Bangor Region Chamber Annual Report

2 | Friday | January 20, 2012 | Bangor Daily News

By Dan Tremble

In 2012, your Chamber willface many challenges as well asopportunities. We have a staff andBoard of Directors in place readyto tackle the challenges and capi-talize on the opportunities.

Whenever I talk with peoplearound the State of Maine, they’resaying the same things: “Greatthings are happening in Bangor,”or “Bangor really seems to be onthe move.” The fact of the matteris that it’s not just perception, butthe result of a lot of hard workfrom talented people throughoutthe region.

Think about what we havegoing for us. While Lincoln andMillinocket aren’t part of theGreater Bangor Region Chamberof Commerce territory, the posi-tive economic activities in thosecommunities have a great impacton our region.

It was a countywide vote thispast November that allowedtable games for the recently re-named Hollywood Casino. Thiswill help the revenue stream tothe City of Bangor to pay for thefabulous new arena now underconstruction.

And speaking of the new arena,during the summer of 2011, theChamber quickly vacated thebuilding we had owned in BassPark to make way for the construc-tion. A new permanent home forthe Chamber is one of our biggerchallenges in 2012.

We also view this as an oppor-tunity and look forward to working

with the City of Bangor and othersto find a suitable location where wecan effectively carry out our mis-sion “To promote and advance avital, healthy business environ-ment.”

While the Bangor Region has arich history and many people talkabout this region’s “heyday”, Ibelieve our best days are ahead ofus. We have world class business-es and institutions in this regionthat have laid a strong foundationon which we can build our future.In 2012 we can credibly say,“Ourtime is now.”

However, to be successful, Ibelieve we must work collabora-tively and regionally. After all,economic development in anycommunity in the region benefitsour entire region. We live in one of the most desirable areas inthe country where employerspitch our quality of life as much as

they do a salary to prospectiveemployees.

The worst economy that most ofus have ever seen has been toughon many of our members and manyin our region in recent years. Whilethe climb out has been and will belong and arduous, we don’t want toleave anyone behind.

We have, and will, continue towork with our members who arestruggling as we believe we areonly as strong as our weakest link.

Even against this adversity, weenter 2012 with aggressive goalsto build our membership.

In 2012, the Greater BangorChamber of Commerce will contin-ue to provide advocacy, informa-tion and networking opportunitiesto our members, and we’ll have alot going on.

Now through April there arethe monthly Saturday morning HotStove Sessions at Eastern MaineCommunity College, which havegrown in popularity.

Our Early Bird Breakfasts, cov-ering issues of the day, are alsoseeing larger crowds. In 2012,look for seminars to help employ-ers and small businesses.

And of course, our monthlyBusiness After Hours are a greatnetworking opportunity, as are ourAnnual Dinner, new member ori-entations and the annual ChamberChallenge golf tournament.

I look forward to all the oppor-tunities that come our way in 2012and welcome the challenges aswell. May 2012 exceed all yourexpectations and remember, “Nowis our time.”

By Julia Munsey

People often ask me, “Whatdoes the Chamber do exactly?” Or“What is the value in becoming amember of the Chamber?” Andwhile my answer can take a whileto explain all of the programs andinitiatives that the Chamberengages in or the value that it canbring to a member business, theshort answer for 2011 is the Ban-gor Region Chamber of Commercedoes a lot.

2011 has been a busy year ofcelebration and change at theBangor Region Chamber of Com-merce. We kicked off the yearwith an award winning AnnualAwards Dinner celebrating the100th anniversary of the Cham-ber, moved into campaign modewith the successful ArenaYes!Campaign and concluded the yearby moving the Chamber officesinto a temporary home at 208Maine Ave. as phase one of con-struction for the new arenabegan. 2011 proved to be agreat opportunity to celebrate ourindustrious past and to embark ona bright new future.

That future includes a vision forour region that many of us alreadyexperience in our daily lives. Aregion that is rich in resources,that celebrates the arts, believes inand supports education at all lev-els, and a region that workstogether cooperatively to ensurethat the opportunity for a good lifeis available to all. The Chamber isan active participant in supportingthis vision for its members and for

all of us.One thing that I learned as part

of my research for the 100thanniversary of the Chamber andthe story of the fire of 1911, isthat the Chamber has served manydifferent purposes in its 100years. In 1911, the business com-munity came together as the Ban-gor Chamber of Commerce tohelp each other and the cityrebuild after the devastation thatalmost destroyed the city. TheChamber helped provide muchneeded leadership to a city intenton reinventing itself for the future.

Over the years, the Chamberhas spearheaded advocacy initia-tives, developed leadership pro-grams, created workplace seminarsand events and in short hasresponded to the needs of thecommunity as it has grown anddeveloped.

But it is not the “Chamber” thathas done these things. The

“Chamber” is nothing without themembers and volunteers whocome together to give it meaningand purpose. The Chamber is us,we are the Chamber. And in 2011that became evident once again.

Through the hard work of theChamber board, staff and manyvolunteers we were able to cele-brate our 100th anniversary,spearhead a successful new arenacampaign, sign more than 90 newmembers, improve our existingprograms and events, move to anew location, advocate for ourmembers in Augusta, and supportour other community partners,such as Eastern Maine Develop-ment Corporation, Bangor RegionDevelopment Allliance, MobililzeEastern Maine, and the GreaterBangor Convention and VisitorsBureau in their work.

Through disciplined financialdecision making we were able toend the year on a positive financialnote. None of this would havebeen possible without the leader-ship, passion and hard work of thepeople that make up the BangorRegion Chamber of Commerce.

Looking forward, the Chamberwill continue to act as a leader forthe region in economic develop-ment advocacy, leadership trainingand support of our young profes-sionals, business promotion andeducation activities, and in whatev-er role is necessary to make theBangor region a great place to live,work and raise a family. It has beenan honor to serve as Chair of theBoard and I look forward to con-tinuing the work.

INCOMING CHAIR MESSAGE

2012: “Our time is NOW”OUTGOING CHAIR MESSAGE

Demystifying the Chamber

By John Porter, BRCC President

The Chamber’s public achievements in2011 – most notably spearheading thecampaign to win approval of a new arenaand convention center in Bangor – caneasily overshadow the great strides we

made operationally over the year.But, in fact, even as we labored on the

advocacy and economic developmentfronts, we were continuing the work ofmaking the Chamber a high functioningorganization.

In 2010 a new management team tookover the Chamber and last year everystaff member of the organization waseither newly hired or in a new role fol-lowing a major reorganization. In 2011,there was far less change and turnover,and staff got a chance to settle into theirnew roles.

That “settling in” work was a theme forour internal workings in 2011. For instance,a new accounting system was put into placein late 2009 and 2010, while 2011 saw arefinement of our financial reporting and

budget management. We also integratedsome new computer equipment and soft-ware in 2010 and put that to work in 2011.

This past year our programs – encom-passing employee wellness, educator-employer connections, leadership train-ing and a young professionals network –had their first full year under new bylawsand staffing agreements, and thoseworked smoothly as evidenced by theirrenewal at the close of 2011 with onlyminor changes.

Our events in 2011 also followed for-mats put into place a year earlier, butgenerally they were larger, better promot-ed and more profitable than the yearbefore.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however. Wewere challenged on the membership devel-

opment front. We did good job bringing innew members in 2011 – signing more than90 by year’s end. And a generous newmember sponsorship from FairPoint Com-munications was a big help with that.

But we lost about the same number ofmembers that we gained, with most of ourdropped members coming as a result ofbusiness closings or severe budget cut-backs in response to the tough economy.

And we were presented with a majoroperational challenge in 2011 that hasyet to be resolved. As a result of ourhard work winning voter approval of thenew arena and convention center inBass Park, we had to give up the build-ing that we had owned there to makeway for the project.

We are currently working with the city

of Bangor to identify and develop a newhome, but that task is far from complete. Inthe meantime, the city has provided usquarters in a building on Maine Avenueunder terms similar to those for our BassPark location.

Looking ahead to 2012, settling theissue of our permanent home will loomlarge for us as an operational challenge.And we’ve got to continue our goodwork attracting new members, but do abetter job of explaining the incrediblevalue of Chamber membership to ourexisting members.

But the Chamber is on a financiallysound course, and we have succeeded increating an organization capable of fulfill-ing its charge “to promote and enhance avital, healthy business environment.”

BANGOR REGION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Public and operational changes mark success in 2011

BDN PHOTO BY DEBRA BELL

BDN PHOTO BY DEBRA BELL

Bangor Daily News | Friday | January 20, 2012 | 3

An important part of fulfilling the Chamber’s mis-sion “To promote and advance a vital, healthy businessenvironment” involves advocating for public policy thatwill help our region prosper and grow.

Rather than react to what policy makers propose,the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce seeks todefine its agenda and bring it forward.

“Issues of Impact” outlines the policies that theChamber believes will most help its members. Draftedin the Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee,the document was endorsed by the Chamber’s Boardof Directors.

Special thanks are due to the Governmental AffairsCommittee and its chair, Rod Black, for their steward-ship in creating this document, as well as those mem-bers of the Committee who helped to draft its variousprovisions. Also, as our 2012 Issues of Impact spon-sor, we are grateful to the Rudman Winchell Law Firmfor its support

HEALTHCAREThe cost of health care remains at the top of the list

of concerns to members of the Bangor Region Cham-ber of Commerce. To that end, the Chamber supports:

• Federal initiatives to aid small businesses andtheir employees in obtaining affordable compre-hensive coverage; federal support for healthcareinformation technology infrastructure; and, federalpolicies that encourage providers to develop newhealthcare delivery models that reduce costs andimprove care.• Careful monitoring by state officials of Maine’snew health insurance law (LD 1333), documentingits positive impact and addressing unintended neg-ative consequences with urgency.• Continued efforts by state officials to addressunpaid MaineCare debt owed hospitals, whichtotals nearly $400 million dating back to 2009.• Caution with regards to limiting MaineCare eligi-bility, making sure that these changes do not pushmore people to seek charity care and ultimatelycause cost shifting and higher rates for privateinsurance coverage.• Continued support of Healthy Maine Partnershippublic health initiatives and their further integrationwith institutions throughout Maine, including ourschools, corporate wellness programs and govern-ment agencies.• Aligning Maine’s health planning function withthe goals of better health for our workers and moreaffordable health care.• Undertaking the review of the Dorothea Dix Psy-chiatric Hospital with the goal of maintaining criti-cal mental health services to the community andminimizing the impact on our local economy.

ENERGYThe Chamber endorses an energy policy that makes

paramount the goal of lowering the cost of power andfuel. With this as a priority, it also makes sense to pur-sue strategic investments in alternative energy. Andpolicy makers should bear in mind that many, thoughnot all, conservation initiatives can be the least expen-sive means for meeting our energy needs.

To that end, the Chamber supports:• Continued discussion of creating an energy cor-ridor through Maine as well as exploring whetherCanadian power can be a source of less-expensiveenergy for Maine.• Development of natural gas supplies in the

Northeast United States and Eastern Canada.• Regulatory reforms that lower transmission anddelivery costs for business.Research and development of offshore wind gener-ation, bio-fuel manufacturing technologies andgeothermal systems as well as the application ofalternative energy in transportation.• Development and deployment of energy conser-vation and efficiency techniques and strategies,including those of the Efficiency Maine Trust aswell as policies that encourage business to upgradeold, inefficient boiler systems.

TAXESThe tax burden on Maine businesses is too high,

and the tax structure here discourages growth. Despitethis growing consensus, tax reform has been a difficultpolicy topic, mostly because structural changes alwaysproduce winners and losers and can therefore beintensely unpopular with some constituencies. ButMaine cannot continue with an outdated and anti-growth system of taxation.

