PORTLAND, ME – One year after taking over management of the troubled Munjoy South apartments in Portland, Stanford Management has made significant improvements that have pleased both residents and staff at the 140 unit complex.

The Maine State Housing Authority awarded Stanford the management contract for Munjoy South a year ago along with other properties formerly managed by Liberty Management, Inc. The contracts added $30 million to Stanford’s portfolio of developments in four states, and made Stanford Management the largest woman-owned affordable housing management company in the nation.

“We’ve worked very hard in the last year to listen to the residents of Munjoy South and make needed improvements in their quality of life,” said Rosa Scarcelli, president of Stanford Management. “Stanford has no ownership interest in the property, but we manage it as if we do. Many of our residents are elderly or disabled, so even small changes can mean a lot.”

Residents seem pleased. Carolyn Weiss, a 38-year resident of Munjoy South, said, “I am very satisfied with the response of services and staff, and couldn’t be happier. Problems are responded to right away and I am very happy with Stanford Management since they have been here”

Freda Anderson, a 28 year resident, said, “After a recent injury the staff immediately made modifications to my apartment. I am very happy with the changes since Stanford Management. This is the first time since I have lived at this property that I have ever had an opportunity to actually talk to the management company. I think that the management company has just gotten better.”

Scarcelli credits her capable, on-site staff for the turnaround. “It’s important to have qualified and enthusiastic staff members and managers who are invested in making sure that the needs of the tenants are being met,” she said.

About Stanford Management: Stanford Management is a full service property management firm founded in 2001. Our $250 million portfolio consists of thousands of units of affordable housing in four states allowing us to offer housing opportunities for seniors, people with disabilities, veterans and families. Stanford Management is headquartered in Portland, Maine. It started as a family owned business with a goal to make a difference in the affordable housing sector and provide outstanding service to our residents, owners and reporting agencies. For more information see www.stanfordmanagement.com

Contact: Rosa Scarcelli, 207-772-3399

Rosa Scarcelli, Democratic candidate for governor, today urged holiday shoppers to buy as much as they can from local businesses that provide Maine-made products and services.

Scarcelli has created a list on Twitter of 51 Maine companies to make it easy for her followers to find local shops and businesses that make everything from pastries and cheese to furniture and jewelry.

“One of the best things we can do for Maine’s economy right now is to buy holiday gifts from local businesses and producers,” Scarcelli said. “If every family spent just $10 on Maine grown food or products, it will put millions of dollars in the hands of Maine business people. It’s a way to have our own stimulus package under this year’s Christmas tree.”

Scarcelli is circulating her Twitter list (https://twitter.com/rosascarcelli/maineproducts) that groups 51 producers of Maine-made products as a reminder to her 400 followers on Twitter to buy local.

“The variety of Maine-made products is truly amazing,” she said. “Everything from high-end electronics to hand-crafted jewelry and toys. You can easily find great gifts made right here in Maine without going too far from home. And I’m sure my list just scratches the surface. I’m hoping other Twitter users will recommend more Maine companies to add to the list.”

Other made-in-Maine businesses and farms can be easily located on the web, she said. “Buying from Maine businesses and producers this holiday season is a twofer,” she said. “You’ll get high quality gifts and help Maine businesspeople through these difficult economic times,” Scarcelli said.

Scarcelli recently released the first chapter of her book, Maine Rising, Creating Jobs, Moving Maine Forward, an action strategy for creating 50,000 jobs in Maine that includes proposals to aid the creation of small businesses and encourage more locally produced farm products. For more information, go to www.RosaForMaine.com

About Rosa Scarcelli: Scarcelli, 39, Democratic candidate for governor, is the owner and CEO of Stanford Management that provides quality, affordable housing in more than 30 Maine communities. A native of Wilton, Scarcelli said she wants to use her business skills to help create a better climate in Maine for job creation and growth. She lives in Portland with her husband Thom and their three children ages 12, 9 and 8.

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077

Rosa Scarcelli, Democratic candidate for governor, announced today that veteran Maine journalist and public affairs consultant Patsy Wiggins has been hired as campaign manager.

