CONTACT:
Steven Bazinet, President
228-8525
SBazinet@mced.biz
November 16, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Top Gun Talent to be Showcased at Pitch Day Event

(Portland, ME) Roadside trash turned into eco-style athletic wear? Business lead generation for the mobile web? Disaster preparedness through a simulation game? These are just a few of the innovative business ventures to be presented at the Top Gun program’s Pitch Day Event on Thursday, Nov. 19th at USM’s Abromson Center.

The by-invitation-only event begins at 5:00 with networking at a cocktail reception and will conclude with each entrepreneur pitching his or her company to potential stakeholders.

The occasion, for the inaugural Class of 2009, marks the completion of a comprehensive 12-week curriculum that emphasized targeted mentoring, experiential learning and topic-specific work sessions. “These 12 companies have accomplished more in the past three months than they would have in double or triple that amount of time on their own”, stated Steve Bazinet, Director of the program. “The connections they have made will prove invaluable as they continue to develop their venture post Top Gun”.
The program began on September 1, 2009 and was made possible via a grant from The Maine Technology Institute, as well as the Top Gun Sponsors, program advisors and mentors.

For more information about the Top Gun Program, the Maine Center for Enterprise Development, or the class of 2009, please visit the Top Gun section of our website at www.mced.biz.

Octoberber 13, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Portland, Maine) The Maine Center for Enterprise Development (MCED) is pleased to announce

Amy Ireland of Zumsport is the 2009 Women in Technological Entrepreneurship award winner. 

The annual $500 financial award is made possible from proceeds of the Victoria Hilliard Donovan Fund, managed by the Maine Community Foundation, and directed for use by the MCED for the Women in Technological Entrepreneurship Award. 

Michael Donovan and Deborah Curtis created the fund in Memory of their daughter who died in 1988.

Zumsport manufactures – Zum a new performance / energy snack made from natural, allergen free ingredients that deliver the right balance of proteins to carbohydrates. Optimally sized, Zum is an innovative product in the sports food category.  Zumsport will soon launch zumsport.com, a website that compliments their unique snack by providing resources and functionality to support and promote athleticism along with an online community that celebrates athleticism and the lifestyles of athletes.

Additional information about Zumsport, MCED or the Women in Technological Entrepreneurship Award can be found at http://www.mced.biz or by calling 207-228-8524.

CONTACT:

Steven Bazinet, President

228-8525

September 03, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MCED Salutes Top Gun Sponsors

(Portland, Maine) Maine’s economic future just got brighter thanks to the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) and the Maine Center for Enterprise Development’s (MCED) Top Gun Program sponsors. Their generous support will help 12 of the state’s best and brightest entrepreneurs make the transition from start-up business to innovative venture.

“The goal is to develop the entrepreneur who will in-turn develop our state’s future innovative businesses- attracting talent and capital,” says Steve Bazinet, President of MCED. “I remember being told early on that the key will be getting meaningful private sector support. I think we’ve shown there is in fact meaningful private sector support for this type of program.”

The 3-month program, launched September 1, would not have been possible without the assistance of the following forward-thinking Maine based organizations:

Primary Level: The Maine Technology Institute, MacDonald Page and Co., Bernstein Shur, Pro Search, and Wright Express, T.doc Design

Principal Level: Barry Talbot Royer, T-Doc Creative, Hall Web Services

Partner Level: Furman Gregory Deptula, Woodard & Curran, Maine and Co, and the University of Maine

Contributor Level: Eaton Peabody, Bangor Savings Bank, and Blue Wave strategies

Learning Session Hosts: Verrill Dana, University of Maine, Bernstein Shur, Eaton Peabody, Furman Gregory Deptula, Pierce Atwood, Kepware Technologies, Pro Search, Preti Flaherty, MacDonald Page, Woodard & Curran, Small Enterprise Growth Fund,

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.

The Maine Center for Enterprise Development provides an experiential learning environment to start-ups and early-stage entrepreneurs for the creation and growth of innovative companies

CONTACT:
Steven Bazinet, President
228-8525
SBazinet@mced.biz

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT:

Steven Bazinet, President

228-8525

SBazinet@mced.biz

AUGUST 18, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Top Gun’s Inaugural Class of 2009

(Portland, ME) Citing a need for, “Coaching and guidance on how to create a solid action plan,” Jason Cianchette of Liquid Wireless is one of just 12 innovative and highly promising entrepreneurs accepted into the Top Gun Program at the Maine Center for Enterprise Development.

 “We are excited about the prospects for this first class”, declared Steve Bazinet, MCED President. “With over a dozen scheduled learning sessions planned and nearly 80 individuals and organizations providing support, we are extremely pleased with the level of outreach and enthusiasm generated from both the business and entrepreneurial communities.” 

The three-month program, made possible through the support of The Maine Technology Institute, begins on September 1, with a formal introduction of the entrepreneurs at the Top Gun Company Showcase and Cocktail Reception to be held on August 27. 

For more information about the Class of 2009, sponsors, advisors, mentors, and service providers please visit the Top Gun section of our website at www.mced.biz.

The Maine Center for Enterprise Development provides an experiential learning environment to start-ups and early-stage entrepreneurs for the creation and growth of innovative companies 

The Maine Center for Enterprise Development (MCED) is pleased to announce a cooperative partnership with Work it UP, a group of professionals who will be offering pro-bono counsel in marketing, finance, project management and other business related functions. We welcome Work it UP founders David Craig, Stephen Buyze, and Ken Zimmerman to the incubator and feel they offer a tremendous benefit to all onsite and affiliate client businesses. MCED clients will have access to Work it UP project teams for specific project needs by using the capabilities of the Work it UP program members.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Work it UP, www.workitup.org, is an innovative economic development and reemployment program that grew out of the Unemployed Professionals group at the Portland Career Center. The goal is to apply the skills, talents, knowledge and experience of the unemployed professional workforce to the project needs of Maine enterprises, so that client organizations become stronger, more competitive and ultimately create job opportunities – thereby keeping Maine talent employed in Maine. Work it UP maintains a skills assessment database of their participants and will coordinate project management, project leadership, skills development and teambuilding training. They are soliciting proposals for short-term projects from Maine businesses, municipalities and non-profit organizations. Work it UP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation (application pending) founded in 2009 by David Craig, Stephen Buyze, Nina Dearborn, Patricia Davis, and Kenneth Zimmerman.
The staff of Work it UP can be reached at information@workitup.org or David’s cell 207-518-0418.