In short from June 29, 2009 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

SystemArchitecture.NET, a provider of software, website and IT support services in Windham, recently hired David Trask as business development manager. Previously, Trask was a project manager with CBE Technologies in Portland.

Harborview Investments, a financial services company in Portland, recently hired Amy Keating as a wealth manager.  Previously, Keating was a financial advisor with UBS Financial Services in Portland.

Maine Senior Games, a program of the Southern Maine Agency on Aging in Scarborough, recently hired Jo Dill as coordinator and sponsor of athletic competition in 14 core sports.

Portland-based Nelson and Small Inc., a wholesale distributor that operates throughout New England and eastern New York, recently hired Bill Gabriel as a territory sales manager for distribution of alternative-energy products. Previously, Gabriel was an eastern regional sales manager for Infloor Heating Systems in Colorado.

Brunswick-based Downeast Energy and Building Supply recently hired Deb Houge as office manager of its South Portland and Yarmouth offices. Previously, Houge was an office manager at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Yarmouth.

Saddleback Maine, a ski resort in Rangeley, recently hired Conrad Klefos as director of marketing. Previously, Klefos was the director of marketing at Jay Peak Resort in northern Vermont.

Revenue Enhancement Consultants, a marketing firm in Portland, recently hired Paul Quintal as the company’s new president. Previously, Quintal led sales, marketing and business development for Trump University, an online education company.

Sellers Publishing Inc., a South Portland-based publisher of greeting cards, boxed cards, calendars and books, recently hired Colin McGee to its sales and marketing team. Previously, McGee was a key accounts sales manager for Tuttle Publishing in Vermont.

DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant in Portland recently hired Steve DiMillo as banquet manager, representing the family’s third generation that has entered the business.

McClain Marketing Group, a strategic marketing solutions firm in Portland, recently hired Samuel Brewster as associate director of new media and Erik Neilson as production manager.

Allied Cook Construction, a Scarborough-based commercial construction management firm, recently hired the following: Ben Levesque as a superintendent; Sam Swan as estimating and preconstruction manager; and Erin Ball as executive administrative assistant.

Main-Land Development Consultants of Livermore Falls recently hired Tim Gallant as the firm’s first geographic information systems coordinator. Previously, Gallant worked at Corner Post Land Surveying Inc. in Springvale as a survey project.

Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington recently hired Susan Tedrick as chief compliance officer. Previously, Tedrick worked with the law firm of Kozak and Gayer in Augusta as a staff attorney.

Thomas College in Waterville recently hired Molly Feeney as an admissions counselor and Richard Grant as the director of career services.

Cleveland-based KeyBank recently hired Christopher Klenk as manager of its Ellsworth branch and Nazrin Dixon as manager of its Skowhegan branch. Previously, Klenk was branch manager for Border Trust Co. in Augusta and Dixon worked as a store manager for Macy’s in Bangor.

Portland-based law firm Berry Dunn McNeil and Parker recently hired Todd Desjardins to its financial services group and Seth Hedstrom to its management information services group. Previously, Desjardins worked with Macdonald Page and Co. in South Portland and Hedstrom is a recent graduate of Babson College in Babson Park, Mass., with a degree in business management.

Augusta-based Bicycle Coalition of Maine, a statewide nonprofit group working for better bicycling in Maine, recently hired the following: William McMurray as an event and volunteer coordinator; Sarah Cushman as the Southern Maine Safe Routes to School coordinator; and Darcy Whittemore as the Central Maine Safe Routes to School coordinator. McMurray previously worked as an admissions administrator for California College of the Arts, Cushman continues to operate Cushman Transportation Consulting and Whittemore was the education director at the Pine Tree State Arboretum in Augusta.

Portland-based law firm Bernstein Shur recently hired Ralph St. George as director of marketing. Previously, St. George was director of marketing at Mintz Levin, a Boston-based law firm.

Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting firm in Portland, recently hired Melanie Rawlings as a staff auditor and Robert Wright as administrative assistant. Previously, Rawlings worked as a client financing coordinator for Empyrean International in Acton, Mass., and Wright worked as an administrative assistant for a large regional CPA firm.

