Inspired by BLOY winners
Danielle Ripich has had quite a month. First the University of New England President was named to the UNE Varsity Club Hall of Fame. A day later, she was feted by Mainebiz as winner of the 2016 Business Leader of the Year in the nonprofit category. Now she has announced that she will retire in June 2017, after leading the university for 11 years.
Mainebiz recognized not only UNE’s incredible growth in the past decade Ripich has been at the helm, but what’s she’s done recently.
UNE is relatively young, as New England universities go (think Harvard, founded in 1636), but in the past decade Ripich has brought the school to international prominence through the addition of pharmacy and dental schools, a campus in Morocco, and by continually raising money and pushing expansion of the school’s two Maine campuses. She has set the pace for other universities. She has increased the university’s operating surplus to $127 million — how often do you hear about that at a university?
As a business publication, this really caught our eye: Last year, UNE, working with Bangor Savings Bank, launched an online professional development program that addresses two of the Maine economy’s challenges: Workforce development and skills building. Nice work. She will be missed.
As Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year, Ripich was recognized alongside Rodney McCrum, president and chief operating officer of Pineland Farms Potato Co. (large business), whose sales grew by 38% last year to $50 million, and Joshua Davis, CEO of Gelato Fiasco (small business), which had sales last year of $10 million, double the previous year, and is now in 4,100 supermarkets, up from 600 a year earlier.
This year’s Business Leaders of the Year represented a wider range of age and experience than recent years — with Ripich, 71, set to retire in 2017, McCrum, at 66, still charging hard and Davis, while a relative youngster at 33, perfecting gelato for nearly a decade. In every case, these are thinkers, these are doers. They know how to raise money, how to sell a vision — and a product. And they have energy. I have spent enough time around each of them to know, you better put on comfortable shoes, because you’re going to have to keep up.
On the Road with Mainebiz
Mainebiz has already had On the Road events in Portland and Kittery this year. Next up is Hallowell, on May 19. The event, to be held at Joyce’s (192 Water St.), will include appetizers, a cash bar and, of course, networking.
Fort Kent is right around the corner. We’ll be at the Mill Bridge Restaurant, 271 Market St., on June 23, from 5–7 p.m.
These events are free but registration at Mainebiz.biz is encouraged.
Also coming up this year will be stops in Farmington (Sept. 29) and Westbrook (Oct. 20).
If your town’s not on the list, don’t despair. Get your vote in there for On the Road 2017.
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