IndieBiz Award
competition underway

PORTLAND — Portland Buy Local has launched its second Annual IndieBiz Award competition to honor local, independent businesses.

The public is welcome to nominate local, independent businesses for ten award categories until April 22. Award categories include soul of Portland, flavor of Portland, environmental hero, Portland’s best kept secret, community hero, Portland totem, the business with no front, global hero and wild card award.
Voting for the finalists will be held from May 1-May 15.

Nominations and voting can be completed at portlandbuylocal.com.

The winners will be announced at the IndieBiz Awards Night Gala, from 6-9 p.m. on May 20 at Empire Dine & Dance in Portland. The gala will feature music, food and a silent auction as well as the award ceremony.

Local arts programs
awarded grants

ELLSWORTH — The Maine Expansion Arts Fund of the Maine Community Foundation awarded nearly $47,000 in grants to 12 organizations in support of arts programs or projects.

Local awardees include Figures of Speech Theatre of Freeport, for the production of The Jester Kings of Java, an authentic Indonesian shadow puppet show; Nathan Clifford School of Portland, to host a language and cultural arts program for students; and The Museum of African Culture of Portland, to improve its existing educational programs.

Hilton Garden Inn Portland
earns national recognition

PORTLAND — The Hilton Garden Inn Portland Downtown Waterfront earned three awards from the Hilton Garden Inn hotel franchise and one from children’s nonprofit, Dream Factory.

The Hilton franchise awarded the Portland hotel with Best Community Service Project award, “Dining for Dreams,” which raised money for the local chapter of Dream Factory.

Two employees earned awards at the national conference, including Chris Chapin named Director of Sales Of the Year in 2007 and valet Sam Howard earned a Spirit of Pride award.

Dream Factory Inc. chose the hotel as its National 2008 Local Corporate Partner of the Year.  

Awards

Falmouth-based Acapello Salon was named one of the 200 fastest-growing salons in North America by Salon Today magazine. 

 Jill Maurey of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Portland has earned the EcoBroker certified designation.

Michael High of Cumberland Foreside, a shareholder at Drummond Woodsum in Portland was named Maine’s Corporate Lawyer of the Year for 2009 by Best Lawyers. 

The American College of Bankruptcy has selected Nathaniel R. Hull of University of Maine School of Law as a distinguished law student for the First Circuit for 2009.  

Todd Marco of Gnome Landscapes, Design & Masonry in Falmouth was awarded the 2009 Young Nursery Professional of the Year at the annual Maine Landscape and Nursery Association trade show and conference. 

New Hires/Promotions

People’s United Bank has named Matthew C. O’Reilly of Falmouth as senior vice president, chief investment strategist for the bank’s wealth management business. 

Ceci Zerega, certified psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, of Yarmouth, has joined the staff at Integrated Behavioral Healthcare in Scarborough.

Cindy O’Rourke of Cape Elizabeth was hired by Charter Oak Capital Management as a senior vice president and senior financial advisor responsible for client relations, advisory and portfolio management.

Academic publisher Walch Education has promoted Heather Marceau of South Portland to print production account relationship manager.

ADP Small Business Services has hired Anthony Taliento of Portland as district manager for its downtown Portland territory. 

Alison Ferris of Brunswick has joined the Maine Arts Commission as the assistant director. 

Yarmouth-based Vreeland Marketing & Design has hired Kris Allen of Gorham as an accounting and human resources manager. 

Appointments

Governor John E. Baldacci has nominated Elizabeth L. Bordowitz of Portland to be named chief executive officer of the Finance Authority of Maine. 

Elisa Boxer-Cook of Scarborough and Peter Knight of Portland have been elected to board of directors with True North in Falmouth. 

Todd Grove of Cumberland, a partner of LTC Financial Partners, was appointed president of the Maine Employee Benefits Council. 

Judy Metcalf of Bath, an attorney with Eaton Peabody in Brunswick, has joined the board of directors at Habitat for Humanity / 7 Rivers Maine. 

Phil Coupe of Cape Elizabeth, managing partner and co-founder of ReVision Energy LLC, and Tim Vrabel of Bath, deputy director of energy programs division in Maine’s Public Utilities Commission, have joined the board of directors for E2 Tech, The Environmental and Energy Technology Council of Maine. 

Maurey
O’Reilly
Taliento
Metcalf

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