To that end, the Chamber supports:• No increase in, and ideally a reduction of, theoverall tax burden for Maine people and businesses.• Tax policies that encourage regionalization oflocal services.• A lower income tax.• Tax reform that will reduce the volatility of taxrevenues.• Continued scrutiny of state spending and theefficiency of government.

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Educational opportunity and achievement areessential to the region’s economic health and quality oflife. Without an educated workforce and diligentefforts to develop the pipeline of workers that busi-nesses need to compete globally, the region cannotsucceed.

To that end, the Chamber supports:• Better alignment of educational opportunitiesand private sector needs.• Improved access to higher education throughfinancial aid and by expanding transfer agreementsbetween the Maine Community College Systemand four-year institutions.• A detailed analysis of the cost-effectiveness of theUniversity System, Community College System andMaine Maritime Academy, with the goal of findingstructural efficiencies to ensure maximum value.• A detailed analysis of the cost-effectiveness of K-12 education systems in the state and an emphasison “best practices” among Maine K-12 schools,particularly those identified as “high performingand efficient” by the state.• Continued examination of recent public schoolconsolidation efforts and the development of nextsteps in that process.• Making expansion of early childhood educationprograms a funding priority.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT / COMMERCIALIZATION

The future of the Bangor Region’s economy is tiedclosely to investments in research, development andcommercialization and should be advanced by produc-tive public-private partnerships.

To that end, the Chamber supports:

• Maintaining the recently passed liberalizationand expansion of the Maine Seed Capital TaxCredit Program.• Execution of the state’s 2010 Science & Tech-nology Action Plan calling for “an environmentwhere science, technology, innovation and entre-preneurship stimulate Maine’s economy” as well asthe goal of R&D activity equaling three percent ofgross state product by 2015.• Adoption of a $50 million 2012-13 bond pack-age that would further enhance Maine’s research &development/commercialization infrastructure.• Sustaining and expanding by 10 percent overtwo years the successful Maine Economic Improve-ment Fund.• Private sector support of research & develop-ment/commercialization with fixed, short-term(four to 16 weeks), paid, business learning experi-ences for qualified college and university students.

REGIONAL COLLABORATION Regional collaboration offers the opportunity to use

public, private and nonprofit resources more effective-ly, but Maine’s long tradition of local control places ahigh value on local-decision making. Still, the possibil-ities for regionalization remain tantalizing.

To that end, the Chamber supports:• A continued emphasis on regional, public-privateeconomic development efforts, including the cre-ation of a shared vision among those entities look-ing to grow the economy of the Bangor Region.• Further collaboration among higher educationinstitutions in our region.• Cooperative efforts among regional health careproviders to reduce overhead and further commu-nity wellness.• Efforts by local governments to seek collabora-tions, affiliations, and where feasible, consolidationof services – even those services seen as the tradi-tional province of municipalities.

TRANSPORTATIONTransportation is a key component of economic

growth, and as such the Chamber supports making invest-ments in our transportation infrastructural a priority.

To that end, the Chamber supports:• The permanent elimination of the 80,000-pound truck weight limit on Maine Interstate high-ways. The lifting of the limit on a trial basis hasbeen a clear success.• The development of a major east-west trans-portation link through Maine.• The development of the Sears Island cargo portand further development of the Port of Eastport.

• The expansion of air service to and from BangorInternational Airport.• The preservation and expansion of a commercialfreight rail system in the region, including the sys-tem serving Aroostook County. • Approval of a transportation bond package ofnot less than $50 million in 2012 to fund theabove-mentioned priorities.

BROADBAND DEVELOPMENTBroadband capacity is now a critical component to

economic development and is emerging as a strengthwithin the region. This technology holds the promiseof eliminating geography as a concern with respect toour economic growth. Further, the industry mix here –research labs, factories, educational institutions andbiomedical firms – is such that strong broadband con-nections are a necessity for the Bangor Region to besuccessful.

To that end, the Chamber supports:• Efforts to leverage our assets to bring “data cen-ters” to our region.• Economic development strategies that targetcompanies with a high demand for bandwidth.• Public policies and investments that will allow forgreater penetration of high-speed broadband inour market, especially ultra-high-speed connec-tions used by technology companies.

HOUSINGThe Chamber regards housing as a critical social

and economic issue directly affecting economic devel-opment. By encouraging the creation of affordablehousing and by achieving higher home ownershiprates, the community creates a more stable workforceand enhances quality of life. The Chamber also rec-ognizes the problem of chronic homelessness to be amulti-faceted one involving issues of mental health andsubstance abuse as well as economic dislocation.

To that end, the Chamber supports:• Affordable housing initiatives from the Legisla-ture and Maine State Housing Authority that focuson assistance for low-income families and first-timehomebuyers.• Review of land-use and other policies at the localand state level that contribute to high developmentcosts.• Banking regulations that support sound mort-gage lending practices.• Strategies that allow seniors to stay in theirhomes longer. • A realistic and comprehensive strategy to com-bat chronic homelessness that addresses its manycauses.

GOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE REPORT

Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 Issues of ImpactBRCC Mission: “To promote and advance a vital, healthy business environment”

This Custom Publication was produced for the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce by the following Bangor Daily News staff:

Cover Design: Bridgit Cayer Advertising: Linda HayesEditorial: Debra Bell, David M. Fitzpatrick, Dale McGarrigle, Brian Swartz, and Chamber submissions Photography: Debra Bell, David M. Fitzpatrick, Brian Swartz, and Chamber submissions Layout: Debra Bell

If you would like to be a part of the next Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Annual Report, please call theBangor Daily News Custom Publications Department: Linda Hayes (990-8136) or Nicole Stevens (990-8283).

Online at www.bangordailynews.com


By Betsy Vickery, Chair

We had a busy and dynamic yearin membership in 2011.

We signed more than 90 newmembers over the course of the year,but we also lost about as many. Thisis a reflection of the times. Many ofour new members are startups, thekind of companies that will lead usout of the recession. While many ofthose who left us have struggled orgone out of business.

Kelly Enberg our membershipdirector has been working closelywith our Ambassadors group, head-ed up by Chris Olsen, our Member-ship Committee and several of ourChamber members. We have allbeen spearheading our “Grow withus” campaign: “Grow your busi-ness. Grow your influence. Growyour network. And grow our com-munity.”

To help our membership grow wehad the generous support of Fair-Point Communications. Our Mem-

bership Drive was a success thanks toFairPoint’s sponsorship, whichallowed us to offer a $100 discounton our new Chamber members’ first-year dues.

Fifty Bangor-area businessesbenefited from this program and itenhanced our overall membershipnumbers. We would like to take thisopportunity to thank FairPoint Com-munications once again for theiroutstanding support of area busi-nesses.

Looking ahead for 2012, ourmembership committee has formulat-ed a strategy that includes recruit-ment efforts, retention programs andincreased Chamber benefits for ourmembers.

Overall, it has been an excitingyear for the Membership Committee.With our continued focus and thesupport of all our Chamber memberswe can ensure a great growth oppor-tunity for all. Thank you committeemembers and all of you that support-ed this past years’ initiative.

BRCC COMMITTEE REPORT

Membership CommitteeBRCC COMMITTEE REPORT

Bangor Region Leadership InstituteBy Trish Hansen, Chair

I was asked to write 300 words aboutBRLI. That’s Bangor Region Leadership Insti-tute, in case you’re not familiar. However,300 words aren’t nearly enough to detailwhat happened in 2011 or to tell you what wehope to accomplish in 2012.

Instead, I’ll give you one word to describethe BRLI alumni: “family”. Maybe even betterthan family, because we almost never argueand are always fun to be around. Not sayingyour family isn’t. But I digress.

Nearly 300 students have graduated fromthe Institute since 1998. 24 more are cur-rently in attendance. Yes, that’s a pretty largefamily with an incredible and, some might say,unusual bond. If I ever doubted the strengthof that bond, it was reaffirmed this fall whenwe came together to help one of our own.

In June, we lost a dear friend and alum. Asyou may know, Gary Creaser died unexpect-edly, leaving a wife, Emma (a BRLI graduate),and their daughter, Alex, with a house in needof some repairs. Upon the suggestion ofsome steering committee members, we putour heads, hearts, and hands together and

worked for several weeks to help renovate thehouse; not because we had to, but becausewe are family. Today, Emma and Alex are ina warm, comfortable house and, thankfully,have one less thing to worry about.

So, yes, we are a leadership institute, butwe are so much more than what you maythink that should entail. We are friends. Weare business associates. We are leaders.And, together, I don’t think there’s anythingwe couldn’t accomplish. I think that speaksvolumes for BRLI and I’m proud to Chair the

steering committee and be part of such anawesome family.

Learn more about my family at: brliexperi-ence.org.

PHOTOS COURTESY BRLIPhotos from the day one of work on the Creaser home,



44 Central Street Bangor, Maine 04401207-947-4511

WBRC Architects • Engineers proudly congratulate Dr. Habib J. Dagher, P.E., as the recipient of the Catherine Lebowitz Award for Public Service

And we salute: Norbert X. Dowd Award: John Bragg, N.H. Bragg Business of the Year Award: Cross Insurance AgencyCommunity Service Award: Bill Lucy and People’s United BankNon-Profit of the Year Award: Maine Discovery Museum Arthur A. Comstock Professional Service Award: Nelson DurginBion and Dorain Foster Entrepreneurship Award: Sutherland Weston Fusion Flava (Future Leadership & Vision Award): Greendrinks

By Vicki L. Rusbult, Chair

2011 was a year of transformation forBuilding Bridges. Soon to enter its 20thyear, this program is designed to supportinteraction between educators and business-es around career paths and employmentopportunities. Program participants areintroduced to a sampling of businesses in thisregion, and each weekly session includes areview of the business and industry hiringtrends, career paths, required skill sets, andeducation requirements. Educators arearmed with information to help them informtheir students about future employment inthis region and how to better prepare foremployment post-graduation.

In 2011, the class had a record 25 partic-ipants who visited businesses representinghealth care, arts & culture, energy, financial,education, economic development, engineer-ing, manufacturing, and tourism. A total of 16local organizations participated – thank you toall who shared their time, facility, and expertise!

In an effort to inject new life into theprogram, we reduced the number of ses-sions from 19 to 16. We quickly realized

that providing 19 visits for 4.5 CEUs waspreferred by participants, and havereturned to our original schedule for 2012.The next series will begin on January 10th;registrations are now being accepted forthe new year. Contact the Chamber at [email protected] to sign up.

Finally, Building Bridges partnered with theTri-County Workforce Investment Board andMobilize Eastern Maine to present the first“Summit to Connect Education to Business inEastern Maine.” Held on December 8th atMorgan Hill Event Center, this exciting eventbrought more than 90 participants from K-12, higher education, and business togetherto discuss the state of Maine and future edu-cation/employment opportunities. The pre-senters included the Maine Commissioners ofEducation and Labor, higher education lead-ers, business leaders, and introduced innova-tive new education models being employed inthis region. The next session in this series willbe offered in Spring 2012.

Thank you to the members of theBuilding Bridges Steering Committee fordonating their time and energy to thisimportant program.


Building Bridges ProgramBy Rick Lyons, Chair

The Wellness Council of Maine had agreat year sustaining the growth of previousyears. We currently have 117 members whospan the state from Caribou to York,Machias to Fryeburg and points in between.Our member businesses hail from 15 coun-ties and employ over 65,000 employees.

