Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X V I I J U LY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6 12 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 We build relationships, not just buildings. 207-725-4304 P O U L I N C O N S T R U C T I O N M E . C O M C O N V E N I E N C E S T O R E S R E S TA U R A N T C O M M E R C I A L / P U B L I C R E TA I L Maine Winter Sports Center changes name, expands mission p o r t l a n d — Maine Winter Sports Center, a nonprofi t that started 17 years ago with a mission to get people in Northern Maine on skis, is changing its name to the Outdoor Sport Institute. Andy Shepard, MWSC's founder, told Mainebiz that the name change refl ects a new identity and expanded reach. The nonprofi t will remain based in Caribou, but will operate in all seasons and in all 16 Maine counties. As president and CEO of OSI, Shepard will be responsible for the organiza- tion's strategic vision, which includes developing a sustainable funding model. Mike Smith will continue as chief operating offi cer and program director and Dick Trafton, an attorney in Auburn, will be chairman of OSI's board. Shepard characterized OSI as evolving out of MWSC's initial mission of using winter sports, particularly cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions, to boost Aroostook County's economy. The new focus could include warm-weather activities like trail running and canoeing. "We're in 140 communities around the state," he said. "OSI allows us to focus on what we do without having to explain that 'winter sports' isn't the only thing that we're doing." He said the name change and rebranded mission was announced July 14 at a reception hosted by H.M. Payson at Portland's Ocean Gateway Pier. He estimated that 200 people attended the event. OSI works with roughly 40 nonprofi t and for-profi t outdoor organizations across Maine, including Maine Huts & Trails and the Alfond Youth Center. Corporate donors include L.L.Bean, Emera Maine and the Harold Alfond Foundation. Shepard noted that the alpine facilities it previously owned and built with fi nancial support from the Libra Foundation are now being managed by nonprofi t volunteer organizations in the host communities and are owned by the nonprofi t Pineland Farms Inc. Shepard said OSI is in the midst of a major capital campaign to add to the $2 million donated by Presque Isle native Mary Barton Smith in November 2014. Smith has pledged to match up to $3 million in donations received between now and January 2017 in a challenge that, if successful, would bring her original gift and matching pledge up to $8 million for the organization, which has set a goal of achieving a $20 million endowment over the next decade. Smith's late husband, Rodney, who died in 2007, was CEO of Altera Corp., a manufacturer of programmable logic devices in San Jose, Calif. Kelly Frost of Frost Advancement Advisors will provide overall strategic counsel and lead OSI's $3 million matching gift campaign. Melanie Spencer of Maine Street Solutions, a public affairs and consulting service based in Augusta, will provide grant-writing expertise and Ethos, a Westbrook-based multiplatform branding agency, will support strategic marketing initiatives, including social media marketing and content strategy. Facilities it previously owned and built with fi nancial support from the Libra Foundation are now being managed by nonprofi t volunteer organizations in the host communities and are owned by the nonprofi t Pineland Farms Inc. — J a m e s M c C a r t h y Andy Shepard, president and CEO of the newly renamed Outdoor Sport Institute, has expanded the focus of the nonprofi t to include summer sports. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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