Six companies were recognized Wednesday for their commitment to their communities, employees and excellence in manufacturing or service provision.

The 2017 Governor’s Awards for Business Excellence were made during a reception at the Blaine House in Augusta.

“It’s an honor to recognize these businesses, all of which represent the best of the best here in Maine,” Gov. Paul LePage said in a statement that announced the awards. “The businesses honored today are dedicated to quality workmanship, maintaining a loyal and dedicated workforce, and giving back to the community. I thank each of them for doing business in our state and for serving as a great example for other Maine businesses.”

Since 1991, the awards have been presented to 152 exceptional Maine businesses. This year’s recipients are:

• First National Bank, a product of the mergers of the First National Bank of Bar Harbor and the First National Bank of Damariscotta, has 16 locations and is the fourth-largest bank headquartered in Maine. It employs 237 Mainers.

• Caron Engineering of Wells develops advanced hardware and software products for machine-tooling equipment, focusing on unattended operation, machine process diagnostics, cycle time reduction and operator error elimination.

• Rockport Automotive Inc., an automotive service center, donates $5 from every oil change every month to a charity, and every year, sponsors free car-care clinics. The company employs six people.

• International Grand Investment Corp., whose parent corporation is based in China, purchased the pulp mill in Baileyville in 2010 from Domtar Corp. Since then, major investments in the mill have made it more globally competitive; in 2014, an affiliate, St. Croix Tissue Inc., was formed. This additional $150 million investment brought about the installation of two new tissue machines and 80 new, good-paying jobs in Washington County.

• CRI-SIL Silicone Technologies is a Biddeford provider of silicone elastomeric bases and compounds that serve industries in health care, automotive, military, aerospace, consumer, industrial and electronic/electrical applications. It has been developing products for industry for almost a quarter of a century and continues to develop and market silicone rubber bases, compounds, additives and specialty silicone materials.

• Vets First Choice provides technology-enabled health care services for companion and equine veterinary practitioners. Its prescription management tools increase client engagement and improve compliance while driving revenues and profitability for veterinarians. Headquartered in Portland, it employs 800.

This story was updated at 10 a.m. Dec. 14 to include Rockport Automotive, which was inadvertently left off the original post.