Jeff Desmond, KICTeam’s new online marketing specialist, will be handling all digital projects with an emphasis on SEO, along with managing website traffic, social media and customer awareness.

Previously he worked as a marketing coordinator for a jobs oriented website. Desmond is a volunteer for the Gray-New Gloucester Patriot Parents, and enjoys cheering for his son’s Lewiston Area Youth Hockey League team.

Andrew Turner has been hired as KICTeam’s Web developer. He will develop and maintain Web applications to enhance the company’s global online presence.

Turner is a published children’s novelist and is working on his second novel. He also enjoys performing in local theater productions. He spends his free time with his wife and their eight children, ranging in age from 3 to 20.

For more information about KICTeam, a subsidiary of Enefco USA, visit www.cleaningcard.com.

Andrew Turner

Portland, Maine (January 26, 2012) — Art All Around®, a project sponsored by the Maine Center for Creativity, has won the William Johnson Award for outstanding achievement in demonstrating aesthetic merit in industrial or commercial coatings work. The team will accept their award at the national convention in Tampa, Florida.

The award comes from the Steel Structures Painting Council, a national professional society concerned with the use of coatings to protect industrial steel structures. The structure awards program was created as an opportunity to give recognition for outstanding high-performance coating work. The awards are given to recognize the work of teams of contractors, designers, end users and coating manufacturers for excellence on particular coatings projects.

Tank #28, recipient of the William Johnson Award

The William Johnson Award was given to the team that painted Art All Around’s Tank #28 at the Sprague Energy tank farm in South Portland, the third tank of a total of 16 that will be painted, making Art All Around the largest piece of public art in the world. This project has received recognition and praise for its use of color, gloss, texture, and coating that enhances the industrial environment, while representing a design created by a world-renowned contemporary artist, Jaime Gili.

The coatings team involved in this project are Sprague Energy, Sherwin-Williams, AMEX Industrial Coating, Jon Cavallo P.E., ENERCON and the volunteers of the Maine Center for Creativity. The project is visible by air on the approach to Portland’s International Jetport and is fast becoming a major landmark visible from numerous locations in Portland, South Portland and on the water. More than a quarter million people see it on their daily commute on I-295 and annually more than 500,000 Downeaster Amtrak passengers pass it.

Notable people who also contributed to the success of the project include Jean Maginnis, Founder and Executive Director of the Maine Center for Creativity, Gregory W. Boulos, Chair, Governance Committee, MCC and Co-Project Director, Georgia Flanagan, AMEX Industrial Coatings Supervisor and Graphic Designer, Alan Holt, Project Facilitator, Tom Dobbins, Board of Directors, MCC and Sprague Technical Project Director, Katherine Greenleaf, Board President, MCC, Phil Harriman, Chair of the AAA Capital Campaign Committee, Pamela Plumb, Nominating Chair, Lead Volunteer AAA Committee Member, and Chuck Lawton, Chair of the Development Committee, MCC. This award represents the volunteer work and years of effort put in by the entire Board of Directors and Advisory Council of the Maine Center for Creativity.

About Maine Center for Creativity

The Maine Center for Creativity (MCC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) led by a volunteer board of directors. Founded in May 2005, MCC is committed to nurturing innovative companies and people in Maine by developing projects and programs that support the growth of creative industries and the arts. Among its educational and creative projects, MCC is organizing Art All Around™, an international design competition to paint the Sprague Energy tanks in South Portland, the Creative Toolbox Series, and Pecha Kucha events in Maine.  For more information, please visit www.mainecenterforcreativity.org

As part of the Pantry Project of United Way of Androscoggin County, Xerox employees spent four weeks collecting more than 800 non-perishable food items such as canned meats, baby food, vegetables, rice and pasta — totaling 786 pounds of food.  This is the second time that Xerox employees have participated in the Pantry Project to collect food for local people in need.  Mary McCarron of Xerox stated that due to the excitement and willingness to give, employees gathered more food than last year and had lots of fun along the way.  “We tried to have some fun with the food drive by making it a contest in our office.  Our employees were really excited to help.”

United Way of Androscoggin County launched its Pantry Project in 2010 with the goal of increasing food donations from local businesses and community organizations to all 17 food pantries and the food bank that serve the hungry in Androscoggin County.  Since its inception, more than 42 area businesses have participated collecting food totaling more than 17,000 meals.

