Portland, MAINE (3/4/10) – Norman Patry’s journey from the desk of an investment office to a bicycle seat in coastal Maine is not just the story of a man who pursued – and caught – his dream. It’s also a tale of how one person’s vision can inspire others.

Patry’s business, Summer Feet, is celebrating its 10^th anniversary, in providing van-assisted bicycle tours, where all lodging, food and other logistics are handled for clients.

The business grew out Patry’s cross-country bicycle adventure, which he took as a break from his work with annuities and other financial instruments, even though he had not being on a bike for 13 years. Today, Summer Feet trips spur others to get out of their homes and, in many cases, onto bicycles for the first time in years.

“I hadn’t been on a bicycle outside for at least 16 years,” said Colleen Harwood, a nurse who lives in Bolton, Mass. “But two years ago, I decided to take a trip with Summer Feet to coastal Maine, as a way to get my husband away from his Blackberry and laptop.”

“A trip like that just does so much good for your psyche,” she said. “You let things go.”

The day after her return from the trip, Harwood bought a bicycle. She is now an avid cyclist who has twice completed 50-mile fundraising rides for charity. It also helped her reconnect with family, she said.

“This trip said to my husband and me that we really are still connected as a couple and can have fun together,” Harwood said. “I think it’s good for any relationship to do something like this.”

Summer Feet offers bicycle tours to some of the most stunningly beautiful locations in New England, Canada and New Zealand. Four new trips are planned for this summer. Two are geared for all cyclists:

• Quebec, where riders will take the Route Verte, which was first among the Top Ten Bike Routes selected by National Geographic Magazine. The trip includes Quebec City, as well as historic villages and beautiful natural features such as the spectacular Montmorency Falls.

• Cape Breton, which has been described by Bicycling Magazine as one of the best rides in North America. This trip includes Cape Breton Highlands National Park and incorporates the Scottish flavor to be found in this part of Nova Scotia.

Summer Feet’s other two new trips are being adapted to meet the needs of deaf people. These vacations will be led by experienced bicycle-trip guides who also are fluent in American Sign Language. The first of these trips will take place Aug. 27-29, in and around Acadia National Park, near Bar Harbor, Maine. The other will be Sept. 24-26 to the area around scenic Camden, Maine.

“It’s amazing how much I’ve learned doing this,” Patry said. “I love riding my bike, of course. That’s how I got started. But I also really enjoy the other part of the business — making sure clients have incredible, sometimes life-changing experiences.”

Andrea Schall took a Summer Feet trip to the Maine coast in 2006, even though she was not much of a bicyclist at the time.

“It was one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on. Norman and his guides totally understand what you need, and they take care of you,” said Schall, who lives in Los Angeles. “It actually got me into biking to the point where I bought a bicycle and bike all the time now.”

Summer Feet is different from many of the large tour operators, in its ability to find unique local experiences that higher-volume businesses miss. His trips to Camden, Maine, for example offer sunset dinner cruises on schooners.

“Summer Feet is very purposeful in how they run the trip to make sure that you have a wonderful experience,” said Tom Braun, a middle school teacher from Iowa who was an active bicyclist even before his first Summer Feet trip. “A lot of the places you stay are right on the water. The food is great. And you don’t carry a suitcase at any time in the trip, because they take care of all that for you.”

Patry began his cross-country trip by taking a book out of his local library and getting a map of Virginia through the Adventure Cycling Association. A few years later, he stopped working with finance in Massachusetts, so that he could move to Maine and start Summer Feet.

“The first year we had 11 clients, total,” Patry said. “Today, we help hundreds of people explore beautiful, new areas every year. Some of our clients bike all the time. But others really fall in love with bicycles on our trips, the same way that I did on that ride across America.”

Based in Portland, Maine, Summer Feet offers travelers assisted bicycle tours and the most-authentic experiences available of beautiful locations in Maine, Canada and New Zealand. Summer Feet has a decade of experience in providing van support, knowledgeable guides and logistics for memorable bicycle vacations. More information is available at www.summerfeet.net, via email to info@summerfeet.net, or by phone at 866-857-9544.

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Poland, MAINE (February 12, 2010) – At the center of what is quickly becoming downtown Poland, Northeast Bank employees and community members came out to celebrate the Grand Opening of its newest branch with a Ribbon Cutting ceremony and the kick-off of a two week Open House.

The new 2,000-square-foot branch, located along Route 26, at Poland Crossing (1399 Maine St.), uses a dialogue strategy, where employees are trained to handle all aspects of banking for their customers therefore making the process more efficient and creating better relationships between employees and staffers. This new branch office has expanded hours of operation and features an “intelligent ATM” that directly scans both cash and check deposits.

“The design purpose of this branch is to help connect our customers with our employees, which is the basis of our business as a community bank,” says Jim Delamater, CEO of Northeast Bank. “As a one-stop shop for financial services, we value interaction with our customers so that we can better understand and meet their financial needs, and this new branch will be a model for increasing that interaction.”

