Prioritizing mental health to help employees & companies thrive

Mental health concerns in today’s work environment have reached a fever pitch as we encounter an on-going “turnover tsunami” of employee resignation. Employee wellbeing can be a powerful anchor to keep talent secure, and the pressure is on for employers to retain their talent by reinvigorating and reimagining their practices around employee mental health and wellbeing.

Join some of Maine’s top HR leaders to find out what they’re doing to foster a healthy company culture in order to help eliminate the stigma around challenges we all face.

Moderated by Mim Minichiello, President of Employee Benefits, HUB International.

Mim Minichiello, President, Employee Benefits, HUB International New England

With over 25 years of experience, Mim provides leadership and implementation of employee benefit initiatives across the New England Region, building and expanding the HUB New England’s offerings as the top employee benefits solution provider.

Before joining HUB New England, Mim served in executive positions within the insurance brokerage and health plan industry. Mim’s experience lies in executing strategic growth and operational plans, building and implementing innovating sales strategies, and cultivating best-in-class teams. Mim is the recipient of the 2019 and 2020 Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in MA award and one of the 2019 Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 winners.

On the panel:

Danielle Caricofe, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, Machias Savings Bank

Danielle is a dynamic HR leader who inspires MSB employees to find the job they love and at which they excel. She manages all aspects of training, culture, and employee experience, and has been instrumental in the Bank’s ranking as one of the Best Places to Work in Maine – and Best Places to work in the Nation.

Danielle has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Husson University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is passionate about cultural development, employee engagement, and job growth throughout rural Maine. Danielle is a long-time resident of Lubec and serves on the Lubec Community Outreach Center and the EdGE Advisory Boards. She is also a proud member of the Lubec Elementary Boosters Club.

A mom of three, Danielle enjoys spending time at camp with family and friends and working at the local food pantry.

Celine Frueh, HR Director, Allagash Brewing Company

Celine Frueh is the HR Director at award-winning Allagash Brewing Company, a Certified B Corp based in Portland, Maine. With over 20 years of HR experience, she has found a passion for working with organizations that recognize the value of their biggest assets- employees- and offer an out of the box HR role with opportunity to be cutting edge in developing workplace culture.

During the pandemic, Celine and her team created a partnership with Wellspace, a local provider of mental health and wellness services, to combat the pressures that COVID, isolation, and parenting/caregiving added to the difficulty of everyday life. The program allowed Allagash to make mental health counseling services more accessible to employees and included 10 hours of treatment, per week, available to any Allagash employee at no expense to them. To further alleviate feelings of isolation, the HR team developed the “Get to Know a Coworker” program. Each week, participating employees would be paired up randomly for a half-hour virtual conversation—fully paid for by Allagash. A year into the pandemic, and beyond, these sorts of programs that tackle and normalize mental health will continue to be a priority for Allagash.