Camden National Bank partners with local food pantries

Camden National Bank partnered with Central Maine communities this summer to help raise awareness and resources for local food pantries. During the months of June, July and August, employees from the bank’s Augusta, Gardiner, Lewiston and Waterville locations attended their local farmers markets to help their neighbors raise funds to fight food insecurity in their areas. The bank set up at table at select markets, handed out reusable tote bags to shoppers, and offered to weigh their grocery purchases. For every pound of food a shopper purchased, Camden National Bank pledged to donate one dollar to a local food pantry. In total, market shoppers ended up raising $2,000 to help fight hunger in central Maine.

Camden National bank employees from the Augusta area pose with a pea and carrot from WIC at the Augusta Farmers' Market in July. From left are Wes Huckey, Donna York, Trisha Harriman, Brookes Smith, Janessa Smith, Nancy Tracy, Wes Littlefield and Brent Vicnaire. Contributed photo

Employees from Camden National Bank in Waterville are joined by representatives from the Waterville Food Bank at one of the August markets. From left are food bank volunteer Nick Smith, operations manager Sandra Hammond, Amber LaPierre, Christina Gagnon and Stephanie Purnell, with Virginia Gleich, in back, from Camden National Bank. Contributed photo

Funds raised from the markets will be donated to the following agencies: Augusta Food Bank, Gardiner’s Chrysalis Place, Lewiston’s Trinity Jubilee Center and St. Mary’s Food Pantry and Waterville Food Bank.

Through the funds raised from these donations as well as those delivered earlier in the summer through its employee-run community outreach program, the Community Spirit of Giving, Camden National Bank hopes to provide meals and support to the more than 208,000 individuals in Maine who currently turn to food pantries and meal service programs for food assistance every year.

For more information on Camden National Bank’s philanthropic and community efforts, visit camdennational.com/about/why-us/in-the-community.

Kennebec Savings Bank donates to Maine Children’s Trust

Kennebec Savings Bank recently announced it is making a donation in support of parent education programs in Kennebec County provided by the Maine Children’s Trust, according to a press release from the bank.

“Every child deserves to grow up in a caring and protective home,” said Andrew Silsby, president and CEO of the bank. “Prevention programs, like those provided by the trust, are important in making sure children have zero exposure to abuse and neglect. We all have a responsibility to make childhood as safe and healthy as possible.”

Gail Conley is the regional vice president and director of investment services at Kennebec Savings Bank, and has been a board member with the Maine Children’s Trust for 12 years.

The Maine Children’s Trust administers the Community Based Child Abuse Prevention federal grant in Maine and complies with all of its covenants. In addition to services, it provides a strong unified voice that abuse is preventable and facilitates ongoing collaboration to accomplish this goal.

Kennebec Savings Bank is an $841 million state-chartered community bank, part of a mutual organization with a team of 116 employees and offices in Augusta, Waterville, Winthrop and Farmingdale as well as “KSB Anytime” 24-hour electronic banking centers in Manchester, Augusta and Farmingdale.

US News and World Report honors Augusta law firm

Kozak & Gayer, P.A., has announced that four of its lawyers were selected by US News and World Report to be among The Best Lawyers in America for 2017, according to a press release from the law firm.

Joseph Kozak, Benjamin Townsend, Mike Seitzinger and Steven Johnson each were named “Best Lawyers.”

Mike Seitzinger was named 2017 Best Lawyer of the Year — Health Law for Augusta. Seitzinger previously was named Best Lawyer of the Year — Administrative & Regulatory law for Augusta in 2016, and Best Lawyer of the Year — Health Law in 2014.

Kozak & Gayer, with offices in Augusta and Salida, Colorado, specializes in health law.

Portland lawyer co-authors chapter in Maine Commercial Lending Law

Bernstein Shur, one of northern New England’s largest law firms in Portland has announced that shareholder Christopher J. Devlin has co-authored the chapter on “Maine law in Commercial Lending Law: A Jurisdiction-by-Jurisdiction Guide to U.S. and Canadian Law,” published by the American Bar Association. Devlin is a member of the Business, Commercial and Governmental Finance Practice Groups in Bernstein Shur’s Portland office.

The two-volume work covers all 50 states and relevant commercial lending laws that apply to each.

Those interested in more information or in purchasing the book may visit www.shop.americanbar.org.

With more than 25 years of experience working in commercial finance, Devlin is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. Devlin earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his bachelor of arts degree from Vassar College. He resides in Portland with his family.

Maine patient Safety Academy gives out Rising Tide Awards

The annual Maine Patient Safety Academy — a University of Southern Maine-led event to help workers in Maine hospitals, nursing homes and physician practices keep their patients safe — honored three exceptional workers with the 2016 Rising Tide Awards.

The three honorees were Donna McEachern, the housekeeping supervisor and safety officer at Lakewood Continuing Care Center in Waterville, was honored for her leadership, passion and commitment for a variety of safety initiatives; Rita Owsiak, the state Healthcare Associated Infections Coordinator for the Maine CDC in Augusta, was honored for her work in shaping Maine’s response to the threat of multi-drug resistant organisms and her coordination with healthcare institutions and professionals across the state; and Erin Ingalls, the quality improvement nurse and patient safety officer at Down East Hospital in Machias, was honored for unwavering commitment to patient care and safety.

The awards were presented during the day-long Maine Patient Safety Academy, held at the Abromson Community Education Center on USM’s Portland Campus.

Waterville man attends LPL Financial’s conference

Brian Bernatchez, CFP® and Bert Languet, CFP® from Golden Pond Wealth Management in Waterville, recently attended LPL Financial’s Focus 2016, one of the financial industry’s premier events and the largest annual conference hosted by LPL, the nation’s largest independent broker-dealer, based on total revenues.

Hosted in San Diego from Aug. 21st to 24th, more than 5,000 industry professionals from around the country gathered at Focus to learn new strategies and skills, expand knowledge in numerous product areas, network with peers and industry experts and discuss the most relevant opportunities and challenges facing the financial services industry.

Attendees also heard from influential and motivational speakers who addressed current events, financial industry trends and leadership topics. Keynote speakers included: Tucker Carlson, anchor of Fox and Friends Weekend and editor in chief of The Daily Caller; Paul Begala, CNN commentator and former aide to President Bill Clinton; Will Smith, actor, producer, rapper and songwriter who has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards and has won four Grammy Awards; and Randi Zuckerberg, founder & CEO of Zuckerberg Media, author, TV host and producer.