Smart Eye Care celebrates 25 years in business

Smart Eye Care Center, started by Richard Smart in Augusta in 1990, is marking its 25 years in business with a daylong celebration at its Augusta location Friday.

Dr. Richard Smart, front with Dr. Lesley Sobeck, poses with the staff of the Augusta Smart Eye Care Center. Smart and his company are celebrating 25 years with an open house at the Western Avenue center Friday. Contributed photo

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“This is our way of saying thank you to the community, our patients, friends, and family, who have supported Dr. Smart and SECC over the past 25 years,” said a news release issued by the eye care center.

The event will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, at the 225 Western Ave. offices of Smart Eye Care Center. The Bangor location held a celebration in March, and the Farmingdale location will host one in June, with a date to be announced, according to the release.

Smart graduated from the New England College of Optometry in March 1983 and was chief of the optometry clinic for the U.S. Army in Fort Richardson Alaska, until August 1986, when he started a practice in Wasilla, Alaska. He returned hom to Maine in 1990 and opened his Augusta practice, according to the release.

Other milestones for the eye care center came in February 1991, when Smart bought the Robert Stoddart optometric practice oin Wilton, in April 1993. The Wilton office moved to Farmington, and then to 225 Western Ave. in Augusta in 1993. In May, 1995, the Farmington office was transferred to Maurice Knapp, also of Farmington and Smart now works full time at his Augusta practice, accordng to the release.

In August, 1999, SECC opened the Gardiner office at 144 Bridge St. SECC then moved the office to 210 Maine Ave., Farmingdale, in February 2006. In September 2004 SECC opened a third location at 824 Stillwater Ave. in Bangor.

Sarah Gladstone became an associate in September 2007, Lesley Sobeck in November 2008, James Brewer in June 2012, Lucie Neron in February 2013 and Vincent Cano in October 2014.

Coldwell Banker Rizzo Mattson announces 2015 awards

The Coldwell Banker Rizzo Mattson, Realtors team came home with a number of awards after recently attending the 2015 Coldwell Banker Northeast Region Awards & Rally at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Among those recognized were Jean Kirkpatrick, who has been named a member of the Coldwell Banker International President’s Elite, a designation that places her among the top 2 percent of all Coldwell Banker associates, according to a press release from Coldwell Banker. Merrie Hanson has qualified to join the company’s International President’s Circle, an award given to the top 6 percent of all sales associates worldwide in the Coldwell Banker system, according to the release.

Geri Doyle, Jennifer Day, Kevin Judkins, Jim Rideout Jr. and president Brian Rizzo achieved membership in the company’s International Diamond Society, an appointment held by only the top 9 percent of all Coldwell Banker representatives. Lisa Kalloch, Rita Gower and Don LaFlamme have each been appointed into the International Sterling Society for their achievements amongst the top 14 percent of all sales associates.

“2014 was definitely a growth year for the local real estate market. The number of properties sold and the average sales price were both up over 2013,” Rizzo said in the release. Based on information from Coldwell Banker economic forecasters, Rizzo anticipates the 2015 market will be similar to the market conditions of 2001. “Although business for the beginning of the year was impeded by harsh winter weather, I am happy to say our agents have exceeded their first quarter goals,” he said.

Main Security Surveillance and Capitol Computers merge

Main Security Surveillance and Capitol Computers have merged, a move that took effect March 31.

Main Security will relocate its main office from Anthony Avenue in north Augusta to 151 Water St., downtown, where Capitol Computers is located. It will continue to maintain its satellite office on Main St. in Rockland. Main Security Surveillance and its parent company PSB.COM offer a full suite of IT services, including advanced monitoring, remote support, programs for security compliance, cloud-based video/storage/backup, desktop/server management, helpdesk, custom application development and Office 365 migrations, according to a press release from the company.

The company has also provided commercial and residential security systems for more than 40 years, and added a computer security division several years ago, according to the release, to meet technical challenges faced by businesses that need to augment or outsource their information technology servies.

Capitol Computers was founded in 1983 by Thomas Johnson and was named the “Best of the Best in the Area for Computing and Networking Sales and Service” for the 19th time by Market Surveys of America, according to the release. Capitol Computers repairs computers/laptops/servers/peripherals on all platforms and provides training in its own training center.

Healthy Northern Kennebec part of national initiative

Healthy Northern Kennebec, of Waterville, has been selected to participate in and receive funding through a new initiative, SCALE (Spreading Community Accelerators through Learning and Evaluation). Healthy Northern Kennebec was one of 24 communities chosen to participate in the national program, according to a press release from the organization.

SCALE encourages communities to improve health and to spread effective community-driven approaches across the country, accoording to the release. The program was launched by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Additional partners include Community Solutions, Communities Joined in Action and the Collaborative Health Network.

Healthy Northern Kennebec will get up to $68,000 over 20 month to provide “resources to accelerate Waterville’s progress toward the vision of health equity for every resident,” according to the release.

“Healthy Northern Kennebec has been building a culture of health in the greater Waterville area by strengthening partnerships among health, education, faith community, government, social service and business organizations,” said Healthy Northern Kennebec Director Fran Mullin in the release. The Healthy Waterville project, supported by the Maine Health Access Foundation, “engages diverse partners from the neighborhoods most affected by poverty in planning and making decisions about improving health,” according to the release.

“Waterville is poised for transformation,” Mullen said. “We have very engaged partners, including Waterville Main Street, Kennebec Valley Community Action Program, Family Violence Project, Kennebec Behavioral Health, the City of Waterville and others that are going upstream to build bridges from poverty to prosperity. I am proud of our community and welcome this national spotlight on Waterville.”

Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office recognized as top Guard and Reserve employer

The Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office as a finalist for the 2015 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, according to a press release from Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense office. The award is the defense department’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of National Guard and Reserve employees, according to the release.

The top 30 employers were selected from a pool of 2,960 nominations submitted earlier this year by National Guard and Reserve service members.

Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office was nominated by Army National Guardsman Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Pierce, who is assigned to Headquarters Company, 133rd Engineering Battalion in Gardiner.

A board comprising senior defense department and other officials and representatives of organizations that have been recognized in the past will select up to 15 Freedom Award recipients to be honored at the 20th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony in late summer.

The 30 finalists “have gone far above and beyond what is required to provide exemplary support to our military men and women as well as their families,” said acting Director, Family and Employer Programs and Policy, M. Alex Baird, in the release.

KVCC to host Trades and Technology Job Fair Wednesday

Kennebec Valley Community College and the Augusta CareerCenter will host KVCC’s first Trades and Technology Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. The event is open to both students and the general public, and offers an opportunity to connect with businesses looking for employees, according to a press release from the college.

The job fair will take place in Carter Hall on the KVCC Fairfield campus, 92 Western Ave.

Exhibitors scheduled to be at the event are Augusta Fuel Company, Bath Iron Works, Bonney Staffing Center, Brown’s Welding & Steel, Cianbro, Dog House Energy Services, Fabian Oil, Goodwill Industries of Northern New England, Goodwin Well & Water Inc., Kennebec Lumber, Labor Ready, Maine National Guard, Maine Technology Group, Mechanical Services, Osmose Utilities Services Inc., Providence Human Services, ReVision Energy, Siemens Industry Inc., Building Technologies, St. Croix Tissue Inc., TRC Engineering, TRT Electric Inc., Verso Paper, Women, Work, and Community.

KVCC’s Trades and Technology students are graduating May 16 from programs including Applied Electronics & Computer Technology, Electrical Technology, Electrical Lineworker Technology, Energy Services & Technology, Precision Machining Technology and Pulp & Paper Technology.

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