The Northern Maine Chapter of SCORE has been selected to receive the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2026 National SCORE Chapter of the Year Award. Score provides free mentoring and business counseling services to startup, emerging, and established businesses in Maine.  

In Maine, thousands of small and micro businesses benefit from Score services annually. The Northern Maine Chapter includes Waldo and Knox counties, and stretches into Aroostook and Washington counties. Three of the 12 Mentors reside in Waldo and Knox counties: Frank Yahner and Russ Krauss, of Knox County; and Jayne Crosby Giles, of Waldo County.

“Every day, the incredible volunteers from the Northern Maine SCORE chapter provide mentoring and advising to entrepreneurs striving to achieve the American Dream in the most rural parts of the state,” said Diane Sturgeon, SBA District Director for Maine.  “While we’ve always recognized the exceptional work done by SCORE in Maine, we are thrilled that the efforts of SCORE mentors are being recognized at the national level, shining a spotlight on the amazing work they do,” added Sturgeon.

The Northern Maine Chapter of SCORE leverages a network of mentors to provide both one-on-one mentoring services to their clients, as well as provide a wide array of free workshops to entrepreneurs in Northern Maine. As one of three SCORE chapters in the state, Northern Maine SCORE contributed to the nearly 2,500 Maine SCORE clients attending mentor sessions and workshops in Fiscal Year 2025, supporting or creating over 1,700 jobs in Maine.

"Northern Maine SCORE is extremely honored to be awarded this prestigious National award" said David Green, Chapter Chair of Northern Maine SCORE. "Our goal is to grow the economy of rural Maine by helping entrepreneurs start and grow businesses, partnering with local communities and regional development commissions. Our team of dedicated mentors and subject matter experts share their expertise, time and network connections with all our SCORE clients", added Green.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

 About SCORE

SCORE, the nation's largest volunteer business mentoring service, is a nonprofit association dedicated to providing mentoring to individuals in business, or to those thinking about starting a business. Founded in 1964, SCORE is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. SCORE volunteers are real-world professionals, both actively employed as well as retired, with time-tested knowledge and perspective to help clients succeed.