PRESQUE ISLE – The Robert M. Shelton Award for Sustained Excellence was presented recently to the Maine Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association at the 49th annual Chapter Presidents Dinner and meeting in Seattle, Wash.

Past president of the Maine chapter, Benton W. Cash, senior manager of billing and contracting at The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, accepted the award, which is given in recognition of five years of sustained excellence in service to members.

Over the past five years, the Maine chapter showed growth in total registrant hours, averaging an 18 percent growth rate, and in memberships, averaging a 4.3 percent growth rate.

It exceeded the association’s requirement of producing four issues per year of their newsletter, the Beacon, and supplemented the newsletter with e-mail updates. Members created and continue to maintain and improve a quality chapter Web site, maintain a high percentage of members that are certified, and are involved in addressing such projects as patient-friendly billing, long-term care financing, and managed care contracts.

The Maine Chapter of HFMA earned a total of 23 chapter awards.

FORT KENT – The Maine Forest Products Council recently recognized TNT Road Co. as the 2002 MFPC Outstanding Trucker of the Year. The award is given annually to the individual or company that best exemplifies the highest standards of operation for truckers in Maine.

To be considered for the award, a company or individual must, among other things, have an exemplary driving record, provide good truck maintenance, regularly attend safety meetings, and participate in industry-related associations.

TNT Road Co. is family owned and operated by Steve Theriault, his father, Richard Theriault, and their wives, Terry and Betty.

For more information, visit www.maineforest.org or call 622-9288.