In short: Hires, promotions, accolades, and company news

New hires

Custom Sales Team, a sales consulting and staffing firm in Portland, recently hired Rebecca Doman as its business development specialist. Doman previously served as district manager at CompuPay Payroll Services in Freeport.

19 Oaks, a marketing company in Portland, recently hired Georgia Barnes as a creative writer and social media strategist.

Catholic Charities Maine recently hired Ellen Jordan as development manager. Jordan was previously employed by Kids First and has served as president of the board of Family Crisis Services in Cumberland and Sagadahoc counties.

Drummond Woodsum, a law firm in Portland, recently hired Penny Wheeler-Abbott and Gregory Im. Wheeler-Abbott, previously a teacher and school administrator, joined as a policy and human resources consultant. Im, previously an assistant attorney general for the state of Maine, is a member of the firm's public sector group, practicing in the area of public finance.

Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor recently named Sheila Brijade as director of the Pediatric Dental Program. Brijade, who was previously with a private dental practice, was recently certified by the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. The organization also announced that Phebe Winters recently joined the staff of the Dental Center located at 1048 Union St.

Continuum Physical Therapy in Rockland recently hired Samuel Powell. Along with skills as a manual therapist, Powell brings expertise in the treatment and prevention of spine and knee injuries to the practice.

Allen Insurance and Financial, headquartered in Camden, recently hired Cale Pickford as a personal and commercial insurance specialist. Pickford, who previously he held a similar position with Atlantic Insurance and Benefits in Belfast, will be based in the company's Camden office.

Salem Advisory Group LLC, an independent registered investment advisory firm and insurance agency in Kennebunk, recently hired Jennifer Arps as an investment adviser representative. Arps previously managed banking offices for Sovereign Bank and The Bank of Maine (formerly Rivergreen Bank).

Health Affiliates Maine, a network of mental health providers in Auburn, recently hired Renee Stevens as marketing and referral coordinator. Stevens was previously an intake coordinator at ESM, an Augusta-based social services agency.

McTeague Higbee, a law firm in Topsham, recently hired Katherine Gatti as an associate attorney. Gatti previously served as a summer associate for Rudman Winchell in Bangor and as a law clerk to the Hon. John B. Beliveau and Hon. Rick E. Lawrence at the Maine District Court in Lewiston.

Albin, Randall & Bennett, a CPA firm in Portland, recently hired Thomas Flood as a senior manager. Flood has over 25 years of experience in public accounting.

Seaboard Federal Credit Union in Bucksport recently hired Brad Hughes as vice president of lending. Hughes was previously with Midcoast Federal Credit Union in Bath.

Clyde Bergemann Auburn, formerly Bachmann Industries, the air-gas handling division of Clyde Bergemann Power Group Americas, recently hired Ken Rackliff as quality manager and Eric Shorey as design engineer. Rackliff was previously with the American Bureau of Shipping in Bath while Shorey was with Applied Thermal Sciences in Sanford.

Camden Financial Consultants recently hired Gregory Eastman as a financial consultant. Eastman was previously the bank manager at KeyBank's branch in Brewer.

Lux Realty Group, a real estate brokerage firm in Portland, recently announced that Garrett Adams has affiliated with the firm as a sales agent to broker transactions and assist with investment analysis and business development.

Promotions

Perkins Thompson, a law firm in Portland, recently elected Dawn Harmon and Christopher Dargie to directors and shareholders. Harmon maintains an employment law and civil litigation practice while Dargie's areas of practice include mergers and acquisitions, business formation, commercial transactions, business immigration and general counsel services.

People's United Bank recently promoted Linda Veino to assistant vice president and customer service manager at the bank's York branch and Evan Dupont to senior customer service associate at its South Berwick branch.

Parker Ridge, a senior living community in Blue Hill, recently promoted Verena Stoll to executive director. Stoll had served as the director of marketing and advancement since 2001.

Appointments

The American Institute of Architects Maine Chapter recently elected Judy Johnson to the office of president. Johnson, who served vice president for the past two years, is a principal and architect at Harriman and leads the Portland Studio.

