Recognition 

Beth Stowell, a senior loss control consultant with MEMIC, a regional workers’ compensation specialty insurer, was recognized on Sept. 17 for her leadership, dedication and innovation with the Rising Tide Award at the ninth annual Patient Safety Academy put on by the Muskie School for Public Service at the University of Southern Maine.

Hope Acts, a Portland nonprofit that offers housing for asylum-seekers and provides services to immigrants, will honor two community members at “Celebrating Home,” a benefit for the organization to be held Oct. 18. Julia Trujillo, Portland’s Director of Economic Opportunity, will receive the Community Builder award for her work raising the profile and contributions of immigrants to the city and facilitating partnerships between support organizations and Portland’s business community. Volunteer Bethany Smart will be honored with the Heart of our Home award, in part for her role leading Hope Acts’ mentoring program.

Kaplan Thompson Architects of Portland is the first company in the state to be awarded a JUST label. The program, an initiative from the International Living Future Institute, is a voluntary platform in which organizations disclose information about how they treat their employees and where they make financial and community investments.

David Libby, president & CEO at Town & Country Federal Credit Union, has been recognized by Credit Union National Association’s Credit Union Magazine as one of its 2018 Rock Stars.

Open for business

Bhavana, a spa, movement studio and tea bar, opened Oct. 6 in the heart of Freeport, four doors down from L.L. Bean. Founder and owner Krysta Harris, a Maine native, has studied numerous alternative healing modalities over the past 15 years, and her approach includes classes, workshops and education in addition to treatments and hands-on therapies. “We want to create an alternative to western health care because the system isn’t working for everybody,” Harris said of her business philosophy.

The Patagonia store in Freeport opened its new expanded location at 100 Main St. at the end of September, when the company also marked its 30th anniversary. The relocation will offer customers a larger assortment of products and a bigger space for community events. The original brick walls have been uncovered after 20 years and restored to reflect the historic building’s original look. 

Maine’s first escape room has moved to a new location. The Escape Room, previously of 496 Congress St., moved down the block to 492 Congress St. The new space features custom built rooms with immersive experiences and new clues in each room.

Hires, promotions, appointments

Grace Bell has been appointed director of The Bowdoin International Music Festival Admissions & Operations. Bell has been with the festival for the past year as a development associate.

LearningWorks’ Board of Directors appointed retired Unum executive Cheryl Greaney to the organization’s governing board.

Midcoast Federal Credit Union has announced several new hires: Laurie Grinnan, new assistant Bath branch manager; Christopher Sadler, compliance/risk officer, based in Freeport; Melissa Lowell, financial analyst in Freeport. Financial Services Representatives Rachel Siford and Ashlea Dorrinton have joined the Brunswick and Bath branches, respectively.

Acadia Benefits has added Catherine Desrochers to its Portland team as a large group account manager.

Dr. Kristin Parris has joined the team at Mid Coast Medical Group–Topsham Internal Medicine and the staff of Mid Coast Hospital. She joins five providers in the practice offering adults regular check-ups, lifestyle recommendations, diagnosis, and non-surgical treatments.

Giving back

Members of the Maine Society for Certified Public Accountants and the Maine State Bar Association donated $300 in proceeds from their 2018 Summer Softball Showdown to Strike Out Cancer in Kids and the Maine Children’s Cancer Program through the Portland Sea Dogs.

The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital registration plate is now available at Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch offices and at select town offices. The plate costs $20, with an annual renewal fee of $15. Ten dollars from every plate sold and $10 from every renewal will go directly to BBCH.

An Ocean State Job Lot Tractor Trailer truck recently arrived in Maine with 35,000 pounds of food from the annual Ocean State Job Lot 3 Square Meals convoy. Maine receives more than 300,000 donated meals annually, and the company distributes 11 million meals in total annually across eight states, making it the largest food insecurity program in the Northeast.

During July and August, Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Homes’ annual school supply drive collected hundreds of items to support local teachers and students. Adam and Caitlin Walker, owners of Conroy-Tully Walker, were inspired to start the annual drive by Caitlin’s own experience as a teacher. “No matter your class size, the amount that teachers spend of their own money is incredibly high. … I wanted to try my best to help as many students, teachers, and families as possible,” said Caitlin, who was a special education teacher for seven years before entering the funeral business. This year’s drive saw a 10 percent increase in donations over last year, a trend that the Walkers hope to see continue next year.

Greaney BellScarborough-based Fluid Imaging celebrated its 19th anniversary this fall by volunteering to restore the flagstone patio at the Maine Audubon Society’s visitor center on Gilsland Farm Road in Falmouth.LibbyParris