January
• Greg’s Home and Leisure Center planned to open on Industrial Street, after owner Greg Cyr bought out Williams Pool in Houlton. The longtime Aroostook County-wide business specialized in pools, spas and home heating systems and accessories. • TAMC’s Lifeline Service celebrated its 500th installation of in-home communications systems designed to aid clients in the event of an emergency.
• Diane Raymond, of Caribou, saw her banana bread recipe published in the latest “Wal-Mart Family Cookbook.”
• County Physical Therapy promoted Paul Marquis, PT, to vice president of clinical operations.
• Extreme Granite, owned by Jeff Beaulieu, opened for business in Mars Hill, offering services by appointment, including granite countertops, fireplace hearths, bar tops and floor tiles.
• Northern Forest Program awarded funds to 19 projects, including the Conserve Northeast Forestlands (Aroostook County) to create additional market incentive and stregthen local economies.
• Presque Isle retailers reported strong holiday sales and shoppers were pleased with bargains.
• Northern Lights Motel became a smoke-free facility.
• Shreddit, located on Missile Street at the Industrial Park in Presque Isle, publicized its services which included shredding documents from various formats, including office papers, magazines, CDs, DVDs and floppies. Their services would help businesses and individuals prevent identity theft.
• Gardiner Savings Bank completed its merger with First Citizens Bank.
• Cathy Beaulieu was selected as the winner of a 2005 Honda Scooter as part of a raffle fund-raiser held by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce.
• Consumer Discount, under the ownership of Darrin Ward, opened for business on Dyer Street in Presque Isle offering building supplies at discounted prices.
• Bonnie and Carl Wilcox, of Presque Isle, entered into the floor maintenance business, opening Wilcox’s Floor Care & Maintenance.
• The Maine Potato Board expressed pleasure with its marketing campaign and planned to extend promotional efforts through April.
• Brian Hamel acquired an equity position in a Presque Isle financial firm. Thompson Associates will now be known as Thompson-Hamel, LLC – a newly formed entity owned by Arthur Thompson, John “Jay” Thompson and Brian Hamel.
• Owners Terry Greenier and Jay Tanner announced the opening of Cozy Corner II Furniture Annex in the Village Square in Fort Fairfield by holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 19. Gene Senechal, former owner of Cozy Corner II, has been hired as manager of the business.
• The Aroostook Centre Mall joined forces with the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club to open a connector to the recreational trail behind the mall, naming the path after Mark McKenney, a local sportsman who died in a sledding accident a year ago. Access is open to anyone using the trail system, with parking available at the mall.
• Christopher Jackson, a former Presque Isle resident, was named vice president of the Maine Oil Dealers Association.
• Businesses in Presque Isle and Caribou – Movie Gallery and Pizza Hut – combined efforts, holding a donation drive for the Battered Women’s Project, collecting a variety of health and beauty aids for clients of the shelter.
• Sales representatives from lia sophia donated $1,000 to Homeless Services of Aroostook.
February
• Jan and Roger Greenleaf-Lucas, two chefs with years of combined experience, opened Take Two Chefs Catering and Private Chef Service, providing service throughout Aroostook County.
• The Presque Isle Rotary Club planned a book drive for February, as part of Literacy Month.
• Farmers learned much about the industry during the annual Potato Conference held at the Caribou Inn and Convention Center.
• Governor’s Restaurant founder Leith Wadleigh and his son, Randy Wadleigh, accepted signed franchise agreement with Tony and Sherry Sullivan, marking 10 years the Sullivans have operated a branch in Presque Isle.
• Black Bear Realty Group opened for business on Main Street in Presque Isle, offering assistance to buyers and sellers of commercial and residential properties, camps and land.
• Professional Home Nursing was recognized as one of the Top 500 agencies out of 8,900 home health providers in the United States.
• Melony Hunt LeShane returned to H.O. Perry & Son Co.; her role included sales, service and implementation of a group personal lines initiative for the organization.
• Potato industry representatives attended the Agricultural Bargaining Council’s annual dinner.
• Staples, of Presque Isle, donated gift cards with a total value of $125 to the Aroostook Band of Mic Macs’ Boys and Girls Club, based in Presque Isle.
• The Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce prepared to host its annual banquet, with awards presented for Citizen of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Business of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
• UMPI students design and maintain Web site for PIACC.
• Presque Isle Rotary Club members were updated on the Maine potato industry during a luncheon meeting at the Northeastland Hotel.
