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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 41 O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 The Maine Association of Planners awarded "Planning Project of the Year" to the Land Use Planning Commission and Northern Maine Development Commission for work to produce new zoning rules in Aroostook County. e changes provide opportunity for rural businesses to locate and grow in new areas of the county. Maine Department of Labor announced that Janie Wilder Small of the Machias CareerCenter won the 2016 James F. Walls Workforce Agency Employee Award of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. e award honors an associate within a workforce development agency who has dem- onstrated innovation and service to their community, state or country as a whole. Small is the youth program administrator for Washington County. Midcoast Federal Credit Union in Freeport recognized Chelsea Adkins as its 2016 Service Excellence Award Recipient and Michael Field as its 2016 Volunteer of the Year Award Recipient. Adkins is a retail services supervisor in Edgecomb and Field, the chief of police for the city of Bath, is vice chair of the credit union's board of directors. e U.S. Department of Commerce re-designated Greater Portland as one of the nation's 24 manufactur- ing communities. e re-designation will help Greater Portland achieve its goal of doubling the region's food manufacturing employment in 10 years through catalytic investments in workforce, supply chain, R&D, access to capital, international trade and infrastructure. The Greater Bangor Association of Realtors named Nancy Harrison, vice president, regional mortgage develop- ment manager at Bangor Savings Bank, as the recipient of its 2016 Affiliate of the Year Award. The State Workforce Board's Older Worker Committee named R.H. Foster in Hampden, Hinckley Co. in Trenton and Goodwill Industries of Northern New England in Portland as its 2016 best employers for workers over the age of 50 in Maine. Allen Insurance and Financial in Camden said Kimberly Edgar com- pleted the National Association of Health Insurance Underwriters' Voluntary/Worksite Certification Course. Edgar is an account manager in the firm's insured benefits division, specializing in dental, life, disability and worksite benefits. Barron Center, City of Portland received the Maine Health Care Association 2016 Celebrating Excellence in Innovation Award for its Wheelchair Biking pro- gram which provides seniors with the opportunity to engage in a meaning- ful leisure experience. MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta earned Advanced Disease- Specific Care Certification for Acute Stroke Ready Hospital from e Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. e certification recog- nizes hospitals equipped to treat stroke patients with timely, evidence-based care before transferring them to a pri- mary or comprehensive stroke center. Empower, a chiropractic and acupunc- ture office in New Gloucester, was selected by Grow GNG as its first chal- lenge winner and won a package of business services to assist in starting the business. The town of Fort Fairfield was awarded StormReady Community desig- nation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Program for its efforts to prepare for severe weather. The Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership in Augusta selected Coffee By Design, an artisan specialty coffee roaster coffeehouse chain headquar- tered in Portland, as its 2016 "Maine MEP Manufacturing Excellence Award of the Year" winner. The Society for Human Resource Management's Maine State Council recognized Maine's top employ- ers for 2016 at its annual awards and recognition dinner for the "Best Places to Work in Maine" program. Winners included Edward Jones in Belfast in the large company category (250+ U.S. employees), Patriot Subaru in Saco in the medium company category (50 to 249 U.S. employees) and Albin, Randall & Bennett CPAs in Portland in the small company cat- egory (15 to 49 U.S. employees). Robin Alden, a former commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, was named a "Champion of Change for Sustainable Seafood" by the White House. Alden, the found- ing executive director of Penobscot East Resource Center, was one of 12 people from across the country to receive the award, which recognizes local leaders who have devoted them- selves to helping the United States become a global leader in sustainable seafood management. www.NonprofitMaine.org We help nonprofits help Maine. from the work of Maine nonprofits 100% benefit of Maine people