The mission of the Wellness Council ofMaine is to advance and promote goodhealth among employees statewide so thebusiness community can maintain productiveworkforces and thrive and prosper. WLCMEconsults with member organizations to pro-mote best practices and improve their healthpromotion programs to improve the health oftheir workforce and their families. With healthcare costs at an all-time high, workplacehealth promotion is one way to improve pro-ductivity and work to lower costs.

2011 was a year of transition for theWellness Council of Maine as we said good-bye to Jaime Laliberte who lead the organi-zation from late 2008 until February andwelcomed Willow Sherwood as the newExecutive Director in late March. We thank

Jaime for her hard work to bring the organi-zation to a new level of excellence. WLCMEalso said goodbye to Rita Bubar of Cianbroand Dan Dauphinee of Northeastern LogHomes who both dedicated close to adecade to the organization by serving on theExecutive Committee and should be recog-nized as among the founding members of theorganization. We are grateful for their yearsof service and dedication to improving thehealth of Maine’s workforce and economy.

Despite the transition, the organizationmade progress in 2011 by establishing anew Statewide Steering Committee whichbrings together leaders from around thestate to help provide strategic direction tothe organization and represent differentregions in the state. WLCME welcomed 20new members from around the state.WLCME also recognized three Well Work-place Award Winners in 2011.

The Well Workplace Award recognizesbusinesses as America’s Healthiest Compa-nies for offering outstanding programming toemployees and improving the health of theirworkforce. Receiving Gold Well WorkplaceAwards in 2011 were Penobscot Communi-ty Health Care and Norway Savings Bank.

Receiving the Silver Well Workplace Awardwas Mount Desert Island Hospital.

In October, we held our Third AnnualWorkplace Wellness Leadership Symposiumwhich featured Dr. David Hunnicutt of theWellness Council of America among otherstate and local experts who shared theirknowledge with 150 attendees from aroundthe state. December marked the second yearoffering a half-day Small Business Confer-ence which featured practical tips for smallbusiness owners and brought over 30 smallbusiness owners and small business interestgroups together. Small businesses oftenstruggle to offer wellness programs and thisannual event seeks to break down some ofthe perceived barriers and show employersthe many tools that are available to them.

We are looking forward to 2012 and thecontinued success of the organization andour member businesses. It is our belief thatwe can improve the health of Maine onebusiness at a time and make our state one ofthe healthiest in the nation through collabo-ration and dedication to prevention. To seea full list of our partners and members orlearn more about our program, please visitus at www.wellnesscouncilofmaine.org.


Wellness Council of Maine


Scenes from 2011 Business After Hours Events


The following is a brief recap of topics covered atEarly Bird Breakfasts in 2011. The Early Bird Breakfastseries was sponsored by Oxford Networks and the Busi-ness Revolution series was sponsored by Eaton Peabody.

February: Issues of Impact & Legislative ImpactThe program included a discussion of our 2011 Issues

of Impact, which outlined the Chamber’s public policy pri-orities for the year, followed by a talk by Dana Connors,president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, onthe legislative outlook for 2011.

March: The Maine State BudgetWe heard views from both sides of the aisle, with co-

chair of the Appropriations Committee, Senator RichardRosen and House Minority Leader, Rep. Emily Cain, whogave their perspectives on the biennial budget process.

April: Arena YesA panel of experts explained why the May 4th vote

was critical to the economic development of theregion. Guests saw the revised architectural plans,learned about the financial impact and economic effectthat the arena promises to deliver. Rick Bronson, Ban-gor City Councilor; Debbie Cyr, City of BangorFinance Director and Mark Woodward, co-chair ofArena Yes, served on the panel.

May: Business ExpoA breakfast reception was held to kick off the Busi-

ness Expo at the Civic Center.

June: The Great Fire of 1911We learned about the devastating fire of 1911 at

the Chamber’s Early Bird Breakfast. The guest speakerwas Mike Pullen, a principal and architect in WBRCArchitects/Engineer’s Bangor office.

July: Bigger than Bangor... Leveraging the Regionas an Economic Asset

Guest speakers included: Vaughn Stinson, CEO ofthe Maine Tourism Association; Kerrie Tripp, execu-tive director of the Greater Bangor CVB; and Matt Pol-stein, owner of the New England Outdoor Center.They discussed how the Bangor region is being mar-keted across the country and around the world andhow our marketability is growing.

August: Fostering entrepreneurial youth in theBangor region

We encouraged Chamber members to bring theirkids to the breakfast to hear innovative ideas fromour panelists, including: Kate Krukowski Gooding,Executive Director of Lemonade Day, Maine; ReneeKelly, Director of Economic Development Initiativesat the University of Maine, and Co-Director of theFoster Center for Student Innovation; and Devin, a12-year-old founder and operator of Devin’s FamousLemonade Stand on Grove Street in Bangor. Themoderator was Deb Neuman, Deputy Commissionerof DECD.

September: Business Revolution Series, Part 1:LD1 - How will it affect Maine Businesses?

State and local business leaders discussed thereforms proposed by LD1, which was aimed at improv-ing our business climate, encouraging job creation &retention and expanding opportunities for Maine peo-ple. Panelists included: Ben Gilman, Senior Govern-ment Affairs Specialist, Maine State Chamber; CarlyMcLain, Natural Resource Policy Advisor, State ofMaine; and Steve Rich, President and CEO, WBRC.

October: Business Revolution Series, Part 2:Gaming and Economic Development

Panelists were asked to speak about the real

impact that gaming has on regional economies. Thepanel included: Patrick Fleming, Executive Director,Maine Gambling Control Board; Todd Gabe, Profes-sor of Economics, University of Maine; and MichaelAube, President and CEO, Eastern Maine Develop-ment Corp.

November: Business Revolution Series, Part 3:Higher Education

We presented the region’s top experts in highereducation to help us learn first-hand about the roleeducation institutions play in the Bangor economy.The panel included: President Paul Ferguson, Univer-sity of Maine; President Robert Clark, Husson Univer-sity; President Lawrence Barrett, Eastern MaineCommunity College; President Allyson Hughes Hand-ley, UMA-Bangor; and President Allen Stehle, BealCollege.

December: Business Revolution Series, Part 4:Healthcare

Gordon Smith, Exec. Vice President of the MaineMedical Association; Steve Michaud, President,Maine Hospital Association; and William Whitmore,Regional VP of Underwriting, Anthem Blue Cross andBlue Shield in Maine served as panelists to discussstate and national healthcare reform what the changesin policy mean for the business community.


Early Bird Breakfasts

Business After Hours

Chamber Dinner

By Elizabeth Sutherland, Chair

After the very successful Annual AwardsDinner in January of 2011, the Chambercreated a regular Events Committee to helpguide and plan the numerous events theChamber puts on each year. The Chamber’slengthy list of events is designed to helpmembers and the community come togetherto network, grow professionally, and tohonor the efforts of our community’s resi-dents and businesses.

The committee started meeting in Febru-ary with regular monthly meetings. Thegroup established a small number of sub-committees, meeting on an ad-hoc basis, tohelp Chamber staff guide and plan specificscheduled events and overall had a highlysuccessful inaugural year.

Annual and regular occasions all fellunder the guidance of the newly establishedEvents Committee. This past year the EventsCommittee members helped to create top-notch monthly Early Bird Breakfasts andBusiness After Hours. The Business Expo,held in May, sold out exhibit space and sawa larger attendance than ever before. The

2011 Annual Breakfast was the largest everand the signature event, the Annual AwardsDinner, was a fantastic, sold-out celebrationof the Chamber’s 100th Anniversary.

The Events Committee also received reg-ular updates from the Chamber Golf Tour-nament Committee and provided support asnecessary.

One-time events like the Nonprofit BoardBoot Camp and other workshops and recep-tions were also offered support from the cre-ative brains of the Events Committee mem-bers.

The 2011 events hosted by the Chamberwere the best yet! Fundraising goals were metand attendance records were broken thanksto the tireless, energetic engagement of theentire committee, chamber staff, and dedicat-ed interns. A special thanks to each memberof the committee for helping shape theChamber’s events and the role and goals ofthe Events Committee.

After such a positive first year, the EventsCommittee in partnership with staff is des-tined to continue the tradition of offeringchamber members abundant opportunitiesfor networking and business growth.



Events CommitteeBusiness Expo

Golf Tournament


By Kelli Roy, Chair; Photos by Kelley Sayers

The Chamber Golf Committee produced another out-standing tourney this year. Our committee has kept fun,timely, and economical at the forefront as we strategizeeach year. It is important during these tough economictimes we keep our sponsorship fees reasonable and we keepgimmicks to a minimum. The gimmicks we choose helpmove play along faster. Golfers choose our tourney to sup-port the Chamber’s program, membership, and becausethey can network and have a blast!

This year we went all out by branding our tourney, theChamber Challenge. We also created the Chamber‘GONG’, never been done around here. Only seven golfershit the gong once for a gong-off. We also brought back thecelebrity caddies and pimped out golf carts.

As I pass the torch to Cathy Maher, who has been anactive committee member for several years and reflect overthe past six years. I am proud of what we have accomplishedwith this Golf Tournament. Several tourneys’ have comeand gone. We have only gotten better each year.

This would not be possible without the continued sup-port of the volunteers and businesses, year after year. Iknow Cathy will do a superb job, she has the can-do atti-tude. If you would like to volunteer and be a committeemember, be sure to contact the Cathy or the Chamber formore information.


Golf Committee


DataCenter

Internet

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Business is better in the cloud

By David M. FitzpatrickBangor Daily News

John Bragg, the recently retired presi-dent of N.H. Bragg, has been named therecipient of the prestigious Norbert X.Dowd Award.

“I was some surprised … certainly notexpecting it, and very pleased,” Bragg saidabout learning of the award. “I’m very hon-ored to think that my career with the busi-ness, and maintaining the family businessas a strong corporate citizen, is recog-nized, as well as my decades of volun-teerism in the community.”

The Bragg family’s community involve-ment goes back to the company’s begin-nings, when Norris Hubbard Bragg cameto Bangor from Dixmont in 1854 and part-nered with Sumner Basford for a time as ablacksmith-supply shop. Bragg soonbought out Basford, and his sons eventual-ly took the reins. The early 20th centurysaw the company begin selling auto parts;it would later get into welding, and today isa major industrial supplier. With JohnBragg’s retirement, his cousin, Jon Eames,

has become the president, representing thesixth generation of the family to lead the158-year-old company. All along, the fam-ily has been deeply connected to Bangor.

“The example I had set for me by myfamily for generations was to give back tothe community,” Bragg said. “I enjoyeddoing it, so I spent most of my professionalcareer heavily involved in the community.”

In 1887, his great grandfather was(among many things) the mayor of Bangor,and was involved with establishing innova-tions such as electric streetlights and tele-phone service. Bragg’s grandfather was oneof a group of five who developed a masterplan for rebuilding after the Great Fire of1911, looking at the disaster as an oppor-tunity to build better and incorporate betterfire control. And Bragg’s father was heavilyinvolved in the community, including servingon the building committee for Bangor HighSchool and one for the Bangor Auditorium.

John Bragg graduated from Colby Col-lege in Waterville in 1965 and entered thefamily business. The company’s philosophywas that to understand the business, you hadto experience what the employees did —which meant starting at the bottom. Braggdid it all, but admits pushing papers in theoffice in those early years wasn’t very excit-ing. This was before the age of computers.

So he first got involved in the Bangor

Jaycees which, at the time, got young meninvolved in the community. He was involvedwith the Jaycees for years, working on manyprojects and even serving as its president.

“That distraction gave me a lot of chal-lenge and leadership experience, whichwas fun,” Bragg said.

