Kingfield’s Gordon joins Wiles Rememberance Centers and Memorial Company

Emily Gordon, a Kingfield native, has become a licensed funeral practitioner at Wiles Rememberance Centers and Wiles Memorial Company in Farmington.

Gordon has received specialized training on prenatal and infant loss, according to Rhonda A. Wiles-Rosell and Kent C. Wiles, sibling co-owners of what they said in a press release is Franklin County’s oldest family owned funeral home and monument company.

“I discovered my passion for funeral service during the summer of 2006 when I job-shadowed Kent and Rhonda Wiles at Wiles Remembrance Centers,” Gordon said in the release. “I take extreme pride in connecting with the families that I am privileged to serve and pay particular attention to considering special needs and personalization options.”

Gordon is a graduate of Mt. Abram High School and Mount Ida College in Newton, Mass., where she studied funeral service. During her time at Mount Ida, she was a participant in the merging leaders program, and first place winner in the college’s second annual Film Festival, served as the funeral service off-site student coordinator and was inducted into the Fraternal Funeral Service Honor Society, Pi Sigma Eta, according to the release. She graduated cum laude from Mount Ida in 2010.

She was licensed in Connecticut, where she “gained valuable work experience in the corporate setting and serving families from all religions and walks of life,” according to the release.

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In March, Gordon was selected to participate in the National Funeral Directors Association annual Meet the Mentors conference, where 50 funeral directors under the age of 40, nationwide, were selected to be mentored by leading professionals in the funeral service industry.

Thomas’s Jewczyn receives certified business intermediary designation

Nicholas Jewczyn, Ph.D., a professor at Thomas College, has received a certified business intermediary designation from the International Business Brokers Association.

The IBBA is the world’s largest international organization of experienced, dedicated business brokerage intermediaries representing the middle market, according to a press release from the IBBA. The CBI designation is awarded to intermediaries who have proven professional excellence through verified transaction experience, education and peer review. Jewczyn’s designation demonstrates exemplary commitment and experience as a professional business intermediary, the release says.

“It was truly a great honor to be awarded the CBI designation. There have only been a few hundred of these CBI designation charters awarded worldwide over the past 30 years,” Jewczyn said in the release. “The award dovetails with my years of work as a practitioner and as a wealth manager, such that syndications in mergers and acquisitions are now either performed as an asset-based or a shares-based transfer of business ownership. A great deal of mentoring was received from key personnel at the IBBA conferences and workshops. The intense and rigorous requirements for the induction and award were set into an attainable critical path for someone who was at once working full-time and teaching. Everyone has been truly helpful and I am very fortunate indeed to work with really great folks in all aspects of my professional practitioner and academic pursuits.”

Jewczyn is an assistant professor of business at Thomas College and has devoted his professional career to assisting buyers and sellers of businesses, according to the release. Jewczyn is seasoned in acquisitions, sales and asset management with more than five years of experience, exceeding millions of dollars in closed transactions, the release says.

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McKay named UMF director of facilities

Jeffrey McKay has been named director of facilities management for the University of Maine, Farmington.

McKay is responsible for the university’s overall facilities operation and its interface with the campus and the general public, according to a press release from UMF. Working with faculty, staff, students and multiple constituencies on and off campus, he will ensure a high-quality, sustainable physical plant and oversee all facilities personnel, strategic and financial planning, construction management, grounds maintenance, housekeeping and utilities operations, the release says.

McKay was previously at the University of Southern Maine, where he worked with facilities services for the past eight years, the release says. He was most recently assistant director for maintenance and operations. Before that, he operated a residential and commercial landscaping business in southern Maine and worked in a supervisory position with the Maine state parks, according to the release.

He has recently completed a graduate certificate in community planning and development and has been accepted in a Massachusetts Maritime Academy program, with the goal of earning a master’s degree in facilities management.

UMA named top school in Military Advanced Education’s 2015 Guide

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Military Advanced Education has awarded the University of Maine at Augusta the designation of a Top School in its 2015 MAE Guide to Colleges & Universities.

The guide, which measures best practices in military and veteran education, was released in the December issue of MAE magazine, and is available online at www.mae-kmi.com.

MAE’s Guide to Colleges & Universities presents the results of a questionnaire of the military-supportive policies enacted at more than 600 institutions. It serves as tool for both education services officers and transition officers when advising service members about their educational opportunities.

UMA has also been recognized for its excellence in military services in the Military Friendly lists from 2011-2015, by Military Times in the 2013 and 2014 Best for Vets Colleges lists, and by U.S. News and World Reports in the 2014 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans.

MaineGeneral Medical Center’s Alfond Center for Health named Best Health Care Project in New England

MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta received the Best Project in the category of Health Care at the Engineering News-Record New England awards breakfast in Boston recently. The award was accepted by MaineGeneral Director of Engineering and Plant Operations Rick Albert on behalf of the building team that constructed the Alfond Center for Health. The state-of-the-art hospital opened last year – on budget and ahead of schedule.

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“This achievement is a true team effort,” Albert said in a press release from MaineGeneral. “Our partners Robins & Mortin, HP Cummings, SMRT and TRO Jung Brannen brought incredible talent and dedication to fulfilling our hopes for a facility that would serve the Kennebec Valley for generations to come.

“We’re proud of the innovations incorporated into this facility to provide state-of-the-art care to the region. We’re also thankful for our wonderful staff who has worked so hard before, during and since the opening of the Alfond Center for Health to carry forward our vision of providing top-quality care to our community day in and day out.”

In recognizing the Alfond Center for Health project, the judging panel noted the collaboration and innovation behind the construction of the $312 million facility serving the Kennebec Valley. The hospital was the first of its kind in Maine to be built using integrated project delivery. The process required all partners — from owners to the design and construction teams — to sign a contract that put all the risk on all the parties. At each step of the project, team members used an agreed-upon collaborative decision-making process.

Efficiencies during the planning and construction phases enabled MaineGeneral to reinvest savings into building enhancements that include energy-efficient mechanisms which will result in long-term operational savings.

The judges also recognized MaineGeneral’s ability to use local labor whenever possible. A full 90 percent of the workforce onsite were from Maine. Ninety-seven percent of the subcontracts went to Maine firms, keeping precious construction dollars working in the state.

The facility was one of the four finalists for the overall best project in the region for 2014.

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Unity College, Darling’s Nissan partner on electric vehicle charger

Unity College will open an electic vehicle charging station next month, donated by Darling’s Nissan in Bangor.

The college, which focuses on sustainability science, recently adopted a strategic plan comprising goals that include a net-zero campus, according to a press release from the college.

“The gift from Darling’s Nissan not only aligns with and advances the college mission, it provides a wonderful service to the community,” said Stephen Mulkey, college president, in the press release. “Individuals can now find Unity College on the Plugshare map, among many sources, that lists locations of EV charging stations across the nation.”

Erica Hutchinson, college development officer, worked with Darling’s Nissan on installing the station, said Melik Peter Khoury, executive vice president and liaison to the Board of Trustees. “Erica saw a need that we had on campus and was diligent in her efforts to advance our net-zero initiative,” Khoury said in the rlease.

“Darling’s is thrilled to be partnering with Unity College as they help to promote sustainable energy programs in Maine and beyond, said Matt Smith, Darling’s marketing manager, in the release. ” By helping to build an EV infrastructure, we hope to encourage future growth in electric vehicle technology, bringing us all a little closer to the dream of reliable, renewable, clean energy.”

The charging station will be near the Student Activities Center and there will be a formal ribbon cutting ceremony in January after it has been installed.


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