Business After Hours

5-7pm

  Wednesdays

July 16, 2014                    

 Lincoln County Health Outpatient Facility 

October 1, 2014

Kickstart Stables (location TBD) 

October 22, 2014

Bayberry House B&B (tentative hours TBD) 

Dear Valued Members,

It's hard to believe that three years ago next week, I joined the Chamber and this is my last Executive Report. I've had an amazing time working with the Board, staff, members and volunteers.

We've accomplished a great deal including upgrading the office equipment, phones, featuring art work on the Region Guide and new editorial, redesigning the region/walking map, a new website, creating new events such as our signature culinary fund-raiser Claw Down, winning accolades for our Green Ways and of course putting us in Times Square.

As I take on my new position as the Executive Director for the Institute for Family-Owned business, I leave you with an amazing staff and a dedicated Board who is working hard on a search for a new leader.   The chamber has an opportunity for a new chapter and I look forward to welcoming the new Executive Director as a Friend of the Chamber. 

Our next Business After Hours is Wednesday, July 16 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at the Lincoln County Health Outpatient Facility at the St. Andrews Campus of LincolnHealth in Boothbay Harbor. Guests are invited to enter through the main doors and bear right; the event will be well marked. This will be my last official event as the Executive Director of the Chamber and I look forward to seeing you all there.

Thank you for giving me the honor of working with you all!

Best wishes,  

Office & Board News

Executive Director Position

The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce is seeking an energetic, dynamic, and influential Executive Director to further the Chamber's mission. The Executive Director is the Chief Executive Officer, face of the organization, and catalyst for entrepreneurial spirit. The Chamber's Board of Directors is searching for that leader that will advance the organization through growth and change.

Position Overview:

• Responsible for the day-to-day leadership and management of the Chamber including direction of professional staff, membership development, volunteer recruitment and fiscal management
• Responsible for recruiting and retaining members and new customers through marketing, business services, financial practices, human resources and economic development
• Represents the business and economic interests of members and the general business community to foster a nurturing environment for members
• Advocate for the business community and serve as the primary liaison with stakeholders including Chamber members and key government, legislative and business leaders

Click here for a complete job listing.

All correspondence should be sent to:

Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce

c/o James D Chaousis II, President

PO Box 156

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

(207)633-2353

president@boothbayharbor.com

Visitor & Member Relations Coordinator 

Michelle opened Wiscasset Travel, Inc. with a business partner and worked with front line and day-to-day operations for the next fourteen years.  In addition, her experience in customer service with a local "community" bank has provided her with more knowledge of the peninsula and islands. Since arriving in the Boothbay area, Michelle has volunteered for many community groups and events, including Fisherman's Festival, Windjammer Days, Boothbay Charities Classic, Harbor Lights, First Hoops, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk, and the Food Pantry, just to name a few. She currently lives in Boothbay with her two children Myron and Della. She can be reached at 207-633-2353 or Michelle@boothbayharbor.com.

Volunteer & Visitor Relations Intern

In June we welcomed Konstantina Rigas to the Chamber as our new summer Intern. Born and raised in Boothbay Harbor, ME, she perfected her hospitable smile and customer service skills behind the counter of her parents' pizzeria. She graduated from Boothbay Region High School in 2010, and now is a fourth year student studying in the new Tourism & Hospitality Management major at the University of Southern Maine. Konstantina has been a strong leader within USM's TAH program, being one of the founders of the major's student organization, and being invited to guest speak at USM's Corporate Partners Breakfast on the tourism industry in Maine.     

Konstantina is passionate about her parents' Greek heritage and during the school year assistant teaches at the Holy Trinity Greek School in Portland, ME, as well as leads their traditional Greek dance group. Tourism and hospitality is the air she breathes and through her internship she will expand her knowledge and skills in hopes of making her own impact in the industry someday.

The mission of the internship is to provide hands-on experience in the field of volunteer management by providing: an understanding of the critical role of volunteers in non-profit and for-profit organizations and an opportunity to learn and apply relevant human resource management and business skills. She works with volunteers, is learning best practices in Customer Service and assists our Visitor & Member Relations Coordinator. She can be reached at 207-633-2353 or krigasintern@gmail.com her nickname is Ntina pronounced Dina.

New Website:

We have launched our new website and already are receiving positive feedback on its content, ease of use and mobile capabilities. It is a work in progress so we are tweaking some areas and will be rolling out various enhancements in the future including a Job Bank and Resume posting. If you have any thoughts or feedback please email Brooke@boothbayharbor.com.

