FAME 25th anniversary

The Finance Authority of Maine celebrated its 25th anniversary with a dinner and awards banquet on Nov. 18 in Portland. Showcase Maine featured awards, a retrospective of FAME’s accomplishments over the years, and a keynote address by Maine cabinetmaker Thomas Moser.

“We enjoyed celebrating with our various business and higher education partners 25 years of FAME’s contributions to the state of Maine,” said Beth Bordowitz, FAME’s acting CEO. “Together we’ve made business and education work for Maine, and we look forward to confronting the challenges of this tough economy and continuing to succeed together.”

In addition to showcasing Maine business and educational organizations, FAME recognized several organizations and individuals with awards. This year’s award recipients are:

. Education at Work for Maine Award: Cianbro Corp., an employee-owned company that provides construction and service solutions throughout North America and offers a range of educational opportunities for employees.

. Dirigo Award for Business: Jack Cashman, commissioner at the Maine Public Utilities Commission, former senior economic adviser to Gov. John E. Baldacci and former commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

. Business at Work for Maine Award: Industry and Energy Associates LLC, a Portland company that provides engineering, project management and construction management services for the energy marketplace.

. Dirigo Award for Education: Scott Voisine, director of Student Affairs at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

. Financial Institution of the Year Award, Farm Credit of Maine, a member-owned financial institution that provides commercial credit to family businesses in Maine’s farming, forestry and fishing industries, as well as the state’s rural communities.

Thomas Moser, president and founder of Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers, delivered an upbeat keynote address, “The Piscataqua River Bridge: Gateway to the Future,” on Maine’s economic potential.

Moser, a former FAME customer, launched his company with his wife, Mary, in April 1972 through an advertisement in Down East magazine.

He recounted his company’s remarkable journey from a two-person operation to a world-renowned Maine-based business that employs more than 120 people and has residential, professional and academic customers worldwide.

FAME is a quasi-independent state agency that provides financial solutions to help Maine people and businesses pursue educational and business opportunities. To learn more about FAME, visit www.famemaine.com.

Course in buying a home

BANGOR – MaineStream Finance will offer a 12-hour certified training course that helps potential home buyers make prudent home purchasing decisions.

Classes will be held 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Dec. 8-11, at Penquis, 262 Harlow St. Participants must attend all classes.

The course uses a qualified trainer and discusses the roles of professionals involved in the home buying process, such as attorneys, realtors, lenders, insurance agents and home inspectors. Components of the course are budget and debt management counseling and credit counseling.

The course fee is $25 per person. Payment must be received before the class. Checks may be mailed to Farrah Perry, MaineStream Finance, P.O. Box 1162, Bangor, ME 04402-1162. Note the date and location of the class for which you are registering. Call MaineStream Finance at 800-215-4942, ext. 424, or e-mail fperry@penquis.org for information.

InstantAmber campaign

BREWER – InstantAmber and My Gym Children’s Fitness Center have teamed up for a national child safety awareness campaign which launched on Halloween, a day when there is increased focus on the safety of children across the country.

Through its Web site, www.mygym.com, as well as nearly 200 locations, My Gym will serve as a resource to further community awareness of InstantAmber, an online data registry that enables law enforcement to retrieve critical data and photos in the event of a missing child emergency.

Participants will include My Gym Children’s Center of Brewer.

“InstantAmber is a nationally acclaimed service that helps parents prepare for the unthinkable. As a destination committed to inspiring children to realize their physical potential, we look forward to bringing the important InstantAmber message to My Gym families in the Brewer community,” said Karen Kohlmeyer, owner of My Gym Children’s Center.

“InstantAmber and My Gym share a passion for the health and safety of all children,” said Matt Berman, founder and president of InstantAmber. “Both companies are committed to improving the lives of children and their families.”

For information, call Karen Kohlmeyer at 989-1233.

‘Red Deer Running’

BANGOR – Yes, that’s a deer you see downtown at Key Plaza.

