AUGUSTA — Kennebec Savings Bank President & CEO Andrew Silsby and Kennebec Federal Savings and Loan Association of Waterville President & CEO Allan Rancourt have announced that they have received regulatory approval to proceed with the merger of Kennebec Federal Savings with Kennebec Savings Bank.

The Maine Bureau of Financial Institutions approved KFS’s application to convert to a Maine mutual financial institution for purposes of facilitating the merger. In addition, they approved Kennebec Savings Bank’s application to merge with KFS. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation also approved Kennebec Savings Bank’s application to merge with KFS. The conversion and merger are scheduled to occur simultaneously.

“This approval is another step forward in what is a lengthy merger process partly because the two organizations have different charters; KFS being Federal and KSB being State,” said Silsby, according to a news release from Kennebec Savings Bank. “The process is moving ahead and these approvals are a strong indicator that we are on track to complete the merger in the March timeframe.”

“We are pleased that the Bureau of Financial Institutions and the FDIC have provided their approvals,” said Rancourt, according to the release. “We are excited to take the next step in joining these two banks together.”

Completion of the transaction remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of other closing conditions, including Kennebec Federal Savings member approval. KFS expects to hold a special meeting of its members in late December, and the transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.

 

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Telemedicine focus of virtual forum Dec. 10

PORTLAND — Mainebiz will host the Mainebiz Health Care virtual forum from 11 a.m. to noon Dec. 10 via Zoom, with a panel of local experts to discuss telemedicine, what it means for your business, and what health care savings it has for employees and the employer.

The panel of executive business leaders include Peter Hayes, president & CEO at Healthcare Purchaser Alliance of Maine; Pat Keran, vice president, product & innovation at UnitedHealthcare; Martin Wesolowski, DO, MBA, health plan medical director at Martin’s Point Health Care; and moderated by Joanne Rawlings-Sekunda, director of the consumer health care division at the Maine Bureau of Insurance.

This event, sponsored by Pierce Atwood LLP and UnitedHealthcare, is free to attend. For more information or to register, visit mainebiz.biz/HealthCare.

 

UScellular champions the Next Generation of Heroes as The Future of Good

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On Giving Tuesday, for the sixth consecutive year, UScellular kicked off The Future of Good program highlighting young people who are helping create positive change in their local communities. Through The Future of Good, UScellular champions many causes, including the fight against hunger and homelessness, the protection of the environment and expansion of education and literacy, according to a news release from UScellular.

Through Dec. 31, anyone older than 18 is encouraged to go to thefutureofgood.com to nominate youth between 6 to 17 years old who are making a positive impact in their communities. At the end of the nomination phase, UScellular will announce three winners. This year, UScellular will award each of the three young heroes with a $10,000 contribution to support their respective cause.

“For the past six years, UScellular has been committed to championing and supporting youth who have made a positive impact in their community,” said Matt Kasper, director of sales for UScellular in New England. “These young heroes are all around us and UScellular is right there to showcase them, to invest in them and to support them to continue to do good.”

When nominating a young person, describe the nominee’s cause, how it is helping their community and how the nominee could use a cash award to continue to grow their efforts.

To see how past The Future of Good recipients have created positive change in their communities, visit youtube.com/watch?v=AVvU8o9TkiU&feature=youtu.be. For more information on eligibility and to view official program rules, go to thefutureofgood.com.

 

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Camden National Bank celebrates five 2020 Leaders & Luminaries honorees

CAMDEN — Camden National Bank has announced its 2020 Leaders & Luminaries Awardees and provided $22,000 in grants for their respective organizations. The honorees include Doris Dennee from The Iris Network, Evelyn Kieltyka from Medical Care Development Inc., Jackie Studer from Classical Uprising, Ray Gerbi from the Pejepscot History Center, and Dr. Robert “Bob” Holmberg from Community Compass, according to a news release from the bank.

Since the recognition program launched in 2011, Camden National Bank has donated nearly $175,000 to 48 Maine nonprofits with Leaders & Luminaries Awards presented to outstanding board directors from across the state. Over the years, hundreds of board directors have been nominated by fellow board members and nonprofit staff, highlighting countless stories of volunteers going above and beyond as stewards for positive community change.

“This year especially, nonprofits have had to adapt and reprioritize, all at lightning speed. And effective board directors have been instrumental in helping their organizations navigate these unchartered waters, without losing sight of longer term goals,” said Greg Dufour, president & CEO of Camden National Bank, according to the release. “It’s an honor to shine a light on our 2020 awardees who have demonstrated innovative thinking and an outstanding commitment to community.”

Camden National Bank’s independent selection committee narrowed the pool of nominations down to four Leaders & Luminaries Award Winners, each receiving $5,000 grants, and a Spotlight Award Winner, receiving a $2,000 grant. Donations were funded through the bank’s private charitable foundation, The Bank of Maine Foundation.

