BAR HARBOR BANK & TRUST ANNOUNCES EMPLOYEE PROMOTIONS FOR 2013

Curtis C. Simard, President and CEO of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, along with the Board of Directors, is pleased to announce the following promotions that were granted during 2013.

Sam McGee promoted to Regional Vice President, Business Banking

Adam Robertson promoted to Regional Vice President, Business Banking

Lisa Parsons promoted to Vice President, Regional Branch Relationship Manager for Mount Desert Island

Bonnie Poland promoted to Vice President, Retail Lending Support

Sara O’Connell promoted to Assistant Vice President, Human Resources

Marcia Bender promoted to Senior Vice President, Operations and BSA Officer

Michelle Curtis promoted to Assistant Vice President, Branch Relationship Manager for Topsham and South China

Krystal Jordan promoted to Assistant Vice President, Branch Relationship Manager for Milbridge

Holly Archer, Assistant Vice President, Retail & Residential Lending

Margie Gray promote to Vice President, Product Development and Research

Cathy Planchart promoted to Vice President, Corporate Communications and Community Relations

Lucas Morris promoted to Assistant Vice President, Business Banking

Please join us in congratulating all of these individuals on their promotions, in recognition of their strong performance and contribution to the Bank’s overall success.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is a community bank with more than $1.3 billion in assets.  Founded in 1887, the Bank offers a full range of financial services and products for individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations throughout Maine with 15 branch locations, from Topsham to Lubec. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Member FDIC, is a subsidiary of Bar Harbor Bankshares (AMEX:BHB) and was named one of the 2013 Best Places to Work in Maine. For more information call 1-888-853-7100 or go to www.bhbt.com.