The Southern Maine Heart Walk, the largest fundraising event for the American Heart Association in Maine, recently announced that Michael Reed will chair the 2013 event. Reed, Maine state president of Fairpoint Communications Inc., has set a fundraising goal of $320,000 for the May 19 event.

GrowSmart Maine recently announced nine new and two returning board members. Newly elected members include: Judy East, Calais; Jane Lafleur, Camden; Mike Lyne, Brunswick; Chris Robinson, Kennebunk; Matt Teare, Yarmouth; Eloise Vitelli, Arrowsic; David Webster, Freeport; Sen. Dick Woodbury, Yarmouth; and Robin Zinchuk, Bethel. Re-elected members are Fred Heimann, North Yarmouth and Anna Marie Thron, Portland.

Friends of Casco Bay/Casco Baykeeper in South Portland recently elected Lori Thayer and Tay Veitch to its board of directors. Thayer is a medical and environmental anthropologist who is working as a research associate at the University of New England - Center for Community and Public Health. Veitch currently operates a manufacturing company that designs, fabricates and assembles equipment.

The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor recently appointed Brian Leslie, an attorney specializing in intellectual property issues in corporate and academic settings, as its new general counsel. Leslie was previously the chief intellectual property counsel for Archer Daniels Midland Co. of Decatur, Ill. The lab also recently appointed Thomas Litwin to the newly created post of vice president for education. Litwin will oversee the laboratory's pre-college and college education programs, predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs, as well as web-based educational material, courses, conferences and workshops.

Skelton, Taintor & Abbott, a law firm in Auburn, recently announced that shareholder Michael Poulin has begun a three-year appointment to the Fee Arbitration Commission of the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar. Composed of both lawyers and non-lawyers, the commission arbitrates fee disputes between clients and attorneys who practice in Maine.

The Maine Heritage Policy Center, a research and educational organization in Portland, recently announced that James Ward, president and principal of Patient Advocates, was selected to serve on its board of directors.

Maine Youth Leadership in Portland recently announced five appointments to the organization's board of directors: Amey Leadley, KMA Consulting; Mary-Anne Rouse, community volunteer; Wendy Cunningham, Unum; Logan Greenblatt, student; and Nathan Elmore, student.

CEI Capital Management LLC, an investor of New Market Tax Credits in Portland, recently announced that Robert Wilson was appointed to the newly created position of managing director, new products. Wilson previously served as the company's chief investment officer.

BlueTarp Financial, a trade credit and marketing services provider for the building supply industry in Portland, recently named Tom Anderson to its board of directors. Anderson is currently the CEO of EducationDynamics, a marketing information and technology services company in the higher education industry that assists institutions in finding, enrolling and retaining students.

Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area recently announce that George Spann and Sarah Webster have joined its board of directors. Spann served as the president of Thomas College from 1989 until his retirement in July 2012 while Webster is a communications specialist at MaineGeneral Health.

Maine AllCare recently elected Geoffrey Gratwick and Bruce Vermeulen to its board of directors. Gratwick has served as a physician in the Bangor area for more than 20 years while Vermeulen is the president of Workforce & Economic Development Strategies LLC.

University of New England College of Pharmacy Dean Gayle Brazeau was recently elected to serve as secretary of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Council of Deans. The mission of the council is to advance pharmacy education, research, scholarship, practice and service to improve societal health.

Murray, Plumb & Murray, a Portland law firm, announced that Thomas Newman recently received a visiting faculty appointment at Harvard Law School as a Lecturer on Law for the 2013 winter academic term. Newman, an attorney and partner at the firm, will teach trial advocacy.

Company News

Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden recently announced that Dan Bookham, commercial insurance producer, has obtained his license to sell property and casualty insurance in Maine. Bookham joined the company in September after three years as executive director of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Servpro, a residential and commercial water and fire restoration company, recently donated more than $13,000 to the American Red Cross of Maine. The funds were raised from the company's annual golf tournament.

Blue Marble Geographics, a mapping software company in Hollowell, was recently selected to present a paper on post processing LiDAR data with Global Mapper at the European LiDAR Mapping Forum conference in Salzburg, Austria.

Baker Newman Noyes, an accounting and consulting firm in Portland, recently changed its IT Consulting Group name to the Risk and Business Advisory Practice. The renamed and expanded practice serves the health care, insurance, financial services and banking sectors and has seen recent growth in the areas of manufacturing and professional services.