Let's Go Green Together! 52^nd Annual Business Awards Night  

We hosted a very successful Annual Awards night on May 30 at Fisherman's Wharf Inn.   We'd like to congratulate the winners of these awards and thank all the nominees, members and volunteers who participated.

Winning the Green Award this year was East Boothbay's Bigelow Laboratory. Other nominees for this new award were Flagship Inn & Suites and the Tugboat Inn.

Winning this year's Community Improvement Award was the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library. Other nominees were Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Marketing Cents 4U.

This year's Community Service Award went to Friends of Windjammer Days. Other nominees included Fleet Davis and the St. Andrews Auxiliary Thrift Shop.

The Business Improvement Award went to Hodgdon Yachts. Others nominated were Biovation and Two Salty Dogs Pet Outfitters.

The Exemplary Citizen Award went to Laura Honey for the "dedication, commitment and energy she exhibits to the community she loves dearly."  

The Volunteers of the Year award went to Guy Peaslee and Kris Ward for their work on the Windjammer Days Committee, Claw Down, Annual Awards Dinner and Harbor Lights.

The Volunteer Appreciation Awards went to Dave "Bucket" Thomson, Albert Greenleaf, and Kim Upham for the dedicated service to the Harbor Lights Festival every year.

Thanks to a wonderful article by Katrina Clark (click here to read the article on the awards night), reporter for the Boothbay Register, the Chamber received national recognition from the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE). This organization is a national clean energy network and information hub for local chambers, created and led by local chamber CEOs. They provide access to clean energy information, best practices, energy experts, incentives, and business opportunities for chambers in every region of the country. Learn more at www.chambersforinnovation.com.

Thank you to our keynote speakers Dr. Richard Silkman, founding and co-managing partner of GridSolar, and Heather Chandler, owner and publisher of The Sunrise Guide and Green & Healthy Maine.

Click here for the PowerPoint presentation from the night and details on which companies have participated with GridSolar.

Click here to see the Night's Program and to learn about all the nominees.

Click here Green & Healthy Maine article about the Eco-Friendly efforts of the Region and  look at pages 66 & 67 / 76.

Seizing Opportunity from Crisis:

Local Maine Chamber Recruits New Members

While Helping Save Ratepayers $12 Million

Catherine Wygant Fossett, Executive Director of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce in Maine, is the kind of person who can assess a brewing crisis and see opportunity for growth. Her heavily tourist-reliant community is served by one increasingly overtaxed high-power electric transmission line. Upgrading it would cost ratepayers as much as $18 million in increased electric rates.

So when officials proposed a pilot program for so-called non-transmission alternatives to upgrading the power line -- essentially various forms of efficiency at a projected cost of $6 million - Fossett jumped into action. She suggested that GridSolar LLC, the company hired to run the pilot program, join her chamber and, in return, she promised, she would turn on her "matchmaking skills" and "put on the PR engine to start educating members about the project."

At a recent chamber dinner, Fossett revealed that she connected more than 80 local businesses to the pilot project. She also discussed how she helped another efficiency company called Ice Energy give away 32 new air conditioning units with high-tech storage batteries made of ice. The units cost $32,000 apiece and combined can offset 250 kilowatts of capacity or roughly the equivalent of unplugging 75 window air conditioners each afternoon.

According to a recent article in a local newspaper, the owner of a local car wash thought he was being scammed when he was approached by Ice Energy and asked if he'd like a free new air conditioner. But when he called the chamber to check up on the Ice Energy, he found that the company's offer was for real and that the "chamber was in on the deal ... it was having a box installed."

Fossett says that more than 70 different efficiency measures have been implemented to date adding that this is the first summer season since the improvements have been made with results still being evaluated and tested. She calls the efficiency program a "crowning achievement" for her and her team of three at the Boothbay Harbor Region chamber.

The Boothbay Harbor Region chamber can be found online here. GridSolar is here and Ice Energy can be found here. An article about the efficiency program can be found here.

Previous Chambers in Action updates can be found here .   

Boothbay Region YMCA Solar Energy App

In keeping with the green theme, many of you may have noticed the new solar panels on the Boothbay Region YMCA. You can access an app that tells them how much the Y's new solar panels are generating for electricity. If you click here  you'll learn that just the other day they powered 80 nights of powering the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center!

52^nd Annual Windjammer Days Festival

Thank you to the Friends of Windjammer Days who presented a wonderful Windjammer Days. Click here for a story by Don Carrigan that followed the event. We thank everyone who volunteered and sponsored this very successful event!

Thank you to Mark Gimbel for driving the lobster and the Christmas tree in the parade.  We were representing Business After Hours, Claw Down and Harbor Lights (contrary to some who thought I was sea weed!)  We had a ball!