It was the beginning of a volunteercareer that would see him serving count-less organizations and causes in theGreater Bangor Area, among them TheAcadia Hospital, Bangor Rotary Club, Mt.Hope Cemetery, the Bangor SymphonyOrchestra, Eastern Maine DevelopmentCorporation, United Way, Husson Univer-sity, and many more. He frequently servedas president or board chair for many ofthem. Following a long-held fascinationwith politics, he even served on the BangorCity Council from 1989-1992, including ayear as mayor. He also served two terms asa Penobscot County Commissioner from1980 to 1988.

Bragg said that Bangor is an ideal city towelcome newcomers, and to provide citizenswith plenty of organizations and opportuni-ties for getting involved — because there’salways room for more volunteers.

“There’s so much need — whether it’shealth-related issues or child care or earlyeducation or hunger or whatever,” Braggsaid. “There’s always more need than we’reable to address. I think that there’s no limitto he amount of community activity and vol-unteerism that we need in the community.”

Now retired, Bragg will spend his wintersin Florida and summers in Maine. But whilemost retirees wintering in Florida might becontent to spend their days fishing and golf-ing, Bragg has found something else to keephim busy, and you can probably guess whatit is. He’s already serving on a few boards inFlorida, working to help his winter commu-nity however he can. And he’ll still remainactive on boards in the Bangor area.

“You can’t just stop and kick back,” hesaid. “You can’t just disappear, and I defi-nitely won’t. It’s not only an opportunity tomeet people and stay engaged, but it’s fun.I enjoy it.”

And while John Bragg may be enjoyinghis retirement in Florida this winter, there’sno question whether he’ll be here for theChamber dinner.

“I certainly am,” he said. “I wouldn’tmiss it.”

NORBERT X. DOWD AWARD

John Bragg of N.H. Bragg awarded Norbert X. Dowd award for 2011

PHOTO COURTESY JOHN BRAGGJohn Bragg, a staple of the Bangor busi-ness community, is the 2011 winner of

the Norbert X. Dowd award.


By Brian SwartzCustom Publications Editor

The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce willpresent its 2011 Arthur A. Comstock ProfessionalAward to the man who presented that same award— then called the Chairman’s Award — to Com-stock in 2005.

“Arthur and I were old friends,” said 2011 awardrecipient Nelson Durgin, who chaired the Chamber’sBoard of Directors seven years ago. “He was theperson I looked to in our city as setting the standardfor community service.”

According to a Chamber press release, the Com-stock Award “is given to a community figure whohas, over many years, contributed to the well-beingof the Bangor region.” Since he arrived in Bangor 45years ago, Durgin has been active in many organiza-tions — and he urges other people to serve theircommunities, too.

“It’s very important for people to pay back to thecommunity, to serve the people around them. Com-munity service benefits everyone,” said Durgin, whoretired as a Maine Air National Guard major gener-al in 1995 and as the Phillips-Strickland House exec-utive director in 2010. “We have a great little cityhere, an excellent quality of life: Community service

enhances that quality of life.”A 1960 graduate of Portland University (now the

University of Southern Maine), Durgin was living inBelfast when he became the ANG controller at DowAir Force Base in Bangor in September 1967. Oneday Gen. Phillip Tukey “called me into his office andsaid, ‘We support the United Way around here,’”Durgin recalled.

Tukey assigned him to the United Way’s LoanedExecutive Program. “That was my first exposure toworking with Cliff Eames. Through him and the Unit-ed Way I met many people.”

The experience ignited in Durgin a commu-nity-service passion that “is in my genes,” hesaid. “I’ve always enjoyed giving back to thecommunity.”

Over the years, Durgin has served such organ-izations as the Bangor Region Chamber of Com-merce; the Katahdin Area Council, Boys Scouts ofAmerica; the Community Health & CounselingCenter; the Bangor Region Chamber of Com-merce; Amicus; St. Joseph Healthcare; and EasternArea Agency on Aging. He is an individual Cham-ber member.

According to Durgin, “people really do make adifference when they serve their communities.” Hechaired the CHCS board during the 1980s’ effortsto close Bangor Mental Health Institute (now theDorothea Dix Pavilion); local business leaders, med-ical professionals, and other volunteers “bandedtogether to fight the effort,” Durgin recalled. “Wewere successful.

“Be a volunteer. Let people know you are inter-ested,” he said. “You must know what your likes are,[what] your interests are. Find non-profits that lie inthose areas of interest. There are many places toserve the community.”

Durgin and his wife, Carla, have been married for50 years. Several years ago “we built a one-floor‘retirement home’ in the Fairways, off WebsterAvenue,” he said. Many young children live nearby;“we’re kind of the grandparents of the neighbor-hood,” Durgin said with a smile.

ARTHUR A. COMSTOCK PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AWARD

Nelson Durgin: Community service enhances the quality of life

BDN PHOTO BY BRIAN SWARTZNelson Durgin will receive the 2011 Arthur A. Comstock Pro-

fessional Award from the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.

“We have a great little city here,an excellent quality of life:

Community service enhances thatquality of life.”

NELSON DURGIN, AWARD WINNER

A: @WORK Personnel • 304 StillwaterAvenue Furniture • A.A.A. Portable Toi-lets • A-1 Safe Storage • AAA NorthernNew England • AACom • AARP Maine •Acadia Auto Group, Inc. • Acadia Bene-fits, Inc. • Acadia Clinical Research •Acadia Hearing Center • Acadia Trust NA• Action Committee of 50 • Adams RealEstate • Adams Taxidermy, Inc. • Advan-tage Payroll Service • Advertising Special-ists of Maine, Inc. • Affiliated HealthcareSystems • Affordable Home & OfficeCleaning • Airgas Inc. • Airport News &Gifts • Al Benner Homes, Inc. • All SaintsCatholic School • Allen Drucker, M.Ed PA

• Allenfarm Fence Company. Inc. • AlliesInc. • Alpaca Perfection by Peruvian Link• Amato’s • AME Management Group •Amedisys Home Health • American FolkFestival • American Heart Association •American Lung Association • AmericanRed Cross - Pine Tree Chapter • AmericanRed Cross Blood Services • Ames Associ-ates • Anastasia International, Inc. •Andrew Landry, Esq. • Anglers Restaurant• Ann Marie’s Kitchen • Anthem BlueCross and Blue Shield • Anthony John’s •Antique Marketplace & Café • ApplebeeEnterprises Inc. • Arista Hospitality Con-sulting LLC • Assist2Sell 1st Choice Real-

ty • AT&T • Atlantic Defense Company •Atlantic Designs • Atlantic ProvincesChamber of Commerce • Atlantica Group• Avalon Village • Awards Signage & Tro-phies • A-Z Payroll

B: B&D Fabrications by Design • BaconPrinting Company • Bagel Central • Bair’sDriving School • Balance Hair & Body •Bangor Area Chapter, IAAP • BangorArea Homeless Shelter • Bangor AreaRecovery Network, Inc. • Bangor AreaStaffing Solutions • Bangor Band • Ban-gor Bus Terminal • Bangor ChristianSchool • Bangor Daily News • Bangor

Federal Credit Union • Bangor Floral His-toric Church & Gift Emporium • BangorFrameworks • Bangor Harbor Cruises •Bangor Housing Authority • BangorHumane Society • Bangor Hydro-ElectricCompany • Bangor Insurance Group •Bangor Interpreting Agency • Bangor Int’lAirport • Bangor Letter Shop & ColorCopy Center • Bangor Lodge of Elks •Bangor Mall • Bangor Millwork & SupplyInc. • Bangor Motor Inn & ConferenceCenter • Bangor Motor Sports • BangorMunicipal Golf Course • Bangor Museumand Center for History • Bangor NaturalGas • Bangor Nursing & Rehab Center •

Bangor Pipe & Supply, Inc. • Bangor Plas-tic & Hand Surgery P.A. • Bangor PublicLibrary • Bangor Publishing Company •Bangor Real Estate • Bangor RegionChamber of Commerce • Bangor SavingsBank: Bangor • Bangor SymphonyOrchestra • Bangor Target Area Develop-ment Corp. • Bangor Tennis & Recreation• Bangor Theological Seminary • BangorTire Company • Bangor Travel Services •Bangor Truck Equipment • Bangor WaterDistrict • Bangor Wine & Cheese • Ban-gor Y • Bank of America • Bar Harbor

2011 Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Membership

See Members, Page 15


Congratulations 2012 Chamber Award Recipients

Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do best. - Marva Collins

BANGOR HYDRO ELECTRIC COMPANYPO BOX 932 • BANGOR, MAINE 04402

CUSTOMER SERVICE: (207) 947-2414 • (800) 499-6600WWW.BANGORHYDRO.COM

Norbert X. Dowd Award: John Bragg, N.H. BraggBusiness of the Year: Cross Insurance Agency

Catherine Lebowitz Award for Public Service: Habib DagherCommunity Service Award: Bill Lucy and People’s United Bank

Non-Profit of the Year: Maine Discovery Museum Arthur A. Comstock Professional Service Award: Nelson Durgin

Bion and Dorain Foster Entrepreneurship Award: Sutherland WestonFusion Flava (Future Leadership & Vision Award): Greendrinks

By Debra BellCustom Publications Writer

The dictionary defines “entrepreneur”as “a person who organizes and managesany enterprise, especially a business, usual-ly with considerable initiative and risk.”And the mark of an entrepreneur is feltoutside of their clients; it’s felt in the wholecommunity.

For that very reason, the BangorRegion Chamber of Commerce has namedSutherland Weston Marketing Communi-cations as the 2011 Recipient of the Bionand Dorain Foster EntrepreneurshipAward.

“In spirit ‘entrepreneur’ describeswhat we are,” said Sutherland Westonpartner Cary Weston. “[The day wereceived the news], we brought the crewin and talked about it. This is not some-thing we strive for: to win awards. Webuild businesses and help others buildbusiness. But this is nice.”

In nearly a decade of being in business,Weston along with founding partner Eliza-beth Sutherland, their business has helped

turn other entrepreneurs into success stories. “What we really do is to help strategi-

cally build alliances,” Sutherland said.“When we see a need, we help fill thatneed. It’s a concept we’ve adoptedalmost unconsciously. We see this awardas being a community recognition of[those alliances] and that makes us feelgood.”

And it’s not hard to see the impact ofSutherland Weston’s business in the com-munity. Weston was recently electedCouncil Chair of the City of Bangor’s CityCouncil. Employees from Sutherland West-on have been participants at fundraisingevents such as the Trek Across Maine andthe Champion the Cure Challenge. Theysupport an annual Christmas present driveby hosting and maintaining the Christmas isfor Kids website.

According to Weston and Sutherland,the award from the Bangor Chamber is nottheirs alone. The award is something theteam won, not just the partners. “It’s 100percent due to the passionate and commit-ted employees we’re blessed to call theGreenTeam,” Sutherland said.

It is that passion and commitment that

has positioned Sutherland Weston as aleader in the community and state.According to the Chamber’s announce-ment, “Their willingness to share theirresources with nonprofits is invaluable,which also allows the nonprofits to flourish

and support those they serve. They offerhours upon hours assisting nonprofits withwebsites, publications, fundraising, andbest practice methods.”

One example cited by the Chamber wasSutherland Weston’s recent collaboration

with Community Health and CounselingServices. Another was their work with theArena Yes campaign, which demonstrated“their ongoing commitment to the vitalityof the business community.”

The reputation of Bion and Dorain Fos-ter, the namesakes of the award, doesn’tescape their notice.

“Bion’s reach in the community is ever-lasting,” Weston said. “It’s certainly anhonor to [receive this honor] named after apillar of the community. For every thing weknow that Bion has done, there are 10things we haven’t heard about.”

