AUGUSTA — Businesses from Auburn, Jay and Norway were among the seven companies to receive the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence at a State House ceremony Friday.

A news statement released by the Gov. Paul R. LePage’s office said the award recognizes Falcon Performance Footwear, Auburn; Howie’s Welding & Fabrication, Jay; Norway Savings Bank, Norway; TD Bank, Portland; Lapointe Lumber Co., Gardiner; FHC, Inc., Bowdoin; and Lonza Rockland, Inc., Rockland, for “their commitment to their communities and contribution to Maine’s economy.” 

“We are proud to recognize businesses and businesspeople that are positively impacting our region by contributing to the economic prosperity of the community and making it a better place to live,” LePage said.

The annual awards were administered by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. More than 120 businesses have received the award since 1991.

“Thanks to this year’s recipients, hundreds of Maine families have financial security in a state that offers a great quality of life,” DECD Commissioner George Gervais said. “Their impact on the Maine economy is recognized and appreciated.”

The 2013 recipients are:

• Falcon Performance Footwear, Auburn: Established in 1963, Falcon began as a manufacturer of children’s shoes, and then moved to industrial footwear in the 1980s. Today, Falcon’s 55 employees manufacture 12 styles of fire boots for its partner, Globe Firefighter Suits of Pittsfield, N.H., and four styles of industrial/mining boots.
• Howie’s Welding & Fabrication, Jay: Howie’s Welding & Fabrication, Inc. was established in 1983 and has shown continued growth, working in all types of structural steel fabrication. In addition to welding, the 10-employee company runs a paint shop and retail store. Howie’s is also experienced in aluminum, stainless steel and brass welding.
• Norway Savings Bank, South Paris: Norway Savings Bank was founded more than 145 years ago with a commitment to personal values, community values and financial values that have never faltered. Over the years, Norway Savings Bank has grown to serve a wide area throughout western and southern Maine and currently employs more than 250 full-time people.
• TD Bank, Portland: TD Bank is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. with deep roots in the community dating back more than 150 years. Its Maine presence now includes 54 stores, nearly 3,100 employees and several major office buildings.
• Lapointe Lumber Company, Gardiner: Lapointe Lumber Company was started in 1947 with little more than a saw mill and wood lot on N. Belfast Avenue in Augusta. Today, Lapointe Lumber employs approximately 30 people and remains a family owned and operated lumber and building material retailer serving the professional contractor, builder, remodeler and retail public of Central Maine.
• FHC, Inc., Bowdoin: FHC has served the neuroscience community for more than 40 years in its mission to advance cranial micro-targeting worldwide. The FHC facility, which employs more than 100 people, is in a 21,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility at the former Bowdoin Central School.
• Lonza Rockland, Inc., Rockland: Originally established in Rockland as Marine Colloids in the 1960s, today Lonza develops and manufactures products used in life sciences, including basic cellular and molecular biology research, drug discovery and forensics. The Lonza Rockland facility employees 59 people in a mix of engineering, manufacturing, quality and professional roles.