BELGRADE — Hammond Lumber Co.  has acquired Tukey Brothers Inc., a sawmill in North Belgrade.

Hammond, a fourth generation, family-owned company since 1953 has more than 800 employees and 21 locations across Maine. With the acquisition, Hammond plans to operate the sawmill as their second lumber manufacturing location, according to a news release from the company.

“We have a tremendous amount of respect for the Tukey Brothers company and their long-history of serving the community. With more than 80 years of family history in the lumber business, the Tukey family is a part of Belgrade’s rich history. We knew the Tukey family had plans to retire and felt the timing was right to add members of their team to the Hammond family,” said Mike Hammond, president & CEO of Hammond.

Tukey Brothers Inc. was established in 1935. The company had eight current employees and three co-owners. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hammond is the largest lumber and building materials retailer in Maine and the 25th largest ProSales dealer in the country. Earlier this year, the company was named 2020 ProSales Dealer of the Year, a national award.

According to the release, the company has seen record-setting sales growth in 2020 from a surge in home improvement projects because of the coronavirus pandemic. The company has 21 locations, including Fairfield, Farmington and Skowhegan.

 

Always Sunny Storage of Winslow holds grand opening

WINSLOW — Always Sunny Storage of Winslow, the first and only climate-controlled storage facility in greater Waterville, celebrated its grand opening last month. By employing HVAC systems and robust security systems, Always Sunny Storage looks to disrupt the local market with a high-quality offering not previously available to homeowners and small business owners anywhere between Bangor to Portland, according to a news release form the company.

Always Sunny Storage founders noted, “We are thrilled to be launching on this vision and to be addressing a deeply unmet need. Before Always Sunny, people needed to drive all the way to Bangor or Portland in order to find any facilities that protect your possessions from our harsh weather. The Waterville self storage market’s traditional offering of non-climate-controlled units is subject to the severe swings in both temperature and relative humidity of the outside climate, and this can irreparably damage your valued possessions in a number of ways. Wooden furniture, fabrics, leathers, and electronic panels all risk being ruined if the lack of climate control facilitates mold growth. Metals can rust and treasured porcelain dishes will crack. We wanted to provide a service that treated customers’ possessions with the same high quality of care that we want for our own items.”

As of now, the facility offers all large units (20 feet by 8 feet) with fully temperature and humidity controls in place. Each unit can serve a typical three-bedroom apartment or an average small business. Always Sunny Storage highly prioritizes the security of its facility with 24/7 video surveillance, customized keycode entry for the facility’s gate, strong lighting, and on-site managerial help. Additionally, the units’ doors are more tightly sealed versus conventional roll-up doors, and this helps greatly to protect against unwanted critters and to fortify the climate control systems.
Always Sunny Storage also offers outdoor parking (boats, RVs, trucks). In spring of 2021, Always Sunny expects to add a large number of smaller (10 foot by 8 foot) units as well.

Always Sunny Storage is located at 69 Chaffee Brook Road, next to the intersection of Carter Memorial Drive and Route 201 (Augusta Road). The facility is now open for business, and customers can reserve space easily by visiting AlwaysSunnyStorage.com.

 

Skowhegan Dunkin’ donates $1,000 to local food cupboard

SKOWHEGAN — Local Dunkin’ franchisees Colleen and Ed Bailey recently made a donation of $1,000 to the Skowhegan Community Food Cupboard during the grand reopening of the Dunkin’ at 386 Madison Ave. in Skowhegan. The store received a complete remodel to become an energy efficient DD Green store.

The location has a new digital drive-thru menu board, Dunkin’s innovative tap system for cold teas and coffees, new tables and seating for customers, front counter bakery cases, and high-volume coffee brewers. The presentation included Ed Bailey, Colleen Bailey and Skowhegan Community Food Cupboard President Jennifer Grenier.

 

GrowSmart Maine elects new board members and officers

AUGUSTA — During an Oct. 22 summit, GrowSmart Maine held its annual meeting, which included the election of new and renewing board members and the slate of officers. All terms will begin in January. Officer terms are for one year and board terms are for three years.

This is the first term for Kirsten Brewer of Augusta. She joined the philanthropy team of Natural Resources Council of Maine in the summer of 2020, working prior to that at Kennebec Land Trust based in Winthrop, where she connected with GrowSmart Maine through the Local Wood WORKS program. Her past experiences include working in nonprofits, state government, and education. She is a board member of the Maine Chapter of the Fulbright Association and volunteers with Augusta’s pedestrian and bike group, CAPITAL (Cyclists and Pedestrians Invigorating the Augusta Life).

Also in his first term is Philip Hussey of Portland, who serves as a vice president at Chenmark, a Portland-based small business acquirer and operator. Hussey is a member of the seventh-generation family manufacturing business, Hussey Seating Co., and attended Colby College in Waterville. He connected with GrowSmart Maine while exploring potential avenues for supporting rural Opportunity Zones in Maine.

Starting a third term is Ethan Boxer-Macomber of Portland. He has 18 years’ experience in real estate, housing, and community development.

Sally Stockwell of Cumberland is a wildlife ecologist who will begin her second term. She has with experience in conservation of nongame, rare, and endangered species in freshwater wetlands, coastal beaches and marshes, and northern forests.

Four officers were elected to serve one-year terms. They are Chairman Ben Smith, Vice Chairman Ethan Boxer-Macomber, Treasurer Tom Rumpf and Secretary Maggie Fleming.

 

Franklin Memorial Hospital earns national recognition for safety in surgery

FARMINGTON — Franklin Memorial Hospital has earned the Go Clear Award for its achievement in eliminating hazardous smoke from its surgical procedures. The Go Clear Award is presented by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses to recognize health care facilities that have committed to providing increased surgical patient and health care worker safety by implementing practices that eliminate smoke caused by the use of lasers and electrosurgery devices during surgery.

FMH earned its award by undergoing comprehensive surgical smoke education and testing and for providing the medical devices and resources necessary to evacuate surgical smoke during all smoke-generating procedures, according to a news release from the hospital.

Surgical smoke is the unwanted by-product of energy-generating devices that are used in 90% of all surgeries. Its contents include toxic chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide, viruses, bacteria, blood and cancer cells. Inhalation and absorption of surgical smoke pose serious health risks to patients and surgical staff. Studies compare the inhalation of smoke from vaporized human tissue to the smoke created by cigarettes; the average daily impact of surgical smoke to the surgical team is equivalent to inhaling 27-30 unfiltered cigarettes. Today, it is estimated only 50% of health care workers across the U.S. understand the hazards of smoke exposure.

Franklin Memorial Hospital is just the second hospital in the state of Maine to earn this distinction.

 

Four promoted at SeniorsPlus
LEWISTON — Three members of the Community Services team at SeniorsPlus have received promotions, according to a news release from the organization.

Dana Morrell has been promoted to community services supervisor. Morrell will provide supervision and assistance to staff of the various Older Americans Act programs managed by the Community Services Department.

Michelle Beers has been promoted to case management supervisor and will provide implementation and oversight for the various contractual case management programs supported by the Community Services Department.

Kerry Faria, promoted to Medicare coordinator, will provide education and assist with enrollment and advocacy for Medicare beneficiaries.

Tina Record has been promoted to Atypical Services Program supervisor. She will be responsible for supervising development, management and implementation of the Atypical Services Program, which includes the following services: Emergency Response Systems, Facility Respite, Assistive Technology, and Home (Environmental) Modifications.

SeniorsPlus is the Western Maine designated Area Agency on Aging covering Franklin, Oxford and Androscoggin counties.

Compiled from submitted news releases. For more business briefs, visit CentralMaine.com.