2020 Leaders & Luminaries award winners:
Doris Dennee, board treasurer, The Iris Network (Portland)

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Doris Dennee Photo courtesy of Camden National Bank

Doris Dennee first became involved in The Iris Network from her work with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, where she trained puppies to support people who are visually impaired. She soon joined the board, first from 2002 to 2004, when she was instrumental in opening Iris Park Apartments, and again in 2017. She serves as treasurer and chairwoman of the Finance Committee, and she played a key role in supporting the organization’s staff transition to a new finance lead. Her expertise as a CPA, most recently with Baker Newman Noyes before retirement, and her passion for the mission of The Iris Network made her a perfect person to help find, train, and work closely with the new accounting manager. During a challenging time, Dennee dedicated countless hours to stewarding a key transition and streamlining financial processes, all while raising spirits and keeping the board of directors and staff engaged.

Jackie Studer, board president, Classical Uprising (Portland)

Jackie Studer Photo courtesy of Camden National Bank

Jackie Studer first joined the board of a local nonprofit called the Portland Bach Experience in 2019, immediately bringing her business acumen as a corporate lawyer and her passion for performing arts. Seeing a clear synergy between the Portland Bach Experience and Oratorio Chorale (another local nonprofit), she led the two organizations and boards through a detailed exploration and eventual merger, forming Classical Uprising. Her leadership through the process preserved the identities of both organizations, while creating efficiencies and opportunities for greater impact and financial stability. Soon thereafter, the merged organization acquired a youth choir program, furthering its ability to meet its mission and thrive. Less than two years after joining the board of Portland Bach Experience, and after leading the merger process, Studer was elected as board president of Classical Uprising, which now serves 200 adult and youth singers and reaches more than 4,000 Mainers with concerts, events and educational programs. Her leadership and organizational vision helped transform the organization, achieve fundraising and membership goals, and reach new levels of stability and service.

Ray Gerbi, Board Treasurer, Pejepscot History Center (Brunswick)

Ray Gerbi Photo courtesy of Camden National Bank

Having retired in Maine and looking to give back in the community, Ray Gerbi began volunteering at the Pejepscot History Center. Eventually, his passion and professional experience in buildings and grounds work emerged, and no matter the job, from smaller “handyman” tasks to much larger, long-range construction projects, Gerbi was ready to help. After serving on the Buildings & Grounds Committee, he was elected to the board. In 2018, he became board treasurer as well as chairman of the strategic planning and facilities master plan committees. Bringing 30 years of experience leading facility and real estate strategy and operations at Concord Hospital in New Hampshire, his expertise was an incredible asset to the small team at PHC. Especially this year, when the historical society had to dramatically reduce the number of visitors and rely on alternative revenue streams, Gerbi was instrumental in helping chart a new path forward, balancing vision with practicality for long-term sustainability.

Dr. Robert “Bob” Holmberg, president & founder, Community Compass (Blue Hill)

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Robert ‘Bob’ Holmberg Photo courtesy of Camden National Bank

Eight years ago, Dr. Robert “Bob” Holmberg, a retired pediatrician from Brooksville was inspired by a presentation on confronting poverty in the Blue Hill Peninsula. After researching programs and solutions across the nation, Holmberg founded Community Compass, fueled by his vision of focusing on today’s children and youth to ensure that tomorrow’s adults are prepared and empowered to thrive. In launching Community Compass, Holmberg formed an engaged, strong board of directors with experience across disciplines working to end poverty in the region. Together, they were able to secure significant funding while collaborating with local nonprofits to ensure no duplication of efforts or wasted resources in supporting local families. With an eye for long-range planning and fiscal responsibility, as well as a deep-seeded passion for the work, Holmberg’s leadership has made Community Compass a vital community resource, providing emergency support, educational forums, a hub of information, scholarships, and more.

2020 Spotlight Award Winner:

Evelyn Kieltyka Photo courtesy of Camden National Bank

Evelyn Kieltyka, MSN, MS, FNP-BC, board chairwoman, Medical Care Development Inc. (Augusta)
Evelyn Kieltyka, a family nurse practitioner who serves as senior vice president of program services at Maine Family Planning, originally joined MCD’s board to represent Maine’s nursing community. Quickly, she became enamored with the organization’s ability to offer creative solutions for health needs worldwide. As board chairwoman, she’s guided MCD’s 2017 restructuring to focus the Maine-based nonprofit exclusively on public health here in Maine, across the U.S., and in low- and middle-income countries overseas. She was instrumental in hiring the current executive director, diversifying and engaging the board, and facilitating a year-long strategic planning process. As MCD has worked to respond to the pandemic, Kieltyka has played a key role in developing a comprehensive contingency plan to enable MCD to expand and reorient its programmatic efforts to effectively help in COVID-19 response planning and mitigation efforts in the regions where MCD works. As a result of her leadership, MCD is well positioned to continue to fulfill its global mission of improving the health and wellbeing of people around the world.

For more business news, visit CentralMaine.com.

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