Lewiston – Harriman Associates and the Ware Street Inn took center stage Thursday night at the annual Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce awards.

The two local companies each received the Chamber’s Business Leadership Award. These awards recognize a business that has made significant investments in supporting the region’s economic growth, set a new leadership standard for business innovation and quality, or expanded employment opportunities through the establishment of a new business or business expansion.

The following descriptions of the awards and businesses were provided with the help of the Chamber of Commerce:

The Business Leadership award for a large company was presented to Harriman Associates. The firm that became Harriman Associates started over 130 years ago. At the firm, architects and engineers work closely on a project to save time and money for clients. It is one of the largest architectural and engineering firms in New England and has been recognized a number of times for its innovative and quality work. Recent local projects include Auburn’s first parking garage and the new Auburn City Hall, which is scheduled to open this summer.

Chamber Board Chairman Ron Lebel said of this award to Harriman: “In addition to their award-winning engineering and architectural work, Harriman Associates encourages their associates to get deeply involved in a wide array of community volunteer activities making them a very valuable resource to our local community.” Accepting the award for Harriman Associates was Edward Cormier, president and CEO.

The Business Leadership award for a small company was presented to The Ware Street Inn and innkeeper Jan Barrett, who opened the inn in Lewiston in 1999. The Ware Street Inn was the first in-town bed and breakfast, and she has provided guidance for others wanting to start their own businesses. One way in which Barrett shows her community leadership is by making sure that all of her guests know about the services that Lewiston-Auburn has to offer.

The inn at College and Ware streets has grown so much in the last four years that she is already able to think about expanding.

Barrett is not only a successful businesswoman, she is president-elect and membership chair for the Lewiston-Auburn Rotary Club, a board member for the chamber and for the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council. She serves on the Regional Image and Fund-raising Committees for the chamber.

Chamber President Chip Morrison says, “Jan is a mini-Chamber of Commerce all by herself. She goes out of the way to promote the Lewiston-Auburn area.”

The Community Service Leadership award recognizes individual or group efforts that have made significant contributions to the quality of life or the enhancement of community or regional assets. Two Community Service Leadership awards were presented this year, to Barbara Trafton and Ed Plourde.

Trafton has been working in the community since 1971, when she was the initial pool director of the new YWCA swimming pool in Lewiston. From 1971-1976, she was a Red Cross certified water safety instructor for Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties. She has been vice president of development for Sisters of Charity Health Systems and director for Casco Bank. She has served in the Maine Senate and as Maine’s national committeewoman to the Democratic Party. Since 2001, she has served as the volunteer chairperson of the Auburn Public Library’s New Building Campaign, leading the successful drive for an expanded library.

“Barbara Trafton is one of the driving forces in the renaissance of Lewiston-Auburn. She takes on major projects and won’t quit until they are totally successful,” said Morrison.

Plourde is chairman of the Auburn-Lewiston Airport Board of Directors, where he’s helped create a more unified and focused team, and tangible results. He dedicated many years to the task of lighting the landmark Saints Peter and Paul Church, even when people said it was a waste of time and couldn’t be done. Morrison noted that the people of Lewiston can now look to the lighted steeples every night and be proud of their community.

“Ed has worked hard, well beyond the normal workday, to display the great things Lewiston-Auburn has to offer,” said Morrison. “He has worked diligently to promote a positive image for the Lewiston-Auburn community.”

The Education Business Partnership Award goes to an individual or business that has made outstanding contributions to bringing educational institutions and businesses into closer working relationships. This year’s award was presented to Scott Knapp, president of Central Maine Community College. Morrison said, “During Scott’s presidency, the college has seen incredible growth; enrollment has increased 18 percent in the last year and has doubled since 1997 when he came to the college.”

Tuition at the college has remained stable for the past seven years and the cost per student has been reduced by $2,000. Last year, Knapp led the college’s expansion into a community college and added a transfer option to its strong technical program offerings. Under Knapp’s leadership, the college has also improved its role in providing educational opportunities for the community.

He is the primary creator of the college’s Executive-in-Residence Program, which provides CMCC students with firsthand advice and expertise from community leaders.

The Greene Business Award recognizes a businessperson in Greene who has made a noteworthy contribution in support of economic growth in the town. This year’s award was presented to David Bubier and Town & Country Foods.

Bubier and his wife started the business in 1971 and currently employ 35 people, most of whom have been with them for 10 years or more. They are a federally inspected meat-processing plant with a full line of meats, produce, milk and paper products. They provide needed items to restaurants, stores, hospitals and schools within a 100-mile radius and are well-known in the area for their homemade lobster, chicken and ham salads. They also have a smokehouse where they smoke hams to sell in their retail store during the holidays.

The new Ken Additon Small Business Advocate Award recognizes a member who has made great efforts to support local small businesses. This award is named for the late Ken Additon, a local banker who provided world-class service to hundreds of local businesses over his long and distinguished career.

This year’s award was presented to Diane McManus of Northeast Bank for her long-term work in supporting area small businesses. For the past 24 years, she’s assisted small businesses in meeting their financial needs.

She started out in 1979 at the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, where she became involved in their Economic Loan Pool Program. McManus was involved with many businesses including Geiger, Thayer Corp., Bachmann Industries, Spillers, Penmor and almost every business in the Lewiston Industrial Park and Airpark at the time. She then joined Development Concepts Inc. as vice president of finance, where she continued to assist small businesses.

In 1992, she joined Northeast Bank and is now recognized as one of the most successful commercial lenders in Maine. She has been the bank’s top loan producer for the past few years.

In learning that she was to receive the award, McManus was overcome with emotion.

