Krebs is named Spring Harbor president

Mary Jane Krebs has been promoted to president of Spring Harbor Hospital, southern Maine’s only nonprofit, private psychiatric hospital providing child and adult inpatient services for acute mental illness and dual disorder treatment.

Spring Harbor Hospital is a division of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, part of the MaineHealth system.

Dennis King, CEO of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, appointed Krebs as the new president of the hospital where she has worked for 16 years. “Mary Jane has served as a driving force in making Spring Harbor Hospital what it is today,” King said in a statement. “She has distinguished herself as a respected clinical and administrative leader and assuming the top leadership position at the hospital is a natural progression in a remarkable career.”

Coming to Maine in 1997 to join Jackson Brook Institute as the vice president of clinical services, Krebs helped steer the institution through a particularly difficult period culminating in the sale of the facility to Maine Medical Center. Krebs was instrumental in the development of Spring Harbor Hospital and the opening of the new hospital facility in 2004.

Krebs completed her undergraduate nursing degree at Trenton State College in New Jersey and her graduate degree at New York University. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Messer leads industry group

Jeffrey Messer, president of Messer Truck Equipment in Westbrook, has been installed as 51st president of NTEA, the association for the work truck industry.

Messer accepted this responsibility from immediate past president Mark Woody, president of Palfinger North America at the organization’s recent annual meeting held in Farmington Hills, Mich.

Messer joined Messer Truck Equipment in 2003, becoming the fourth generation in his family’s business, which was founded in 1899 by his great-grandfather, Walter Messer. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Jeff Messer served in the U.S. Navy for five years as a surface warfare officer and nuclear power engineer before entering the family business.

Following the sudden death of his father, John Messer, he took over as president in 2008.

Messer Truck Equipment marked its 115th anniversary in 2014. Today, the company represents more than 40 major truck equipment product lines.

Westbrook jazz night

Philip Rich, music director at Westbrook School Department, has announced jazz night will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at Westbrook Performing Arts Center.

Rich said the event features Westbrook High School jazz bands, jazz choir and the Westbrook Middle School Jazz Band.

Kiwanis meets twice monthly

The Westbrook Kiwanis Club meets every first and third Tuesday from 6:30-8 p.m. at the in Conference Room A at Westbrook Community Center. 426 Bridge St.

On April 7, Rebecca Albert, new director at Walker Memorial Library, will be the guest speaker. The general public is welcome to attend any meeting.

Grange supporting children’s hospital

Highland Lake Grange No. 87, 9 Hardy Road, Westbrook is gathering new items for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center, Portland. Deadline to take donations to the Grange hall is Thursday, April 2.

Boston chocolate ramble

The Tate House Museum in Stroudwater is sponsoring a fundraiser on Saturday, April 11, featuring a day-long trip, the Boston Chocolate Ramble, to Boston for “education and indulgence.”

A bus will leave the Tate House, 1267 Westbrook St., Portland, at 8:30 a.m. and travel to Boston to board the Boston Chocolate Trolley for a three-hour ride, which combines chocolate education and chocolate treats at three Boston hotels.

The last hotel is the site of a chocolate buffet featuring all manner of desserts. The cost for this special ramble is $125 per person. Reservations can be made by calling the Tate House Museum office at 774-6177 Tuesday through Friday. Reserve early as seating is limited.

A crowd gathered in Mister Bagel last Friday night as part of a pub crawl organized by the Downtown Westbrook Coalition, which kicked off the final weekend of the city’s Winter West festival. Eight downtown restaurants participated in the event, which saw roughly 60 people hopping between locations. Despite light snow on Sunday, the “Happy Go Lucky 5K” race was also a success. Courtesy photoMary Jane Krebs