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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 F E B R UA R Y 2 3 , 2 0 2 6 [ A P P O I N T M E N T S ] Keller Williams Realty Maine in Portland added associate brokers Davian Akers, Kylie Bureau, Laura Dionne, Sandy Irish and Bruce Kaplan; and brokers Kirk Butterfield, Nick Dambrie, Rick Dow, John Hatcher and Angela Lee to its agent leadership council. Members were selected from the top 20% of the firm's performers. The Alfond Youth & Community Center in Waterville named Susan Scacchi as board chair. Scacchi is execu- tive director of the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation. The Maine Downtown Center, a pro- gram of Maine Development Foundation in Augusta, added Ross Cunningham, James Rather and Tamara Whitmore to its advisory council. Cunningham is with the town of Lisbon, Rather with Southern Maine Planning and Development Corp. and Whitmore with Gardiner Main Street. [ A C H I E V E M E N T S ] The Maine Justice Foundation in Augusta presented Janis Cohen the "Howard H. Dana Jr. Award," Cameron Goodwin the "New Lawyer Award" and Christopher Northrop the "Downing Award" at its 2025 awards ceremony. Cohen is a retired attorney and former vice president and managing counsel of the investment lawyers at Unum Group, Goodwin is an attorney at Pierce Atwood and Northrop is direc- tor of the Rural Practice Clinic at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. e foundation also announced that Saint Louis University School of Law Juris Doctor Candidate, Zoe Evans, was selected as the "2026 Frank M. Coffin Family Law Public Interest Fellow." The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland announced that Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture will be honored with the "2026 Maine in America Award" at its annual gala in July. Bar Harbor Bankshares, the par- ent company of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, said that it was recognized by Newsweek as one of "America's Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions" for the fifth consecutive year. Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty, a luxury property company in Portland, said 2025 was its best year ever, with sales exceed- ing $1.1 billion and accounting for 25% of all sold dollar volume for properties sold over $1 million. The Maine Crafts Association, in partnership with the Maine Arts Commission and the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, announced seven mentor/appren- tice pairs selected for the 2026 Craft Apprentice Program including Albert Nhan and Chrystina Gastelum, Maine, fiber; Jason Fox and Zachary Sherman, Maine, wood; Malley Weber and Michelle Oraa Ali, Maine, ceramics; Nisa Smiley and Jesse Mixer, Maine, jewelry; Shana Brautigam and Molly Ludlam, New Hampshire, ceramics; Travis Clough and Hale Linnet, Maine, fiber; and Tyler Gulden and Janet Moran, Maine and New Hampshire, ceramics. Ricky Leighton, a Maine-based video producer at Esquire Digital, earned a "Gold AVA Award" for "Fearless. Focused. Female. Anapol Weiss" video, which was produced on behalf of female-led law firm Anapol Weiss. The University of Maine at Augusta was rated No. 77 in "Best Online Bachelor's Programs," No. 55 in "Best Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans" and No. 88 in "Best Online Bachelor's in Business Programs" in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Colleges rankings. Morgan Stanley announced that Portland-based Blakeman Mavor Group, Doolan Eldredge Group, Burns Kolben Group, Portland Group and Breakwater Group and Bangor-based 207 Wealth Management Group were all named to Forbes Magazine's 2026 list of "America's Best-In- State Wealth Management Teams." In addition, the Downeast Group in Portland was named to Forbes Magazine's 2026 list of "America's Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams" with the top ranking for the state of Maine. Looking for exciting business events? Go to mainebiz.biz/calendar to view and post events. @ Work for ME is a workforce develop- ment tool to help Maine's employers target Maine's emerging workforce. It will feature information and sto- ries about the jobs and careers in Manufacturing, Construction, Skilled Trades, Health Care, Hospitality and Business services, all of Maine's essential industries. R E S E R V E Y O U R A D S P A C E B Y M A R C H 1 8 / I S S U E P U B L I S H E D M A Y 1 1 E M A I L A D V E R T I S I N G @ M A I N E B I Z . B I Z T O L E A R N H O W T O P A R T I C I P A T E S A M P L E O N E P A G E P R O F I L E S Target Maine's emerging workforce Workforce development companies High school and college students Job training organizations Professors and teachers Guidance counselors Career counselors Mainebiz subscribers 20,000 COPIES TO: TOTAL DISTRIBUTION OF F O U N D I N G PA R T N E R S Zoe Evans

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