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Bangor

Technology seed grants

The Maine Technology Institute board of directors recently approved seed grants to two area technology companies.

. Tethys Research LLC in Bangor will use MTI funding for grant research, writing and laboratory assistance for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology award. Tethys is a biotechnology company developing a novel process to reduce toxic contaminants.

. Tirranna in Orono is creating a unique online educational course management system at the Target Technology Incubator, part of the University of Maine.

More than $145,000 in MTI seed grants was awarded, leveraging more than $200,000 from other sources. Companies funded by MTI are bringing new products to U.S. and global markets, leveraging nearly $200 million from public and private sources and creating jobs faster with higher wages than the average Maine company.

MTI seed grants range from $1,000 to $10,000 per project and are offered on a competitive basis to support early activities for product development, commercialization or business planning and development. A company may be awarded only up to $25,000 in seed grants for a specific project.

Each seed grant requires a 1-1 match in cash, salaries, staff time or equipment directly attributable to the proposed project. Seed grants are awarded six times a year. The application deadline for the next round of grants is Feb. 16. Information about seed grants is available at www.mainetechnology.org/.

Chamber annual dinner

The Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce held its 95th annual dinner on Jan. 19 at the Civic Center in Bangor. Nelson Durgin was recognized as outgoing chairman and Tom Palmer as incoming chairman.

Telford Aviation was named Business of the Year.

Richard and Elizabeth Warren of the Bangor Daily News were the recipients of the Norbert X. Dowd Award.

Defense committee honor

Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. was the recipient on Jan. 13 of formal recognition from the Maine Military Committee of Employer Support of the National Guard and Reserve.

The 5-Star Statement of Support from the committee highlighted Bangor Hydro’s policies and procedures, which support employee members of the National Guard and Reserve.

Maj. Steve Hatt of the National Guard traveled from Camp Keyes, Augusta, with a 5-Star Statement of Support in hand to be signed officially by Robert Haskell, president and COO of Bangor Hydro.

Synthetic motor oil

Prompto Ten-Minute Oil Change Centers throughout Maine and New Hampshire have entered a new relationship with Elf, the synthetic motor oil of Total, the fourth-largest petroleum company in the world. The Elf brand is available only at Prompto.

Locally, Prompto has a location, owned by EIC Inc., at 633 Broadway, Bangor.

Eddington

Outstanding tree farmers

Malcolm and Dorothy Coulter of Eddington have been named the 2006 Outstanding Maine Tree Farmers of the Year. They were presented the award Jan. 11, at the Agricultural Trade Show at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta.

Coulter, who was the associate dean in charge of wildlife programs at the University of Maine School of Forestry for 34 years, has owned the 149-acre Timberdoodle Tree Farm in Eddington for 42 years. It became certified as a tree farm in 1983.

John Mills is Coulter’s forester.

A Tree Farm Field Day is planned for Saturday, Aug. 26, when the public will be invited to visit the tree farm to enjoy such activities as a demonstration of apple tree grafting, viewing a portable saw mill and learning how to build a duck nesting box.

Runners-up for the Maine Tree Farmer of the Year Award are Ernest and Alberta Angevine of Bethel and Ernest Chesley, director of the Pine Tree Camp in Rome.

All three tree farms won county awards. Laurence Park of Presque Isle received the Aroostook County award.

The Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year competition recognizes private landowners for the exceptional job they do to enhance forest land on their property. Winners also are chosen based on their efforts to foster and promote the practice of sustainable forestry to other landowners and the public.

Orono

Residential Design

Dirigo Pines, a retirement community in Orono, designed by Gawron Turgeon Architects in Scarborough, has been selected by the Boston Society of Architects for inclusion in its Residential Design 2006 exhibit in April.

The Residential Design 2006 exhibit will feature photos of top-quality New England residential projects. Dirigo Pines, photographed by Blind Dog Photo Inc., will have its photo on display Wednesday and Thursday, April 5-6, at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, and again at the end of the year at The Architects Building in Boston.

For more information on the exhibition, visit: www.buildboston.com/rd/.

Dirigo Pines, which offers a continuum of care to seniors in a home-like setting, was previously included in both the society’s New England Architects, and New England Interior Designers Exhibits at Build Boston last November.

For information, call the Dirigo Pines Marketing Office at 866-3400.