Boothbay Civic Association plans Town of Boothbay's 250^th Anniversary Celebration

August 22, 23 & 24th 2014

Schedule of Events:

Friday, Aug. 22 - Seafood Festival 5pm-10pm

Join the fun on the Boothbay Common as you feast on lobsters, clams, mussels, oysters, fish, beer & wine and more! Dance to the live music playing from the gazebo!  Tickets are $30 per person for dinner (plus cash bar); Kids Buffet - free for 12 & under. 

Saturday, Aug. 23 - On the Common Celebrations - All Day

Celebrations including a 250th old-fashioned hometown parade,  Kid's Tent, food vendors before and after the parade on and around the Common, then a Pig Roast & Bean Hole Beans on the Common, beer & wine, the Air National Guard Jazz Band and more!  Pig Roast is from 5pm - 10pm.  Tickets are $20 per person for dinner (plus cash bar); Kids - free for 12 & under.

Sunday, Aug. 24 - Final Celebration Day 

Boothbay Region Land Trust Hike, a concert by the Northeast Navy Showband at Ocean Point Marina, East Boothbay followed by fireworks.    

Click here to see Maine Magazine's fabulous ad with more details. Click here to see Discover Maine Magazine's fabulous editorial on the event and history.

Tickets will go on sale soon at the chamber.   Volunteers and donations are needed! Please contact Dawn Gilbert, BCA Chairman for the 250th Celebration at 633.4500 and donations can be sent to BCA, P.O. Box 81, Boothbay, ME 04537.

BikeMaine 2014 - Sept. 10-12, 2014

As many of you know, Boothbay Harbor has been selected for the two night stay host region for this year's BikeMaine ride from September 6-13 as they pedal along rushing rivers, tranquil lakes and the Coast of Maine. Their 348 mile loop ride takes them to the host communities of Westbrook, Norway, Winthrop, Gardiner, Boothbay Harbor (where they stay for 2 nights) and Bath.

Bikers will arrive mid-morning on Wednesday, September 10th, they have a "free day" on Thursday, September 11th to explore the region with a lobster bake provided by BikeMaine at the footbridge parking lot that evening and on Friday, September 12th they will leave the region.

Thomas Woodin, Town Manager of Boothbay Harbor is the BikeMaine Town Coordinator for this event and he has asked me to send you the following information:

FYI- Below is an excerpt from the Bike Maine June Newsletter going out to its members. You may have seen the television advertising already. There is going to be increasing media coverage on the event as summer progresses. This is going to be a wonderful opportunity for hundreds of new guests to come to our community and take in all that we have to offer. This increased tourism should be good for all local businesses.

I want to remind everyone that on Thursday September 11th, the footbridge parking lot will be closed off to non-essential traffic (we will do our best to provide access to those who are required to access that area) while we set up an 80' x 100' tent and prepare for a lobster bake for the 300-400 Bike Maine participants. We will have someone at the entrance of Granary Way directing traffic. The preparation for such a large event will take all day. The lobster bake is from 5:30-7:00 PM. Afterwards there is a free concert at the Opera House open to the public (cash bar) with two local bands, The Holy Mackerels and the Boneheads. Clean up crews will be active in the footbridge parking lot from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The tent will be removed early Friday morning.

I recognize that this one day inconvenience may be upsetting for some but I truly believe that inconvenience is outweighed by the large amount of exposure for the town, the goodwill it will provide and the increased tourism.

I thank you all in advance for your patience and cooperation. I look forward to working with you all to make this a safe and fun event. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thomas Woodin, Town Manager

11 Howard St., Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04538

Ph. 207-633-3671, Fx. 207-633-7712, twoodin@boothbayharbor.org

Bike Maine excerpt

The 2014 Bike Maine route will bring us to Boothbay Harbor for a two day stay, Wednesday, September 10-11. With the largest fleet of excursion boats in Maine, there will be plenty of opportunities to explore the sea surrounding the harbor. Or, you may choose to venture out on an optional bike ride with cues provided by Bike Maine. Regardless, everyone will have lots of time to explore the many spectacular sights and fun activities available in this quaint New England village.

With such a wide variety of activities and pastimes to choose from, it can be difficult to decide where to start when planning your stay in Boothbay Harbor. Should you relax on one of the many harbor cruises, get in a round of golf at the local country club, or treat yourself to an afternoon at the Maine Botanical Gardens? How about some sport fishing or kayaking? Or maybe some quiet time at the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Art Foundation, or Historical Society?   And, for those who enjoy strolling and grazing, perhaps a meal at one of the many excellent restaurants or strolling the downtown stores and boutiques is more your style. Whatever you choose, you're sure to experience the richness that has drawn people to this harbor for over a century.

