Business news

What Women Want Expo

BREWER – Radio station WEZQ-FM 92.9 announced that a rare appearance of nationally known radio show hosts Bob and Sheri will take place 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Showcase Homes’ “What Women Want Expo” at Jeff’s Catering, 33 Littlefield Way.

Bob Lacey and Sheri Lynch have been entertaining Mainers during the morning drive period on WEZQ since 1996. WEZQ was the second station to sign on as a Bob and Sheri affiliate.

Starting in the business at 18, Lacey has been heard on many stations in both radio and television. In the 1980s, Lacey hosted “PM Magazine,” an award- winning, nationally televised show. In 1991, Lacey met his partner, Sheri Lynch.

Lynch is the mother of two and an author with two books.

Bob and Sheri have been nominated for broadcasting’s prestigious Marconi Award six times.

Showcase Homes’ “What Women Want Expo” is a free event designed with women’s needs in mind. Some 40 businesses will be on hand to talk about their products and services.

New bank employee

BANGOR – Merrill Bank announced that Carla Booth of Hartland has joined Merrill Bank as assistant vice president and commercial loan officer at the bank’s location at 201 Main St.

Before joining Merrill Bank, Booth spent more than five years at Eastern Maine Development Corp. focusing on SBA 504 lending and other direct loan programs assisting small businesses in Maine. Her primary responsibility at EMDC was evaluating and underwriting business expansion loans and startup businesses that enhance economic development by creating jobs in Maine.

Booth also has more than 17 years’ experience in credit union management, including lending activities, daily operations and human resources. She is certified by the U.S. Small Business Administration in credit analysis and loan packaging.

She served for nine years as chief financial officer and founding partner of East Coast Environmental Services, working with clients from Maine to North Carolina and assisting with environmental issues and permitting. The major focus of the company was wastewater treatment and pollution control in industries and municipalities.

Construction institute meeting

BANGOR – The Maine chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute will hold a dinner meeting 5-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the Seadog Restaurant, 25 Front St.

The program is “Daylight Harvesting,” which will cover the factors that determine the type of daylight available, the different roles daylight plays, what daylight management is, differences in window treatment and how solo performance metrics describe the way a shade fabric manages daylight. Continuing education credits are available. The cost is $30 members, $35 others. Register at www.mecsi.org.

Crafts associate degree

BANGOR – The Maine Crafts Association recently received a $25,000 grant from the Betterment Fund to work with Eastern Maine Community College to help develop a traditional and contemporary crafts associate degree program.

The Maine Crafts Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit cultural-arts organization dedicated to developing Maine’s rich and varied craft resources, most importantly Maine’s craft artists, local economies and distinctive communities, helping to make Maine a national crafts destination.

Tracy Michaud Stutzman, association executive director said, “The craft curriculum is a big step in ensuring that the talented craft artists in the state of Maine are able to build their skills and their businesses in a supported and positive way. We are grateful that EMCC and Betterment were able to see the positive benefit this new offering will have on the people living in Maine’s communities.”

EMCC will pilot a traditional and contemporary craft associate degree program starting in the fall. The college will work to give students incentives to complete the program, such as tying the curriculum into practical applications with architects, interior designers, builders and repair professionals. The college will connect students to the Maine Crafts Association’s Center for Maine Craft and will offer the curriculum to other colleges in the Maine Community College System.

A research trip to the University of North Carolina’s Center for Craft, Creativity, and Design, Haywood Community College and the Kentucky School of Craft in the spring of 2007 produced a strong basis for the program.

The proposed craft curriculum is distinctive in that the classroom portion of basic design classes and entrepreneurial business classes can be offered throughout the state community college system through distance learning technology.

However, the bulk of the credits for the certificate, 24 credits out of 36, will be gained through the creation of a portfolio during off-campus apprenticeships in wood, clay, fiber and metal. This will put the craft student into the studios of internationally renowned Maine craft institutions such as Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, and approved master crafts people in Maine.

“This is a great example of efficiently utilizing the world-class resources already in Maine and is a unique program to the United States,” said Michaud Stutzman.

To learn more, call 564-0041 or e-mail info@mainecrafts.org.