SOUTH PORTLAND — The city of South Portland is presenting its business and economic development awards on Feb. 15. ShipRight has been selected for the coveted Business of the Year Award, presented to a company with 25 or more employees that has most improved and strengthened the local business community.

“We are very grateful to be recognized for this award”, said Drew Graham, president and founder of ShipRight, in a Feb. 14 news release. “We’ve successfully provided order fulfillment and customer engagement for the past 22 years, and recent marketplace changes have only accelerated the need for our services. “

According to the news release, “ShipRight was recognized for its longevity, its positive impact on the community, and its inclusive employment practices and employee engagement and retention policies. ShipRight was also mentioned for its successful ability to navigate the challenges of the recent pandemic while creating an ongoing economic growth engine in South Portland and Northern New England.”

“Ideally we would love to do more with other Maine based businesses,” Graham said.

The business and economic development committee receives dozens of nominations yearly for seven different award categories featuring small and large businesses and recognition for various leadership and community engagement achievements.

The public, fellow nominees, and other area businesses were invited to recognize all the businesses that have contributed to the strength, diversity, and vibrancy of the South Portland business community at the awards ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the South Portland High School Cafeteria from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. for tours of the school, followed by hor’s d’oeuvres and in-person networking at 5 p.m. The awards ceremony will start at 6 p.m.

“ShipRight was founded to help our clients’ succeed in the marketplace,” said Todd Flaherty, executive vice president and partner, “but we’ve always known our most important asset is the people we employ to represent our high standards of customer service. We’ve been fortunate to be headquartered in South Portland which attracts a great labor pool.”

ShipRight, headquartered in South Portland, provides fulfillment, final mile delivery, and all US-based customer service for local, regional, national, and international clients. With a fleet of delivery vehicles, as well as warehouses and distribution terminals in Maine and New Hampshire, ShipRight offers scalable, turnkey, outsource solutions, through its staff, established systems, and technology.

First Congregational introduces interim pastor

First Congregational Church of Scarborough recently welcomed the Rev. Linda C. Hey as interim pastor. Hey is an ordained minister with standing in the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ. She holds a master of divinity from Andover Newton Theological School and has served churches in the New Hampshire and Massachusetts Conferences of the United Church of Christ.

According to a Feb. 9 press release, “Hey is deeply committed to the ideals of her denomination, which embrace individual responsibility for one’s faith life; an inclusive love and welcome for all; and a willingness to speak up for social justice. She brings a wealth of experience as a trained interim ministry specialist.

“The Rev. Hey is working closely with the members and all the ministries and committees of the church during this pastoral transition to help bring greater clarity regarding the church’s purpose, mission, and vision for the future God has in store. Members already feel she is a wonderful addition to the church and the local Scarborough community.”

For more information, Hey can be reached by calling the church office at 207-883-2342 or visit the church at 161 Black Point Road.

Carney testifies in support of bill to regulate oil tank emissions

Last week, Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, testified in favor of proposed rules from the Department of Environmental Protection regarding control of petroleum storage facilities. The proposed rules were the subject of a public hearing before the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources on Feb. 8.

The proposed rule change – LD 71, “Resolve, Regarding Legislative Review of Chapter 171: Control of Petroleum Storage Facilities, a Major Substantive Rule of the Department of Environmental Protection,” – is the result of legislation put forward by Carney and signed into law by the governor during the 130th Maine Legislature. The new law requires emissions monitoring at storage tank facilities across Maine to ensure clean air in surrounding neighborhoods.

“South Portland and its residents bear the brunt of the financial and environmental risk posed by the petroleum products stored in these oil tanks and the related transfer operations,” said Sen. Carney in a Feb. 13 news release. “The numerous oil terminal facilities across a relatively small footprint and their proximity to residences and schools are significant concerns for the city. Many of South Portland’s schools, daycare centers and homes are extraordinarily close to these huge oil tanks. LD 71 will help us better understand the public health impact of the oil tanks on the residents of South Portland.”

According to Carney’s office, South Portland is home to six out of 11 marine oil terminal facilities in the state of Maine. The proposed rule change takes the steps needed to implement policies set by the 130th Legislature to mitigate emissions from the oil tanks. The policies include increasing leak detection and requiring the owners of those storage facilities to test emissions from the oil tanks by fence line monitoring. Fence line monitoring is a practice that meets the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Method 325A to measure volatile organic compounds in the air.

Miles for Mills returns to Brunswick Landing

For the second year, the 12th annual Miles for Mills Memorial Day Weekend 5K, presented by New Balance Foundation, will be held Sunday, May 28, at Brunswick Landing, the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The race will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 11 a.m.

Registration (www.milesformills.org) is $30 per person and registrants receive a T-shirt if signed up by April 1 (while supplies last); registration is $35 after April 1. Travis Mills Foundation fundraising incentives will be announced soon for those who raise funds above the registration fee.

“It was an incredible event last year and so many folks felt connected to this location because of its military history,” said U.S. Army SSG (Ret.) Travis Mills in a Feb. 9 news release.

The race was established and is named after Mills, who in 2012 set his backpack down on an IED, becoming one of five quadruple amputees from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan to survive his injuries. Since then, Mills has made it his mission to give back to other recalibrated veterans like himself, and their families. The doors to the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat opened in 2017 in Rome, in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine, serving thousands of veterans and their families since then.

Proceeds from Miles for Mills, which last year raised approximately $135K, supports the seven programs offered at the foundation for veterans, their families and combat veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress. The event will also include food, drinks, music, children’s activities, awards and an after-party at Flight Deck Brewing and Wild Oats.

The organization’s goal is to raise $200K at this year’s Miles for Mills 5K. For more information, contact Molly Lovell-Keely, communications and marketing manager, at molly@travismillsfoundation.org or 207-632-7475.

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