“I had the privilege of working with Ken for several years. He was truly a remarkable man who helped innumerable businesses get their start in our area. I am very honored to be receiving the award,” she said.

The Lisbon Business Award recognizes a Lisbon businessperson who has made a noteworthy contribution in support of economic growth in the town of Lisbon. This year’s award was presented to Sue Conroy for her tireless volunteer work on the Moxie Festival.

Conroy has been working on the Moxie Festival for the past four years and is said to “live and breathe” the festival all year long. She has developed new ways to finance festival activities, including a special festival advertising supplement and direct contributions from a large number of organizations. These activities have resulted in the festival becoming self-sustaining in the last three years.

Not only does she work behind the scenes, but during the festival she is right in the middle of the action, facilitating activities and dressing to the appropriate theme. During her time as the volunteer leader, the Moxie Festival has grown dramatically and is now bringing more than 25,000 visitors to Lisbon and Androscoggin County each year.

Two President’s Awards were given out this year, one to the Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch and the other to Maine Public Broadcasting.

The Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch, owned by brothers Lee and Steve Griswold and by Brad Leighton, received the award for succeeding with what was considered a risky development in downtown Auburn. Racing brought the three men together: Brad was a race car driver and Steve a race car owner. Over the years, they all became very close friends and then business partners in The Hilton Garden Inn.

The hotel opened last summer on the banks of the Androscoggin River. The six-story building features a glass-walled pavilion housing the reception desk, the Great American Grill restaurant, a 4,000-square-foot ballroom, an indoor pool and fitness center, four meeting rooms with 4,600 square feet of flexible space, including a 12-person executive boardroom, and 108 guest rooms. The inn has become a focus for millions of dollars in new investment into downtown Auburn, according to Morrison.

Morrison praised the partners for taking a major risk on a development that many thought would not work out. “They have already exceeded their original projections and are proving all the naysayers completely wrong,” said Morrison.

Maine Public Broadcasting received the award for its recent expansion in Lewiston and its long-term service to the community: It celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2002.

Maine PBS is committed to education, with programming that includes: “Ready to Learn,” which partners with literacy organizations and Head Start programs to get books to needy families; “Career and Learning Connections,” which broadcasts adult education and career training courses throughout the state; “National Teacher Training Institute,” where master teachers conduct workshops for Maine educators; and “QUEST: Investigating Our World,” the first science and nature series based in Maine.

Maine Public Broadcasting also provides formal instruction in a series called “GED on Television” and provides lesson plans for teachers to use in conjunction with its educational programming.

Said Morrison, “Public Broadcasting is an incredible resource for Lewiston-Auburn. We are truly fortunate to have them located in our communities.”

The award was accepted by Bonnie Adams, director of major gifts for the organization.

The Public Service Leadership Award recognizes an individual who’s an appointed or elected official of the state, county, regional or local government and who has through their public career made a significant contribution to the future of life in Androscoggin County. This year’s award was presented to Larry Raymond, outgoing Lewiston mayor.

During the last two years, the city of Lewiston has blossomed because of Mayor Raymond’s quiet leadership, Morrison said. He has been the key force in the improvements downtown, including the new park at the Main Street gateway and the southern gateway’s makeover, with the addition of Oxford Networks, Andover College and VIP auto. He has also been active in supporting other redevelopment of Lisbon Street, which has seen multiple new developments in the last 24 months. He was also a driving force in the lighting of the steeples of Saints Peter and Paul Church, a beacon in the night skyline of the Lewiston-Auburn area.

Raymond, who calls himself a “country lawyer,” has been involved with Lewiston, Auburn and surrounding areas since he was a child.

The Ray Geiger Award recognizes a chamber member who, over a number of years, has made a significant contribution in support of the chamber’s mission and the effectiveness of its work in the areas of business advocacy, member support, regional image development and business education partnerships. This year’s award was presented to Barbara Fogarty of Women’s Fitness and Personal Training for her energetic and tireless support of the chamber and its programs.

As a new member in the early ’90s, she joined its Ambassador’s Committee and eventually became chairwoman. In 1994, she became a board member and, in 2000, board chairwoman. Fogarty attends almost every chamber breakfast, where she has been a sponsor and a spotlighter, and Business After Hours, where she has sold 50/50 raffle tickets and Androscoggin-opoly games to benefit the chamber and its programs.

She has also participated in annual meetings, Not Your Normal Formal, every membership drive and Thank You Day. She has presented high school seniors with annual chamber scholarships and has been a representative in Augusta on several business-related issues.

She constantly supports the chamber’s mission, striving to help Maine become a more “business friendly” state by encouraging local business growth and local purchasing of goods and services.

Current Chamber Chairman Lebel noted, “No one could be more deserving of this award. Barbara has been a key supporter of the chamber for more than a decade and a major force in our tremendous growth over that period.”

The Turner Business Award recognizes a Turner business or businessperson who has made a noteworthy contribution in support of the economic growth in the town of Turner. This year’s award was presented to the Nezinscot Guild.

The guild was started in 1979 by a small group of people with diverse skills as a wood-products manufacturing facility on the banks of the Nezinscot River. The guild has been growing ever since. In 1992, it outgrew its original location, moving to the Turner Business Park. Initially, it provided extensive secondary operations to the Maine wood-turning industry, and it still maintains many of those original business relationships today.

In the mid-1980s, the guild began making wooden gift boxes for the made-in-Maine gourmet food industry and now enjoys national name recognition in the gift crate and box industry. Around the same time, it also established a separate division devoted to commercial packaging and assembly. The guild has maintained and expanded its customer base by focusing on long-term business relationships. Accepting the award was Chief Executive Daniel O’Shea.