town Council Senior Citizens Advisory Committee.

The Maine Insurance Agents Association in Hallowell recently elected Jeffrey McDonnell as president. McDonnell is a principal with the Allen/Freeman/McDonnell Agency in Brewer.

The National Small Business Association recently added Rick Snow of Maine Indoor Karting in Scarborough to its board of trustees.

St.Germain Collins, an environmental consulting and engineering firm in Westbrook, recently announced that Keith Taylor, senior environmental geologist, was appointed by Gov. Paul LePage to the Board of Certified Geologists and Soil Scientists.

Achievements

Pulp+Wire, a branding and design firm in Portland, recently announced that it has been nominated for Best Green Website in the 18th annual Webby Awards for its work with FindaSpring.com, a nonprofit resource for finding natural spring water sites all over the world.

PJ Coeur LLC, a software company in Gorham, recently won an Emerging Ideas Award at Gorham Savings Bank's LaunchPad Competition.

The ACLU of Maine recently presented its Justice Louis Scolnik Award to Jack Simmons, an advocate for the rights of the accused, fighting for Miranda rights, the presumption of innocence and equal protection under the law.

Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham recently recognized 20 individuals who were awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award. Bronze level awardees (100-249 hours) were Morgan Albair, Hillary Bowden, Grady Cameron, Janis Childs, Marena Dutremble, Cindy Elder, Robert Foley, Halee Jandreau, Jodi Peasley, Dan Morabito, Nancy Robinson, Kaylene Sutton and George Webber. Silver level awardees (250 to 499 hours) were Jo Blinick, Mark Fuller, Pat Niboli and Bryony Urquhart. Gold level awardees (500 or more hours) were Jessica Morissette, Patty Shaw and Paulette Shepard.

The Maine Crafts Association, a statewide nonprofit organization promoting the work of Maine's craft artists, recently named Sharon Townshend, ceramic artist in Pownal, as its 2014 Master Craft Artist.

SymQuest, an IT provider in Westbrook, was recently ranked 28th in the MSP Mentor 501 Global Edition.

The Governor's Awards for Service and Volunteerism recently recognized Clarence Smith of Beacon Hospice as Volunteer of the Year; Tyler Cross, The Game Loft, Youth Volunteer of the Year; Becca Stabler, Portland Housing Authority's Riverton Park Study Center as an AmeriCorps member for the Multilingual Leadership Corps, a program of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, Outstanding National Service Volunteer Award winner; Lisa Morin, coordinator of the Bodwell Center for Service and Volunteerism at the University of Maine, Excellence in Volunteer Administration; Gardiner Federal Credit Union, Small Business Volunteerism Award; Boys & Girls Club of Greater Gardiner, Outstanding Nonprofit Volunteer Program Award for its Keystone Club; and Ella Friend, Exemplary Service Award.

Kaplan Thompson Architects in Portland recently won the U.S. Green Building Council 2013 LEED for Homes award for Outstanding Single Family Home of the Year for its Earthship Farmstead project in Stuart, Va.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection recently presented its annual Environmental Merit Awards to Scott Williams of Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program; the Save Your Pipes: Don't Flush Baby Wipes campaign from Maine Waste Water Control Association, INDA and the Portland Water District; E2Tech; and Sam Merrill of Catalysis Adaptation Partners.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate/The Masiello Group recently honored its 2013 top performers at a ceremony in Augusta. Steve Brunette from the firm's Sanford office was honored as the top agent for closed transactions in 2013. Brunette also received a Legends Award along with Peter LaRochelle from Wells. Other individual award winners included Linda Beaulieu, Linda Davis, Faith Morse, Jane Cyr, Susan Dube and Marcel Poulin from Auburn; John Everest, Kennebunk; Cindy Donnell, Gene Corey, Peter Gluckler and Teresa Woods from York; Susan Michaels, Wells; Stephanie Densmore, Sanford; Lynne Hall, Gorham; and Meriwether Gill, Camden. Top team performance awards went to Auburn teams of Gina Letourneau, Deb Lebourdais, Elyssa Hackett, Crystal Morrissette, Jane Lindstone and Charisa Henry; Trisha and Kevin Fletcher; and Dave Depot and Janet McCarthy; and Thomas Sawyer and Paula Standley, Kennebunk. Auburn teams of Don Kilbreth and Betty Grant, Chip and Sherry Brooks, and Reneé Roy and Patience Johnson as well as Gary and Carol Goodwin from Sanford received team leadership awards.

