New business? Expansion? Promotions? E-mail information to weekly@bangordailynews.net, or mail it to The Weekly, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or drop it off at the front desk of the Buck Street entrance of the Bangor Daily News, 491 Main St., Bangor.

Bangor

Economic conference

Penquis Community Action Program will sponsor the second annual Economic Prosperity for Everyone Conference on Saturday, May 3, at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel at Bangor International Airport. The focus of the event will be how social capital and civic engagement help communities and individuals prosper.

Sister Mary Norberta, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Healthcare Foundation, will be the keynote speaker.

Brian Hamel of Loring Development Authority of Maine and chairman of the Maine Winter Sports Center; John Moore, director and senior vice president, Bangor Savings Bank; Nancy Roberts, vice president, community impact, United Way of Eastern Maine; Henry Schmelzer, president and chief executive officer, Maine Community Foundation; Meredith Jones, vice president, Maine Community Foundation; and Diane Tilton, executive director, Sunrise Economic Council, will give presentations.

Cost of the conference is $55 for early registration. For a copy of the brochure, call 973-3576, or download a copy at www.penquiscap.org.

Management award

Holiday Retirement Corp. has named Gerald Doane, manager of Sunbury Village Retirement Residence in Bangor, its 2002 Ernie Bratland Award winner. The award honors managers who go above and beyond the call of duty in customer service.

Doane was chosen from more than 1,100 Holiday retirement community managers worldwide.

Doane is one of four resident managers at Sunbury Village. He has a wide range of managerial duties, but also finds time to serve coffee at meal times and to make sure the facility bus runs on time, officials said.

Despite his busy schedule, he finds time to make people feel appreciated, and in his daily practice he comforts, respects and is sensitive to the needs of residents, said officials of Holiday Retirement Corp.

Radio station

ChristianNetcast.com, which specializes in providing streaming services for Christian radio stations, recently signed a deal to provide broadcast services for two major Christian radio networks, Bott Radio and Family Life.

“ChristianNetcast.com is excited about the opportunity to partner with Bott and Family Life networks,” David Palmer, vice president of sales and marketing, said of the Bangor-based company. “It confirms what we have known all along. ChristianNetcast.com has the ability to provide quality service regardless of how small or, in this case, how large you are.”

Founded in 2000 by John Elliot and Todd Van Tasel, ChristianNestcast.com has grown to serve customers throughout the United States, including Abundant Life Church and WHMX-FM in Bangor, and customers in Canada and Europe.

Business investments report

Major business expansions and investments in Maine yielded substantial results in 2002 despite tough economic times, according to a new report compiled by the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Office of Business Development. The report included projects with an increase of 10 percent or more in net new employees, or new investment greater than $500,000.

Local companies reporting new investments were Dennis Beverage Co., Bangor; Engineered Materials of Maine LLC, Bangor; and Microdyne, Orono.

Hampden

Business award

Bion Foster is the recipient of the 2003 Hampden Business Association Business Person of the Year Award, to be presented at the organization’s annual dinner May 29.

Foster, a lifelong resident of Hampden, has been a leader in the economic development of the community. In addition to his business interests, he serves as Hampden’s part-time economic development director.

Foster co-founded the Hampden Business Association in 1988 and was president for five years. He serves on the board of directors of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.

Foster is the third recipient of the award. The first recipient was Harold Bouchard of H.O. Bouchard Inc. Last year, the association honored retired town manager Marie Baker.

The keynote speaker at the award dinner at the Lucerne Inn will be Dr. William Beardsley, president of Husson College. For information, call Betsy Chapman at 944-3264.

Hermon

Photography award

Todd Douglass, of Douglass Photography in Hermon, won the Fuji Masterpiece Award for Photographic Excellence for 2003.

Douglass received the Fuji Photo Film U.S.A. Inc. award from the Maine Professional Photographers Association for the photograph, Day Dreamer, in the portrait category. The image is a senior portrait of a high school girl.

The Fuji Masterpiece Award is administered by state and regional affiliates of the Professional Photographers of America exclusively for the members of those organizations.

In addition, Douglass received a crystal trophy. His award-winning image will be included in the annual Fuji Masterpiece Awards, a fine art book published by Marathon Press in Norfolk, Neb.

Holden

Branch adviser

Melanie Klein-Robbenhaar of Holden has been promoted from independent sales associate to independent branch adviser, the first level of sales field management, at Longaberger Co. in Newark, N.J.

Independent branch advisers draw from their business experience to provide direction and training for the independent sales associates they sponsor.

More than 70,000 independent sales associates market and sell Longaberger products, including baskets, fabric liners, plastic containers, hardwood dividers and lids, pottery, home accessories and wrought-iron items, at home shows in 50 states. All Longaberger products are made in America.

Compiled by Ardeana Hamlin