AUGUSTA – Maine small business owners who completed 36 hours of technical business skills training were honored by Gov. John E. Baldacci at a May 9 Blaine House ceremony.

Twenty-three current and nascent business owners participated in a 12-week training project called Calculated Risk, conducted in Orono, Augusta and Portland and designed by the Maine Small Business Development Centers for Maine’s food industry.

Among those recognized were Claire Gelinas of Fare Share Co-op, Norway, and Theresa Hyatt and Dana Jones of La Cuisine, Turner.

The project evolved from research in 2001 by the University of Maine’s Department of Resource Economics and Policy, determining that Maine’s food industry wanted a better understanding of business management and technical assistance.