On Tuesday afternoon, sculptor Wendy Klemperer was busy welding together the final parts of “Red Deer Running,” a 10-by-10 foot creation made of recycled steel and commissioned by Epstein Properties on behalf of the plaza’s owner, Haymarket Associates.

The deer can be seen “bounding” through the garden at the entrance to Key Plaza, 23 Water St.

On hand to celebrate the arrival with a short ceremony were management representatives of Epstein Properties and local community members, including Bangor Mayor Gerry Palmer.

Bank branch manager

BANGOR – Merrill Bank announced that Allen Campbell of Brewer, vice president and regional manager, recently joined the bank and is managing the newest Merrill Bank branch at 727 Broadway, which opened Aug. 6.

Campbell will specialize in small-business lending and business development.

Campbell’s previous experience includes being branch manager and business development officer for more than 14 years at TD Banknorth in Ellsworth, Bangor and Brewer; mortgage lender at Southeast Bank in West Palm Beach, Fla.; and mortgage lender at KeyBank in Bangor and Ellsworth.

Campbell attended Pennsylvania State University for two years and completed several banking and real estate courses. He is a member of the Brewer Planning Board, Brewer Housing Authority board, Eastern Maine Community College advisory board and the American Red Cross Pine Tree Chapter board.

Super Lawyers Magazine

BANGOR – Trial lawyer N. Laurence Willey Jr. of Bangor was named to the New England Super Lawyers Magazine for 2008. The American Trial Lawyers Association named Willey a top trial lawyer in Maine.

The national and regional listings are made by independent boards based on objective analysis of lawyer experience, success and quality of professional work.

Willey tries cases in personal injury, criminal defense, family law and workers’ compensation. He is board-certified in civil trial advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, one of nine lawyers in Maine with that certification. He serves as Maine’s representative to the national board.

Willey is senior partner in Willey Law Offices at 15 Columbia St. He is a former two-term mayor and city councilor in Bangor. He also served as an adjunct instructor at Husson University.

Dog trainer certification

BANGOR – Dog trainer Angela Allen, an employee at Green Acres Kennel Shop, earned Level I certification through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, the internationally recognized certification for pet dog trainers. Allen joins more than 1,000 certified dog trainers in the United States and in a number of other countries.

Allen, a nursing student, has been a Green Acres Kennel Shop employee since 2001 and has been teaching dog training classes since 2006.

The program is the first national certification for dog trainers. Until the creation of the independently operated Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers in 2001, there was no nationally available certification process for dog trainers.

Many schools teach dog trainers and offer certification in specific programs which reflect the teachings and quality of a specific school. Other organizations offer take-home tests for “certification,” which are not monitored nor are the testing processes standardized.

To develop a credible barometer for the dog-owning public, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers developed a standardized dog trainer examination. The association is the largest in the world and promotes humane training practices. In conjunction with a task force of some 20 nationally known dog training professionals and behaviorists, the association developed the council certification examination.

Candidates who pass the exam earn the title of certified pet dog trainer and may use the designation CPDT. Certified trainers must earn continuing education units.

In business since 1965, Green Acres Kennel Shop at 1653 Union St. is a Pet Services Association-accredited facility offering boarding, day care, grooming for cats and dogs, pet behavior consultations and training classes. For information, call 945-6841 or visit www.greenacreskennel.com.

United Way award

LEWISTON – Oxford Networks received the 2008 Outstanding Campaign Award from the United Way in Lewiston. The company and its employees pledged $24,732 to the 2008 United Way Campaign.

“Our employees are consistently giving of their time and resources,” said Craig Gunderson, Oxford Networks president and CEO. “This year when many people and communities will be stretched to make ends meet, our employees gave generously and well-exceeded the employee goal of $10,000. I couldn’t be more proud of our team.”

Oxford Networks, one of Maine’s leading communication providers, serves a territory from Bangor through Portsmouth, N.H., with its own high-speed fiber-optic network.