According to Weston and Sutherland,Bangor is a community “built by design” byentrepreneurs of all generations. “Anyonecan be successful in Bangor with hardwork, determination and gumption,”Sutherland said. “This community attractsthat type of business person. When welook at the names of the people who havewon awards from the Chamber, it is thenames of the people who have shaped theregion.”

And the whole “GreenTeam” at Suther-land Weston are proud and honored to bepart of that tradition of excellence.

BDN PHOTO BY DEBRA BELLThe “Green Team” takes a moment out of their busy day to smile for the camera. The team, usedto working behind the scenes, now finds themselves being rewarded for years of hard work. (From

left to right): Mandy Nadeau, Kristen Bell, Chris Michaud, Jillian Piehler, Cary Weston, LukeLabree, Elizabeth Sutherland, Ric Tyler, Josh Whinery, Chris Violette, Amanda Marie Anderson,

and Pauline Higgins.

BION AND DORAIN FOSTER ENTREPRENURSHIP AWARD

Sutherland Weston team helps businesses grow and succeed


By David M. FitzpatrickCustom Publications Writer

Betsy Lundy understands the power of BangorGreendrinks. In December 2010, she and her hus-band Zeth hosted a Greendrinks event at their month-old store, Central Street Farmhouse, in downtownBangor.

“It was packed, and it was really festive,” sherecalled of the event. “It was a great opportunity forus, because we were a new business.”

And in December 2011, the Lundys again hostedthe event, this time in the wake of Bangor Greendrinkshaving just been named the recipient of the Fusion Lead-ership And Vision Award, or FLAVA. The place waspacked, with many guests bringing children along. TheLundys served home-brewed beer, and visitors enjoyedrefreshments to the tunes of a vinyl-spinning DJ.

For Greendrinks board chair Rob Beal and communi-cations director Christopher Rudolph, it marked yet anoth-er successful event for their Greendrinks organization.

“From the beginning, our mission has been to bringlike minded people together to celebrate and raiseawareness of small businesses in the Greater BangorArea that are dedicated to sustainability,” said Beal.

“We’ve tapped into an invaluable resource in theBangor region, which is our young families,” saidRudolph. “We’ve made [the Greendrinks events] veryfamily-friendly and very family-oriented — which hasgiven us a niche of amazingly talented, unheard peoplewho wouldn’t normally have that opportunity to chime

in on what’s going on in Bangor.”Green Drinks was started in London in 1989 as an

informal gathering of environmentally minded people.Groups have since sprung up in cities worldwide,including over 400 in the U.S. The basic focus is sus-tainability, but in Bangor small businesses are centerstage for the group, and in particular young peopleinvolved in business.

Johann Sabbath, formerly a Bangor Region Cham-ber of Commerce employee before relocating to NewZealand, founded the group after attending PortlandGreendrinks events. Since May 2010, the events havebeen held on the second Tuesday of every month.

The meetings are relaxed and casual, much likeBRCC Business After Hours events, but typicallyincludes families. This enables more people to attend

because they’re not worried about finding sitters orbeing away from their kids.

The hours-long events draw about 100 people.“That’s an amazing thing from something that cameout of a couple people having some beers and talking,”said Rudolph.

“Especially for a new small business to get thatmany people in their doors to see what they’re offer-ing,” added Beal. “That’s invaluable for them.”

Bangor Greendrinks is now rolling out a prerequi-site that host businesses participate in a free self-assessment from Maine Businesses for Sustainability.That assesses the business’ products, energy usage,and sustainability, as well as how it treats its employ-ees — sort of a “prove it” opportunity, and a way forbusiness owners to learn what they can do better.

The new year should be an exciting one, as BangorGreendrinks moves forward with soaring popularity.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” said Rudolph. “Andwhat the future holds for us — it’s limitless nowbecause of people realizing what we bring to thetable.”

Rudolph stressed that the Bangor Greendrinks is acollective partnership. “When I talk about going for-ward, I cannot stress enough the amazing people wehave involved in this community,” he said. “We seethis as an award for everyone who has ever attendedour event. It really is a testament to the people of theBangor Region.”

To learn more, find Bangor Greendrinks on Face-book.

FUTUTRE LEADERSHIP AND VISION AWARD (FLAVA)

Bangor Greendrinks serves up networking, beverages for the eco-minded

BDN PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKVisitors socialize at the Bangor Greendrinks event at the Central Street Farmhouse in downtown Bangor on Dec. 13, 2011.The group meets the second Tuesday of every month at different locations, with a focus on sustainability and small business

in the region.

Chamber of Commerce • Bar HarborTrust Services • Barresi Financial, Inc. •Batteries Plus • Beal College • Beatham,Bernier, Seekins & Colpritt CPAs • Beau-tiControl- A Mobile Spa • Beef-O-Brady’s• Bell Imaging & Design • Bella Hair Stu-dio • Bennett’s Tire and Wheel •Bernatche Auto Body • BerryDunn • BestBody 4 You • Best Western White HouseInn • Beth Gardner Insurance-State Farm• Better Business Bureau of Maine • Bet-

ter Homes and Gardens Real Estate - Town& Country • Between Friends, Inc. •Black Bear Inn Conference Center & Suites• Black Bear Medical North • BlackBeards U.S.A. • Blue Cat 5 Productions •Blueberry Broadcasting/ WVOM • BodyGraphics/ Permanent Makeup by Stephanie• Bonney Staffing Center • Books-A-Mil-lion • Bowman Constructors • BoyingtonProductivity Solutions, LLC • Branches,LLC • Brantner, Thibodeau & Associates• Brewer Eagles Club • Brewer FederalCredit Union • Brewer Physical Therapy &Spine Clinic • Brewer Rehab & Living Cen-ter • Brewer School Department • BrianWilliams • Broadway Dairy Queen •

Brogue Insurance & Financial Services •Bronson Audio Visual & Event Services •Brookings-Smith • Bruns ChiropracticClinic • Bucksport Bay Area Chamber ofCommerce • Bugaboo Creek • BurgerKing / Northcountry Management • By UsCompany • Byer Manufacturing Co.

C: C.E.S., Inc. • Camden National Bank• Camp CaPella, Inc • Canteen ServiceCo. • Canyon Networks • Care and Com-fort • Caron Signs • Carpenter Associates• Casco Bay Energy Company, LLC •Cashman Communications • CentralEquipment Company & White Sign Div. •Central Maine Cleaning & Supplies • Cen-

tral Maine Moving & Storage • CentralMaine Wireless, LLC • Central PaymentCorp. • Central Security • Central StreetFarmhouse • Challenger Learning Center• Changing Seasons Federal Credit Union• Chapel Hill Floral • Charles A. CivielloJr. Optometrist • Charles Inn • CharlotteWhite Center • Chris Olsen • CianbroCorporation • City of Bangor • City ofBrewer • City of Old Town • Clear Chan-nel Airports • CMC Technology Group •Coach House Restaurant • Coastal Enter-prises Inc. • Coca Cola Bottling Plant •Coffee News USA, Inc. • Coffee Pause •Cole Land Transportation Museum • Col-labric • Com - Nav, Inc. • Comfort Inn •

Commercial Delivery Systems • Commer-cial Screenprint & Embroidery Inc. • Com-missioner David Cole • CommunicationsTechnologies Inc. • Community Care •Community Health & Counseling Services• Computer Essentials • Concentra Med-ical Centers • Concord Coachlines •Consumer Credit Counseling Services ofMaine • Consumer Title • Context byDesign • Coplon Associate LandscapeArchitecture and Planning • Country InnAt The Mall • Country Kennel • County ofPenobscot • Courtyard by Marriott • CPASolution, LLC • Creative Arts Center •


MembersContinued from Page 13


www.BHBT.com • 1-888-853-7100Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

Here’s To AnotherGreat Year!

By Brian SwartzCustom Publications Editor

The Bangor Region Chamber of Com-merce will present Dr. Habib Dagher,Founding Director of the University ofMaine’s Advanced Structures and Compos-ites Center, with its 2011 CatherineLebowitz Award for Public Service. Accord-ing to Chamber officials, Dagher is beinghonored for his work in advancing econom-ic opportunity in the Bangor region.

A University of Maine professor ofcivil/structural engineering, Dagher headsthe Advanced Structures & Composites,which has recently added a 37,000-square-foot Offshore Wind Lab that isunique in its capacities for comprehensivedevelopment, manufacturing, and testingof large-scale wind industry components.Researchers will be able to test wind tur-bine blades measuring up to 240 feet inlength as well as test components in a sim-ulated deepwater ocean environment whenthe Laboratory officially opens this year.

The Offshore Wind Laboratory comple-ments and supports the Center’s focus onthe development of offshore wind tech-nologies. In 2009, the Center embarkedon a multi-year, multi-million dollar projectto develop composite offshore floating

wind turbines and components for deploy-ment 20 miles off the Maine coast; thisproject is targeted to produce 5,000megawatts of electricity by the year 2030.The University of Maine has received fund-

ing from the Maine Technology AssetFund, the U.S. Department of Energy, theU.S. Economic Development Agency, theNational Science Foundation, and othersto provide technical expertise and leader-

ship for this offshore wind energy develop-ment. This research and development isbeing carried out by the DeepCwind Con-sortium, a coalition of leading wind indus-try companies, academic institutions andnonprofits, led by Dagher and theAdvanced Structures and CompositesCenter. Development of an offshore windindustry is projected to create thousands ofnew Maine jobs.

According to Dagher, other productstested and developed at the AdvancedStructures & Composites Center havealready led to job creation in Maine. Onesuch product is the Bridge-in-a-Backpack,designed as a cost-effective alternative totraditional highway bridges that is manu-factured and sold by Advanced Infrastruc-ture Technologies, a Center spin-off com-pany located in Orono.

Other products developed by the Cen-ter include ballistic protective panels andblast-resistant coated wood structures forthe U.S. Army, composite retaining walls,and a high-speed composite boat for theU.S. Navy SEALS. Additionally, the Centerhas assisted nearly 100 Maine companiesin the development and improvement ofnew composites products.

“I’m certainly humbled to receive theCatherine Lebowitz Award for Public Ser-

vice,” Dagher said. However, he believesthe award should also go to “the hard-working team” at the Center focused oneconomic development in Maine.

“A lot of wonderful people work here inthe lab. The entire team deserves thisaward,” Dagher explained. “Also, our teamreally couldn’t do it without the wonderfulcompanies in Maine that we have workedwith,” from AIT and Bath Iron Works tothe Cianbro Corp., the James Sewall Co.,the Huber Corp., and many other firms.

Dagher credited state officials forworking diligently with businesses andUMaine to pursue economic developmentand job creation. Dagher also praised themembers of the Maine congressional del-egation.

“It’s all of us working together,” hesaid. “We’re trying to create jobs by pool-ing all our resources together. We havecreated a statewide team that shouldreceive the credit for improving economicdevelopment not only in the Bangorregion, but across the state.”

While the Advanced Structures & Com-posites Center has received other awards,the Chamber award “means so much moreto us, coming from the Bangor area, beingrecognized by the Chamber,” Dagher said.“It’s a major treat for us.”

BDN PHOTO BY BRIAN SWARTZUniversity of Maine Professor Habib Dagher stands beside an onshore wind turbine inside the new

87,000-square-foot Offshore Wind Laboratory currently under construction at the UMaine cam-pus. The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce will recognize Dagher’s work in advancing eco-

nomic opportunity by presenting him with the 2011 Catherine Lebowitz Award for Public Service.

