New Hires, Promotions and Appointments

Ellie Speh was named president of the Rotary Club of South Portland/Cape Elizabeth July 1 for the 2013-2014 year. Speh succeeds Rob Flynn. Serving on the incoming Board with Speh are Flynn, Dave Bagdasarian, Paul Butler, Kathy Cotter, Anamaria Gonzalez, Nancy Irving, Scott Irving, Brian Murphy, Bill Phillips and Chuck Redman.

Alison J. Herrick, of Macpage LLC, was promoted to client service director. Herrick joined Macpage in 2000 and became a certified public accountant in 2003. She provides external and internal auditing services to credit unions and banks, as well as advisory services including risk assessments, fraud prevention and examinations, internal audit plan development and more. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Credit Unions Internal Auditors and the Massachusetts Association of Bank Internal Auditors and is on the finance committee of SPACE Gallery. She lives in South Portland.

Kate Marcinak joined Pinetree Family Chiropractic in Yarmouth. Marcinak received her doctorate in chiropractic medicine from National University of Health Sciences, whose program emphasizes broad scope, science-based teachings focusing on pairing the knowledge learned in basic science courses with the clinical reasoning and interpersonal skills needed to treat patients. Pinetree Family Chiropractic is a chiropractic family practice located at Lower Falls Landing.

Meghan Torjussen joined the weekday morning team on WMTW News 8. Torjussen has been with WMTW News 8 since 2010 as a weekend evening anchor, proving her worth as a vital member of the WMTW reporting and anchoring staff, covering such high profile events as the Boston Marathon bombing, the New Hampshire Primary, and numerous blizzards impacting the Maine market. Along with her new morning wake-up call, Torjussen will continue her role as spokesperson for WMTW’s Rise Up Against Bullying campaign.

Grants and Fundraising

Bank of America presented Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland with a check for $20,000 and a $10,000 grant to support an eight-home complex currently under construction in Freeport. Bank of America is the community sponsor for the project. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland is also planning a 17-unit subdivision in Scarborough, all with the goal of bringing affordable housing to these communities.

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network raised more than $227,000 in its Aug. 1 “Super Thursday” one-day pledge drive, exceeding the drive goal of $225,000 in total pledges in 18 hours of fundraising. In total, 427 new members joined MPBN’s membership base and 2,054 pledges were made.

Tedford Housing was the recipient of a $5,000 grant from the BJ’s Charitable Foundation. The money will be used to assist guests in Tedford’s emergency shelters, and low-income clients who are looking to better their lives, removing  barriers to employment by providing funds for personal care items and clothing as well as pay for services such as transportation and child care. Tedford Housing works with others to end homelessness in Maine, providing shelter, housing and services to help people become more self-sufficient.

Recognition

Pam Bolduc, general manager of the Olive Garden in South Portland, has been presented with Darden Restaurants’ top honor – the Joe R. Lee Diamond Club Award. The award is presented annually to general managers throughout North America who demonstrate outstanding by results by delighting guests with a genuine Italian dining experience while also achieving top financial performance in the company’s previous fiscal year.

U.S. Small Business Administration awarded People’s United Bank, in Maine, the District Director Award for overall top dollar volume in 2012. People’s United Bank ranked first in highest in dollar volume with more than 20 loans closed, a total of $6.9 million dollars.

Wright-Pierce was selected for the 2013 Circle of Excellence by PSMJ Resources, Inc., the premier management consulting firm for the architectural, engineering and construction industries. Wright-Pierce has been recognized as a “top performing” firm by PSMJ since 2006. Wright-Pierce is a Portland-based, award-winning engineering firm specializing in water, waste water, storm water, and infrastructure services for public and private clients throughout the Northeast. For more than 65 years Wright-Pierce has been providing clients with reliable, affordable and sustainable solutions.

Openings

Maine Craft Distilling opened in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood. The distillery, located at 101 Fox St., houses a retail space complete with tasting room and a production area that visitors are invited to tour for a first-hand look at the distillation process. Construction of the distillery began more than a year ago when owner Luke Davidson started building the alcohol stills, a grain silo, wooden fermentation vats, floor malting space, office space, a tasting room, building façade, doors, windows, and bathroom (constructed from an old British phone booth). Davidson is a self-taught distiller whose vision for Maine Craft Distilling is to focus on historic distilling methods including floor malting and unique fermenting styles. Tasting room hours are 3-6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Mergers

Perkins Olson, PA, a Portland, firm specializing in business law, announced its acquisition of Bohan Mathers & Associates, regarded as one of the leading intellectual property law firms in northern New England. Each practice will continue to serve its own clientele under its current name, while maintaining its personnel, unique characteristics and specialized services. 

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