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V O L . X X V N O. I V F E B R UA R Y 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 10 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Human Ecology, a 29,000-square- foot building that will comprise sci- ence laboratories, flexible lecture halls, faculty offices, art and design studios and a teaching greenhouse. The project is expected to cost $13 million and be completed by September 2020. Kim's Hallmark relocated from the Cook's Corner shopping center in Brunswick to the Topsham Fair Mall. Aroostook chamber has new director LaNiece Sirois, new executive direc- tor of the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce, started on Jan. 7. Her predecessor was eresa Fowler, who held the position for 10 years but resigned suddenly in July 2018. Sirois came to the position after two years as workforce coordinator for the Northeastern Workforce Development Board in Bangor. Prior to that she served as a career consultant for the Maine Department of Labor, Presque Isle, where she also owned a human resources consulting business. She also was human resources director for the cities of Presque Isle and Caribou and human resources director for Aroostook Home Health Services in Caribou. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N Records Management Center and Shredding On Site in Bangor an- nounced it is Maine's only company certified by the National Association for Information Destruction to destroy hard drives, data storage devices and paper documents on and off site. Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co. in Houlton, announced fourth-quarter earn- ings of $1.89 million, or 50 cents per common share. For the year ended Dec. 31, 2018, net income before preferred stock dividends totaled $7.2 million, or $1.89 per common share, record earn- ings for the bank holding company. Learn More 4 NonprofitMaine.org/AddingUpImpact #NonprofitsWorkForME 1 IN Maine workers 98,000 6 employed Maine nonprofit jobs in Maine That's over by a is Q: I'm told I don't listen well. How can I improve? ACE Advises: Listening is the most used but least understood of the commu- nication skills. It also is the least taught and the hardest to do well. Overcoming the barriers has to start with clearing away misconceptions. First of all, listening is much more than just hearing. It is not entirely pas- sive — the receiver goes through a process over which he/she has a rising level of control. Learning how to manage the process is the route to becoming an excellent listener. There is a handy formula for understanding the process: PAED. 1. It starts with Perception; a sound is detected. This is hearing, and is largely automatic. 2. Immediately, the mind compares the sound with what is familiar: Have I heard this sound before? That is the second stage, Association. A good listener does not let that first impres- sion determine the conclusion. 3. The person consciously invokes Evaluation, the third stage. He/she examines the matter, perhaps asks questions and otherwise seeks to test out the impression. 4. Finally the Decision, when the lis- tener determines what to do about the new information. Obviously, as we go through our daily lives, most of what we hear is familiar, demanding little thought from us. The good listener has learned to remain alert to those situations that require a more careful focus on what is being said, avoiding any tendency to allow first impressions to automatically become conclusions. A S K AC E A n s w e r e d B y J i m M i l l i k e n , C o m m u n i c a t i o n C o n s u l t a n t The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a non-profit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Have a question for ACE? Jim Milliken can be contacted at lifeisaprojectmaine@gmail.com N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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