Additionally, this Northeast Bank branch is the first bank in Poland, helping to further support the development of Poland’s downtown center.

“Having a new bank in Poland meets one of the greatest needs of the community and is a milestone in the town’s economic development initiative,” says Chuck Finger, Chair of the Economic Development Committee for Poland. 

The Poland branch will be having daily prize drawings and refreshments for the next two weeks for customers and community members who want to explore the new branch and learn more about Northeast Bank.

About Northeast Bank

Northeast Bank, a leader in delivering one-stop shopping for financial services, is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northeast Bancorp (NASDAQ:  NBN). The Company has approximately$612 million in assets as of December 31, 2009 and operates 26 retail outlets, including 11 bank branches, 15 insurance offices and 3 financial centers serving the financial needs of western, central, mid-coastal and southern Maine, as well as seacoast New Hampshire. Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found on its website at www.northeastbank.com or by contacting 1-800-284-5989. 

Fan NEB on Facebook ³ Join the NEB group on LinkedIn ³ Follow NEB on Twitter: @northeast_bank ³ Check out the NEB YouTube Channel

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Scarborough, Maine – Recognizing that many businesses and institutions need to address burdensome energy budgets, Thermal Systems, Inc. has developed a new website filled with information about cost savings, energy efficiency, and sustainability made possible by converting to biomass or cogeneration and upgrading to higher efficiency systems using natural gas and oil. In the website, visitors can learn the facts about these alternative energies through client stories and real results.

“TSI’s new website showcases current projects and case studies of completed projects, highlighting the financial savings institutions and industrial clients have received by using alternative energy,” said Candi Huber, Project Manager. “The savings reports and statistics are astounding.”

Owner Bob Waller has over 30 years experience in the steam and power industry. Mr. Waller is often called in as a consultant by Architectural Engineers needing expertise on re-powering projects. One specific element of the website he is proud of is the “What Is?…” section, providing in-depth information on the types of alternative energies TSI deals with. “Not only are we in business to save people money on energy costs, but also to educate and inform,” says Mr. Waller.

TSI’s clients include clients include Tom’s of Maine, Bath Iron Works, Bates College, and UPS. They service locations in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

About Thermal Systems, Inc.

Thermal Systems, Inc. (TSI) is an established design, procurement and construction management firm providing a wide range of services to Facility Managers, Plant Engineers and Plant Superintendents. Located in Scarborough, Maine, they offer single source responsibility for all types of energy and process applications.

About Hall Web Services
Hall Web Services of Portland, Maine partners with small to medium sized businesses to grow their businesses through the creation of a comprehensive web strategy. Hall’s services include web design and development, managed hosting, internet marketing, inbound marketing strategies and multimedia production.

For more information visit www.hallme.com/press.asp

Portland, Maine – Hall Web Services, a web design and internet marketing firm, announced the promotion of Amanda O’Brien to Vice President of Marketing. She will be responsible for managing Hall’s marketing department and is leading the effort in marketing services including web marketing strategy, implementation, fulfillment, training and validation for corporate clients.

“Amanda is well known as an influence in social media and new media marketing. Her tireless effort, valuable insight and analytical perspective has delivered great success for our company and our clients. As marketing continues to evolve, it only makes sense to have an influential industry leader lead our company as we research and validate these new opportunities,” says Tom Hall, President of Hall Web Services.

Ms. O’Brien is originally from Peaks Island, Maine and is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She brought her professional writing and web marketing skills to the Hall team in 2008 and has built a strong web marketing presence and in-house team to help clients be successful with their web marketing. For the past two years, Ms. O’Brien has been traveling and speaking publicly on how small and medium sized businesses can use the internet to better market themselves. Amanda is also the head of the successful Social Media Breakfast Maine – a monthly program devoted to showcasing local businesses and their use of social media marketing.

About Hall Web Services
Hall Web Services of Portland, Maine partners with small to medium sized businesses to grow their businesses through the creation of a comprehensive web strategy. Hall’s services include web design and development, managed hosting, internet marketing, inbound marketing strategies and multimedia production.

Portland, Maine – Hall Web Services, a Maine web design and internet marketing firm, announces the addition of Josh Valentine to their marketing team. Josh’s role is the newly created Director of Marketing – Small Business Group. He will be the main point of contact for all small business clients and responsible for the success of their ongoing web marketing strategies. Josh’s experience in web marketing, digital media production, and copywriting will enhance Hall’s web marketing team. He is the current President-elect of the Maine Marketing Association.

“Being able to deliver services that are tailored specifically for small businesses gives us a distinct advantage. Josh has a great reputation for building relationships and delivering in this space.  We are excited for the future with him at the helm of our small business group,” says Tom Hall, President of Hall Web Services.

About Hall Web Services
Hall Web Services of Portland, Maine partners with small to medium sized businesses to grow their businesses through the creation of a comprehensive web strategy. Hall’s services include web design and development, managed hosting, internet marketing, inbound marketing strategies and multimedia production.