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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 5 Presented by the Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council • b2bmainetradeshow.com Thursday, June 18, 2015 • 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The Androscoggin Bank Colisee The 20th Annual Business to Business Trade Show Platinum PRimE majoR FeATuring:1,500 attendees • 185+ booths • 60 industries Androscoggin Bank Central Maine Medical Center Community Credit Union FairPoint Communications Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) Finance Authority of Maine Full Court Press Hampton Inn Hilton Garden Inn Lewiston Development Corporation Lewiston Development Corporation Lewiston Development Maine International Trade Center Mechanics Savings Bank Northeast Bank Progress Media Group Servpro of Lewiston Auburn TB Bank Turner Publishing Verizon Wireless Gold COMPUTER SYSTEMS INTEGRATION (CSI) BRINGING BUSINESS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) TOGETHER… v Database design and management v Legal aspects of informa on systems v Networking and cloud services v Managing a digital lifestyle v Informa on systems security Courses are delivered in a unique online and onsite format. You choose the op on that best fits your schedule. Call Carrie at (207)453-5815! THIS PROGRAM/PROJECT IS FUNDED BY (OR IN PART BY) A $13 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION. THIS PROGRAM IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROGRAM, ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT WILL BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. KENNEBEC VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INSTITUTION AND EMPLOYER. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION OFFICER AT (207)453-5123 KENNEBEC VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE 92 WESTERN AVENUE FAIRFIELD, MAINE 04937 (207)453-5815 WWW.KVCC.ME.EDU COURSES START SEPTEMBER 8, 2015! BRINGING BUSINESS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) TOGETHER! A NEW ASSOCIATES DEGREE PROGRAM AT KVCC! COMPUTER SYSTEMS INTEGRATION (CSI) REGISTER NOW Lewiston guitar maker 'elated' about big TV moment When 16-year-old Sawyer Fredericks won the eighth season of NBC talent compe- tition "The Voice" on May 19, most viewers probably didn't know he was playing a guitar that was handcrafted by a small business in Maine. But it wasn't much of a stretch for Bourgeois Guitars, a Lewiston company with 15 employees, to convince Fredericks to use one of its handcrafted guitars, company CEO John Karp told Mainebiz. He said that's because that particular guitar bears a musician's name that is important to Sawyer and familiar to many Maine music fans: Ray LaMontagne. The guitar Sawyer plays during some of his TV performances is part of the company's Ray LaMontagne Signature Series, Karp said. The series is limited to 33 guitars, with each one signed by LaMontagne, a former Lewiston resident, and guitar-maker Dana Bourgeois. The series was conceived by LaMontagne and Bourgeois in 2010. Karp said when Bourgeois learned that Fredericks was a LaMontagne fan, the company reached out to Fredericks' mother through Facebook with the help of a friend. "The fact that Ray is a player and endorser of our guitars immediately got through to Sawyer," Karp said. "He is a huge fan of Ray LaMontagne." While Sawyer didn't mention the guitar maker's name during episodes of "The Voice," he did mention that he was using a Ray LaMontagne signature guitar, Karp said. "We were elated," he said, noting that it's rare for a small company to have access to a large TV show audience. "The fact that [NBC's show] has been open to smaller makers has been wonderful." Fredericks' endorsement of the guitar has allowed the company to post tar- geted advertising on Facebook and Google. "We've had thousands of visitors to our website directly off of activities from Sawyer," Karp said, noting that the company's decision to hire a social media manager a year ago has helped Bourgeois Guitar improve its online presence. "It certainly helps a lot." This is far from the fi rst time a star has used or endorsed Bourgeois Guitars, Karp said. The company's guitars have also been played by Ricky Skaggs, Steve Earle and guitarists for country stars Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw, among many other big players. "[The guitars are] handmade and hand-voiced," Karp said. "When I say hand- voiced, we are optimizing every single piece of wood in the guitar [for sound and appearance]. Dana is one of the authorities on guitar wood and voicing guitars." — D y l a n M a r t i n P H O T O / N B C U N I V E R S A L Sawyer Fredericks, winner of the NBC show "The Voice," played a Bourgeois guitar that was handmade in Lewiston.

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