The 800 food items donated by Xerox employees equaled 786 pounds of food.  According to Joyce Gagnon, Manager of St. Mary’s Food Pantry, that is equal to about $1,600 worth of food and it should fill the need for a week – or 200 families.  “This is a wonderful contribution,” said Gagnon.  “We haven’t seen anything like this for some time.  It is really going to help.”

The St. Mary’s Food Pantry is a United Way Partner Agency.  It is the largest pantry in Maine, located located at the corner of Bates and Walnut Street in Lewiston, it is within walking distance of Lewiston’s most underserved neighborhoods; it serves those people in most dire need of food.  In 2010, St. Mary’s Food Pantry distributed 13,947 boxes of food — enough food for 3-day emergency support for 26,560 people.   The Pantry is open 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) from 9am to 11am.

For more information about United Way of Androscoggin County’s Pantry Project or any of their programs, visit www.unitedwayandro.org.

“Visitors pour into Maine for the Maine experience – great beaches, clean lakes, pristine mountains, unique boutiques – and in recent years, fabulous local food! And what could speak more to that Maine experience than delicious seafood, fresh from the Gulf of Maine, prepared by some of the region’s most celebrated and talented chefs,” states Rauni Kew, Green Program Manager at Inn by the Sea.

“This year’s Ultimate Seafood Splash brings together local fishermen, renowned seafood chefs, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and the Maine Aquaculture Association to introduce truly delectable and responsibly harvested local seafood. Using underutilized seafood supports the health of the Gulf of Maine by giving over-fished populations a break while supporting Maine’s great fishing tradition. We hope that the mouth-watering tastings created by our trendiest chefs will generate interest in underutilized seafood… getting on board with sustainability has never been so delightfully delicious,” says Kew.

Come to the Ultimate Seafood Splash and taste new flavors, learn how to prepare new dishes and walk away with some incredibly delicious recipes.  And talk about talent!  Celebrity chef Michael Ruoss of Salu in New Orleans will be cooking Northern shrimp caught by fisherman Ricky Trundy. James Beard Award winner Sam Hayward of Fore Street will delight your taste buds with Red Fish caught by fisherman Glen Libby.  Adam White of The Salt Exchange has been matched with cod farmer Morey Levovitz from Great Bay Aquaculture of Maine.  Cassady Pappas of Havana South and fisherman Rob Odlin are going to prepare a Pollock dish that you won’t forget.   Mitchell Kaldrovich of Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea will plate fresh Whiting brought to the shore by fisherman Richard Kolseth.

Joining the chefs will be a cadre of seafood farmers from the Maine Aquaculture Association offering delectable samples of farm raised AtlanticSalmon, Eastern Oysters, Blue Mussels, Cod, Soft Shell Clams, Scallops, Rainbow Smelt and Trout, and Natural Sea Vegetables.

About Harvest on the Harbor
Harvest on the Harbor, Maine’s premiere food and wine experience is organized by the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau and takes place on the picturesque coastal waters of Portland, Maine, October 20-22, 2011.  The festival celebrates Maine’s culinary arts and is committed to locally grown and responsibly harvested foods.  Details of all the events including the Grand Tasting on the Harbor, Lobster Chef of the Year Competition, Ultimate Seafood Splash, Top of the Crop:Maine’s Best Farm to Table Chef and Savory Samplings at the Marketplace can be found at www.harvestontheharbor.com

Sponsors of the event include Down East Magazine, WHOM 94.9FM, Portland Press Herald, and Time Warner Cable. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.HarvestOnTheHarbor.com

###

Portland, ME (July 21, 2011)—The Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau presents the Fourth Annual Harvest on the Harbor — Maine’s premier food and wine experience — to be held Thursday through Saturday, October 20-22, at Ocean Gateway on Portland’s picturesque waterfront.  New events this year will include Top of the Crop: Maine’s Best Farm to Table Chef, where an esteemed panel of judges along with audience input, determine which chef most successfully captures the farm to table experience.  Skillfully paired wines and a crisp apple dessert will round out this robust rendezvous.

This year, Harvest puts a new spin on the Ultimate Seafood Splash, teaming up with local fishermen to introduce lesser-known, abundant species of fish from the cold coastal waters of Maine.  These emerging, responsibly harvested fish will expand the consciousness of consumers’ culinary appetite.