• A peanut butter recall was announced involving jars of ConAgra Foods, Inc.-produced Peter Pan and Great Value (a Wal-Mart brand) with the product code number beginning with 2111. Several jars were discovered at the Community Food Cupboard in Mars Hill.
• TAMC received word that the state of Maine had appropriated $1.1 million to pay toward the money it owed the hospital for coverage provided to patients under Maine health care programs.
• Irving Woodlands donated $1,000 to the Ashland Playground Restoration Project, bringing the group’s total raised to around $3,000. Organizers hoped to raise $35,000 in time to get the playground up and running later in the year.
• Katahdin Trust Co. donated several computers to Washburn District High School.
March
• Community members, including many businesses, took part in Wear Red Day to bring awareness to the issue of heart disease in women.
• Audrey Zimmerman, of Amity, was named Maine 2007 Women in Business Champion by the Small Business Administration.
• The American Association of University Women, in collaboration with Women, Work and Community, Business and Professional Women, NMCC, UMPI, and the WAGE (Women Are Getting Even) Project, sponsored a presentation and panel discussion entitled “Dollars and Sense: How the Gender Wage Gap Affects Your Family.”
• Longtime health care leader John J. Ginty Jr. retired from The Aroostook Medical Center.
• Lowe’s was named the recipient of the Economic Development Award during the PIACC’s annual dinner on March 2. Store Manager Rodney Wohlford accepted the honor.
• David A. Peterson, president/CEO of The Aroostook Medical Center, was selected to be a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare leaders.
• Brian N. Hamel was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Maine & Maritimes Corporation.
• The Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce recognized Citizen of the Year Philip C. Roberts and Business of the Year McGillan, Inc., during their annual dinner.
• NMCC’s ‘Senior Makeover Day’ prepared students for job-hunting.
• Machias Savings Bank made a $12,500 contribution to the recently announced major gifts campaign at Northern Maine Community College.
• Irving Forest Products, of Ashland, donated $1,000 to the Ashland Playground Committee, to be used toward the creation of a community playground in Ashland, with work expected to be completed by the end of the year.
• Hundreds attended the 27th annual Agri-Business Trade Fair, held at the Forum in Presque Isle.
• The winner of the Kiwanis Dream Vacation was Kirk Carroll, who opted for the cash-out option and match the Kiwanis Club’s $1,000 donation to the Sister Mary O’Donnell Homeless Shelter.
April
• Dr. Ed Laga, an oral surgeon, opened for business at same office formerly operated by Dr. Brian Gallagher.
• Maine artist and author Rhea Cote Robbins held an art exhibit, built on Franco-American sayings passed down by her mother, at Crystal Compass, a book store on Main Street in Presque Isle.
• WEGP, an AM radio station in Presque Isle, made several state-of-the-art upgrades.
• The Presque Isle Rotary Club honored two Paul Harris Fellows: Max Saenger and Brian Hamel.
• Care & Comfort, a business offering counseling services to youth up to age 21 and home visits for children and senior citizens, headquartered in Waterville with offices throughout the state, moved its offices from the Houlton Road to Academy Street.
• MPG hired Noah Winslow as manager of the potato sales and grain departments.
• Aroostook MRI was awarded a three-year term of accreditation in Magnetic Resonance Imaging as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology.
• NMCC hosted its annual job fair.
• Lowe’s donated $5,000, through its Toolbox in Education grant program, to Mapleton Elementary School to go toward the construction of a pre-K and kindergarten playground at the school.
• MPG Shopping Center moved into its new building and welcomed customers to shop at its new 10,000 square foot facility.
• NMCC ushered in a new era of technology, with a ‘wire-cutting’ ceremony marking the official launch of its wireless computer network.
• MMG Insurance Company promoted Toby Plummer to eCommerce supervisor.
• Mary Crowley, of Caribou, owner of her own CruiseOne franchise, marked her 10th anniversary in the business of marketing cruise vacations.
May
• NMCC hosted the fourth annual TNT (Tools ‘N Trades) conference, encouraging girls to consider careers in fields traditionally dominated by men. Approximately 110 Aroostook County girls attended the daylong conference.
• TAMC hosted a free pediatric orthopedic screening clinic for children under 18 that included an evaluation to determine if a child would be eligible for free treatment at Shrine hospitals.
• Canterbury Royale, a Fort Fairfield eatery, was a featured story on MPBN’s “Made in Maine.”
• TAMC announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees, including: Timothy Doak, Lehrle Kieffer, Alan Landeen and Gene Lynch II.
• County Federal Credit Union staff from the Fort Fairfield branch teamed up with Fort Fairfield Elementary School students in kindergarten and first grade, giving an early lesson on finances.
