Avesta honors Core Values winners

Avesta Housing recently honored its employees’ exemplary service and dedication with Core Value Awards, presented each year to four staff members.

O’Brien

This year’s recipients are: Humanity, Aleesa Larson, Independent Living team coordinator, 75 State St.; Stewardship, Michael Rayder, associate director of development; Relationships, Ben O’Brien, maintenance technician; and Quality, Cheryl Poulin, business applications manager.

Avesta’s mission is to provide quality affordable homes for people in need.

Hires, promotions, appointments

Hannington

Lucy Hannington is the new community outreach manager at Greater Portland Landmarks. She previously worked at Victoria Mansion as site manager and education director.

Carrie Cianchette, Melanie Gilligan and Stephanie Peters have joined the Spurwink Board of Directors. Cianchette first became involved with Spurwink by volunteering on Spurwink’s Development Committee in 2018. Gilligan has been a member of Spurwink’s Development Committee since 2012. Peters, a Brunswick native, is the chief operating officer at InterMed.

Peters

SailMaine welcomed Ben Lewis as its new communications and operations director.

Fr. Selvaraj Kasi, has been appointed parochial vicar at the Portland Peninsula and Island Parishes (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Parish, Portland; Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish, Portland; St. Christopher Parish, Peaks Island; St. Louis Parish, Portland; St. Peter Parish, Portland). He is currently parochial vicar at the Parish of the Precious Blood in Caribou.

Kasi

Hilary Hendricks is the new director of Philanthropy and Communications at Independence Association, a Brunswick-based nonprofit that helps adults and children with disabilities.

Recognition

Ocean State Job Lot discount retailer, which operates stores in Falmouth and Biddeford, has been honored with a 2022 Sustainability Leadership Award from the Business Intelligence Group.

The Sustainability Awards honor those who have made sustainability an integral part of their business or mission. To lower its carbon footprint, in 2018, OSJL made a $12 million investment to replace the lighting in all of its stores. The company also instituted a successful recycling program across all offices, facilities, and stores, which made OSJL a Net Zero Waste company.

Hancock Lumber has been named a Best Place to Work in Maine for the ninth consecutive year, based on the Best Places to Work survey, in which 95% participated.

Acquisitions

Hancock Lumber announced plans to acquire Madison Lumber Mill with an anticipated closing date of Sept. 30. Hancock Lumber’s eastern white pine operations will expand to four mills with its first sawmill acquisition in over 20 years.

The Madison, NH-based location will continue to operate under the Madison Lumber Mill name and Hancock plans is to keep Madison Lumber’s employees, manufacturing systems, customer relations, and products produced unchanged. Adding the fourth mill to its portfolio will make Hancock Lumber the largest eastern white pine producer in the United States.