Belgrade’s Hill honored by Maine Resource Recovery Association

Belgrade’s Geoff Hill has been named the Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the Maine Resource Recovery Association.

Hill, a self-employed tree and compost specialist, was recognized “for his fedication and leadership in the promotion of composting, recycling and waste reduction in Maine and beyond for over 45 years,” according to a press release from the MRRA.

The certified master composter was featured in a Morning Sentinel profile in July 2014.

The organization announced the recipients of its annual awards at the 22nd annual Maine Recycling and Solid Waste Conference.

Also recognized for contributions to advancing waste reduction and recycling in Maine:

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Operator of the Year: Granville Ames and Pat Anderson from Mid-coast Solid Waste

Composter of the Year: Randy Gray, solid waste supervisor, town of Skowhegan

Program of the Year: Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District, Steve Lewis, operations manager

Manager of the Year: Trampas King, superintendent, Mid-Maine Solid Waste Association

Most Improved Program: Wiscasset Transfer Station, Ron Lear, superintendent

Business Recycler of the Year: Benson Farm, Gorham, Ed and Becky Benson, owners

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MRRA congratulates and salutes the excellent contributions these individuals and organizations are offering to Maine’s nation-leading solid waste management industry. If you would like more information about the services these worthy recipients have and are giving to Maine’s sustainable materials management programs please contact MRRA.

The Maine Resource Recovery Association is a 501c3 non-profit corporation offering cooperative marketing of recycled materials and educational services to members and residents throughout Maine.

Lane named Crisis & Counseling Centers Crisis & Counseling Centers’ board president

Crisis and Counseling Centers’ Board of Directors voted in Kim Lane as the board’s president at the Annual Celebration & Art Reception, held Thursday at the Governor Hill Mansion in Augusta. Lane had been vice president of the board.

Lane, of Waterville, assumes this position at the close of Dana Hamilton’s two-year term.

“I will be filling big shoes at a time when mental health and substance abuse services in Maine are very volatile,” Lane said in a press release from C&C.

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Lane has spent more than 30 years in the mental health and addiction fields, most recently as an assistant professor of mental health and human services at the University of Maine at Augusta and care manager clinician at MaineGeneral Health.

During her time on the board, Lane has demonstrated her dedication to C&C’s mission to deliver effective care to Mainers with behavioral health needs, according to the release.

“I hope as the new board president to encourage board members and C&C staff to be authentic to themselves and the individuals we serve, and to make sure we’re doing our best every day,” she said.

Lane earned a doctorate in human services from Capella University and a master’s in social work at the University of Maine. She has served as the director of operations and the director of mental health services at Alternative Services-Northeast Inc., based in Lewiston. She also spent 14 years as the director of outpatient services, community support and counseling at MaineGeneral Health.

Crisis & Counseling Centers serves individuals with behavioral health needs, including substance abuse, mental health and co-occurring issues. The nonprofit agency is the sole provider of crisis services for Kennebec and Somerset counties and administers 24-hour-a-day crisis services to those in need, according to the release.

Northern Mattress & Furniture 1st named Retailer of the Year by furniture retailers group

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Northern Mattress & Furniture 1st was named “Retailer of the Year” at the 20th Annual Furniture Industry Awards Gala on April 20, held by the International home Furnishing Representatives Association.

Retailer of the Year is the highest honor given by sales representatives within the retail home furnishings community, according to a press release. It recognizes retailers who have distinguished themselves through industry leadership, business achievement and service to their communities. Northern Mattress & Furniture 1st is a member of Furniture First, the group recipient of the award. This year is the first in which multiple retailers united as a buying group were honored, according to the release.

Northern Mattress & Furniture 1st has been a member of Furniture First since 2007. Furniture First is a cooperative of 217 family-owned furniture retailers, operating more than 456 stores in 47 states that work together as a group to negotiate deals to rival larger corporate retail chain stores, according to the release. The group’s buying power boosts the furniture values the community and customer-centric retailers offer.

The typical member store has been in business for more than 40 years and is run by a second or third generation, according to the release. Furniture First retailers have a strong connection to the communities they serve, and pride themselves on being good corporate citizens, according to the release.

Furniture First only accepts stores that are full-line independents that have been in business for more than five years. Stores are required to have good credit and meet minimum volume requirements. Most members, whether they have a single storefront or a chain of locations, serve the solid middle market of consumers. Members are not in direct competition with each other, adding to the overall willingness to share and collaborate.

IHFRA is made up of more than 2,000 independent manufacturer’s representatives and retailers who work together to support the industry’s educational, financial, regulatory and charitable interests, according to the release.