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Sam McGee

Bonnie Poland

Sarah O'Connell

Adam Robertson

Lisa Parsons

Marcia Bender

Michelle Curtis

Krystal Jordan

Margie Gray

Cathy Planchart

Lucas Morris

Holly Archer

News from the Eastern Maine Development Corporation

In This Issue EMDC Honors Champions 2014 Board of Directors Business Spotlight: Orion Ropeworks, Inc. Upcoming Events Visit Our Website EMDC.org and connect with us via social media   Sign up for other EMDC NewslettersHere EMDC Honors Champions for 2013 Eastern Maine Development Corporation (EMDC), honored 7 organizations that have supported EMDC's mission to promote economic growth in Eastern Maine during its Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors and Corporators today. Representing a variety of sectors, the 2013 EMDC Champion Awards provide recognition to businesses that have partnered with and/or supported EMDC's efforts to promote business, community and workforce development. The 2013 EMDC Champions are: Bangor Savings Bank--for their partnership in the SBA 7(a) Community Advantage Lending program. EMDC loaned nearly $4 million dollars to 28 businesses in 2013. Those loans resulted in business growth, economic success and the creation or retention of at least 95 jobs in Maine. It's with the support of partners like Bangor Savings Bank that EMDC is able to provide financing for the region's small businesses. City of Bangor Health and Community Services--for its collaboration to ensure that economic development organizations are included in discussions concerning creating healthy, sustainable and desirable communities. Eaton Peabody--From providing leadership to Mobilize Eastern Maine, serving on the Brownfields Advisory group and countless time and talent given to numerous initiatives, the attorneys at Eaton Peabody have been extremely generous in their support of EMDC and our region. Zone Radio/The Pulse AM 620--The Pulse Morning Show has provided an avenue for EMDC's small business clients to share their stories of success. Often these include the business's partnership with EMDC, but they also provide an opportunity for the business to promote itself. Helping businesses succeed, helps our region. We're grateful to The Pulse for helping us tell the story of the fantastic businesses right here in Eastern Maine. Eastern Maine Community College, United Technology Center, Bangor Adult Education--We recognize these organizations collectively because it was their collaboration and determination, as a group, that made EMDC's Pathways Project such a success. Without the support of these educational institutions we would not have been able to build affordable homes for so many residents while teaching others the job skills needed to find jobs in the construction industry. Education and employment are keys to economic growth. These three organizations not only embrace that philosophy, they implement it every day. EMDC Names Board of Directors for 2014   Eastern Maine Development Corporation is pleased to announce its Board of Directors and Officers slate for 2014. Mark Woodward, Chair Micki Sumpter, Vice Chair Daniel Tremble, Clerk Dave Milan, Treasurer Tom Lizotte, Past Chair Dennis Damon James Gilway Julie Green Susan Hammond Ralph Harvey Gail Kelly Brian Langley John Moore Chuck Rohn Jane Searles Erik Stumpfel Cary Weston Garrett Wilkin The County Commissioners from each county EMDC serves will name representatives at a later date. Those representatives will also serve on the Board of Directors. Stumpfel and Weston begin their terms in January. Business Spotlight Orion Ropeworks, Inc.     EMDC works with hundreds of businesses in Eastern Maine and across our state. Our business, lending and workforce clients come from a wide range of industries and represent businesses of all sizes. In the Business Spotlight, EMDC Essentials shares their stories of success. Winslow's Orion Ropeworks, Inc., is North America's premier rope manufacturer, utilizing specialized rope making expertise developed during the past 150 years. The company is known for its 900 rope formulas that have all been tested inside a laboratory for "yield, tenacity, abrasion resistance, UV stability, elongation and firmness of lay." Staff works closely with customers to meet the needs and requests to ensure success with using Orion Ropeworks products. A Maine PTAC client since 2003, the company recently faced two issues that made a tremendous difference in Orion's bid process. First, a technical issue between the System for Award Management and an online military bid systems (DIBBS) was causing inaccurate information to be entered into the bidding system--an error that could have resulted in a lost contract award. Working with PTAC staff, the issue was resolved and an initial contract award was made. The second hurdle involved the Buy American Act and a contracting officer's interpretation of what constitutes a domestic end product. Working with PTAC staff, and the Maine International Trade Center, Orion was able to bid several projects at a much lower cost than if the contracting officer not been provided with the additional information. Company owner Diane Saucier, continues to work closely with Maine PTAC and describes her experience a great one, "We appreciate all the help that Maine PTAC staff has given us throughout this process. They have been awesome!" Orion Ropeworks, Inc. is located at 953 Benton Avenue in Winslow. Visit them at www.orionropeworks.com.    Upcoming Events  Opportunities to Network in Eastern Maine      UMaine Business Challenge Are you a Maine student with a great idea for a business or nonprofit? Would $5,000 help you get that idea off the ground? Between now and January 1, 2014 all you need to do is send in your letter of intent to compete in the UMaine Business Challnege.   More info at: http://umaine.edu/ubc/   ______________________________________________________________ Innovation Engineering Workshops Introducing a new Innovation Engineering (IE) Workshop Series, a set or preparatory classes that offer an overview of the IE system. You will learn to accelerate ideas for new or improved products, services, and processes. We will teach you how to increase innovation speed and decrease risk as you take what you've learned and apply it to your company or organization.   These workshops will be taking place across the state and scholarships are available through Blackstone Accelerates Growth. For more information on the workshops dates and locations or to register go to: http://bit.ly/1cSPiRO.   __________________________________________________ Record Keeping For Profit: Part I and IISponsored/Presented by:University of Maine Cooperative Extension Financial records are an important management tool for the business owner. These three-hour, hands-on workshops are designed to help small and home-based business owners learn the basic principles of single entry record keeping and how to apply these principles to the day-to-day operation of their businesses. Workshop participants will explore the components of a successful record keeping system, identify and learn about key business records and types of expenses, and learn how to record revenue and expense items. Recommended for small and home-based businesses. Wednesday, January 8 and Wednesday, January 15     9:00 A.M. to Noon Hancock County Extension Office Cost: FREE FMI: 207-667-8212 or 800-287-1479 (in Maine) or emailjoyce.fortier@maine.edu

Grow Your Travel Business with All Trips

Dear Chamber Members, In 2014, AllTrips will showcase a new digital marketing system for travel businesses. Through December 31st, you can register to win 1 Free Year of this system and participate in a case study that demonstrates our process and results. So far, participants have generated 15% - 50% increase in direct sales when implementing these tools together: Search Engine Optimization Direct Sales Tracking & Return on Investment Analysis Social Media & Online Reviews Maintenance (Facebook, Trip Advisor, Yelp) Email Marketing Website Landing Pages (updates & improvements) Local Search (Google, Bing & Yahoo places) >> Register by December 31st Register on our Facebook page to win 1 Year of services.  The winner will be announced, Jan 10th, 2014. Afterwards, AllTrips will highlight results and recommendations from the giveaway on our blog & Facebook page.  Even if you don't win, you will receive recommendations that you can apply directly to your business. Register on our Facebook page and follow along! Good luck and thank you for your support in 2013! The AllTrips Team AllTrips.com - Connecting People to Outdoor Destinations

Get travel marketing insights on Facebook AllTrips.com | 1160 Alpine Lane, Unit B | Jackson, WY 83002 | (307) 733-5681 This was sent to cynthia@acadiachamber.com. Unsubscribe me from this contact list.

