Campaign for the Gulf of Maine raises over $22 million

Gulf of Maine Research Institute raised a total of $22.8 million at the conclusion of its five-year Campaign for the Gulf of Maine. The organization celebrated the achievement with campaign supporters at its annual Leadership Dinner in Portland on June 28.

New endowment funds will provide long-term support for senior scientists and marine research focused on the Gulf of Maine ecosystem; science education to benefit students and teachers from all 16 of Maine’s counties; and institutional leadership positions.

“As a young institution, we are humbled by the many donors who stepped forward and expressed confidence in our work,” said GMRI CEO/President Don Perkins. “When we first built the lab, we had a dream about what this place could be. Today, we’ve realized that dream, and I now share it with a lab full of dedicated coworkers and external partners.”

The mission of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute is to pioneer collaborative solutions to global ocean challenges. Located in Portland, GMRI is dedicated to the resilience of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and the communities that depend on it.

New Ventures

Sticky Sweet, Maine’s only vegan ice cream shop, has leased approximately 600 square feet of retail space from EngleMildred, LLC at 115 Cumberland Ave. in Portland. The transaction was brokered on behalf of the landlord by Matthew Cardente and Robert Tragemann of Cardente Real Estate and on behalf of the tenant by Chris Sullivan of Vitalius Real Estate Group. For more information on the plant-based creamery and sticky rice shop, go to www.stickysweetmaine.com.

Lani Toscano Design, LLC has leased 2,612 square feet of retail/office space at 106 Lafayette St. in Yarmouth.

Executive Director of the Friends of DaPonte String Quartet Amy MacDonald stepped down in late June after six years at the helm. MacDonald is the author of a dozen children’s books and said she is looking forward to doing more writing.

Hires, promotions, appointments

After seven years as president of Southern Maine Community College, Ron Cantor announced that he will be stepping back from daily operations on July 31 to work on strategic initiatives at the system level. The board of trustees is postponing a search and instead appointed Joseph Cassidy, president of Washington County Community College, to serve a three-year term as president, effective Aug. 1.

Dr. Kathryn Horutz, a dentist who lives in Falmouth and practices in Portland, is the new president of the Maine Dental Association’s Executive Board. Horutz has practiced in Maine since 2007 and is a member of the International College of Dentists. Horutz has also completed dental service trips to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. 

Waynflete announced Abukar Adan, Krista Maywalt Aronson and Betsy Langer have joined the board of trustees. The Portland school also made officer appointments for 2018-19: Christopher Smith, president; Tim Soley, vice president; Dale Lewis, secretary; Vin Veroneau, treasurer; Kate Jeton, member-at-large; and Warren Valdmanis, member-at-large.

Elizabeth Allen, director of human resources for the Diocese of Portland, has been named president-elect of the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators. A parishioner at All Saints Parish in Brunswick, Allen has overseen diocesan personnel policies in Maine’s 141 Catholic churches since 2008.

Dana Lundy of Portland has been named the administrative director of the Maine Public Relations Council, a statewide trade association. 

Alexander & Schmidt of Yarmouth, a national loss control and risk assessment services provider to the property and casualty insurance industry, has hired John Nataleas as executive vice president of business development and David St. Pierre as executive vice president for operations.

Maine College of Art has announced Matthew Goetting is the new vice president of institutional advancement. Effective Aug. 1, Goetting will lead MECA’S development, marketing and communications, Artists at Work program, and alumni relations. 

Vreeland Marketing & Design, a strategic branding and marketing agency in Yarmouth, welcomed Alicia Vignoe as its new digital marketing manager.

Recognition

The Maine Small Business Development Centers has selected Peter Harriman as the 2018 State Star. The annual award recognizes a member that has shown exemplary performance and a strong commitment to small business success. Harriman is a certified business adviser at the Maine SBDC at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, where he works with entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The American Lung Association announced that Arthur A. Cerullo of North Yarmouth is the recipient of the 2018 Will Ross Medal, a nationally recognized honor. Cerullo has been an attorney with Drummond & Drummond, the firm that incorporated the American Lung Association in 1918, for 37 years. 

Save the date

The Vicarage by the Sea, 9 Vicarage Lane, Harpswell, will celebrate 20 years as a family owned and operated dementia care home by hosting the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber After Hours on July 18 from 5-7 p.m. The event is open to all.

Allen

Lundy

Aaron Moser of Thos. Moser Company, at right, presented author David McCullough, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with a handcrafted replica of the Speaker’s Chair on June 21, in Philadelphia following the announcement of The David McCullough Prize for Excellence in American Public History. One of six retail stores operated nationwide by Moser is in Freeport.Harriman