Weatherization Wizards Inc. in Clinton recently hired Michael McAllister as an associate weatherization technician. Previously, McAllister was a carpenter at PR Construction in Fairfield.

Promotions

Maine Medical Center in Portland recently promoted Geri Tamborelli to director of the neonatal intensive care unit and continuing care nursery. Tamborelli also serves as director of the hospital’s family birth center.

McClain Marketing Group, a strategic marketing firm in Portland, recently promoted Travis McClain to director of interactive development and Cara Ragucci to account executive.

Richard Petersen was recently promoted to president and CEO of Maine Medical Center in Portland. Previously, Petersen was chief operating officer and interim CEO.

Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center in Bangor recently promoted Jessica Carter to education and outreach coordinator. Previously, Carter was chair of the planning committee.

Weatherization Wizards Inc. in Clinton recently promoted Eric Goding and J. Scott Wetherell to master weatherization technicians.

Appointments

Timothy Boulette, a director at Portland law firm Murray, Plumb and Murray, was recently appointed to serve as president of the board of directors for Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland.

The Maine Real Estate and Development Association recently elected Keith Luke, director of economic and community development for the city of Westbrook, to its board of directors.

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently appointed Jess Knox as associate administrator for the Office of Field Operations of Administrator Karen Mills. Previously, Knox was special assistant to the Maine speaker of the House, and served as the speaker’s legislative and political director.

The Public Theatre in Lewiston recently appointed Sheri Olstein, a family nurse practitioner at St. Mary’s Community Clinical Services in Lewiston, to its board of directors.

The Maine Association of Nonprofits, a statewide organization that provides management support services, programs and resources to Maine’s nonprofit sector, recently elected Warren Cook, CEO of Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, and Kim Lipp, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Jobs for Maine’s Graduates in Augusta, to its board of directors. The association also re-elected to the board: Tom Davis, executive director of Skills Inc. in Waterville; Jennifer Hutchins, director of communications at the Muskie School in Portland; and Jane Richmond, director of operations at the Nature Conservancy in Brunswick. Elected as officers for a one-year term were: Tom Davis as president; Jennifer Hutchins as vice president; Peter Montano of MacDonald Page and Co. in South Portland as treasurer; and Cathy Ramsdell, executive director of Friends of Casco Bay in Portland, as secretary and assistant treasurer.

The Animal Welfare Society in West Kennebunk recently appointed Kendall Reed, retired president and CEO of Kennebunk Savings Bank, to its board of directors.

The Maine Women’s Fund named the following business leaders to its board of directors: Hannah Bass, associate attorney at Norman, Hanson and DeTroy in Portland; Camille Hazeur, director of affirmative action and manager of institutional diversity projects at Bates College in Lewiston; Patricia Kimball, director of community development at Volunteers of America Northern New England in Brunswick; and Pamela Maus, principal of Pamela J. Maus Consulting in Owls Head.

Trisha Mason, founding director of the University of New England’s Center for International Education, was recently elected to the board of directors of the Maine World Affairs Council in Portland, a nonprofit public membership organization dedicated to public education in international affairs. 

WinterKids in Portland, nonprofit organization committed to helping children develop healthy lifelong habits, recently elected the following to its board of directors: Alexa Dayton, director of communications and development at Maine Huts and Trails in Kingfield; Andy Hamblett, executive director of the Boothbay Region YMCA in Boothbay Harbor; Eric Kolben, financial advisor at UBS in Portland; and Michael Peisner, attorney at Curtis Thaxter Stevens Broder and Micoleau in Portland.

The Portland Museum of Art recently elected the following individuals to its board of trustees: Linda Baker, museum docent president; Selma Botman, president of the University of Southern Maine; and Earle Shettleworth, director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. The museum also elected the following officers: James Moody, retired chairman at Hannaford Bros. Co. in Scarborough, as president; Hans Underdahl, senior vice president of RBC Wealth Management in Portland, as chairman; Beth De Tine, interior designer at Beth Laurie Interiors in Portland, as first vice president; John Isacke, vice president for administration and CFO of Maine Public Broadcasting Network in Bangor, as vice president for finance and treasurer; Robert Nanovic, former partner at Wilkens and Nanovic Investment Associates in North Yarmouth, as assistant treasurer; and Leonard Nelson, partner at Bernstein Shur in Portland, as secretary.

