june-2009-press-release

For immediate release: Monday, May 25, 2009
For more information contact:
Angela Smith at 207.272.6894  or angela@asmithconsultancy.com

OLD ORCHARD BEACH PAVILION TO UNVEIL NEW
NAME AND KICK OFF SPECTACULAR SUMMER SEASON

Upcoming events at this emerging performing arts venue include award-winning Christian artists, a big band orchestra, enchanting children’s shows, and a well-known comedy act

EVENT:
Old Orchard Beach Pavilion to kick off the season in style with a new
name and a warm invitation to Mainers and tourists alike to
experience the arts, naturally, this summer at this state-of-the-art,
covered, and beloved outdoor pavilion.
WHEN:
Monday, June 1, 2009, from 10–11 a.m.
10:00–10:15: Brand unveiling (name, tag line, logo, marketing campaign)
10:15–10:30: Musical performance by The Salvation Army Quintet
10:30–11:00 Pavilion tours and interview/photo opportunities
WHERE:
Old Orchard Beach Pavilion
8 Sixth Street, (Corner of Union & Sixth off Saco Avenue)
Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064
207.934.2024
INTERVIEWS:
Pavilion tours and interview/photo opportunities with Pavilion
leadership, board members, volunteers, performers, and patrons.

STORY IDEAS:
•   OOB Pavilion Unveils New Name & Kicks Off Spectacular Season
•   Discover Maine’s Up and Coming Performing Arts Venue
•   Not Going Away This Summer? Here’s an Idea for Your “Staycation”
•   Fun on a Budget: Enjoy a Magical & Affordable Summer Night
•   Something for the Entire Family: A True Family-friendly Experience
•   Ground Yourself: Take Comfort in the Arts During Hard Times

About Seaside Pavilion:
The Salvation Army built Seaside Pavilion in 1998 as a place for its camp meetings and as a gift to the community to enrich lives, lift spirits, and build community. Dedicated by President and Mrs. George Bush, Seaside Pavilion offers a state-of-the-art sound system, 1,400 stadium style seats, and a memorable performing arts experience wrapped in nature.
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Dollars to support research and hands-on learning for more than 1000 Maine students

AUGUSTA - Biomedical research and education in Maine received a major shot in the arm today with the announcement of an $18 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant ensures the continuation of the Maine IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), a collaborative network of 12 Maine research laboratories, universities, and colleges led by the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor. Stretching from South Portland to Fort Kent, the INBRE was created in 2001 to enhance the ability of scientists and students in Maine to conduct cutting edge research and improve their ability to compete successfully for federal research dollars.

The grant will be awarded over 5 years. During that time, more than one thousand Maine high school, undergraduate and graduate students will receive hands-on biomedical research training through research fellowships, short courses, and research assistantships in Maine. In addition, the grant will provide research support for eleven scientists statewide, enabling them to compete for federal grants and bring students into their labs as research assistants. Overall, the grant will support 96 full time research and administrative positions.

In announcing the award at a ceremony at the State House in Augusta this morning, Governor John Baldacci said, “Biomedical research is an increasingly important sector of the Maine economy. Thanks in large part to the Maine INBRE, we will continue building a sophisticated, educated workforce to support research in Maine and enhance our capacity to be a leader in science and technology.” The governor added, “I am particularly pleased that Maine students are learning that they don’t have to leave the state to have a meaningful, rewarding career in science.”

INBRE: Connecting Maine Scientists and Students

The Maine INBRE links two major research institutions, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory and The Jackson Laboratory, with the University of Maine, College of the Atlantic; Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin Colleges, the University of Maine at Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias and Presque Isle, as well as Southern Maine Community College. INBRE also fosters outreach to other academic institutions, including Maine high schools, through ongoing symposia, workshops and courses.

Dr. Patricia Hand, Administrative Director of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) and Principal Investigator on the grant, stated that the grant both recognizes and builds on the remarkable progress of the Maine INBRE since its beginning in 2001. “Over the past eight years, the Maine INBRE has received over $25.6 million from NIH and is making a real difference for biomedical research and education in Maine,” she says. “When students are able to get into a lab and find out for themselves what research is really like, it can have a major impact on their lives. The same is true for young scientists. When they are given the freedom to pursue their own scientific vision, it often leads to thought-provoking discoveries and helps inspire the students they mentor. We see these things happen all the time at MDIBL and other INBRE institutions. It’s exciting to see Maine’s biomedical research sector flourish.”

According to Dr. Hand, a follow-up study conducted in 2008 shows that fully 89 percent of undergraduate students who received hands-on laboratory research training through INBRE and have since graduated are pursuing further education or careers in science or health-related fields. Maine INBRE also supported 15 junior faculty research projects over the past five years. Although the average success rate for scientists applying for federal research grants was only 25 percent over the past decade, INBRE-supported faculty enjoyed a 42 percent success rate, propelling their careers and bringing millions of federal dollars into Maine.

For Dr. Andrew Christie, a scientist at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, the INBRE program has helped him fulfill his dream of returning to Maine. A native of Farmingdale, Dr. Christie graduated from Bowdoin College and received his Ph.D. from Brandeis University. After spending most of his research career on the West Coast, he was recruited to MDIBL in 2008 from the University of Hawaii. According to Dr. Christie, “As someone who was born and raised in Maine, it has always been my dream to come back here and pursue a career in Science. Thanks to the INBRE grant, that dream has now been realized.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: entreverge Director Johann Sabbath

Phone (207) 807-7073 cell

Email: johann.sabbath@gmail.com

Portland, ME – Portland PROPEL unveiled entreverge, a bold new project to celebrate and support local entrepreneurs.

