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Bangor

Remodeling seminar

Pella Windows and Doors of New Hampshire and Maine will host an educational seminar for Bangor-area homeowners who are considering home remodeling projects 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at the Pella Windows and Doors store, 532 Main St. The seminar will help homeowners learn about financing, remodeling and replacements and investment decisions. The seminar is part of a daylong open house offering residents a chance to meet with realtors, replacement specialists and financing experts.

The seminar will include:

. 9 a.m., Gerry Grigsby, replacement specialist – windows and doors available to consumers, what to consider in choosing a project and winter installation.

. 9:45 a.m., Warren Smith, vice president, Dawson, Bradford Realtors – home values in the Bangor area.

. 10:30 a.m., Denise Vittum, home mortgage consultant, Wells Fargo – financing your remodeling project.

Refreshments will be served at the seminar and participants may register to win an overnight stay at the Lucerne Inn in Holden. The seminar is free to Bangor-area residents. To learn more about the seminar or to make a reservation, call (888) 871-6582.

New sports reporter

WLBZ NewsCenter 2 has brought a local boy back home to cover eastern and central Maine sports. John Smist started Feb. 4 at NewsCenter 2. Smist, who grew up in Hermon, returned to Maine after working as a television sports reporter in Mississippi and Georgia.

“He’ll be covering local sports not from the anchor desk, but out in the field where sports happen,” said Judy Horan, president and general manager. “The great part is that John is from the Bangor area. He was an intern at WLBZ 2 in 1998 with NewsCenter’s Lee Goldberg. This will be a real homecoming.”

Smist is a graduate of Syracuse University. He comes to his new job from WMDN from Meridian, Miss., where he was sports director. Before that, he was sports director at WDNN in Dalton, Ga.

Nurse Anesthesia of Maine

In May 2003, nine local certified registered nurse anesthetists formed Nurse Anesthesia of Maine, the only nurse-owned and -operated company offering anesthesia services in the region.

According to President David Hessert, the group’s action came in response to changes in the local health care industry that threatened to leave the area without enough anesthesia providers and many nurse-anesthetists out of work.

“During the past seven years, we went from being employees of hospitals to being employees of physician-owned groups,” said nurse-anesthetist Hessert. “When yet another change was coming, we met and discussed how we could best provide anesthesia services to the eastern Maine community and decided to form our own company.”

Since beginning clinical practice in August 2003, the group has grown to include 18 nurse-anesthetists, and is seeking expansion.

Nurse-anesthetists provide anesthetics to patients in collaboration with all qualified health care professionals, including surgeons, anesthesiologists and dentists. They provide approximately 65 percent of the 26 million anesthetics given each year in the United States.

Pro Bono Award winners

Two Bangor attorneys received 2003 Pro Bono Awards from the Volunteer Lawyers Project at the Maine State Bar Association’s meeting Jan. 29 in Rockport.

. Michael Haenn received the award for most cases accepted by a solo practitioner.

. Barbara Cardone was given an award as the Penobscot County attorney contributing the highest cumulative number of pro bono hours on cases closing during the calendar year.

Sponsored by the bar association’s continuing legal education committee, the awards recognize service from November 2002 through October 2003.

Going to the Dogs

The Bangor area has a new mobile pet grooming salon service, Going to the Dogs. A van brings the grooming service to the pet owner’s driveway.

Advantages of the mobile service include less stress for the pet because it does not leave the comfort and security of its home territory. The service is also a time-saver and a convenience for the pet owner. To learn more about the service, call Gwyneth Freeman at 949-1173.

Women business owners

The National Association of Women Business Owners will meet at noon, Friday, Feb. 13, at Miller’s Restaurant, to form a Bangor area chapter of the organization. It is the first meeting of the group’s steering committee.

To become a member, a woman must be a sole proprietor, a partner in, or a corporate owner of a business, and have a strong interest in building business relationships, promoting economic development and affecting public policy.

In 2002, a Center for Women’s Business Research study estimated there were 35,081 majority-owned, privately held, women-owned firms in Maine – or 27 percent of privately held firms statewide.

Women-owned firms in Maine employ more than 31,000 people and generate nearly $1.4 billion in sales. Women-owned firms, the study indicated, are on the rise in Maine, and nationally.

To learn more about the organization and the local chapter, call Marion Syverson at 862-2952.

Realty awards

Ray Cota Jr. was the recipient of the Maine Real Estate and Development Association’s Founder’s Award recently. A member of the association’s board of directors since 1984, Cota is a graduate of Husson College, a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, the former city manager of Saco, a former town manager of Orono, and since 1984 has been vice president of real estate for Webber Oil Co.

The association’s President’s Award went to Kevin Mahaney and Olympia Equity Investors. The award was given to recognize the company’s outstanding development efforts for the benefit of the city of Portland.