CATHERINE LEBOWITZ AWARD FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

Dr. Habib Dagher: Advancing the economic power of Maine through wind

Creative Imaging Group, Inc. • CreativePrint Services • Cross Insurance • CurranHomestead • Cuso Mortgage Corporation• Cutcliffe Consulting

D: D.C Rentals • DA Carson Carpentry• Dahl-Chase Diagnostic Services •Daigle & Houghton • Dale CarnegieTraining of Maine • Darling’s • Darling’sAgency • DaVinci Signs LLC • DawsonInsurance Agency • Days Inn • Day’s Jew-

elers • Dead River Company-Bangor •Dead River Company-Brewer • Deb DallDesign • DeeEtte C. Bruns, LicensedMassage Therapist • Deighan AssociatesInc. • Dennis Paper & Foodservice • Des-perate Spaces • Dewey W. Martin, CPA •Dick Hogan Insurance Agency, Inc. •Dirigo Pines Retirement Community •Discovery House Bangor • DOC’s Place •Dogn’I Apparel • Dorothea Dix Psychi-atric Center • Dorsey Furniture • DownEast Credit Union • Downeast Capital,Inc. • Downeast Magazine, Books &Online • Downtown Bangor Partnership •Duff & Associates • Dunnett Inc. •Dysart’s Restaurant

E: Eagle Crest, LLC d/b/a RiverviewMotel • Eagle Financial Strategies • EastOrrington Congregational Church • EastSide Rehab. & Living Center • Eastern AreaAgency on Aging • Eastern Maine Com-munity College • Eastern Maine Counsel-ing and Testing Services, Inc. • EasternMaine Development Corporation • EasternMaine Healthcare - Acadia Hospital • East-ern Maine Healthcare - EMMC • EasternMaine Healthcare Systems • EatonPeabody • Econo Lodge • Edward JonesInvestments - Marcia S. Bean • Edwards,Faust & Smith, Certified Public Accoun-tants • Elder Indpendence of Maine: ADivision of Senior’s Plus • Electricity Maine

• Elite Auto, Inc. • Ellen M. Leach Memo-rial Home Corporation • Ellis CommercialManagement • Ellsworth American, Inc. -Printing • Ellsworth Area Chamber ofCommerce • EmbroidMe • EMHS: Ross-care • Employee Health Solutions • EpicSports • Epstein Commercial Real Estate •Epstein Properties • ERA Dawson-Brad-ford Co., Realtors • ESOCO Orrington •Everborne Consulting Group, Inc. •Everett J. Prescott, Inc. • Evergreen InkLLC • EyeMart Express • EZ To Use.com

F: F.A. Peabody - Hampden Division •Fairfield Inn by Marriott • Fairmount Mar-ket • FairPoint Communications • Families

And Children Together • Family FunBowling Center • Farrell, Rosenblatt &Russell • Farrington Financial Group •Feld Entertainment • FGS/CMT, Inc. •Fiddlehead Inn Vegetarian B&B • FiresideInn & Suites • First Wind Energy, LLC •Fleming Appraisal & Associates • ForDogs Boutique, Training, Day Care andGrooming • Forest Society of Maine •Fort Knox Park Inn • Four DirectionsDevelopment Corp. • Four Points bySheraton Bangor Airport • Fox & GinnMovers • Frank Webb’s Bath Center •Frank’s Bake Shop, Inc. • Freedom Xpress




By Debra BellCUSTOM PUBLICATIONS WRITER

Anyone who doubts that Maine youth aren’t invest-ed in the community and its businesses obviouslyhaven’t met the students in Husson University’s Schoolof Hospitality Management.

For their efforts working with business, non-prof-its, and fundraising, the Husson University Hospitali-ty Program will receive the Bangor Region Chamberof Commerce’s Volunteer of the Year Award.

The program, spearheaded by Lee Speronis, Director ofthe School of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism and HussonUniversity, has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

When Speronis — known as “Dr. S” by the stu-dents he works with — joined the staff of Husson Uni-versity in the fall of 2007, there were about 12 stu-dents in the hospitality club. Now, Speronis workswith over 100 students all focused on learning thetraits of being a quality “host”.

The students involved in the Husson program spana vast array of disciplines. That’s because, he said,hospitality is part of every job in some way.

“Hospitality is customer and guest service,” hesaid. “It’s not just about food and beverage, althoughthat’s a huge part of it.”

Students helped run fundraising events, provided

catering and serving services to local businessevents, and recently awarded a $500 check to theChampion the Cure Challenge from funds raisedthroughout the year.

In fact, Husson Hospitality students can be foundthroughout the community. One outstanding example oftheir community partnership is the 2011 Chamber Din-ner, held on January 19, 2011 at the Bangor Auditorium.

Husson Hospitality students were a “vital” part of thecoordination of the Chamber’s 100th anniversary annu-al dinner. Students ran the coat check, assisted with theserving of the dinner, held doors for guests, and assist-ed Chamber officials in helping the event run smoothly.

“Something as simple as holding open doors pro-vided [the students] with good networking opportuni-ties,” Speronis said. “At Husson we believe in trainingand experiential learning. Businesses in Maine need tospend time to train employees; it takes time to trainthem absolutely, but it pays off in the end.”

PHOTO COURTESY BRCCTwo BRCC interns from the Husson Hospitality Program (far left) stand with Dr. Lee Speronis to accept recog-nition from Chamber President and CEO John Porter. Husson Hospitality students are the winners of the 2011

BRCC Volunteer of the Year Award. They will accept the official award on January 19 at the annual dinner.

“Something as simple as holdingopen doors provided good networking opportunities.”

DR. LEE SPERONIS

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Husson Hospitality students network while helping the community


By Debra BellCUSTOM PUBLICATIONS WRITER

Because of their dedication to the community, Peo-ple’s United Bank has been awarded the CommunityService Award by the Bangor Region Chamber ofCommerce.

According to Bill Lucy, President of People’s Unit-ed Bank in the northern Maine market, receiving thisaward was not only a surprise, but an honor.

The tradition of community involvement is verymuch a part of the culture at People’s United Bank.

“We derive our living from the community, so it isonly natural that we would want to give back,” Lucysaid. “It’s part of the culture and heritage of our bank.Couple that with the fact that we all live here, andbeing part of the community through volunteer effortsallows us to believe that we’re making a difference. Wefeel good about giving back; it’s part of our steward-ship.”

Some of those volunteer and financial efforts havesupported community causes such as the Dakin Poolrehabilitation, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure,Eastern Maine Medical Center’s CancerCare of Mainefacility in Brewer, planting tulip bulbs for the MaineCancer Foundation, serving dinner monthly at the

Hope House, and providing ongoing support “sinceday one” to the American Folk Festival, to name just afew.

According to Lynne Spooner, Growth Manager atPeople’s United Bank, “We always encourage ouremployees to get involved” in the community. Spoon-er noted that their 130 employees have, on average,given 500 hours to volunteer causes throughout theyear.

“We try to support organizations [that] our employ-ees are involved in,” Lucy said. A handful of thoseorganizations include the American Heart Association,the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Boy Scouts, GoodSamaritan Agency, Bangor Region Leadership Insti-tute, and a wide range of other non-profits. In additionto corporate giving by People’s United Bank, People’sUnited Community Foundation, the philanthropic armof the bank has awarded more than $220,000 ingrants to more than 25 non-profits in our market area,Lucy added.

But, according to Lucy and Spooner, it’s aboutmore than just supporting groups financially. Forinstance, bank employees created a six-week financialcurriculum and taught it to teen moms at the GoodSamaritan Agency during a fall semester and again dur-ing a spring semester.

“It’s about using our professional skills to help the

community,” Spooner said. “It’s not just about writinga check.”

Above and beyond employees lending their expert-ise, it sometimes means People’s United’s giving oftheir facilities to help other non-profit groups. Forinstance, the parking lot at 201 Main Street in Bangorwas often vacant during the summer Waterfront Con-cert Series concerts. An employee suggested allowingthe Boy Scouts to handle paid parking in their lot dur-ing a particular concert. The bank agreed and the sig-nificant dollars raised during the concert remained withthe Boy Scout troop.

“From CancerCare of Maine to Hope House toBoy Scouts, we don’t always make headlines for thethings we do, but our employees’ volunteerism is whatmakes a big impact toward helping guide the commu-nity,” Lucy said. “It’s fun and gratifying to help others.Our employees choose to make a difference byimproving the quality of life for others through theirvolunteer efforts. And you can’t help but feel goodabout that.”

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

People’s United Bank recognized for ongoing community supportBDN PHOTO BY DEBRA BELL

According to People’s United Bank’s President Bill Lucy,giving back to the community the bank is a part of is intrin-

sic to being a good steward of the community. Pictured (leftto right): Darlene Hawkes, Bill Lucy, Lynne Spooner.

Inc • Freightliner of Maine Inc. • Frost’sGarage, Inc. • Fusion Bangor

G: GAC Chemical Corp. • Garelick Farmsof Maine • Gass Horse Supply • GatewayTitle of Maine, Inc. • Geaghan’s Restaurant& Pub • General Electric Co. • GentivaHealth Services • George Adams CPA, MBA• George Gonyar • Gerard Tassel •Getchell Agency, Inc. • Getchell Brothers,Inc. • Gifford’s Ice Cream • Gilbert & Greif,PA • Gilman Electrical Supply Co. • Girl Fri-day Errand & Shopping Service • Girl Scoutsof Maine • Global Wealth and Wellness •

Gold’s Gym • Good Samaritan Agency •Good Shepherd Food-Bank • Governor JohnBaldacci • Governor’s • Grace EvangelicalCollege & Seminary • Gracy, Inc. DBA H&RBlock • Granicrete of Maine • GranvilleRental • Granville Stone • Great SkatesEntertainment Center • Greater BangorAssociation of Realtors • Greater BangorConvention & Visitors Bureau • Greater OldTown Communities That Care • GreenAcres Kennel Shop • Greeno Homes •Greenway Equipment Sales • Greenworks,Inc. • Gross, Minsky, & Mogul PA • Groth& Associates a financial advisory practice ofAmeriprise Financial • Ground Round •Gunn’s Sport Shop • GWI

H: H.O. Bouchard, Inc. • Habitat forHumanity of Greater Bangor • Haley’s Tire

& Service Center • Hammond LumberCompany • Hammond Street Senior Cen-ter, Inc. • Hampden Business Association• Hampden Floral, Inc. • Hannaford •Hannaford Broadway • Harley Plumbingand Heating Plus • Harmon AutoGlassDBA Portland Glass • HarpWorks WritingServices • Haverlock, Estey & Curran,CPAs • HCP Computers • HeadlightAudio Visual, Inc. • Healthcare Charities •HealthWORKS • Healy Chiropractic •Helen Munsey Home Decorator • HenryAssociates Inc. DBA The Henry BridalBoutique & Formal Wear • Hermon Mead-ow Golf Club • Hermon True Value •Hess Financial Group • Holden familyCampground • Holiday Inn - Bangor •Hollywood Slots • Home Health & Hos-pice of St. Joseph • Home-Sweet-Home •

Hometown Newspapers LLC • HortonProperties • Hotel Equities • HouseRevivers Inc./Kelly Realty Management •Housing Foundation • Hughes PropertyManagement • Husson University

I: Infinity Federal Credit Union • Ink Blot• Innovative Solutions Now, LLC •InSphere Insurance Solutions • InstantTitle Service • InsureHealth • Irving Oil

J: J B Industrial Paint Co. • J M PawsBookkeeping LLC • J.T. Hicks & Compa-ny, PA • Jackson Laboratory • Jeff’s Cater-ing, Inc. • Jenkins Beach/Cottage & BoatRentals • John Bapst Memorial HighSchool • John Miller • John T. Cyr &Sons, Inc. • John W. Lefebvre • JohnsonFlorist & Gift Shop, Inc. • Johnstone Sup-

ply • Jolain’s Gourmet Catering • JT TrashDisposal Service • JWClark Dental Studio

K: Kappa Mapping • Katahdin AreaChamber of Commerce • Katahdin AreaCouncil, Boy Scouts of America, Inc. •Katahdin Trust Company • Kelli Roy • KellyServices • Ken Huhn • Kentucky FriedChicken-Broadway • Kentucky Fried Chick-en-Longview Drive • Key Bank N.A. • Kiley& Foley Funeral Service • Kindred Health-care • Kinney Office System • Know Tech-nology • Kosta’s Restaurant & Bar: OldTown • Kosta’s Restaurant & Bar: Brewer

L: Labor Ready • Lamey Wellehan • LaneConstruction Corp. • Law Office of Joseph




By Dale MCGarrigleCUSTOM PUBLICATIONS WRITER

By its very nature, a children’s museumis an ephemeral thing.