BioSpecialists LLC, a death, trauma and biohazard cleanup and medical waste transportation company in Gorham, recently announced that it is offering pickup and disposal of medical needles throughout Maine and New Hampshire. The company also recently presented a training session called Keeping Law Enforcement Professionals Safe from Bio-Hazards in the Workplace at the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police annual winter conference.

Beal College in Bangor recently opened a new welding technology facility. The two-year welding technology program is the first occupational associate degree in the history of the college.

Sugarloaf, a ski resort in Carrabassett Valley, recently announced three new dining options for its customers. The resort added Bob's Clam Hut and Mountain Waffles in the Sugarloaf Base Lodge while 45 North recently opened in the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel.

Nickerson & O'Day Inc., a construction firm in Brewer, was recently awarded a pair of 2012 Maine Preservation Honor Awards. The company was recognized for its preservation and restoration of the Hammond Street Congregational Church Steeple and the adaptive reuse of Maine Hall on the former Bangor Theological Seminary campus. Both projects are located in Bangor.

Bar Harbor BioTechnology in Trenton recently announced that it has begun offering its StellARray Gene Expression System directly to customers. The company's inventoried arrays for mouse, rat, chicken and human research will expand with C. elegans and zebrafish arrays becoming available by the end of 2013.

Camden National Corp. recently declared a $0.25 per share dividend payable on Jan. 31, for shareholders of record on Jan. 15.

Thomas College in Waterville recently announced that its sport management programs were recognized by the Commission of Sport Management Accreditation. The college is one of only 11 colleges and universities to have had its sport management programs accredited.

AIR Graphics, a Boston-based print and copy service company, recently closed its branch office in Portland.

Rainbow Bicycle and Fitness, an independent bicycle shop in Lewiston, recently celebrated the opening of a downtown location at 97 Lisbon St. The 5,600-square-foot store provides room for an extensive inventory of bicycle-related products and a coffee shop called the Local Grind Café.

The Law Offices of Arthur J. Lamothe in Brunswick recently moved its office to the restored Skolfield-Carney house located at 157 Park Row.

Central Maine Power Co., a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, recently energized the first major substation in the company's $1.4 billion Maine Power Reliability Program. The $57-million Larrabee Road Substation in Lewiston is among the largest facilities in the company's system and the first of four to be installed as part of the company's upgrade to its bulk power system. The autotransformer will supply the electrical grid for communities in Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford and Sagadahoc counties.

The Board of Directors of The First Bancorp recently announced a quarterly dividend of 19.5 cents per share. This fourth-quarter dividend, which is payable Jan. 31 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 7 is equal to the 19.5 cents per share declared in the previous 16 quarters.

The Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber's board of directors recently recognized the following 2012 business and community award honorees: Business of the Year (large), Hampton Inn of Bath; Business of the Year (medium), Greater Brunswick Physical Therapy; Business of the Year (small), The Brunswick Inn on Park Row; Business of the Year (nonprofit), Downeaster/Amtrak; New Business Venture of the Year, Long Branch School & General Store; Health and Wellness Champion, Norway Savings Bank; Regional Arts and Culture Champion, Winter Street Center; Young Professional's Award, Amanda Leland, Long Cove Builders; Volunteer of the Year Award, Robin Whorff, Mary Kay; Chairman's Award, Lois Skillings, Mid Coast Hospital; President's Award, First Federal Savings; Educator of the Year, Rick Wilson and Cheryl Sleeper; Citizen of the Year, Ruthe Pagurko (posthumous award); Joshua Chamberlain Award, Paul Loveless; and Lifetime Achievement Award, MGen John Libby, U.S. Army (Ret.).

Accolades

Perkins Thompson, a Portland law firm, was recently selected as a Best Law Firm by U.S. News and World Report for 2013, receiving first-tier rankings in bankruptcy, real estate, creditor rights and banking and finance.

Harriman, an architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Auburn, recently won the Best Use of Materials award at the 15th Annual International Interior Designers Association Fashion Show and Gala held in Boston. The firm partnered with NRF Distributors, Johnsonite Flooring, Tandus Flooring and American Marazzi Tile to create an interpretation based on the “Invisible Cities” by Italo Calvino. Four costumes were created entirely of flooring materials representing four of the invisible cities.

Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport and Inland Hospital in Waterville were recently recognized by The Leapfrog Group. Pen Bay was awarded a Top Hospital designation and a renewed A Hospital Safety Score. The Hospital Safety Score is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families. Inland was named a Top Rural Hospital for the second time in three years.

AcademicMerit, a developer of online academic development tools in Portland, recently announced that its Literary Companion was selected as a 2012 District Administration Readers’ Choice Top 100 Product. The award recognizes leaders in the education industry.

The Acadia Hospital recently announced that it was named a top-25 online screening site for National Depression Screening Day 2012 by Screening for Mental Health Inc. The hospital has participated in the event for more than a decade, evolving from a one-day onsite screening to the implementation of an online screening tool.

The city of Portland recently presented Josh O’Brien with the Robert B. Ganley Public Service Award. O’Brien, the director of the city’s Oxford Street Shelter within the Department of Health and Human Services, was selected for his commitment to the community.

Camp Sunshine, a nonprofit that supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, was recently named one of the top nonprofits in the United States by two independent national charity evaluation organizations. Charity Navigator ranked the camp second on its 10 highly rated charities list while GreatNonprofits, a provider of reviews and ratings for nonprofit organizations in the United States, listed the camp fifth on its Top Rated list of charities nationwide.

Dr. Christine Feurt, coordinator of the Coastal Training Program at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, was recently presented with the 2012 NERR System and NERR Association Award at its annual meeting. The award is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the reserve system.

Camden National Corp. recently recognized six officers for their outstanding commitment, service and performance. The 2012 award winners were: Commitment to the Customer Award, Libby Arrico, commercial portfolio manager; Commitment to the Employee Award, Jody Landrith, corporate services officer; Commitment to the Shareholder Award, Suzanne Cifaldo, vice president and branch operations manager; Commitment to the Community Award, Jeff Charland, vice president and regional retail manager; Commitment to Core Values, Jim Batchelder, assistant vice president and security officer; and Officer of the Year, Scott Buckheit, vice president and senior technology officer.

Saint Joseph’s College’s online programs in long-term care administration and health administration recently earned accreditation by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards. The college is only the second college or university to have a graduate program accredited and the only one to have both undergraduate and graduate programs accredited.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s New England Chapter recently named Ralph Johnson as its chief information officer of the year. Johnson, chief information officer at Franklin Community Health Network, has worked in the health care information technology field for 28 years.

Wright-Pierce, an engineering firm in Portland, was awarded a platinum award at the annual A/E/C Industry Summit held recently in Orlando. PSMJ Resources Inc., a management consulting firm for the architecture/engineering/construction industries, presented the awards to firms that have shown CK consistently over a five year period.

The state of Maine recently received the Meaningful Use Acceleration Award from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, at its annual meeting in Washington, D.C. The state was one of only three to receive the award, recognizing HealthInfoNet, Maine’s Health Information Exchange and Regional Extension Center, and the Bangor Beacon Community for their efforts to expand the effective use of electronic health records, health information exchange and other technology tools to improve patient care and health outcomes.

The American Council of Engineering Companies of Maine recently announced its 2012 Engineering Excellence Awards. Kleinschmidt of Pittsfield received The Grand Conceptor Award for its work on the Jordan Dam Hydroelectric Project in Moncure, N.C.; T.Y. Lin International was presented a Special Recognition Award for its work on the Veterans Memorial Bridge between Portland and South Portland; and GZA GeoEnvironmental, The Louis Berger Group and AMEC received honor awards.

Beverly Neugebauer, executive director of Coastal Women’s Healthcare in Scarborough, recently earned the professional designation of Certified Medical Practice Executive from the American College of Medical Practice Executives. The designation demonstrates that Neugebauer has achieved board certification in medical practice management.

The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine recently announced that geriatrician and stroke physician Desmond O’Neill was the recipient of the 2012-13 Humanism in Aging Leadership Award. The annual award recognizes a prominent geriatrician who exemplifies humanism and innovation in his or her approach to improving the lives of older adults.