The inaugural entreverge Awards, a collaborative project led by PROPEL in partnership with the Portland Regional Chamber and numerous local businesses, business groups, non-profits, and social networks, will accelerate economic growth by connecting entrepreneurs and business innovators with resources and relationships within Portland’s local business community.

“The launch of entreverge comes at a time when the economy is starving for positive energy and when national trends toward innovation and entrepreneurship are amplifying louder than ever”, said Mike Carey, Chair of PROPEL and auctioneer with Tranzon Auction Properties.

Nominations for the entreverge Awards will be fielded at www.entreverge.com from May 5th to 31st.  Nominees will be considered by PROPEL on a number of criteria, including the nominees’ scalable vision for their business and their commitment to a triple bottom line—the people, place, and prosperity of Maine.

Five entreverge Award-winners will receive face time with Portland’s leading business figures and a package of pro bono consultation, services, and products volunteered by local artistic, finance, IT, legal, marketing, and web experts and other business service providers.

Dana Hutchins, owner of Image Works Internet Business Solutions, is one of the local business leaders who is volunteering consulting services to the winners.  “When I was approached about getting involved, “ remarked Dana, “I thought is was a great opportunity to give back to the business community and meet exciting new clients.”

“This is a critical time for collaboration and getting the resources of Portland’s business community behind its future leaders,” said Will Thomas, an entreverge organizer and founder of the Portland-based triathlon company Tri-Maine. 

The entreverge Awards will culminate with a celebration on Thursday evening, June 25th at Port City Music Hall in downtown Portland with live performances by Adam and the Waxmen and the Jason Spooner Band. Tickets can be purchased through the Portland Regional Chamber by calling 207-772-2811.

Recognizing the need to celebrate risk and innovation in today’s economic climate, PROPEL began planning entreverge this winter when approached by the University of Maine Farmington and Swardlick Marketing Group.  Six months later—after comprehensive feedback from many of Portland’s business leaders and social entrepreneurs—entreverge has arrived.

“I’ve spent the last few months meeting with business leaders and organizational heads throughout Greater Portland,” said entreverge Director Johann Sabbath, “trying to figure out the greatest potential value that PROPEL could bring to the community.  Organizing entreverge became the answer.”

Portland PROPEL is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering leadership and education among Greater Portland’s young blue, white, green, and no-collar business community. In 2006, PROPEL was inspired by the Realize!Maine network and formed as an affiliate of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

entreverge is made possible by Premier Sponsors Bangor Savings Bank, Swardlick Marketing Group, and the University of Maine Farmington and Premier Media Sponsor Mainebiz.

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CONTACT:

Steven Bazinet, President

228-8525

SBazinet@mced.biz

MAY 12, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Portland, Maine) The Maine Center for Enterprise Development (MCED) has received funding from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) to develop and pilot a new and innovative approach to providing training, resources and mentoring to technology-focused entrepreneurs across the state. “With the support of MTI, MCED will test a new model for identifying and developing Maine’s future technology business leaders through a network of experienced mentors who will provide continuous learning opportunities”, explains Steve Bazinet, MCED’s President. “There are no substantive reasons why aspiring entrepreneurs with the greatest potential should feel the need to leave the state when Maine can create access to know-how, mentors and capital through an innovation such as the Applied Entrepreneurship Program aka ‘Top Gun’. Investing in the professional development of tomorrow’s leaders of fast-growing technology companies is a smart strategy for the state of Maine.”  

We believe the most promising business leaders of tomorrow need practical training, street smarts, a hunger for knowledge, and a drive to succeed. Given the need to address the lack of programs that provide in-depth and customized support for growth-oriented entrepreneurs, the Applied Entrepreneurship Program is a customized program that links the State’s most promising growth-oriented technology entrepreneurs with our most seasoned business professionals and other resources needed to accelerate business growth.

Bazinet continues, “This program will create and leverage the connections among Maine’s entrepreneurs, the private sector, state agencies, and capital providers. There is no other program in the State today that is systematically identifying the very best-of-class talent and connecting them in this way so that they will become our state’s future leaders.”

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Applied Entrepreneurship Program (“Top Gun”) is an entrepreneurship program that is practical and demands a commitment. The goal is to teach future entrepreneurs what they really need to know to run successful businesses. The instructors are entrepreneurs with “real-world” experience and the program combines street smarts with academic intelligence to develop successful entrepreneurs.

The program is highly selective to ensure that the most capable technology entrepreneurs are afforded this unique and limited opportunity. The criteria are simple – find the technology business leaders of the future who want to pursue their future successes from Maine.

An advisory board made up of private sector professionals and leading technology entrepreneurs will carefully consider each application looking to indentify the state’s “best of the best” technology entrepreneurs and partner them with Maine’s most seasoned professionals.

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ABOUT MCED

MCED is a private, not-for-profit 501-c-3 organization created to establish an environment where small companies, start-ups and first-time entrepreneurs can grow, prosper and successfully commercialize their technology in southern Maine. As Maine’s first business incubator, MCED was created out of the Portland Regional Chamber in 1997 to be a model of excellence for nurturing entrepreneurs, launching successful start-up companies and implementing innovation as an economic development tool for Maine.

Additional information about The Applied Entrepreneurship Program, including a complete list of guidelines and the online application will be available soon at http://www.mced.biz.