To remain successful, such a museummust continually evolve, not only to keepits current young patrons returning, butalso to draw in new children, especiallythose younger or older than its regularclientele.

Throughout its decade of existence,the Maine Discovery Museum has beencontinually reinvented, while being inte-grated into the community it serves. Forits efforts, the museum, located in thehistoric Freese’s building at 74 Main St.,has been named the Bangor RegionChamber of Commerce Nonprofit of theYear.

One obvious change was at the top. NilesParker, formerly of the Penobscot MarineMuseum in Searsport, took over as executivedirector in December, 2010, following thedecade-long tenure of Andrea Stark.

Parker’s biggest challenge: “How do weextend the experience opportunities to

keep kids around a little longer?”Children who come to the museum are

generally in kindergarten through fifthgrade. Parker would like to develop pro-

grams and exhibits to draw children frombirth to age 5 and also those in grades sixthrough eight.

Parker hopes to accomplish this goalthrough a combination of exhibits, bothpermanent and temporary, and programs.

The use for about one third of themuseum’s square footage has changedover the past 10 years. The most notice-able change is the Tradewinds exhibit onthe second floor, which opened aboutthree years ago. Parker explained that theexhibit illustrates Maine’s connection tothe rest of the world, and includes a modelof a cargo ship in Searsport, a floor map ofthe world, a chart showing different coun-tries in the world and the products theyimport from Maine, and looks at life inJapan, Italy and Brazil.

The newest exhibit is Dino Dig, whichopened last spring on the third floor. DinoDig focuses on paleontology, and includesa dig pit in which children can search forburied fossils.

Also on the third floor, the Body Jour-ney exhibit is being revamped, with anemphasis on childhood wellness. Newcomponents include a snowboard simula-

tor, a hang-gliding simulator and a nutri-tion pyramid.

The arts have been a presence at themuseum throughout 2011. The formerstore area on the first floor became home tothe Arts in the Heart of Downtown program,which featured a wood carver, a painter, aphotographer, a textile artist, an illustratorand a charcoal artist. The program paid astipend to the artist, and was in part fundedby a pair of Quimby Family grants.

The museum also seeks to collaboratewith other local arts groups, participatingin the Downtown Art Walk and workingwith the Bangor Symphony Orchestra torenovate its Sounds Abound music exhibit.Also its Children’s Village has been anintegral part of the American Folk Festival.

Programs are the other part of themuseum’s successful formula. Last year itteamed up with the University of Maineand Challenger Learning Center to partici-pate in the Making Stuff nanotechnologyeducation program, based on the public-TV series of the same name produced byWGBH of Boston.

The Maine Discovery Museum is one offour institutions nationally to receive a Ready

to Learn grant, to study early-childhood edu-cation, particularly in math and literacy.

“We’ll be taking surveys and talking tofamilies, then providing data to theresearch company who is running the pro-gram,” Parker explained.

In a down economy, the museum hasshrunk its staff, with more part-time thanfull-time workers.

“We’ve got a great group of volunteersand part-time staff who are passionateabout working with the kids,” Parker said.

The museum has seen 650,000 visitorsover the past decade, so it’s now in themidst of a capital campaign to raise $1.75million.

“We’re trying to start an endowment,”Parker said. “Also we need to raise themoney to clean up the museum, update itand keep it going.”

Parker is confident the capital campaignwill work, because he knows the highesteem in which the community holds theMaine Discovery Museum.

“Uniformly, community members raveabout the Discovery Museum,” Parkersaid. “The level of support in the area istremendous.”

NON-PROFIT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Maine Discovery Museum challenges children, enriches community

PHOTO COURTESY MAINE DISCOVERY MUSEUMA young visitor learns about “fishing” at one of

the Maine Discovery Museum’s interactiveexhibits.

M. Baldacci • Liberty Mutual • LighthouseWeb Solutions • Lindsco Equipment •Links Online Solutions • Literacy Volun-teers of Bangor • LL Bean • LonghornSteak House • Louis Silver ConstructionCompany • Loving Touch In-Home Care •Lucerne Inn • Luna Bar & Grill

M: M. Ray Bradford Jr. Esq. PA •Machias Savings Bank • MacMillan Apart-ments • Magazines, Inc. • Magic WithAlan • Maine Aero Services • Maine AirMuseum/Maine Aviation Historical Society• Maine Air National Guard • Maine Asset

Management • Maine Audio Informationand Reading Service • Maine Businessesfor Social Responsibility • Maine Center forIntegrated Rehab • Maine CommunityFoundation • Maine Contracting • MaineCut • Maine Development Foundation •Maine Discovery Museum • Maine Distrib-utors • Maine DOT • Maine Edge •Maine Energy Inc. • Maine Equipment &Party Rental • Maine Forest & LoggingMuseum at Leonard’s Mills • MaineGround Developers, Inc. • Maine Interna-tional Trade Center • Maine Mental HealthConnections, Inc. • Maine Network forHealth • Maine Public Broadcasting Net-work • Maine Salt Company • Maine Sav-ings Federal Credit Union • Maine SchoolAdministrative District #22 • MaineStaffing Group • Maine State Chamber of

Commerce • Maine State Legislature •Maine Streaming Media • Maine TeamRealty • Maine Traveling Chef • MaineValve and Fitting Co. • Maine Veterans’Home • Mainebiz • MAINE-Ly Titles Inc.• MainXPO, Inc. • Make-A-Wish Founda-tion of Maine • Manna, Inc • Manpower •March of Dimes • Marit’s • Market Bistro• Marlene’s Uniform Shop • Marsh Prop-erty Management, LLC • Martes Inc. DBACity Park Grille • Martin & Gail Hipsky •Mary Cathcart • Mary Kay • MathesonValley dba. Advantage Gases & Tools •McDonald’s Restaurants - Bega, Inc. •McDonald’s Restaurants / D & L Manage-ment Co. • Means Investment Co. Inc. •MEDspa of Vision Care of Maine • MERTEnterprises • Metlife • Mid-Coast FineAntiques of Maine • Miguel’s Mexican

Restaurant • Milford Motel Suites on theRiver • Miller Drug • Millers Workshop •Mobile Marketing of Maine • Modern PestControl • Modern Screenprint Inc. •Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Com-merce • Morgan Hill Events Center •Morgan Stanley Smith Barney • Morita’sSchool of Dance • Motel 6 • MountDesert Spring Water • Muddy Rudder •Muscular Dystrophy Association • Mutualof Omaha • Myerowitz Chiropractic &Acupuncture Center

N: N.H. Bragg & Sons • N.S. GilesFoundations Inc. • National Able Network• National Multiple Sclerosis Society •Nautel, Inc. • Nelson Durgin • NeurologyAssociates of Eastern Maine, P.A. • NewEngland Communications • New England

Equipment Consulting & Management •New England Health Search • New EnglandHome Health Care • New England Schoolof Communications • Nichols InvestmentManagement • Nickerson & O’Day, Inc. •Nicole Interiors Home Staging • Norris,Inc. • North Country Rivers, Inc. • North-east Bank • Northeast Facilities Manage-ment • Northeast Guide Service • North-east Merchandising Corp. • Northeast Oral& Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, P.A. •Northeastern Log Homes, Inc. • Norumbe-ga Financial • Noyes Construction • NurseAnesthesia of Maine, PLLC

O: Oak Grove Spring Water Co., Inc. •Oce Canon • OHI • OMG Events • One



By David M. FitzpatrickBangor Daily News

At 58 years in business in 2012, with29 branches in three states and clients thatinclude the New England Patriots and theBoston Red Sox, Cross Insurance has beennamed the 2012 Business of the Year.

In the 1940s, Woodrow Cross trainedfor military service and received his com-pany’s highest rifle-range score. After trav-eling for six weeks on a troop ship, hewaded ashore at Papua, New Guinea,where he received two battle stars for theNew Guinea and Luzon campaigns inWorld War II.

Cross returned to Maine to start a fam-ily and ran a country store in Bradford forseveral years. He moved to Bangor in1954, unsure what he’d do. Following asuggestion that he might find success ininsurance, he started Cross Insurance outof his home on West Broadway, seeingcustomers by day and doing paperwork inthe evening at his dining-room table (andlater a dedicated desk). In 1963 purchasedhis first agency, hired an employee, and

moved downtown to the Coe Building onthe coincidentally named Cross Street.He’d later move to the old Merchants Bankbuilding and then to Key Plaza.

The company’s real growth began in1993 when it acquired Fenderson Insur-ance, along with its elegant building on theGilman Road in Bangor. And along withFenderson came its Calais and Eastportbranches; an earlier Bangor-area acquisi-tion had added a Lincoln branch, but the

Fenderson buy saw great extension for thecompany.

Over its life, Cross Insurance purchasedabout 100 small agencies, spreading firstacross Maine and then beyond. The acqui-sition of a Portland-area agency in the early2000s included a Conway, N.H. branch;later, buying a New Hampshire companyadded a Massachusetts branch. The expan-sion continued.

“We would have been just as aggressive

in Maine during the 2000s, but it just wasn’tavailable,” said Royce Cross, the founder’sson. “We’ve followed the opportunity, andthat’s where the opportunity’s gone.”

Cross Insurance rarely pursued sales;the sales found them, with other compa-nies contacting with selling offers. Alongthe way with this slow, steady, and carefulgrowth, the company’s team grew in num-ber and strength. Today, with nearly 500employees in three states, there’s virtuallyno type of insurance the company doesn’thandle, and no New England industry inwhich it’s not involved — even pro sports.

A few years ago, after a long process,Cross Insurance won the contract to pro-vide insurance for the New England Patri-ots. Thanks in part to the solid reputationof Cross Insurance, and good words fromPatriots owner Robert Kraft, in 2011 theBoston Red Sox called Cross Insurance.The company will insure the Red Sox in2012.

Cross said there’s a certain appealbehind his company that the Patriots andRed Sox like: The company is big, but smallenough to be accessible. The top folks at

those teams can directly connect with CrossInsurance executives — something they’dnever get at big, national companies.

Whether a pro-sports team, a business,or a homeowner, insurance is complex,and people need professionals to properlyadvise them. Cross said that since peopleplace a lot of trust in their insurance pro-fessionals, having a sense of responsibilityfor their clients is vital.

“My father has said to me many timesthat you can spend money on advertising,but there’s no better advertisement thantaking care of a customer,” Cross said.

That’s good advice from a man whobuilt his business from his dining-roomtable 58 years ago. At 95, WoodrowCross still comes to work every day at 7a.m. and works all day at the company hefounded 58 years ago. So will he everretire?