• MMG Insurance Company’s board of directors voted to promote Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Michael M. Young to senior vice president. Accounting Manager Stephen J. Gallant was promoted to assistant vice president and Information Systems Manager Stacy L. Shaw to assistant vice president.
• Angela Berry-Thompkins joined NMCC’s marketing team.
• AMHC and the Washburn Trailrunners Snowmobile Club teamed up for a fund-raising dinner, with highlights from the annual AMHC Sno-Run with Andy Santerre, held in February.
• Caron’s Equipment Sales & Service, located at 22 Caribou Road, held a grand opening. The business had held its soft opening in December, 2006, offering a wide selection of lawn maintenance equipment.
• Dr. James Lindemann Nelson, professor of bioethics at Michigan State University, served as program speaker April 9 at the noon meeting of the Presque Isle Rotary Club.
• Stantec, an engineering firm, marked its first birthday at its Presque Isle division (and New England) after purchasing Dufresne-Henry last year.
• KeyBank made a $25,000 contribution to NMCC for its major gifts campaign.
• Katahdin Trust Company staff participated in a campaign to teach kids financial ABCs, as part of the Teach Children to Save Program. Employees visited school children throughout Aroostook County.
• County Physical Therapy announced its move in Presque Isle to 5 North Street and the addition of space to its facility located at 118 Bennett Drive in Caribou.
• MPG held its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 17 on Parsons Street in Presque Isle.
• Care & Comfort held its ribbon-cutting ceremony May 9 at its new offices at 167 Academy Street in Presque Isle.
• Kolbie Churchill, owner of Kids Count daycare in Washburn, announced her expansion to add a second site, called Kids Count Two, on Hines Street. Kids Count will handle younger children, while Kids Count Two will serve pre-K through grade 5 youth.
• The Rural Physician Assistant Award was presented to Matthew Cowan, PA-C, formerly of the Mars Hill area and now a physician’s assistant downstate.
• Gretchen Morse, of Presque Isle, joined financial-services firm Edward Jones as the new financial advisor in northern Maine.
• Almon H. Fogg Co., of Houlton, was purchased by the S.W. Collins Co., headquartered in Caribou.
June
• U.S. Cellular joined forces with the Presque Isle Fire Department and Anah Temple Shrine Klowns to promote safety, especially of children. Visitors to the Main Street store were offered a variety of safety tips, shown how to dial emergency numbers on a cell phone, had the opportunity to tour the PIFD’s training fire house, as well as get children’s fingerprints and dental impressions taken and a video made to use in the event a child goes missing.
• Libby Camps, on Millinocket Lake, was named the 2006 Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Lodge of the Year. The award was presented to owners Matt and Ellen Libby, of Castle Hill.
• Graves Shop N Save awarded $1,000 to Presque Isle Middle School as part of the Hannaford Helps School Program.
• Darren Collins and his family made plans for the new television he won following a raffle held by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce.
• Presque Isle Regional Career and Technology Center students won the $1 Million Stock Market Challenge.
• S.W. Collins pledged $10,000 to NMCC’s major gifts campaign.
• Spinney’s Color and Design Center offered a free faux finish class.
• AtHome America announced the addition of several local women to its sales staff, including: Julie Tweedie, Polly Joslyn and Tammi Easler.
• Nancy Chandler, supervisor of conservation and education services for Maine Public Service Company of Presque Isle, received the Philip C. Hastings Award.
• Sears’ staff at the Aroostook Centre Mall had raised about $1,700 by mid-June through various fund-raising endeavors and planned to raffle a television to raise more money for the Heroes at Home project.
• Patriot Mutual Insurance donated $10,000 to NMCC’s Campaign for the County’s College, the major gifts campaign to raise scholarship and instructional technology funds for NMCC to assist the institution in meeting immediate community needs.
• Barresi Financial, Inc., announced the development of a new division, Barresi Benefits Group.
• Maine Mutual Group received the Professional Insurance Agents of New Hampshire’s Company of the Year award.
• Collaborative partnerships between NMCC and an association representing the computing technology industry, as well as a leading national corporation, provided students enrolled in the college computer electronics program and the employers who hire them upon graduation a significant professional advantage, not to mention thousands of dollars in savings.
• Craig Green, a New York Life insurance agent in Presque Isle, was named an Annuity Champion for 2006.
• MMG promoted Andrew Grass to commercial lines underwriting assistant manager and Kelley Lamont-Kinney to customer service supervisor.
• MMG Insurance’s expansion at its Presque Isle location was on track, according to officials who anticipated work would be completed by September.
