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V O L . X X I I I N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 6 experience in the energy industry to his new role, having been responsible for oil and propane supply and hedging during his stint as Downeast Energy's CFO. For the past four years he's served as CEO of Greystone Advisors, a nan- cial and management advisory com- pany based in Cape Elizabeth. While at Greystone, he acted as a part-time CFO for a number of small businesses in Maine. McGrath replaces Patrick Woodcock, who resigned as director last November and is now the assistant secretary of energy at Massachusetts' Executive O ce of Energy and Environmental A airs. McGrath started his new role at the Governor's Energy O ce on Aug. . N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $172,006 to Plymouth Fire and Rescue, $162,381 to the Anson Fire Department and $20,457 to the Albion Volunteer Fire Department to enhance overall safety and operations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $3.3 million to the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program in Waterville and $2.1 million to Waldo Community Action Partners in Belfast for Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a total of $296,000 in funding to Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, the Northern Maine Development Commission, the University of Maine System, Eastern Maine Development Corp., the town of Madawaska and the town of Ashland to support their work in Maine communities. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services received a total of $1.8 million for the Ryan White Part B Supplemental Program. The funding was awarded through the Health Resources and Services Administration to improve the qual- ity, availability and organization of HIV health care and support services. The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault received $147,693 and the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence $91,443 through the A banner year for Maine apple growers Maine's apple crop is expected to rebound signi cantly over last year's small harvest, which was hurt by poor pollination conditions during spring and a summer-long drought in most areas of the state. According to the New England Apple Association, citing the U.S. Apple Association's o cial forecast, Maine apple growers anticipate a crop of million pounds, an increase of from a year ago and above the state's ve-year average. Maine Department of Agriculture reported . million pounds of apples were harvested in , with a total value of . million. Of those, . million pounds were sold in the fresh market with a total value of million and . million pounds were sold for processing with a total value of . million. Maine has a new energy czar A former chief nancial o cer at Downeast Energy Corp. is the new director of the Governor's Energy O ce. Steven McGrath brings broad B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E Westbrook agency joins ranks of Maine ESOPs — Ethos, a multi-platform branding and digital agency with a staff of 55, announced that it has established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, joining a growing roster of employee-owned Maine companies. The ESOP transfers ownership of the Westbrook agency from a closely held limited liability corporation to an S-Corporation owned 100% by its employees. The employee owners also include the staff of VONT LLC, a digital market- ing agency wholly owned by Ethos. Developed as part of an ongoing strategic planning process, the ESOP was of cially introduced to employees on Aug. 31. Agency founders Glenn Rudberg, Ted Darling and Judy Trepal, along with VONT President Tom Gale, will continue day-to-day management of the company, focusing on the agency's clients and developing the Ethos and VONT teams. Gale has been appointed CEO of the combined entity. The four partners will serve on the board of directors and as of cers. William Plumley, a long-time employee, was also appointed to the board. In a telephone interview with Mainebiz, Gale noted the own- ers of Ethos and VONT did a lot of research about ESOPs before deciding that it was the best way to ensure the company's long- term sustainability and enable it to retain and attract top talent. "The statistics are impressive in terms of how a company performs" after establishing an ESOP ownership plan, he said. "It focuses everyone in the company on what drives future growth. The company becomes even more focused on doing better for its clients." Clients at Ethos and VONT include Oakhurst Dairy, Gifford's Ice Cream, Finance Authority of Maine, the Wild Blueberry Association of Maine and Boston University. "An employee-owned company was the logical way to reward a team that already thinks and acts like owners," Gale said. "Our agency was founded upon the principles of doing right by our clients and by our employees. Moving the company to an employee-owned model allows us to leverage the client-focused culture we have built over the years. The ESOP also ensures the company's long-term sustainabil- ity, retains and attracts top talent, and provides dedicated employees with the rewards of ownership." Plumley, who joined the company in 2003, said the agency had fewer than 15 employees when he was hired, with its expansion prompting several moves that culminated with its February 2016 move to a state-of-the-art building on the banks of the Presumpscot River in Westbrook. "We're doing this from a position of strength," he said. "We have strong client retention; we have strong employee retention." "Today's employees want to be a part of something. They want a stake in the game," said founding partner Glenn Rudberg. "We see a 100% employee-owned company as the best way to reward loyal employees and to motivate the next generation of leaders." B R I E F P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F E T H O S From left, Glenn Rudberg, Ted Darling, Tom Gale and Judy Trepal on the Westbrook rooftop deck of the branding agency Ethos, which announced that it is now 100% owned by its employees. Rudberg, Darling and Trepal founded the agency in 1999 and Gale came on later to lead Ethos' wholly owned digital marketing agency VONT and ultimately became a partner.

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