“He told me a while ago that he’s plan-ning on working until he’s 100, and thenhe’s going to re-assess the situation,” saidCross. “I expect that he’ll probably workuntil he’s 100, and decide he wants to staya while longer.”


BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

2011 Business of the Year goes to Bangor staple: Cross InsurancePHOTO BY TERRY FARREN

Woodrow Cross, 95,the founder of Cross

Insurance 58 years ago,with his family. At left ishis son Brent; at right ishis son Royce; behind is

Royce’s son Jonathan.


As a Chamber member you’ll have visibility andcredibility in the community and access to resourcesthat will help you expand and manage your business.We can enhance your marketing through our com-munication channels, provide practical how-toinformation through seminars and programs andgive you access to shared purchasing, including ourChamberBlue health insurance.

Grow your networkThe Chamber offers the best opportunities in the

region to meet new customers, future employees andtrusted suppliers. Our Business After Hours, EarlyBird Breakfasts, the Business Expo, golf tournament,awards dinner and other events put you in touchwith the region’s business elite. And being an activeChamber member, serving on committees or volun-teering, will enhance your reputation in the commu-nity.

Grow your influenceYour Chamber takes seriously its mission to influ-

ence public policy on behalf of the region’s business-es. Our recent success in helping to win approval of anew arena for Bangor is but one example. We worktirelessly for sensible regulations, fair taxes and smartpublic investments that allow our economy to grow.

Grow our communityYour Chamber membership supports programs

that serve young professionals, build leadershipcapacity, bring educators and business people togeth-er and promote employee wellness. More important-ly, by being a part of the Chamber, you are signalingyour support for a more vibrant and sustainablecommunity, something your colleagues and cus-tomers will recognize the minute they learn you are amember.

Grow your business with BRCC


Steel Recycling • Organized Solutions • Ori-ental Jade Restaurant & Sampan Grill • OTTCommunications • Overhead Door Compa-ny of Bangor, Inc. • Oxford Networks

P: Paddy Murphy’s • PAGEmployment,Inc. • Panda Garden Restaurant • PapaJohn’s Pizza • Paper-n-Clay • Paradis &Foster Event Management • Parker K. Bailey& Sons • Parkside Children’s Learning Cen-ter • Pat’s Pizza • Paul Bunyan Camp-ground • PBC Consulting, LLC • Pember-ton Swift, Inc. • Pen Co. Contracting • Pen-Bay Computer Systems, Inc. • PenobscotCleaning Services, Inc. • Penobscot Com-munity Health Center, Inc. • PenobscotCounty Federal Credit Union • PenobscotEye Care • Penobscot Home Performance •Penobscot Job Corps Academy • PenobscotNation • Penobscot Nation Boys & GirlsClub • Penobscot Temperature Controls,Inc. • Penobscot Theatre Company •Penobscot Valley Country Club • PenobscotVeterinary Services • Penquis • People’sUnited Bank • Pepsi Bottling Group • PHDConsulting, Inc. • Phillips-StricklandHouse/Boyd Place • Phoenix Employment &

Rehabilitation Services • Pike Industries •Pine Tree Physical Therapy • Pine TreeWaste Inc. / Casella Waste Systems, Inc. •Pinnacle IT • Pleasant Hill Campground,LLC • Plisga & Day Land Surveyors • Pot-tle’s Transportation Inc. • Premier HomeCare • Prentiss & Carlisle Inc. • PrimaryResidential Mortgage • Pro-Realty • Pru-dential Northeast Properties • Pulse Market-ing LLC • Pumpkin Patch RV Resort

Q: Qualey Granite & Quartz • QualityJewelers • Quality Tire & Service Center,Inc. • Quinn Agency • Quirk Auto Group

R: R.H. Foster Energy, L.L.C. • RamadaInn • RBC Wealth Management •RE/MAX Advantage Realty Group • Real-ty of Maine • Records Management Cen-ter • Residential Mortgage Services •Results Physical & Occupational Therapy •ReVision Heat LLC • Richard P. Hawkins •Richard S. Cattelle, Inc. • Richard Whit-more Logging • Richardson, Whitman,Large, & Badger • Riverside Inn • RMFlagg • Robinson Ballet Company • RockChurch of Greater Bangor • RonaldMcDonald House of Bangor, Inc. • RoofSystems of Maine • Roy & Associates,CPAs PA • RT Ziegler Financial Services •Rudman & Winchell, LLC

S: S.W. Cole Engineering Inc. • SaintJohn Board of Trade • Saliba’s Rug Sales,Inc. • Sam’s Club • Sandollar Spa & Pool• Sandra A. Morin, Acct. • Sargent Corpo-ration • Sargent, Tyler & West • SchoppeeDairy, LLC • SCORE Bangor • ScottsLawnService • Sea Dog Brewing Co. •Seaboard Federal Credit Union • SeacoastSecurity • Sebasticook Valley Healthcare •Securitas Security Services, USA • SenatorRichard Rosen • Senior League WorldSeries • ServiceMaster Contract Services •SERVPRO of Bangor/Ellsworth • SevenIslands Land Company • Sewall Company •SGC Engineering LLC • Shaw House •Sheridan Corporation • Sherwin Williams •Showcase Homes of Maine Inc • SierraCommunications Inc. • Sign Services Inc. •Skelton Law Office • Sleep Well, Inc. •Smart EyeCare Center • Snowman Printing& Stamps • Specialty Sweets • SpectacularEvent Center • Spectrum Medical Group,PA • Sports Arena • Sprague’s Nursery •Springborn Staffing • Spruce Run Associa-tion • SST Aero Services • St. JosephHealthcare • Stagecoach Express Catering• Standard Electric Co. • Starboard Lead-ership Consulting • Stucco Lodge • Sulli-van Tire • Sunbury Village • SutherlandWeston Marketing Communications •Sweet Stuff Fine Chocolates & Confections

• Sweetest Thing • Swish Maintenance

T: Target Marketing Maine • TastefullySimple • TBA Inc • TC Hafford BasementSystems • TD Bank - Exchange St. • TDBank - Union St. • TD Bank - Wilson St. •TDS Telecom • Tender Lawn Care • Tere-lar Advertising Productions, LLC • Thorn-ton Construction • Tim Horton’s- Brewer •Tim Horton’s- Main St. Bangor • Tim Hor-ton’s- Odlin Rd. • Time Warner Cable •Town of Bradley • Town of Carmel • Townof Eddington • Town of Glenburn • Townof Hampden • Town of Hermon • Town ofHolden • Town of Kenduskeag • Town ofMilford • Town of Newburgh • Town ofOrono • Town of Orrington • Town ofVeazie • Town of Winterport • TractorSupply Company • Trade Winds Car Wash• Transco Business Technologies • Tues-day Forum • Tuffy Bear Discount Furniture

U: U.S. Cellular • U.S. CongressmanMichael H. Michaud • U.S. SenatorOlympia Snowe • U.S. Senator SusanCollins • UBS Financial Services Inc. •UniFirst Corporation • Union Office Inte-riors • Union Street Athletics • UnitedBank Card • United Cerebral Palsy ofMaine • United Insurance- WhitehouseAgency • United Technologies Center •United Way of Eastern Maine • Universal

Detailing • University Credit Union • Uni-versity Inn/Academic Suites • University ofMaine • University of Maine Alumni Assn.• University of Maine Augusta at Bangor •University of Maine Foundation • Univer-sity of Maine System • UPS Store

V: Vacationland Inn • Vafiades, Brountas& Kominsky, LLP • VanceGray Wealth Man-agement, Inc • Varney Agency • VerizonWireless • Verizon Wireless: Stillwater Ave• Verso Paper • Volunteers of AmericaNNE • Voyager Networks of New England

W: W. Tom Sawyer Jr. • W.B. Mason •W.C. Weatherbee & Sons, Inc. • W.S. Emer-son Co. Inc. • WABI-TV • Wallace Tent &Party Rental • Wal-Mart: Bangor • Wal-Mart:Brewer • Ward Green Group • Waste Man-agement of Maine • Watch Me ShinePreschool • Waterfront Concert Series •WBRC Architects/Engineers • WeathervaneFactory • Webber Energy Fuels • WebberSupply, Inc. • Weber MT, Inc. • WellmanPaving Inc. • Wellness Council of Maine •Wells Fargo Advisors • Wells Fargo HomeMortgage • Wellspring, Inc. • WestgateManor • Whittens 2-Way Service • WilleyLaw Offices • Willis of Northern New England• Wilson’s Lawn Service, Snow Plowing •Windswept Gardens LLC • Wings For Chil-dren & Families, Inc • Winterport Boot Shop• Winterport Winery • Wireless Zone (Veri-zon Wireless) • Wireless Zone- Bangor Mall •Wiseman Spaulding Design, Inc.-Antiquity Tile• WKIT / WZON - The Zone Corporation •WLBZ2 • Women, Work & Community •Woodard & Curran • Woodlands AssistedLiving of Brewer • Woods of Maine, Inc. •WQCB/WBZN/WEZQ/WWMJ/WDEA •WVII-TV 7/ Fox 22

Y: YMCA of Old Town and Orono •Yoshi: Japanese Restaurant

Z: Zavaleta, Inc.

Member list as of January 2, 2012


John PorterPresident and CEO

Karen ColeExecutive Vice President

Kelly EnbergDirector of Membership Development

Marcia BakerAdministrative Assistant

Martha TalbotBookkeeper

GabbeeOffice Mascot

Willow SherwoodDirector of Wellness Council of Maine

Matt McLaughlinDirector of Program Development

and Member Value

Bangor RegionChamber ofCommerce

Contact InformationAddress:

208 Maine AvenueBangor, Maine 04401

Phone:(207) 947-0307

Email:[email protected]

Website:www.bangorregion.com

Find us on Facebook

Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Staff

Bangor Daily News, Friday | January 20, 2012 | 23

Rich ArmstrongSnowman Printing

Michael BallesterosEastern Maine

Community College

Rod BlackR.T. Ziegler Financial

Services

Mary BrooksCourtyard by Marriott

Susan ChaarConcentra

Dan DauphineeNortheastern Log Homes

James GeretyBangor Mall

Andy HamiltonEaton Peabody

Renee KellyUniversity of Maine

Jerry LivengoodBangor Natural Gas

Cathy MaharCamden National Bank

Steve RichWBRC A/E

Lee SperonisHusson University

Suzanne SpruceEMHS

Marion SyversenSyversen Financial

Services

John PorterBangor Region Chamber of Commerce

President and CEO

Dan Tremble, ChairFairmount Market/Ground Round

Jane IrvingBangor Savings Bank

Chair-elect

Andy SturgeonSewell Co. Treasurer

Dennis MarbleGreater Bangor Area Homeless Shelter

Governmental Affairs Cmte.

Julia MunseyOxford Networks

Past Chair

John SimpsonConsultant

Business Action Cmte. Chair

Betsy VickeryW.S. Emerson

Membership Cmte. Chair

Bangor RegionChamber of CommerceExecutive Committee

2012

Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, 2012


Original Storefront, Broad Street - 1875

Charles Bragg & John Bragg at New Store- front, Perry Road - 1966

Counter Crew On Broad Street - 1939

John W. Bragg

92 Perry Road • Bangor, ME 04401207-947-8611 or 1-877-642-7244

Shop Online at www.nhbragg.com

JOHN W. BRAGGRecipient of the

Norbert X. Dowd Award

It’s an honor to salute an individual whose 46 years of leadership and stewardship have guided N.H. Bragg into celebrating our 158 year milestone!

Best Wishes From Everyone At

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