In short from Oct. 5, 2009 | A roundup of new hires, promotions, accolades and appointments from Maine's business community

New Hires

Spinnaker Trust, a wealth management firm in Portland, recently hired Ralph Harding as director of private equity. Previously, Harding was director of capital markets at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Ind.

Communication Technologies Inc., a distributor of Nortel and ShoreTel telecommunications business products in Falmouth, recently hired Michael Begin as vice president of sales and marketing and Guy Mitchell as an account manager. 

The Maine Cancer Foundation in Portland recently hired Peter King as special events manager. Previously, King worked for the American Lung Association in Augusta.

Bernstein Shur, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Thomas Sheehan as an attorney in its securities industry practice group. Previously, Sheehan was senior counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth recently hired Laurie Hyndman as director of admission. Previously, Hyndman was owner and publisher of Port City Life magazine.

Penobscot Bay Media, a GIS solutions company in Camden, recently hired Paul Evans as public safety consultant. Previously, Evans was the Boston police commissioner.

Rosa Scarcelli, Democratic candidate for governor, recently hired Patsy Wiggins, a Maine journalist and public affairs consultant, as her campaign manager.

Portland-based law firm Pierce Atwood recently hired Michael Anderson as an associate in the firm’s business practice group. Previously, Anderson served as law clerk to Chief Justice Leigh Saufley of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Pierce Atwood also hired Kevin Haskins as an associate in the firm’s environmental and land-use practice group. Previously, Haskins served as law clerk to Justice Jon Levy of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

The Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce recently hired Kathie Kull as publications and web manager.

Occupational Medical Consulting in Leeds, a provider of occupational health and wellness services to businesses, recently hired Mark Ishkanian as communications manager.

The Portland Public School Department recently hired Timothy Devaney as principal of Portland’s public elementary schools on Peaks Island and Cliff Island. 

The University of New England in Biddeford recently hired Marc Hahn as dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Previously, Hahn served as the senior vice president for health affairs for the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Texas.

MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta recently hired Danice Rinderknecht as a member of the active medical staff in its emergency department and Kate O’Halloran as director of gift planning and major gifts. Previously, Rinderknecht was an emergency physician at Sebasticook Valley Hospital in Pittsfield and O’Halloran was an associate director for gift planning at Colby College in Waterville.

The Robertson Chiropractic Wellness Center in Belfast recently hired Anne Atkinson as a craniosacral therapist. Previously, Atkinson was a counselor for the Onward Program at the University of Maine at Orono.

Promotions

Sunday River ski resort in Newry recently promoted Steve Boulanger to director of ski patrol. Previously, Boulanger was a ski patroller.

Key Private Bank in Bangor recently promoted Raquel Tibbetts to financial planning consultant for KeyBank’s Maine district. Previously, Tibbetts was a business banking relationship manager.

Pen Bay Healthcare in Rockport recently promoted Richard Kahn to senior services physician specialist.

Bangor Savings Bank in Bangor recently promoted T. Scott Baldwin, Carol Colson and Jamey Doughty to senior vice president.

Macdonald Page and Co., a certified public accounting firm in South Portland, recently promoted the following: Erik Nadeau to senior manager; Kyle Eddy to manager; Nancy Chase to supervisor; Adam Hobson to supervisor; Scott Wellman to supervisor; Ross Burgess to senior accountant; Darcy Dow to senior accountant; Hadje Esmiller to senior accountant; Kristina Podoski to senior accountant; Michelle Small to senior accountant; and Charlotte Thurlow to staff accountant.

Biddeford Savings recently promoted Keith Gosselin to assistant vice president.

Appointments

Jeremy Fischer, an attorney at the law firm of Bernstein Shur in Portland, was recently named to the board of directors of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The Maine Pellet Fuels Association recently appointed the following to its board: George Soffron, CEO of Corinth Wood Pellets in Corinth, as president; Dutch Dresser of Maine Energy Systems in Bethel as vice president; and Jonathan Kahn of Geneva Wood Fuels in Strong as secretary-treasurer. 

United Way of Greater Portland recently appointed Chris Emmons, president and CEO of Gorham Savings Bank, to its board of directors as board chair and Al Swallow, associate vice president of finance at Maine Medical Center in Portland, as vice chair.

The Morrison Center in Scarborough, a nonprofit agency that specializes in the support and education of children and adults with disabilities, recently appointed Dean Alofs, an account executive at Willis HRH of Northern New England in Auburn, to its board of directors.

The Maine Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction recently appointed the following officers to its board of directors: Heidi Rodzen of Skillings Shaw and Associates Inc. in Lewiston as president; Lacey Barcelou of American Concrete Co. in Bangor as vice president; Joyce Newman of the Maine Better Transportation Association in Augusta as treasurer; and Crystal Manzer of Bruce A. Manzer Inc. in Anson as recording secretary.