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Marin earns promotion at Perry, Fitts, Boulette and Fitton CPAs

Perry, Fitts, Boulette and Fitton CPAs located in Oakland and Bath, recently promoted Jessica Marin CPA to senior accountant.

Marin, who lives in Benton, graduated from Thomas College, where she was on the President’s List and member of the Alpha Chi National Honors Society, according to a news release from the firm. She joined PFBF CPAs as an intern in January of 2011, and has been with the firm full-time since May 2013.

At PFBF CPAs, Marin helps individuals and businesses with tax planning and preparation. She is a valued member of the audit department, and she works on compiled and reviewed financial statements for businesses, according to the release.

One of her most notable accomplishments is her CPA licensure in January of this year. In addition to her hard work and dedication at PFBF CPAs, she also volunteers a significant amount of time fundraising and serving on local boards of nonprofits, according to the release. She is the vice president of the board for the Humane Society of the Waterville Area and is on the finance committee for the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter.

Healthcentric Advisors appoints Maine program director

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Healthcentric Advisors has appointed Danielle Hersey as its Maine program director.

Hersey will oversee and manage the administration of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service New England Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization contract in Maine, along with all private contracts and grants that are administered from Healthcentric Advisors Brunswick office, according to a press release from the organization. She supervises a staff of seven.

Before her promotion, Hersey was program coordinator at Healthcentric Advisors, overseeing the inpatient quality improvement projects under the NE QIN-QIO program in the state.

She earned a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Southern Maine and has worked in the acute care setting as an emergency department, ICU and medical/surgical staff nurse, according to the press release. Hersey is experienced in quality improvement, peer review and served as Magnet champion for a facility undergoing recertification. She also served was a nurse educator; working as a bedside clinical instructor and in a nursing simulation lab teaching both high acuity and nursing fundamentals. She is also working on a master of science in nursing with a concentration in quality and patient safety at Southern New Hampshire University and has a bachelor of science in computer information systems from Husson College.

Healthcentric Advisors is a Providence, Rhode Island-based non-profit health care quality improvement agency that provides consulting, research and education services, with offices in Brunswick and Woburn, Mass. The staff includes physicians, nurses, educators, analysts and other professionals.

Augusta downtown cash mob Thursday

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The Augusta Downtown Merchants will host a cash mob at 5:15 p.m. Thursday in Market Square.

Participants are asked to bring $20 to spend at a secret downtown retailer. The store will have items for sale for men and women that cost less than $20.

After the cash mob, everyone is invited to Charlamagne’s for food, fun and drinks in the downtown.

Entrepreneur workshop to be held at Thomas College

Entrepreneurs from the greater Waterville area and the rest of Maine will gather for a workshop from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, at Thomas College in Waterville.

Speakers will include business leaders Heidi Neal from The Loyal Biscuit Co., Peter Bragdon from Bragdon Farms hay logs, Brian Watson from the Cianbro Institute, Kai Smith from Buoy Local, Nancy O’Brien from Fiore Artisan Olive Oils & Vinegars, Royce Cross from Cross Insurance, Geoffrey Warner from Owl Furniture, and Mike Thibodeau from Mount Waldo Plastics.

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The showcase is generated by a Maine Development Foundation’s Leadership Maine project team and supported by Waterville Creates! & PechaKucha Night Waterville, according to a press release from event organizers, who say the presentations will be delivered in pechakucha style, with multiple slideshows.

The Maine Development Foundation’s Leadership Maine program is “year-long experiential learning journey that expands leaders’ capacity to shape our state’s future,” according to the release. A team prject that arose from the program was to host an event that celebrates Maine’s culture of creativity, entrepreneurship and small business communities.

Following the presentations, Camden National Bank will host a catered networking reception to provide an opportunity for attendees to connect with the presenters and members of the entrepreneurial community, according to the release. To register, go to conta.cc/1D0ow53

Mendall becomes member of Leaders Council

Peter L. Mendall, of Medall Financial Group, 320 Water St., in Augusta, was recently named a member of the 2015 Leaders Council. Leaders Council honors are presented only to those financial advisors who demonstrate an extraordinary level of commitment to clients through personal service and professional integrity, according to a press release from Raymond James Financial Services. Members of the Leaders Council represent the top echelon of the firm’s financial advisors, which is a privilege limited to a select few, the release said.

Mendall, who joined The Mendall Financial Group (an independent firm) in 1997, has 18 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Compiled from contributed releases.

 


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