After a (hopefully) relaxing day in the harbor, you'll be treated to a traditional lobster bake, including lobsters, clams, corn on the cob, vegetable chowder, salads, and blueberry cake topped with ice cream. Yummmmm!

BikeMaine, a project of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, is a mass bicycle ride that explores the people, places, culture and food of Maine in order to promote bicycle tourism and support bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects throughout the state. We look forward to welcoming them to the region and showcasing our amazing peninsula!

Claw Down is set for September 18th

Come by land or sea...eat, stay and play in the beautiful Boothbay Harbor Region at the 3rd Annual Claw Down® Chef's "Lobster Bite" Competition, September 18, 2014, 6p.m. at the Ocean Point Marina Boatyard, East Boothbay, Maine.

Hosted by the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce together with our Presenting sponsors: Maine Magazine, The Brand Company, Bangor Daily News, Ocean Point Marina, Marshall Tent and Event Rental and the Boothbay Region Greenhouses, the Claw Down - Chef's Lobster Bite competition is the Chamber's signature culinary fundraiser. Limited to only 400 attendees, last year, the event sold out and brought in lobster lovers from over 18 states to enjoy handcrafted savory lobster bites prepared by 18 local chefs while sipping on wines from Central Distributors and 90+ .

The Chamber is thrilled to welcome back Executive Chef Kerry Altiero, 2012 Maine Lobster Council Lobster Chef of the Year and winner of the 2013 Harvest on the Harbor Top of the Crop, Best Farm-To-Table Chef 2013 as our Master of Ceremonies. Chef Altiero owns Café Miranda, a cozy bistro, located in Rockland, the lobster capital of the world. Café Miranda has a big menu of ethnic tastes and bites to please even the pickiest of palettes. Kerry was honored to be a judge at the Second Annual Claw Down. Thank you for clawing down with us again! http://www.cafemiranda.com/about 

Three industry-renowned judges will be faced with the hard task of selecting the Judges' Choice winner, while attendees will be asked to cast their votes for the People's Choice winner for Claw Down Chef of the Year. Meet our talented judges' panel:

Christopher Papagni:

As the former Executive Vice President at the prestigious International Culinary Center, (previously known as the French Culinary Institute), Papagni was responsible for the growth of the ICC from 150 to 800 graduates during his 16-year tenure. Looking for a lifestyle change, Papagni recently moved to Portland, Maine. Now Papagni can truly enjoy his favorite indulgence: Lobster! Papagni is ready to Claw Down with us at the Judges' table. Click here to read more about Christopher Papagni.

Cal Hancock, President and owner of Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company.

Hancock has won 10 sofi- Fancy Fine Food - awards for her delectable lobster specialty products. "Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company has become the market leader in high value, gourmet lobster and seafood products. Winner of multiple Gold and Silver awards from the prestigious National Association for Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) and from the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards. Today the company's products are available at upscale retail outlets in 20 states, in fine mail order companies, and directly from (the) company."  Click here to learn more.   

Cathy Billings, author of The Maine Lobster Industry: A History of Culture, Conservation & Commerce.

Claw Down tickets will go on sale Friday, August 15th. Contact the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce at 207-633-2353 or email: seamaine@boothbayharbor.com to purchase tickets.

This is an amazing event to sponsor! Click here for the Sponsorship Package or contact Cherie@boothbayharbor.com.

abOUT MAINE

This is a new, unique and exciting way to reach over 62,000 Maine residents, potential vacationers and New Englanders in the LGBT market. The target audience is adults 30-55, urban professionals, with above average incomes, that are green-minded, and interested in dining, wines, traveling, summer vacations, cooking, Maine destination weddings and more. Included in abOUT MAINE will be an entire wedding section called marryMAINE, which offers valuable information on wedding professionals and venues throughout the state.

Ad deadline: July 18th Available: August 12th. Chamber members receive a 10% discount on advertising in the next issue of abOUT MAINE. Click here to learn more! If you have questions, please contact Brooke@boothbayharbor.com

Maine Magazine - September issue

Themed Ads: September issues

Cost: Per issue

Themed Ad: 1/4 page vertical    $387.50

Your own Ad:     1/4 page v =       $387.50; 1/2 page h =    $750.00; 1 full page =     $1,500.00

Maine Magazine has a distribution of 30,000 readers each month. We have two options for members to advertise in Maine Magazine: a "Themed" ad which groups members by shopping, lodging and dining or you can do your own independent ad.   Please email Brooke@boothbayharbor.com if you are interested in advertising in this issue.