TechMaine recently appointed Kevin Reader, senior vice president of Perry and Banks Integrated Sales and Marketing in Portland, to its board of directors.

Company news

The Weber Insurance Group in Farmington recently added Family and Friends Agency in Westbrook, owned by James Welch, as an agency member.

Portland-based OA Centers for Orthopedics recently established two new walk-in sports injury clinics at 33 Sewall St. in Portland and 15 Lund Road in Saco.

SMRT, a full-service architecture, engineering and planning firm in Portland, was recently awarded the design of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Armed Forces Reserve Center in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. Consigli Construction Co. Inc., which has an office in Portland, is the prime contractor.

On Sept. 12, Freeport-based L.L.Bean celebrated the grand opening of its new home goods store, designed with an old-time general store feel and open 24 hours a day.

The Ridgewood Estates development in Falmouth was recently acquired and revitalized by Ridgewood Associates, which shortened its name to Ridgewood. Yarmouth-based Yes! Marketing Group completed the rebranding for Ridgewood.

Historic Map Works, an online distributor of historic map images in Westbrook, recently announced the launch of its historic Earth viewer, which allows the user to overlay antiquarian maps on top of modern images in an easy-to-use manner. Historic Map Works also recently launched its historic Earth iPhone app, which allows the user to view its maps on an iPhone.

Saint Joseph’s College in Standish recently announced it has established fine art as its newest academic major, which allows students to focus on either two-dimensional or three-dimensional studio work for a bachelor of fine arts degree.

Saddleback Ski Resort in Rangeley recently launched its Promoting Education and Activity for Kids program that rewards Maine’s honor roll students with a $49 season pass.

DECORUM Hardware in Portland recently announced a new partnership with C.W. Hayden Co., an authorized 3M distributor in Auburn, to promote PERMANON Hard and Fast Finishes.

Portmanteau, an artisan shop that makes bags, jackets and cloaks in Portland, recently celebrated its 30th year of business in the Old Port.

Kennebunk Savings Bank recently announced new names for its investment and insurance business units and the kick-off of a new branding campaign. Morris Insurance has changed its name to Kennebunk Savings Insurance and Kennebunk Financial Services is now Kennebunk Investment Services.

Winxnet Inc., an IT consulting firm headquartered in Portland, recently announced the release of an enhanced IT management program designed for small- and medium-sized businesses. The program provides information technology support and strategic guidance.

Preti Flaherty, a law firm in Portland, recently announced it has created a climate strategy group.

Richmond-based Jazzy Johnnys recently debuted its line of hospital patient wear with a fashion show at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta.

Philip Moss, an of counsel attorney with law firm Fisher and Phillips in Portland, is teaching a course on law and regulatory issues in human resources at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish this fall.

Portland-based Hydro International, a provider of environmentally sustainable products that control and treat stormwater, wastewater and combined sewer overflows, recently announced it received its first domestic order for its Heliscreen product, a combined sewer overflow screening system.

Camden National Corp., parent company of Camden National Bank and Acadia Trust, was recently named the 11th best performing mid-tier bank in the nation by USBanker magazine and was ranked among the top 100 publicly traded mid-tier banks nationwide.

Portland-based LearningWorks, a provider of learning opportunities in Maine for at-risk youth, the immigrant community, and low-income families, recently received a $10,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation for its English language program.

Frank Martin Sons Inc., a construction and forestry equipment dealership in Fort Kent, recently celebrated the grand opening of its new location in Madison.

InfoSecurus Inc., an information security services firm located in South Portland, recently launched its New England information security officers’ group to allow information security officers from different industries to share their knowledge and experiences.

Tom Ouellette, founder and president of Budget Document Technology, a seller of Kyocera Mita and Konica Minolta products in Lewiston, was recently named the 2009-2010 vice president of the Business Technology Association, a trade association in Kansas City, Mo.

Hall Web Services, a Portland-based web design and Internet marketing firm, recently announced the expansion of its full-service web services to include web-based tools and consulting.

Buzz, a coffee shop, recently opened for business at the North Dam Mill in Biddeford.

MaineGeneral’s Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care in Augusta, designed by TRO Jung/Brannen of Newton, Mass., and SMRT in Portland, was recently awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England recently celebrated the grand opening of its new Rockland store and donation center.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded a $50,000 rural development grant to the Upper Kennebec Valley Ambulance Service for a new ambulance and a $2.5 million rural development loan to the Millinocket Regional Hospital to replace outdated systems and make the hospital more energy efficient.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency recently awarded KeyBank in Portland an outstanding rating for exceeding the terms of the Community Reinvestment Act.

