Past winners value entreverge awards
Some of last year's five entreverge winners say the recognition they received from fellow greater Portland young professionals is still paying dividends as the host organization gets ready to honor five more entrepreneurs Wednesday.
Entreverge awards -- given by PROPEL, the young professionals networking organization affiliated with the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce -- recognize young business people for their innovation, contribution and commitment to the Maine business community.
Jeremy Litchfield, founder of Atayne, an outdoor and athletic clothing company in Brunswick that uses recycled fabrics to make apparel, wrote in an e-mail that winning one of the group's awards in 2009 helped open doors to new business contacts.
"We are currently working on some new manufacturing partnerships from contacts we made through entreverge," wrote Litchfield. "Ultimately, entreverge was very instrumental in making Atayne a known entity in the Maine business community."
Likewise, Adrianne Zahner wrote in an e-mail that her artisan jewelry business, Turtle Love Co. in Portland, benefited from the exposure, as did Topline Marketing, a natural foods brokerage firm based in South Portland.
"The best reward for me was the networking and meeting so many people in the Portland, Maine, business arena," wrote Karen Farrell, president of Topline.
Like last year, the 2010 entreverge award ceremony will be held at the Port City Music Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., with food, drink and live music. Last year, emile inc., a wedding photography studio, and Pemaquid Communications, a web design firm, both in Portland, were also chosen from a field of 52 candidates in entreverge's inaugural year. This year, members of PROPEL are reviewing 42 entreverge candidates.
Laura LeBrun, a spokeswoman for the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, says the awards include a package of pro bono consulting services, and opportunities to meet members of PROPEL's Advisory Network, a group of Maine's leading business figures. Tickets for the 2010 entreverge awards ceremony cost $10 for PROPEL and Chamber members and $15 for non-members. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and awards will be presented at 6:30 p.m.
Mainebiz intern Lara Cole contributed to this report.
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