As the Institute for Family-Owned Business celebrated its 25th anniversary June 5 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, the star of the show was Maddy Corson, who envisioned and commissioned the Gannett Family Business Awards, now the Maine Family Business Awards, 20 years ago. Corson, the granddaughter of Guy P. Gannett, chaired the board of Guy Gannett Communications – former publisher of the Portland Press Herald – from 1994 to 1998.
“Tonight it seems only fitting that Maddy, who was such a force for family businesses and the wider community, would be honored with the Institute’s first lifetime achievement award,” said Executive Director Catherine Wygant Fossett.
“Maddy was there for our community in a very dark time, and she had the courage to step forward and help,” said Larry Jackson, artistic director of the Maine Gay Men’s Chorus. The group performed “Thankful” by Mark Hayes to send a message and “We Are the Champions” by Queen just for fun.
“I wanted the Gay Men’s Chorus at my memorial service, and I told my children that. So here they are while I’m still alive,” Corson said, laughing. “We’ve got 500 people here. Some are getting awards. It’s not all about me, though it seems like it.”
From 157 nominations, a panel of judges reviewed submissions for excellence in several categories, including business success, contributions to the community, family participation and innovative strategies. Awardees included Geiger, the Lewiston-based producer of The Farmer’s Almanac, in recognition of environmental leadership; FHC, Inc. of Bowdoin, in recognition of contributions to the neuroscience industry while remaining Maine-based; and Nonantum Resort of Kennebunkport for superior customer service.
W.E. Emerson, a promotional products company based in Brewer, was recognized for community service.
The First Generation Award went to Fontaine Family – The Real Estate Leader, which has been named among the top 1,000 real estate agencies in America.
Skordo, which is based in Brunswick and empowers home cooks, received the Maddy Corson Small Business Award, while Day’s Jewelers, headquartered in Waterville, was recognized as the Renys Large Business Award recipient.
Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at amyparadysz@gmail.com.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.