Harvest on the Harbor offers a unique experience that celebrates Maine’s talented chefs and many renowned dining establishments, while showcasing high-caliber and authentic gourmet products from local farmers, fishermen and food artisans as well as wine, beer and spirit makers.  Visitors from far and wide make this a “must do” on their list, resulting in thousands of repeat visitors embarking on this flavorful festival.  People magazine named Harvest on the Harbor one of four “Great Ideas” for fall food fests.

“As a destination marketing organization, we’re pleased to know that people from Alaska to the Netherlands are discovering why Maine and Harvest on the Harbor is the place to be this fall,” says Barbara Whitten, President & CEO of the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau.  “The caliber of chefs and the quality of our Maine-made products, coupled with the backdrop of the sea and our brilliant fall foliage are all key ingredients to the success of our event.”

A Lineup Of The 2010 Harvest On The Harbor Events Include:

The new Ultimate Seafood Splash will be held Thursday, October 20 from noon to 2:30 p.m., in the Ocean View Room at Ocean Gateway.  Fresh, emerging breeds of seafood from the cold coastal waters of Maine will be complemented by an assortment of wines from around the world.

The Grand Tasting on the Harbor, a sure sell out, is slated for Thursday, October 20 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the Ocean View Room at Ocean Gateway.  This “must-do” palate pleaser features the region’s premier culinary talents, combined with a unique cross-section of local and international wines, beers and spirits.  Our esteemed chefs and local beverage connoisseurs will be on hand and look forward to engaging with attendees.

The Maine Lobster Chef of the Year; sponsored by the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, is scheduled for Friday, October 21 from noon to 2:30 p.m., in the Ocean View Room at Ocean Gateway.  Three finalists, chosen by a distinguished panel of judges, will prepare their best lobster-based dishes, and attendees will have the opportunity to taste each one as part of a four-course lunch, finished with a wild Maine blueberry dessert and then vote for the winner.

Top of the Crop: Maine’s Best Farm to Table Chef, the best Maine Chefs will bring the farm fresh flavors of Maine to the cooking stage as they vie for the coveted title of Maine’s Best Farm to Table Chef on Friday, October 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Ocean View Room at Ocean Gateway.

Back by popular demand, two sessions of the Savory Samplings at the Marketplace will be offered (Food and Wine Marketplace) on Saturday, October 22 from noon to 2:30 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  More than 160 food artisans, wineries, breweries, distilleries, epicurean purveyors and Maine-made products await your discriminating palate at the Savory Samplings Marketplace.  Immerse yourself in this cornucopia of culinary delights while enjoying some of Maine’s best acoustical music.

Sponsors of the event include Down East Magazine, WHOM 94.9FM, and the Portland Press Herald.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to

www.HarvestOnTheHarbor.com

###

Portland, Maine (July 7, 2011)-  PROPEL, a young professionals networking group and professional development group, recently recognized five businesses with Entreverge awards, two of which are ActionCOACH clients. Becky McKinnell of iBec Creative and Heather Chandler of The Sunrise Guide each received an Entreverge award, recognizing their strong entrepreneurship and leadership skills.

Both McKinnell and Chandler were part of USM’s entrepreneurial studies program and both sought the guidance of ActionCOACH to provide ongoing support and development for their businesses. The knowledge McKinnell and Chandler have gained from ActionCOACH has helped them to develop and adjust their business plans as the market and economy shifted, hire the right people at the right times, and make well-reasoned strategic decisions that have led to their double digit growth.

“Becky and Heather are great examples of successful Maine entrepreneurs. They are smart business leaders who are constantly learning and developing their professional skills, and they care about Maine’s business environment,” said Jim Lyon, ActionCOACH of Northern New England.  I’ve been working with them both for over two years and it has been such a pleasure to watch them grow and be successful in their businesses.”

iBec Creative is a leading graphic and web design company that delivers innovative solutions to help businesses succeed through graphic design, web development, and website management services. Established in 2006 by founder and President Becky McKinnell, iBec Creative brings fresh ideas and an intuitive understanding of technology to its work. For more information, visit www.iBecCreative.com

The SunriseGuide is an annual resource guide and coupon book for living green in southern and coastal Maine. It contains more than 165 coupons for healthy and eco-friendly products and services, plus articles with tips for healthy and sustainable living. Topics include food and dining, outdoor living, home and garden, travel and transportation, community and culture, and more. Learn more and find out where to pick up a copy at www.thesunriseguide.com.