Verrill Dana, a law firm in Portland, was recently listed 14th in the country with the highest concentration of female partners in Law360's 2014 class of Ceiling Smashers. Female partners make up more than 32% of the firm's attorneys. The firm also recently announced that it created The Roger A. Putnam Community Service Award. Putnam, who has spent more than 50 years with the firm, was the first recipient of the award.

The Center for Plain Language recently presented Unum, a disability, group life and voluntary benefits insurance firm in Portland, with a ClearMark Award in the category of website-private as well as a ClearMark Award of Distinction in the category of original-private for its “Health Care Reform: Key Steps and Strategies for 2013 and Beyond.”

Cross Insurance, an independent insurance provider and a subsidiary of Cross Financial Corp. in Bangor, was recently recognized by Frankenmuth Insurance of Frankenmuth, Mich., as a preferred partner. The company also announced that Skillings Shaw & Associates Inc. in Lewiston recently achieved Champions Tour recognition with Merchants Bonding Co. for being among the best-of-the-best in contract surety.

Nola Cady, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Realty One in York, was recently presented with the RE/MAX Hall of Fame Award, which honors agents who have earned more than $1 million in commissions during their careers with the company.

Norton Financial Services in Cumberland announced that Peter Fendler, president, and Raymond Emery, chartered financial consultant, recently achieved Commonwealth Financial Network's Summit Club Status for 2014 and qualified for the Million Dollar Round Table Court of the Table based upon annual production.

The Radio Television Digital News Association recently awarded WMTW in Portland with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for snowstorm coverage and its reporting on last year's Lewiston fires.

The University of Southern Maine recently recognized John Entwistle for his impact on the community that extends beyond the school's campus borders. Entwistle is director and certified business counselor at the Maine Small Business Development Centers at the university in Portland.

The Institute for Civic Leadership in Portland recently graduated its 21st leadership intensive class. Graduates included Tom Acousti, 3 for 3 Partnered Events; Rachelle Curran Apse, Portland Food Co-op; Dakotah Atchinson, Baxter Academy for Technology & Science; Corey Bouyea, L.L.Bean; Elise Boyson, Preble Street Resource Center; Emily Chaleff, Jewish Community Alliance; Sydney Clifton, Hannaford Brothers Co.; Ilona Davis, Baker Newman Noyes; Kim Foglio, OA Centers for Orthopaedics; Becky Gauthier, Vont Web Marketing; Susan Giambalvo, Center for Grieving Children; Hildy Ginsberg, YMCA of Southern Maine; Joel Glockler, Acadia Insurance; Molly Haley, The Telling Room; Mark Hebert, Fairchild Semiconductor Corp.; John Labrie, Unum; Amanda Lehman, Thornton Tomasetti; Irene Marchenay, North Yarmouth Academy; Germain Ngbeli Sambuma, community volunteer; Jill Northrop, WEX Inc.; Bertin Nzambi Kuiza, community volunteer; Pat O'Brien, Idexx Laboratories Inc.; Josh O'Brien, city of Portland; Bill Patterson, The Nature Conservancy; Patty Renaud, independent consultant; Gary Rogers, Portland Police Department; Rebecca Rundquist, community volunteer; Andy Smith, Baker Newman Noyes; Emily Springer, Unum; Jenny Stasio, Family Crisis Services; Randy Tome, Woodard & Curran; Todd Turkewitz, Martin's Point Health Care; and Carrie Zeisse, United Way of Greater Portland.

The Society of Certified Insurance Counselors recently recognized Gilbert Fifield of Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden with a certificate honoring his 30 years of participation in advanced education.