People and Business

Appointments

The Maine Innkeepers Association (MEIA) recently announced its new Board of Directors. Officers include Woody Woodward, chairman of the board; Jim Ostrowski, president; Jeanne Carpentier, first vice president; Jean Ginn Marvin, second vice president; Sue Ferrell, treasurer; Alvion Kimball, at-large member; Jamey Kitchen, at-large member; Scott Cowger, at-large member; Gus Tillman, legislative chair; and Bob Smith AH&LA representative.

John Shumadine, an attorney and director at the Portland law firm Murray, Plumb & Murray, was recently elected secretary for the board of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland.

Richard Peterson and Elizabeth O. Shorr were recently elected to the Board of Directors of The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges. Peterson was named president and chief executive officer of Maine Medical Center in June 2009. Prior to serving in this role he was the hospital’s chief operating officer. His interest in the work of the community colleges is both personal and professional. Maine community colleges contribute many workers to the skilled health care workforce, and he graduated from Broome Community College in Binghamton, N.Y. before continuing his education elsewhere. Shorr serves as president of The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges. Prior to joining the organization, she served as vice chancellor of university advancement at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Calling for Nominations

Maine-based family-owned businesses with goals to improve their visibility and gain recognition will find those opportunities by applying for the 2012 Maine Family Business Awards. Nominations are now being accepted for the awards, which take place on May 14 at the Marriott Hotel in South Portland. Besides showcasing a firm’s achievements, the awards offer an opportunity to network and hear from a nationally prominent speaker, whose business is also family-owned. Any Maine-based, family-owned business is eligible and nominations can be made by anyone inside or outside the business. Complete applications are due by March 30. Nomination forms can be obtained at fambusiness.org or by calling 798-2667.

Promotions

TD Bank recently promoted Dana L. Samson to vice president, portfolio manager III in commercial lending in Portland. She will be responsible for monitoring a portfolio of large, complex commercial loans, including assisting lenders in managing loan relationships and serving clients throughout the region. Samson joined TD Bank in 2008 and has 13 years of experience in banking and lending. She previously served as a credit analyst at TD Bank.

The Maine Army National Guard recently promoted the following individuals: Soksan Pao, Portland, Staff Sergeant; Matthew Kelley, Portland, Specialist; Eric Pierce, Cumberland, Specialist; Scott Peterson, Scarborough, Private First Class; Jacob Watson, South Portland, Private First Class; and Michael Peacock, Yarmouth, Master Sergeant.

Awards

Maine Running Company was recently recognized as one of The 50 Best Running Stores in America by two leading trade and consumer publications, Running Insight and Competitor Magazine. The store was recognized by a panel of industry experts for its outstanding service, product knowledge and merchandising.

Four attorneys from Eaton Peabody were recently “top rated” by Super Lawyers New England Magazine, in 13 areas of practice. The 2011 edition announces the inclusion of Berney Kuybetz, Dan McKay, Matt Raynes and Matt Worthen based on the organization’s survey and peer review selection process. Kubetz currently practices general litigation, personal injury, general plaintiff matters and First Amendment/media advertising law and celebrates his fifth year being recognized by the publication. McKay has been has been recognized four times for his expertise in the areas of business/corporate, mergers & acquisitions and banking. In addition to serving as Eaton Peabody’s managing partner, he represents business entities and financial institutions in a variety of transactional matters. Both Raynes and Worthen are celebrating their first inclusion in the Rising Star category.

Drummond Woodsum recently received the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project’s Pro Bono Firm of the Year Award for 2011; this is the second time the firm has been honored. The award was given in recognition of the firm’s commitment to handling political asylum cases; the firm accepted 11 political asylum cases in 2011. Numerous attorneys and staff members have taken on the challenge of working on these types of cases.

The Chebeague Island Inn received top honors in this year’s Conde Nast Traveler Gold List, the magazine’s annual list of the top 500 hotels in the world, which is culled from the yearly Reader’s Choice Awards. The Chebeague Island Inn was honored as the number-one place to stay in Maine, with a score of 92.7, beating out competitors including the White Barn Inn.

Dennis J. O’Donovan of Epstein & O’Donovan LLP was recently selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. Additionally, his firm was chosen to be on the list of “Best Law Firms” established by Best Lawyers and U.S. News & World Report.

Vic Labrecque, finance director for Cumberland County, recently received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 11th consecutive year. This award is given to government units and public employee retirement systems whose comprehensive annual financial reports achieve the highest standards in government accounting and financial reporting. This prestigious award is only received by 5% of the county governments across the United States.

Sidebar Elements

As part of the company’s second charitable giving project in 2011, Molina Medicaid Solutions of Maine collected more than 500 toys and $200 to donate to the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. A group of employees created goody bags for each child and donated high chairs, strollers and Wii games and controllers to the hospital. More than a dozen employees of the company have had children at the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and hope that their donation will make each child’s stay feel a little more like home.