About ActionCOACH

ActionCOACH is the world’s leading business coaching firm with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries.  ActionCOACH of Northern New England, owned locally by Jim Lyon, helps small and medium-sized businesses in Maine and New Hampshire leverage their time, team, and money with a proven system of strategies and tools.  ActionCOACH of Northern New England was founded in 2007.  For more information, go to www.actioncoachmaine.com or call 207-847-9210.

###

BOOTHBAY, ME – June 29, 2011 – Biovation LLC, a manufacturer of antimicrobial formulations and non-woven fiber products for food packaging and wound care, announces that its biopolymer product line has been named the New Technology Product of the Year from TechMaine, the technology association of Maine. This designation is awarded to a truly innovative, unique technology that offers a breakthrough solution to a demonstrable commercial market.

Biovation’s infection control platforms can be integrated to specialty non-woven fiber products, compounded, and formulated into customized solutions for targeted specific applications. Biovation is the only manufacturer with a targeted polylactic acid based (PLA) “green and sustainable” biopolymer non-woven product line suite with antimicrobial chemistry manufactured in the USA. The company is focused on three scalable market sectors: consumer and institutional formulations, food packaging, and advanced wound care.

Biovation credits the support of its parent company, Anania & Associates Investment Co. (AAI), and Maine Technology Institute (MTI) for its ability to develop this award-winning technology and attract sustainable, viable commercial contracts.

“We are honored to receive this award from TechMaine, and would not have been in this position without the considerable financial and business support from both AAI and MTI,” says Kerem Durdag, CEO, Biovation. “Funding new technology ventures like Biovation is a way to create the new jobs and intellectual property that are so important to the future of Maine, and to our country.”

Anania & Associates Investment Company LLC (AAI, http://www.anania.biz) provides active, ongoing financial, management and marketing oversight support to assist the management of its portfolio companies in both the daily operations as well as enhancing the long-term value of the company. The principals take a long view of each investment with no defined exit time period.

The Maine Technology Institute (MTI, http://www.mainetechnology.org) is an industry-led, publicly funded, nonprofit corporation that offers early-stage capital and commercialization assistance in the form of competitive grants, loans and equity investment for the research, development and application of technologies that create new products, processes and services, generating high-quality jobs across Maine.

More information about the finalists and winners of this year’s TechMaine awards available online at: http://www.techmaine.com/awards-2011-finalists

About Biovation LLC

Biovation is a high-tech manufacturing company providing non-woven fiber products with antimicrobial properties for food packaging, wound care, and custom OEM applications. Biovation has extensive experience with bioplastic polymers such as polylactic acid, which comes from cornstarch and is completely biodegradable. Biovation’s infection control chemistries also are available for coating on fibers, for textiles, or as stand-alone products for proprietary applications. For more information, call +1 207.633.0616 or visit http://www.biovation.com.

Contact:

Kerem Durdag, CEO

Biovation

Kdurdag at biovation.com

207-633-0616 x 12

 Working closely with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), TFT provides fiber optic construction project management expertise, including oversight of a wide-range of project management tasks, including engineering support, and the monitoring and assurance of construction quality, budgets, and schedules. A division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute’s mission is to extend affordable, high speed internet access throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 “We’re excited to be working closely with the MBI on this project,” said Joshua Broder, President of TFT. “By bringing 21^st century broadband infrastructure to western and north central Massachusetts, MassBroadband 123 will foster economic growth, improve health and education, strengthen public safety, and help to close the digital divide. Covering more than one third of the geographic area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the project will make high speed broadband internet available to more than 1,000,000 Massachusetts residents, and 44,000 businesses.”

 TFT has also been hired by Maine Fiber Company, Inc. to oversee the construction, leasing, and maintenance of the Three Ring Binder. A public private partnership, the Three Ring Binder is an open access, 1,100 mile, high capacity fiber optic network that will make broadband internet more readily available to 110,000 households and 600 community anchor institutions throughout rural Maine.

 About Tilson Fiber Technology, LLC: Tilson Fiber Technology, LLC (TFT), part of the fast-growing Tilson family of companies, is a Portland, Maine based business providing information technology and telecom project management world-wide. www.tilsontech.com

 About the Massachusetts Broadband Institute: A division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the mission of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute is to extend affordable, high-speed Internet access to all homes, businesses, schools, libraries, medical facilities, government offices, and other public places across Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.massbroadband.org.