Don Richard, a direct placement staffing consultant with the staffing firm Mountain Limited in New Gloucester, was recently named by the National Association of Personnel Services as co-chair of the organization’s Physician Recruitment Certification Committee.

Spotlight

Gifford’s Ice Cream, a family-owned ice cream manufacturer in Skowhegan, recently announced that it has been picked up by the University of Connecticut and the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion concert facility in Gilford, N.H.

Gifford’s Ice Cream was recently added to the official meal plan at the University of Connecticut and will now be offered to nearly 30,000 student diners on campus. Also, in addition to being featured at New Hampshire’s Meadowbrook concert facility, Gifford’s will be served at The Pines Seafood House in Raymond, N.H., the Tamarack Restaurant Drive-In in Laconia, N.H., and Mel’s, an entertainment complex located in Litchfield, N.H. 

Company News

Central Maine Power Co. in Augusta recently announced it is expanding its South Gorham substation by adding a second autotransformer and other equipment.

Portland-based TD Banknorth recently announced plans to open a new facility to expand its call center operations in Auburn in 2010 and hire 200 new employees.

Shoestring Creative Group, an ad agency in Gardiner, recently created a national television commercial for Salesian Mission in New Rochelle, N.Y., that premiered on cable television this week.

Auburn Bancorp and Auburn Savings Bank recently announced that August Berta, director and former president and CEO, has formally retired from the board of directors. 

Berry Dunn McNeil and Parker recently announced that Andrew Sangalang, a member of the firm’s financial services industry group, has been awarded his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine.

Verizon Wireless, headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., recently expanded its network with a new cell site in New Sharon, increasing wireless voice and 3G coverage along routes 2, 27, 41 and 134 in New Sharon, Rome, Vienna and Mercer, as well as the surrounding areas.

The Maine Community College System recently announced that William Cassidy will retire as president of Washington County Community College in Calais on Dec. 31.

Lewiston-based Oxford Networks, a telecommunication provider, recently opened a new center in Bangor that enables the company to provide local sales and technical service to eastern Maine businesses.

Portland Magazine recently set an all-time advertising sales record of $229,619 with its Summerguide 2009 issue.

The Planet Dog Foundation, a grant program and supporter to nonprofit organizations in Portland, recently awarded seven out-of-state canine service organizations with a total of $33,000 in grants.

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America in Portland recently unveiled its new brand identity as part of the launch of its new ingredient marketing campaign at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual conference this month in Anaheim, Calif. The new campaign includes an updated logo, trade advertising, trade show promotion, website marketing and public relations.

AT&T recently announced the following new cell sites are now on air: Hampden, Wells, Hiram, Lewiston, Lisbon, Hermon, Brewer, York, Falmouth and Holden.

Celsius Technology Group, a web developer in Falmouth, has developed Celsius Publisher, a web-based, hosted platform that creates a universal content community. The system helps new organizations manage all of the content being collected and/or distributed to the web or print.

Whole Foods Market in Portland recently partnered with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Orono to provide food-preservation advice to its customers. The University of Maine Extension’s canning and preserving web site is featured in “This Is What Summer Tastes Like,” a seasonal entertaining guide available in Whole Foods Market stores throughout the country.

Digital Research Inc., a full service marketing research firm in Kennebunk, recently announced the launch of its new Waggle service, a private social networking community platform, designed solely for marketing research purposes.

Katahdin Valley Health Center, headquartered in Patten, recently announced that plans are under way to expand its medical clinic at 30 Houlton St. Construction of the $1.7 million expansion began on May 26 and is estimated to be complete in early December. Katahdin Valley Health Center also recently received a grant of $525,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration to expand its medical programs, including family care and chronic disease screenings.

