Recognition

Kim Block, news anchor at WGME 13, received the 2017 Women of Distinction award at the 20th annual gala hosted by Girl Scouts of Maine on Dec. 1 at the Portland Marriott. Each year Girl Scouts of Maine selects an honoree for the Women of Distinction award, a woman who exemplifies accomplishment, leadership, community involvement and, most importantly, is a role model for girls and young women.

James Chittum, director of business development at Grow-Tech LLC, South Portland, was presented with an environmental health leadership award Dec. 9 from The Environmental Health Strategy Center, an organization working to make sure all families have access to safe and affordable food, drinking water and products. Grow-Tech makes advanced products from renewable, plant-based resources instead of petroleum-based compounds. Its products support the growth of seeds and seedlings and are sold to large-scale agricultural and forestry companies.

Woodard and Curran, an engineering firm based in Portland, received top honors this year from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Maine when it announced 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards at an event hosted at the University of Maine. In addition, Amec Foster Wheeler Environment and Infrastructure Inc. was the third recipient of an Honor Award for its successful design and implementation of a remedy to environmental impacts associated with the former Portland Gas Works, which was adjacent to the Fore River.

Giving Back

Norway’s Savings Bank employees raised $10,000 to help feed Maine families struggling with food insecurity by tapping into their passions and creativity. As part of the bank’s 150th anniversary celebration, employees decided to create a limited-edition cookbook called “Colorful Cooking Solutions.” The bank reached its goal of raising $10,000 and selected five food pantries, including those in Brunswick and Portland, to receive $2,000 each.

FYI

AARP Foundation has awarded a grant to New Ventures Maine to conduct Work for Yourself@50+ workshops around the state, beginning in Portland. The national grant is designed to help vulnerable older adults assess opportunities for self-employment, build skills, and connect with resources that will enable them to generate income by working for themselves. To learn more about Work for Yourself@50+, visit aarpfoundation.org/workforyourself or call 888-339-5617 to receive a free toolkit and sign up for a local workshop.

New Ventures

Apothecary By Design and the University of New England have teamed up to launch a residency training program in specialty pharmacy – one of only a few such postdoctoral education programs in the U.S. with this concentration.

The ABD-UNE PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency in Specialty Pharmacy will allow pharmacists to learn from real-world experience with “specialty” medications, which typically involve high costs, complex administration and unique handling requirements, as well as intensive patient education and support. Specialty pharmacy is the sole focus of ABD, and the fastest-growing segment of the pharmacy industry.

Nick Whatley, president and founder of Morningstar Stone and Tile, which has 21 employees, recently announced that Morningstar is now officially an employee-owned company. Whatley said he has been working towards the business plan for 10 years. Initially, the trust will own 30 percent of the company, with the ultimate goal of holding 100 percent of the stock in 7-10 years.

Portland-based Brackett Street Veterinary Clinic has opened a second location, Brackett West Veterinary Clinic, at 115 Bishop St., also in Portland.

Hires, promotions, appointments

OA Centers for Orthopaedics, a Portland division of Spectrum Medical Group, welcomed Bruce Gomberg, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in joint replacement of the hip and knee and newer techniques of partial joint replacements of the knee.

Macpage LLC, a certified public accounting firm with offices in South Portland, announced that Michael Rankin has passed the certified fraud examiner exam.

Portland-based Evergreen Credit Union has named Jason Lindstrom as the new president and CEO.

Christina Young is a new agent with the RE/MAX Shoreline office in Portland. 

Granted

Snowlion Repertory Company in Portland received a $5,000 grant from the Maine Theater Fund of the Maine Community Foundation to develop and produce a new adaptation of Chekhov’s classic “The Cherry Orchard” set in Maine and entitled “A Cherry Orchard in Maine.”

The Ronald McDonald House in Portland was granted with $500 from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. The award was recommended by an employee through the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation’s Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant Program.

The Rotary Club of Portland has appointed Laura Young as president for 2016 through 2017. Young will replace outgoing president Bowen Depke, at right. Young, who lives in Portland, has been a Rotarian since 2007, and is vice president of philanthropy for the Maine Community Foundation.

The usually clean-shaven men in blue from The Brunswick Police Benefit Association decided that while they fought crime in November, they’d also fight cancer – and do it while sporting a new style. From left, Detective Bill Moir, and Officers Aaron Bailey, John Roma and Dan Sylvain were some of around 30 members of BPD that helped raise $1,150 for the American Cancer Society during “No-Shave November.”

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