###

BOOTHBAY, ME – May 13, 2011 – Biovation LLC, a manufacturer of antimicrobial formulations and non-woven fiber products for food packaging and wound care, announces that has received the Rising Star Award at the 2011 New England Innovation Awards, sponsored by the Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE). SBANE is a non-profit association that helps business owners grow their companies. Its New England Innovation Awards program showcases technology-driven enterprises that are potential “game-changers” in their marketplace niche. Biovation was chosen for the award from more than 180 candidates, and is the first Maine-based company to win an award from SBANE since 1994.

“We are proud to be recognized by the Smaller Business Association of New England, and to have our Maine-based company join the list of exceptional New England companies honored with an Innovation Award,” says Kerem Durdag, CEO, Biovation. “Biovation’s products are being well received from our target industry markets, and we are excited for the company’s future. Just as important, however, is that this is a ‘win’ for the innovation and entrepreneur business community of Maine – together, we are the engine for Maine’s economic growth, and will be the next-generation of game-changers.”

The most recent Maine-based companies to receive a SBANE award were Tom’s of Maine, in 1990, and Wright Express in 1994. A full list of winners since the program’s inception is on the SBANE web site: http://www.sbane.org/sbane-events/the-innovation-awards/circle-of-excellence-past-innovation-winners/

Biovation extends its sincere gratitude to the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) for nominating Biovation for the award, to the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) for the seed and development grants it has awarded to Biovation, and to its parent company, Anania & Associates, a private investment fund focusing on companies in the manufacturing, service, and distribution sector.

About Biovation LLC

Biovation is a high-tech manufacturing company providing non-woven fiber products with antimicrobial properties for food packaging, wound care, and custom OEM applications. Biovation has extensive experience with bioplastic polymers such as polylactic acid, which comes from cornstarch and is completely biodegradable. Biovation’s infection control chemistries also are available for coating on fibers, for textiles, or as stand-alone products for proprietary applications. For more information, call +1 207.633.0616 or visit http://www.biovation.com.

Contact:

Kerem Durdag, CEO, Biovation

Kdurdag at biovation.com

207-633-0616 x 12

BOOTHBAY, ME – May 3, 2011 – Biovation LLC, a manufacturer of antimicrobial formulations and non-woven fiber products for food packaging and wound care, announces that it has hired Val Gunn as its Technical Director. In addition to managing the company’s Boothbay laboratory, she will take lead roles in a number of the company’s existing initiatives, as well as in its ongoing product development efforts.

Biovation has brought Gunn onto the team to conduct all tests, protocols, and activities at the company’s laboratory. In addition, Gunn will be the Project Manager/Technical Lead for the company’s boot-drying project, for which it recently won a contract from the U.S. Marine Corp. Gunn also will help develop and engineer Biovation’s existing line of advanced wound-care and food-packaging products, and generate ongoing intellectual property for the company.

“Biovation has an innovative non-woven fiber and infection control chemistry technology platform, and I’m looking forward to working on developing products for our existing customers and partners, as well as for new markets,” says Gunn.

Gunn is an MBA-certified chemist/materials scientist with more than 10 years of hands-on experience directing and managing R&D processes and product development programs. She brings a broad array of management and technical expertise to Biovation, including in wound care product development and textile coatings, from previous positions at Andover Healthcare, Inc., Soluol Chemical, and Polaroid Corp. Gunn received a BA in Organic Chemistry from University of Massachusetts, and a Ph. D. in Medicinal Chemistry from University of North Texas.

“This is an important hire for Biovation, and we are excited to have Val on our team,” says Kerem Durdag, CEO, Biovation. “She combines laboratory experience with a strong hands-on process and design knowledge of how to bring new products to market, both of which are crucial to Biovation at this point in our growth path.”

About Biovation LLC

Biovation is a high-tech manufacturing company providing non-woven fiber products with antimicrobial properties for food packaging, wound care, and custom OEM applications. Biovation has extensive experience with bioplastic polymers such as polylactic acid, which comes from cornstarch and is completely biodegradable. Biovation’s infection control chemistries also are available for coating on fibers, for textiles, or as stand-alone products for proprietary applications. For more information, call +1 207.633.0616 or visit http://www.biovation.com.

Contact:

Kerem Durdag, CEO, Biovation

Kdurdag at biovation.com / 207-633-0616 x 12