Quantrix, a software developer in Portland, recently announced the launch of DataNAV, an add-on product to its business modeling and analytics solution, Quantrix Modeler.

Norway Savings Bank, headquartered in Norway, recently announced the opening of its new branch in Yarmouth.

The Maine Technology Institute recently selected the following four University of Maine projects to receive a total of $6.8 million from the Maine Technology Asset Fund: The Process Development Center in Orono received $1,083,197; the Maine Innovative Industries Initiative in Orono received $3,690,000; the Maine Center for Autonomous Marine Survey in Orono received $1,283,822; and the STEM Education Initiative in Orono received $883,160. The University of New England in Biddeford also received a $1.5 million grant from MTI toward completion of the biomedical research labs on its Biddeford campus. The Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health was selected to receive a $1.2 million grant from MTI to purchase a suite of flow cytometry equipment and information technology that will establish a Maine Regional Flow Cytometry Collaborative in greater Bangor.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration recently awarded a grant of $1.7 million for the town of West Bath to expand the Wing Farm Business Park.

Republic Parking System in Bangor recently announced the launch of a new parking website, www.thegaragebangor.com. The site provides business people and visitors with information about parking in downtown Bangor, including up-to-date information about hourly, daily and monthly fees and printable maps of all parking locations.

Sellers Publishing, a publisher of books, calendars, greeting cards and journals in South Portland, recently announced that the U.S. Postal Service has selected the image used on its Madonna and Sleeping Child holiday card as the official Christmas stamp for 2009.

Portland-based law firm Verrill Dana has become a member of the World Services Group, a multidisciplinary professional network representing more than 11,000 individuals in 136 jurisdictions and 14 different service areas. 

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston recently received full accreditation status from the Society of Chest Pain Center’s accreditation review committee.

Flotation Technologies Inc., a developer of deepwater buoyancy systems in Biddeford, recently announced the completion of a significant expansion of its Biddeford facility. The cornerstone of the expansion is a new enclosed shipping and receiving area that allows tractor trailers to drop off up to three flatbeds to load drilling riser buoyancy modules and other related deepwater buoyancy products using a new overhead crane system.

Blue Marble Geographics, a developer of geographic software products based in Gardiner, recently released the Blue Marble Desktop 2.0, an all-in-one geospatial data management platform that includes two new applications, the Geographic Calculator 7.3 and Geographic Transformer 6.1.

The Maine Downtown Center, based in Augusta, recently added two new Main Street Maine communities to its program: Rockland and Sanford. Ten towns and cities are now members of the Main Street Maine program.

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor recently received $4,453,971 from the Maine Technology Asset Fund, the largest individual amount given out in the second round of awards from the state’s $50 million research and development bond approved in 2007. The award will fund the new Bigelow Center for Blue Biotechnology, slated to open in the summer of 2010 and employ 46 full- and part-time workers. The center will perform biomedical, biofuels and aquaculture research, among other topics.

Shalom House, a Portland-based agency that offer rental assistance to low-income residents, will expand its services into York County with the acquisition of over 160 housing subsidies formerly managed by Counseling Services Inc.

The Falls Restaurant in Auburn recently celebrated its grand opening at Two Great Falls Plaza.

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England recently announced it was awarded $686,864 out of a total $1.1 million grant from the Department of Labor to manage the YouthBuild program in Lewiston, a national two-year program that helps at-risk youth ages 18-24 obtain their diplomas or GEDs while providing training in the construction industry. The program was formerly managed by Coastal Enterprises Inc. of Wiscasset.

Three companies recently relocated to The Castle at Brickhill, a newly renovated office complex in South Portland: Maine Adoption Placement Service, Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and New England WomenCenter.

The Port Tavern & Grille at the Kennebunkport Inn was recently renovated and reopened as One Dock.

Atlantic Heights, a retirement community in Saco, recently opened The Inn, a new 64-apartment assisted living facility.

Bolduc Technology Group, a manufacturer of advanced adaptive mobility controls, recently announced it is relocating from Louisiana to Augusta and bringing 18 new jobs.