From Linda at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce

Please mark you calendars.  We will be starting the MSCC One Voice Conference Calls every Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. We strongly encourage folks to call in and hear about the latest developments at the Legislature.  The first conference call  will be on Monday, January 6th at 8:30 a.m.  To connect to the call please dial 1-866-316-1519 and passcode 872108# .  If you have any questions, please call me at 623-4568 x106. 

Happy holidays! 

 

Linda

Harbor House Presents: A Community Holiday Celebration

COMMUNITY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

Friday December 13th

Think.Shop.Buy Local December 13th & 14th

Friday December 13th

3:00-8:00 pm Craft Fair. Local crafters will be selling beautiful gifts for the Holiday season in the Old Yellow Schoolhouse.

8:30am-5:30pm Kids can shop at Carroll Drug Store with a special 20% off Storewide Discount.

5:30 pm Southwest Harbor's finest fire truck brings Santa to town to light the Village Christmas
Tree.

5:45 pm Santa lights the Christmas Bonfire & the Pemetic/Tremont Brass ensemble play
Christmas music to get you in the Holiday Spirit.

6:00-7:30 pm Horse Drawn Carriage rides with Wild Iris Farm.

6:00-8:00 pm Storytelling and then Photos with Santa by Mary Ellen Martel at Harbor House.
Refreshments and cookies will be offered by the Southwest Harbor Congregational Church.

Saturday December 14th

9am-2pm Craft Fair. Local crafters will be selling beautiful gifts for the Holiday season in the Old Yellow Schoolhouse.

8:30am-5:30pm Kids can shop at Carroll Drug Store with a special 20% off Storewide Discount.

Be sure to Think. Shop. Buy local from in town businesses that will be offering

great deals for the Holiday season.

News from the Salty Dog Galery

HERE IS WISHING YOU PEACE AND JOY DURING THIS BEAUTIFUL SEASON We would like you to consider purchasing an original work of art or a giclee print from us for your family or a friend this Christmas.  Below are a few samples of paintings and giclee prints Phil has completed which would make great presents . As a thank you we will provide gift wrap and free shipping anywhere in  continental United States.                 A number of people have requested lighthouse prints, so..we are showing a number of them here 1.  Our Village Store                                                                12.  St. Augistine Lighthouse, Florida 2.  Swan's Island Church in the Winter                                   13.  Portland Lighthouse, Maine                         3.  Matinicus Island Harbor                                                      14.  Point Loma Lighthouse, California                       4. Maine Island School                                                             15.  Bass Harbor Lighthouse in a Storm                       5.  Down East Fisherman's Home                                          16.  Key Biscane Lighthouse, Florida                       6.  Little Cranberry Island Church in Winter                            17.  Sylt Lighthouse, Germany                       7.  Winter Sunday Morning, Swan's Island                             18.  Duck Island Lighthouse, Maine                       8.  Oban Canal Lighthouse, Scotland                                     19.  Close Haul to First Mark.                       9.  High Street Church in Winter, Southwest Harbor, ME.    20.  Down East Lighthouse, Maine                      10.  Indian Island Lighthouse, Maine                                        21. Northwest Passage, Oregon                      11. Bass Harbor Lighthouse in the Fog                                  22.  Jupiter Lighthouse, Florida   To view more of Phil's  paintings and Giclee Prints   see   www.philipssteel.com.              When you see a painting or giclee print you would like to have,  please call or e-mail me, Joan, at 772-465-8322,  or 772-489-1156., summer and winter. Gallery phone number is 207-244-5918 ..e-mail is  www.philartist@gmail.com  We wish you a very happy Holiday and New Year                                                          Joan and Phil Steel

BAR HARBOR BANK & TRUST 25th ANNUAL COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE – FINAL RESULTS!

