“From regional advocacy, to environmental stewardship, to education,” said Chamber President Chip Morrison, “our annual awards are a chance to acknowledge some of the best of who we are.”

Paul Badeau, marketing director of the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council since 1998, and recipient of the Public Service Leadership Award, is, according to Morrison, “a key partner in our successful effort to bring positive recognition to the L-A area.” Badeau helped launch the “It’s Happening Here” campaign, the annual Business-t-Business trade show – the biggest event of its kind in the state – and the new “Launch L-A” contest designed to attract young entrepreneurs to the community.

The Community Service Leadership Award is presented jointly to Androscoggin Bank, Auburn Savings Bank and Mechanic Savings Bank, especially for their collective effort to provide seed and matching funding to a scholarship pool to support local students seeking a degree at Lewiston Auburn College. These three banks have been serving the community for an aggregate of more than 395 years, with combined philanthropic efforts supporting hundreds of local organizations annually.

Southern New Hampshire University is being recognized with the Education Award. For years, Chamber members and local businesses have identified the need for a post graduate program in business administration in our communities, and SNHU began work toward that objective in 2009, using facilities at Central Maine Community College. The new MBA program started this January with 16 students.

Introduced just last year, the Cool Chamber Award recognizes those who have made significant contributions to energy savings. Bruce Damon, of Damon Mechanical Services, and Lamey Wellhehan’s Jim Wellehan are pioneers on the frontier of energy efficiency. Wellehan was a pioneer in recycling efforts in Lamey Wellehan stores long before it was fashionable. He has long been an advocate that buildings should have zero carbon emissions and has moved to building facilities that are totally energy efficient. Damon is chair of the city of Lewiston’s “Energy Savings Committee” – and the city is now widely recognized for its progress.

The Poland Business Award, presented by the Chamber for only the second time, is conferred on the Poland Spring Inn and Resort, which has been serving guests since 1790 when it started as an overnight stagecoach stop. From there it grew to one of the world’s most renowned summer resorts. Today, it anchors the remarkable array of the community’s tourism assets – from the historic Maine State Building, to Poland Spring Preservation Park, to Range Pond State Park, to the Shaker Village and museum. The resort’s owner, Cyndi Robbins, gives some of Maine’s deployed troops and their immediate family no-strings-attached stays at the inn. All proceeds from the resort’s Heritage Days go to the nonprofit Poland Spring Preservation Society.

The Turner Business Award, presented to a business that has made a significant contribution to the town of Turner, is presented to Accidental Anomalies, now one of northern New England’s leading fabricators of custom stairs and handrail systems. They specialize in difficult and challenging designs, both in new construction and in remodeling.