Accolades

PROMO magazine recently named Portland-based Pierce Promotions, a marketing agency specializing in experiential, retail and promotional solutions, one of the top agencies for event and experiential marketing. In the PROMO 100, PROMO magazine’s annual ranking of the industry’s top promotion and integrated marketing agencies by U.S. net revenue, Pierce Promotions was named No. 26 with $42 million of net revenue in 2008 and 52% growth from 2006-2008. Within the event and experiential category, Pierce Promotions ranked No. 7.

Knight’s Quilt Shop, a quilt shop in Cape Neddick, was recently chosen as one of the 10 featured shops across the United States and Canada in the fall 2009 issue of Quilt Sampler magazine, published by Better Homes and Gardens.

SmartHome Solutions Inc. in Kennebunk recently received the award for best installation at the Savant dealer conference in Hyannis, Mass.

The Maine Development Foundation recently named Main Street Bath the best Main Street program in the state.

Bryce Hamilton, a sales associate at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Portland, was recently named one of the top 100 sales associates by transaction sides (buy and sell), according to The Wall Street Journal/LORE magazine’s list of the top 400 real estate professionals.

Disability RMS, a provider of turnkey disability risk management products and services in Westbrook, recently announced that it has been named the 2009 recipient of the Robert R. Masterton Award, presented by the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Planet Dog in Portland recently received the Best of New England Editor’s Choice Awards from Yankee Magazine’s 2009 travel guide.

WMTW-TV News 8 in Portland recently received a 2009 New England EMMY Award for Best Newscast from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 

Tracy Rousseau of Solo Bistro in Bath recently won the Cold River Vodka Restaurant Week Cocktail Competition award for her cocktail, the “Cold River Shiver.”

University of Maine Business School faculty member Scott Anchors in Orono was recently selected to receive the Gordon Lawrence Educational Achievement Award from the Association of Psychological Type International in recognition of his work and research with the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. 

Maine Huts and Trails in Kingfield was recently recognized as “Best Walk in the Woods” and awarded the 2009 Editors’ Choice in Yankee Magazine’s travel guide to New England.

Farmington-based Franklin Memorial Hospital’s medical laboratory has been awarded accreditation as the result of a recent on-site inspection by the College of American Pathologists. Franklin Memorial Hospital also recently received the Exceeding Patient Expectations Award from Avatar International, a health-care quality improvement service.

Robyn Saunders, project manager for GZA GeoEnvironmental’s Portland professional practice group, recently received an environmental merit award from the New England office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Long Creek Restoration Project team.

The American Culinary Federation Inc. recently announced that the Hartstone Inn in Camden is the recipient of the 2009 Achievement of Excellence Award.

Wanda Grandmaison, a teacher assistant with Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care, was recently awarded the Fridelle Peterson Award at Androscoggin Head Start’s employee wellness day. 

Margaret Hourigan, an assistant professor of nursing at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish and chair of its nursing department, was recently named the 2009 Maine Nursing Leader by the Organization for Maine Nurse Executives for outstanding achievement in nursing leadership, communication and commitment to patient care.

The Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Maine recently presented its first President’s Award to Augusta-based MaineHousing director Dale McCormick at its annual meeting in Portland.

Freeport-based Cold River Vodka’s blueberry-flavored vodka was recently featured in Wine Enthusiast’s June article on flavored vodkas. Cold River Vodka was also featured in Strategize magazine’s luxury gift ideas section.

Community Concepts’ Transportation Department, located in South Paris and Auburn, was recently awarded the 2009 Rural System of the Year Award by the Community Transportation Association of America.

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development was recently recognized for the comprehensiveness, continuity, research design and innovative funding model of its evaluation projects by the Council for Community and Economic Research at its annual conference in Kansas City, Mo.

Portland law firm Fisher and Phillips recently announced that the following three attorneys were recognized as leaders in their fields by the London-based research organization and publisher Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2009:  Jonathan Shapiro, regional managing partner, in the areas of labor and employment and benefits and compensation; and partner Eric Uhl and Philip Moss, of counsel, in labor and employment.