Wiggins, a resident of Scarborough, will leave her position as a consultant with the Government Affairs Practice Group of Eaton Peabody, the 70-year-old Maine law firm with offices in Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick and Ellsworth. She joined the firm in 2008 after more than 20 years in television news covering the Legislature and Maine politics for Maine television stations including WCSH and WGME in Portland. She also served as the host of MPBN’s MaineWatch program after the previous host, Angus King, Jr., was elected governor.

“Patsy brings a wealth of experience, skill and know-how to my campaign at a time when we are really beginning to gain momentum,” Scarcelli said. “She is exactly the type of person I want on my team and who I hope to attract to my administration, someone with a deep commitment and knowledge of Maine but who brings a fresh, outside perspective.”

A graduate of the University of Maine, Wiggins co-founded and was president of a multi-media company in South Portland where she videotaped and edited stories for various programs. She has served on several state boards and commissions, including Maine Maritime Academy, the Maine Irish Heritage Center, the Maine Center for Creativity and the Wayside Soup Kitchen.

During her career she has produced documentaries and conducted interviews with such luminaries as Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, Edmund S. Muskie and Richard Nixon. Wiggins received an award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for her special “Walter Cronkite, At Anchor in Maine.”

“Leaving a job you love is always difficult,” Wiggins said, “but this was a lot easier because I believe Rosa will be a great governor and I want to be part of the team that helps get her elected. She will bring the exceptional business and financial skills to the job as governor that the state needs right now while protecting the special qualities and traditions that make Maine so special.

“I was frankly flattered to have been asked to join as campaign manager, which I’ve never done before, but my years covering Maine politics and Maine politicians, and being involved public policy and the decision making process, have prepared me for this challenge. It’s a very interesting time for Maine and Maine’s future, and this will be a very exciting campaign.”

As campaign manager, Wiggins will be in charge of the staff and day-to-day implementation of the overall campaign plan and strategy.

About Rosa Scarcelli: Scarcelli, 39, Democratic candidate for governor, is the owner and CEO of Stanford Management that provides quality, affordable housing in more than 30 Maine communities. A native of Wilton, Scarcelli said she wants to use her business skills to help create a better climate in Maine for job creation and growth. She lives in Portland with her husband Thom and their three children ages 12, 9 and 8.

For more information and a press kit including bio and photos, go to www.rosaformaine.com or http://pitch.pe/25980

Contact: Dennis Bailey, 207-347-6077/207-749-4963

Rosa Scarcelli

Rosa Scarcelli announced today that she is a candidate for governor in the Maine Democratic Primary.

Scarcelli, 39, the owner and CEO of Stanford Management that provides quality, affordable housing in more than 30 Maine communities, declared her candidacy by filing papers with the Maine Secretary of State’s office.

At the same time, the campaign launched a website at www.RosaForMaine.com that includes an announcement video by the candidate, also available on YouTube.

“Maine people want change,” Scarcelli said, “and if we want change, we have to change who we send to Augusta.”

A native of Wilton, Scarcelli said she wants to use her business skills to help create a better climate in Maine for job creation and growth. “Like nearly all states across the country, Maine’s economy is suffering from the national recession and as a result, state government is facing a severe fiscal crisis,” she says. “It’s going to require efficient management of state government in order to have the resources we need to invest in education, health care, transportation and alternative energy so Maine businesses can expand and we can grow new jobs.”

Scarcelli said her experience building a successful business that employs 65 people in Maine and a total of 100 people in four states distinguishes her from her opponents. “The Democrats running for governor are all good people with the best intentions,” she said. “But they are all veterans of Augusta. They’ve had their chance and now it’s time for a change. We need new faces, fresh ideas and an outside perspective if we’re going to get this economy moving and put Maine people back to work. That’s why I’m running for governor.”

Throughout her career, she has adopted the philosophy of “doing well by doing good,” the same philosophy she intends to bring to managing state government. Her company provides quality, affordable housing to thousands of people, including single moms, veterans, elderly and disabled people in mostly rural Maine communities including Madawaska, Skowhegan, Farmington, Bethel and Old Orchard Beach.