Hurley Travel Experts in Portland, a travel management company, recently announced a partnership with Certify, an expense management software company in Portland.

The Bangor International Airport recently announced that Allegiant Air will begin offering nonstop jet service from Bangor to the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Tampa Bay, Fla., beginning Nov. 20.

Bangor Savings Bank offered free parking at 325 parking spaces throughout downtown Portland on Sept. 17 as part of a marketing campaign.

MaineHealth, a nonprofit integrated health care system based in Portland, recently received a $185,540 grant from the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making to explore ways to help patients use aids to make medical decisions in coordination with their physicians.

Waste Management, a provider of waste management services based in Houston, Texas, recently celebrated the completion of a landfill gas-to-energy facility at the Crossroads Landfill in Norridgewock. 

The Finance Authority of Maine recently approved a $500,000 economic recovery loan to Geneva Wood Fuels to help the company resume operations following an explosion at its Strong manufacturing facility.

The First Bancorp in Damariscotta recently declared a third-quarter dividend of 19.5 cents per share, which is payable Oct. 30 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 5.

Suzanne Uhl-Melanson of Uhl-Melanson Investor Services in Waterville recently passed the certified financial planner certification examination.

Freeport-based Cold River Vodka recently announced that its gluten-free classic and blueberry vodkas will now be on the shelves in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. Nineteen states now carry the vodka, as well as locations in western Canada and London. 

The Kennebunkport Marina was recently recognized as that town’s first designated clean marina by the Maine Clean Boatyards and Marinas Program.

Spotlight

RainWise Inc. in Bar Harbor, a manufacturer of weather stations, was recently awarded a manufacturing contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service.

RainWise has developed a special upgrade kit for the over 2,500 precipitation gauges located throughout the country. The gauges have been installed over the past 40 years and are monitored by weather spotters who visit the gauges to retrieve a paper print-out indicating rainfall and other precipitation amounts. The upgrade system created by RainWise is a digital storage device that enables the spotter to extract and install an industrial-grade memory storage card, according to a press release from the company.

RainWise is one of only two companies approved to provide upgrade systems for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s outmoded systems and has been working with the National Weather Service for several years in the development of the retrofit upgrade device.

Accolades

Habib Dagher, director of the University of Maine’s AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono, recently received a B.E.S.T. award from Composites Manufacturing magazine, the official publication of the American Composites Manufacturers Association.

Steven Silin, a partner at law firm Berman and Simmons in Portland, was recently named Maine’s Personal Injury Litigator of the Year for 2009 by Best Lawyers in America. 

Northeast Delta Dental in Saco recently recognized Marie Bridges, a senior account executive, for sales resulting in 9,600 primary subscribers in 2008. 

The Maine Women’s Policy Center in Augusta recently announced that Portland Color, a grand format printing company in Portland, will be honored as a recipient of the 2009 action award. The award recognizes an individual policy or set of employment practices that serve to advance women in the workplace.

Portland Magazine recently won five prizes at Graphic Design USA’s national American Graphic Design Awards for design excellence.

Bangor-based Coffee News, a weekly publication delivered to restaurants, coffee shops and motels, recently received national recognition from Forbes magazine for being one of the top 20 best franchises to start now. Coffee News ranked 18 in the top 20 based on initial franchise fee, total locations, survival rates and the ratio of the number of corporate support staffers to the total number of locations.

Woodard and Curran, an engineering, science and operations company in Portland, recently ranked 138th on the annual Hot Firms List by ZweigWhite, an industry observer. Clark Insurance, a Portland-based insurance agency, was recently recognized as a Best Practices Agency for 2009 by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America Inc.

Lee Skawinski, executive chef of Portland’s Cinque Terre restaurant, was profiled in the Sept. 2 edition of The Boston Globe.

The Maine Maritime Academy in Castine is listed in the rankings of the nation’s top baccalaureate colleges for the northern region in the 2010 edition of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News and World Report.

Kate’s Real Buttermilk, produced by Kate’s of Maine in Minot, recently beat 26 other entries to win first prize at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin.

The official website of the state of Maine, www.maine.gov, recently received a fourth place award from the Center for Digital Government in its annual Best of the Web national competition. Maine also recently ranked first of all 50 states for electronic delivery of public service and citizen participation in governance, according to a recent survey conducted jointly by Rutgers University and San Francisco State University.

The Shalom House Inc. in Portland recently honored Joseph Brannigan, recently retired executive director of the Shalom House, with the Johnson and Korda Innovation Award. 

Judge Brock Hornby, U.S. District Court judge for the District of Maine, recently received the 27th annual Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award from the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Bill Caron, CEO of MaineHealth in Portland, recently received the United Way of Greater Portland’s Legacy award.