Bangor

Maine Invites You!

The Maine Tourism Association and its technology partner Sephone Internet Solutions of Bangor announced the launch of Maine Invites You! at www.mainetourism.com.

“We completely rebuilt the old Web site, including a functionality overhaul that allows users to easily search for accommodations,” said Joe DiStefano of Sephone. “Potential Maine vacationers can see a statewide calendar of events. [In addition] Maine Tourism personnel can easily maintain the Web site.”

The objective of the new Web site is to entice visitors to make vacation plans that include a trip to or within Maine.

For 83 years, the Maine Tourism Association has served the needs of visitors to Maine. The association has served the needs of Maine businesses involved in the tourism industry since 1921.

Sephone Internet Solutions, 81 Main St., provides Web site design, application development, consulting and Web hosting solutions to Maine businesses.

Engineer technician

WBRC Architects/Engineers announced that Philip E. Badger III has been hired as its newest engineer technician.

Badger comes to WBRC from Boston, where he worked on the Merck Pharmaceutical Building project with Bovis Lend Lease as assistant project manager. Before that, he worked for his family’s Bangor electrical contracting company for 12 years as a licensed electrician.

Badger is a graduate of the electrical engineering technology program at the University of Maine and a member of the Francis Crowe Society for Engineers.

Badger, his wife, Amy, and their 2-year-old son, Aubrey, are thrilled to be back in Maine.

“I’m extremely happy to be back,” Badger said. “There’s no other place I would rather raise my family.”

Redesigned, reopened

The Irving Mainway on Main Street invites the public to visit their newly remodeled store, which reopened April 9. The store has been redesigned to include a deli counter, which offers sandwiches, salads and soups, personal size pizzas and also has installed a World of Taste bakery, which features freshly baked cinnamon rolls, fresh muffins, banana bread and whoopie pies baked on site each day.

The store is open 24 hours a day and also sells three grades of gasoline.

BIA to Minneapolis, Detroit

Bangor International Airport has announced that Northwest Airlines will begin seasonal jet service to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport beginning June 12.

Northwest also announced an expansion of jets flying to Detroit on that same date.

The expanded service to Detroit will be flown on 69-seat Avro regional jets.

Bangor International Airport is a full-service regional airport offering nonstop jet flights to New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Minneapolis and Cincinnati.

Bangor Savings Bank

Bangor Savings Bank announced that Richard Nickerson of Veazie has been promoted to vice president and financial consultant at Bangor Securities Inc.

Kendra Aho Helsor, Bangor Savings Bank vice president, formerly Lincoln branch manager and northern regional manager, has accepted responsibility for an expanded northern region, including the Bangor area.

Jeffrey Jeter of Winterport, senior vice president of administration, has been promoted to director of relationship management.

Certified in interior design

Lynda Casteris-El Hajj, of WBRC Architects-Engineers, received a certified interior design license April 9 after passing a registration exam.

Casteris-El-Hajj, a Syracuse University graduate, has been with the firm for a year. Her responsibilities include finishing material selection, preparation of bid documents, specification writing, shop drawing review and construction administration.

With a total of 17 years of experience, Casteris-El-Hajj has worked as a project manager and senior designer for health care and corporate projects. She is currently a member of the Maine Interior Design Association.

Brewer

Master floral designer

Dick Avery of Marie’s Flower Shop, 385 South Main St., has been inducted into Maine Master Floral Designers.

He attended the advanced floral design course provided by Maine State Florist and Growers Association.

MMFD was established in 2003 to promote floral design excellence for members of MSF&GA. Students are graded on the evaluation of nine designs plus a surprise package, theme category development, a designer’s notebook, three written tests and a final exam.

New grocery store

A Save-A-Lot Food Store opened April 21 at 95 South Main St. in Brewer.

Save-A-Lot has more than 1,000 stores in 37 states and offers groceries at discount prices. The stores carry both selected national brand items and exclusive-label products.

The new Brewer store will carry about 1,250 of the most frequently purchased grocery items, including fresh meat, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, canned goods and packaged items, frozen foods and nonfood items such as health and beauty aids.

The store is operated by Farmington Foods Inc., which also operates Save-A-Lot stores in Caribou and Farmington. Kevin Kinney will manage the store and a staff of about 25 employees. Store hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.

Milford

Industrial rail access project

Daaquam of Milford is among 13 recipients statewide of funding to improve industrial access to Maine railroads. Daaquam received $250,000 for new siding and yard track, which is estimated to create 130 jobs.

The rail access project, said Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Cole, is designed to support and enhance transportation in Maine and to stimulate the economy by benefiting both railroads and shippers.

“Projects selected for funding,” he said, “have the potential of creating as many as 250 jobs and of taking more than 40,000 annual truck trips off Maine highways.”

The $3.9 million in state funds come from past transportation bond issues and other available funds. Under the Maine DOT’s Industrial Rail Access Program, applicants must agree to match state funds on at least a 50-50 basis.