Bar Harbor, Maine – Bar Harbor Bank & Trust concluded their 25^th Annual Community Food Drive on November 22. More than 2,700 food items and over $1,300 were collected for and delivered to local food pantries prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. “On behalf of the Bank, I would like to thank everyone who donated to the food drive. These contributions are greatly appreciated,” said Margie Gray at Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. These gifts helped fill Thanksgiving food baskets and stock the shelves of local food pantries for the winter months ahead. “I would also like to thank the five local grocery stores that participated in the live radio broadcasts with Classic Hits I-95: Hannaford in Bar Harbor, Shaw’s in Ellsworth, Tradewinds Marketplace in Blue Hill, Bayside Supermarket in Milbridge, and Tobey’s Grocery in South China,” said Gray. “Our employees enjoy interacting with the community during these events and collecting donations for our local food pantries.”

Each of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s 15 branches collected donations for the Food Drive and delivered them to their local food pantry for distribution. The food pantries that received these donations included: Bar Harbor Food Pantry, Westside Food Pantry, Emmaus Center, Loaves and Fishes, Tree of Life, Maine Sea Coast Mission Food Pantry at Weald Bethel, Island Pantry, Thomaston Interfaith Fellowship Food Pantry, Lifeline Food Pantry, Machias Food Pantry, China Community Food Pantry, Augusta Food Bank, Mid-Coast Hunger Prevention Program and Whiting Food Pantry.

“On behalf of all Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees, our gratitude goes out to everyone who donated so generously to the food drive Thank you for sharing what you have to help meet the needs of our neighbors,” said Gray.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust is a community bank with more than $1.3 billion in assets. Founded in 1887, the Bank offers a full range of financial services for families, businesses, and non-profit organizations throughout Maine with 15 branch locations, from Topsham to Lubec. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, Member FDIC, is a subsidiary of Bar Harbor Bankshares (AMEX:BHB) and was named one of the 2013 Best Places to Work in Maine. For more information call 1-888-853-7100 or go to www.bhbt.com.

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#3086 Left to Right: Debbie Mitchell-Dow, Amy Blanchard, and Faye Allen of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust collect donations at Hannaford in Bar Harbor during Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s 25^th Annual Community Food Drive in partnership with Classic Hits I-95 to help stock the shelves of local food pantries.

#3157 Left to Right: Lisa Haskell, Julie Redman, and Jackie Curtis of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust collect donations outside of Tradewinds Marketplace in Blue Hill during Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s 25^th Annual Community Food Drive in partnership with Classic Hits I-95 to help stock the shelves of local food pantries.

#3135 Left to Right: Holly Archer and Jody Warren of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust collect donations outside of Shaw’s in Ellsworth during the Bank’s 25^th Annual Community Food Drive in partnership with Classic Hits I-95 to help stock the shelves of local food pantries.

#3164 Left to Right: Jacklyn Sinclair, Candy Pendleton and Krystal Jordan of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust collect donations outside of Bayside Supermarket in Milbridge during the Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s 25^th Annual Community Food Drive in partnership with Classic Hits I-95 to help stock the shelves of local food pantries.

#3183 Left to Right: Nichole Lee, Chris Perry and Julie Mockler of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust collect donations outside of Tobey’s Grocery in South China during the Bar Harbor Bank & Trust’s 25^th Annual Community Food Drive in partnership with Classic Hits I-95 to help stock the shelves of local food pantries.

Catherine M. Planchart, VP

Corporate Communications & Community Relations

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust

135 High Street

P.O. Box 1089

Ellsworth, ME 04605

207-667-0660 x4655

E-mail: cplanchart@BHBT.com

Christmas Bird Count, from Down East Nature Tours

Christmas Bird Count:

Sign-up for the 114th Christmas Bird Count is now open! Find out about participation, find a circle near you and sign up to participate. It is free to participate!

Go to:
http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count for more info.

From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

Each of the citizen scientists who annually braves snow, wind, or rain, to take part in the Christmas Bird Count makes an enormous contribution to conservation. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action.

From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition -- and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation.

The 114th Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count will take place Dec 14, 2013 to January 5, 2014. The longest running Citizen Science survey in the world, Christmas Bird Count provides critical data on population trends. Tens of thousands of participants know that it is also a lot of fun. Data from the over 2,300 circles are entered after the count and become available to query under the Data & Research link.

This article was forwarded to us by Michael Good at Down East Nature Tours! (http://www.downeastnaturetours.com/)