Before becoming President and CEO of Stanford Management, Scarcelli was owner and President of DE Property Management LLC and Development Director for Landmark America LLC, an industry leading multi-family real estate Development Company. Today, she continues to build Stanford’s portfolio and was featured last year as one of the top 50 Affordable Housing Owners in the nation by Affordable Housing Magazine.

Scarcelli attended the University of Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College. Last year she served on the New England Finance Committee for Barack Obama. She is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), the Women’s International Network of YPO, the International Women’s Forum and the Maine Women’s Forum. She has served as a Board Member of Ingraham, a non-profit social service and mental health care provider, where she received the 2004 Outstanding Leadership Award, and a Board Member of the Waynflete School, the Alumni Council and Annual Fund Chair.

Scarcelli was recently named to the Aspen Institute’s 2009 Henry Crown Fellowship Program, one of 20 “emerging leaders” across the country from business, politics and the arts whose past recipients have included Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Delaware Gov. Jack Markell.

She lives in Portland with her husband Thom and three children ages 12, 9 and 8.

PORTLAND – When Stanford Management’s affordable housing facilities get a $25 million facelift this summer, the company will be using paint, carpeting and materials that have a very low impact on the environment, including thousands of gallons of Sherwin-Williams paint that meets the most stringent environmental standards.

Last year, Stanford secured $25.5 million in US Department of Agriculture Rural Development Funds for the revitalization of more than 78 housing properties in Stanford’s portfolio, including properties in Maine, Connecticut, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. The funds will help create hundreds of jobs in Maine because most of the contracts will be given to local individuals and vendors for the work that includes repairing/replacing roofs, making ADA upgrades to the parking lot and common areas, elevator system updates, replacing windows and repairing or replacing siding.

And where possible, the upgrades will be completed with hundreds of yards of carpets made from recycled materials and hundreds of gallons of Sherwin-Williams paint with the GreenSure® designation that are designed and manufactured to reduce environmental impact and meet or exceed the most stringent regulatory requirements.

“The residents are going to see big changes to their properties that will make them more comfortable and attractive,” said Rosa Scarcelli, owner and president of Stanford Management. “But they’ll be doubly pleased to know that we’re using materials that don’t harm the environment. And for a major upgrade like this where we’ll be using lots of paint and materials, it’s good to know that companies like Sherwin-Williams offer products that are eco-friendly and meet high performance standards as well.”

For example, Sherwin-Williams Harmony Interior Latex Coating has zero-VOCs (volatile organic compounds emitted by some products that have adverse health effects) and carries the company’s GreenSure® designation. It is also GreenGuard Indoor Air Quality Certified® and GreenGuard Certified for Children and Schools.

Furthermore the paint comes in containers made from plastic that is 100% recycled from post-consumer resin. The label contains 75% recovered fiber and 25% post-consumer waste, and is
printed using soy ink. The containers are manufactured at four plants around the US to lower the distance from plant to store.

“Sherwin-Williams leads the industry in the development of environmentally responsible products through our GreenSure® designation, which takes into consideration product performance and environmental factors,” said Steve Revnew of Sherwin Williams. “However, it is important to us that we offer products to our customers that are third-party tested and certified through the GreenGuard Environmental Institute. These GreenGuard certified products meet or exceed the most stringent green building specifications.”

“It is refreshing for us to work with a company like Stanford Management who understand the importance of using products that help protect the environment for future generations. Sherwin Williams is committed to providing the products, product knowledge and training to help ensure Stanford Management meets it’s goal of going green.” said Richard Alley of the Belfast Sherwin Williams.

About Stanford Management: Stanford Management is the largest woman owned affordable housing provider in the United States and one of the largest women owned companies in the state of Maine. It operates nearly 60 affordable housing facilities in Maine from Madawaska to Old Orchard Beach and provides housing for more than 5,000 families and individuals, as well as properties in three other states. In 2008, Affordable Housing Magazine named Stanford as one of the top 10 affordable housing providers in the country. Rosa Scarcelli, a native of Wilton, Maine, is owner and President. For more information see www.stanfordmanagement.com or go to http://pitch.pe/7464
For more information on Sherwin-Williams eco-friendly products, see www.swgreenspecs.com

CONTACT: For Stanford Management, Dennis Bailey, Savvy, Inc., 207-347-6077