CAMDEN — Jennifer Wadsworth, customer service representative at Allen Insurance and Financial, has obtained her State of Maine insurance license so that she can help clients with a variety of insurance products, including health, life, dental and disability insurance. She studied for the state exam through Allen's in-house education program.

Wadsworth joined Allen Insurance and Financial in June 2014 and is based in the company's insured benefits division, at 31 Chestnut Street in Camden. She assists clients with insured benefits questions. Wadsworth, a Union native, is a graduate of South Hope Christian School.

Outside of work, she enjoys camping and cooking and spending time with friends and family.

Allen Insurance and Financial is an employee-owned insurance, employee benefits, and financial services company with offices in Rockland, Camden, Belfast and Southwest Harbor. Call 800-439-4311. Online: AllenIF.com.

Camden Conference announces new president

CAMDEN — Peter Imber has been elected president of the Camden Conference. Imber moved to Maine in 2010 with his Rockland-born wife, Jo Dondis, after a 28-year career in network television news. For most of that time he was a producer for ABC News and covered national and international stories while based in Los Angeles.

His work was nominated for National News Emmys four times, winning once. He has also received a DuPont-Columbia Award and a National Press Club Award.  Imber graduated from Dartmouth College, and lived in Israel in the 1970s where he was a member of a kibbutz and served in the Israel Defense Forces.

After returning to the U.S., he received an MFA from UCLA in Motion Picture/Television Production. He has taught several classes at Belfast Senior College. Imber and his wife have three children.

Imber brings enthusiasm for the Conference and a can-do attitude that will be appreciated by the board of directors and staff.

"I've discovered the absolutely best way to become part of a community as a retiree looking for something to do — volunteer! In Maine more than most places you can actually make a difference," said Imber in a press release.

Filling out the officers for the organization, John Davidson who has spent more than 35 years in the investment management industry holding positions as CEO, chief investment officer, chief economist, and portfolio manager will continue as treasurer. Emily Lusher has worked in marketing and market research for more than 30 years for corporations, small businesses and nonprofits will continue as secretary.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world affairs through year-round community events, public and student engagement, and an annual weekend Conference.

For more information, visit www.camdenconference.org

2015 Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce Business and Community Expo

From premier banking opportunities to printer technology, from security systems to event and conference venues, the latest products, services and technologies will be touted by local and regional companies at The PBRCC Annual Business and Community Expo on Wednesday, April 8. The event will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Samoset Resort in Rockport. In addition to providing a venue for area businesses to showcase their products and services, the Expo will again feature a special section for non-profit organizations. FMI: mainebusinessshowcase.com

Managing editor of Maine Authors Publishing retires

ROCKLAND — Maine Authors Publishing announced the retirement of managing editor Cheryl McKeary, of Washington, effective April 1. She is considered a "co-inventor" with president Jane Karker since McKeary came on the staff more than five years ago near the beginning of the formation of MAP. She helped to envision and create an entirely new company and a concept now called "cooperative-style" publishing.

"Cheryl holds a rare combination of talents that fit perfectly with the kind of company we have become — she is both creative and practical; she can see the big picture and the small details; she is a visionary yet uses her years of practical experience to balance the vision; she is an optimist with good critical thinking skills; she is artistic and highly technical," said Karker in a news release. "We will all miss her on a personal as well as professional level."

McKeary will be in the office as an occasional consultant throughout 2015. She has no immediate plans other than to delve more deeply into her passion for experiencing, photographing and exploring the natural world in Maine, and beyond, with her husband, John, and her dog, Shelby.

Maine Authors Publishing works with independent authors to get their books published and in the hands of readers. The company's mission is to provide a full-service, affordable, and uniquely local independent publishing solution for authors and bookstores. For more information, visit maineauthorspublishing.com.

First Year Anniversary for Strand Theatre membership program

ROCKLAND, The Strand Theatre, 345 Main St., Rockland, is celebrating a successful first year of its membership program. Created as a way for the community to help support the theater’s operations after it became a non-profit in January 2014, the program now has more than 700 members. According to Executive Director Sarah Ruddy: "All over the country, historic theaters like the Strand are turning to their communities for help. In Rockland, the community has really shown up for us in a big way. Residents of the Midcoast and well beyond have been incredibly generous."

More than 23,000 people came to see movies at the Strand Theater in the past year; another 10,000 came to concerts or attended the Met Opera, Bolshoi Ballet or other HD events.  

According to theater manager Liz McLeod, “The theater bought 1 1/2 tons of popcorn last year, equalling over 10,000 small-size servings; laid end to end, the popcorn boxes required to hold this much popcorn would extend over 92 miles, or just a little less than the distance from Rockland to Saco.”

 The theater, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the  National Trust for Historic Preservation, became a non-profit in January 2014 and is operated by Friends of the Strand Theatre. Memberships, as well as grants, sponsorships and fund-raising efforts, help pay the operating expenses supporting the wide range of cultural and educational programming the theater offers to the community. 

The Strand Theatre was built by Ida and Joseph Dondis in 1923 and operated by the Dondis family for more than 60 years. The theater was bought by a multiplex in 2000, but remained undeveloped until it was purchased by Matt and Ellen Simmons, long-time summer residents of Rockport, in 2005. The Simmons family extensively renovated the theater, returning it as closely as possible to its original 1920s character while assuring that the building would also be a comfortable, state-of-the-art, modern facility. In 2014, Ellen Simmons gifted the theater to the newly formed Friends of the Strand Theatre, Inc, a nonprofit.

For more information about the Strand Membership program, call Jessie Davis at 207-701-5053 or email jessie@rocklandstrand.com. For more information on all upcoming live concerts, films, HD broadcasts, and events at the Strand, visit www.rocklandstrand.com. Tel: (207) 594-0070 EX 3  Email: info@rocklandstrand.com

Maine Lobster Festival donations

In recent months, the Maine Lobster Festival Board of Directors was happy to offer financial support to three organizations in Midcoast Maine.

 Camden-Rockport Middle School’s Japan Student Exchange

Camden-Rockport Middle School has sponsored a unique exchange program with the school board in Hirakawa in Aomori Prefecture, Japan for the past sixteen years. In February, the Board of Directors gifted $300 to the exchange program, which will help allow 10 CRMS students to go to Japan this year. Several of these students met with the Maine Lobster Festival directors during the presentation of the gift.

Oceanside High School’s “Backpack Program”

The “Backpack Program” assures that students have essential resources during weekends. The Board of Directors gave $500 to representatives of the “Backpack Program” in February.

Meals on Wheels

The Maine Lobster Festival has offered financial support for Meals on Wheels for many years, and they were happy to do so again in 2015. The Board of Directors presented Meals on Wheels with $500 to continue their efforts of bringing hot meals to local residents in Knox County.

PORTLAND – The Maine State Council of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) has kicked off the tenth annual "Best Places to Work in Maine" program. The program, endorsed by the Maine Department of Labor, The Department of Economic and Community Development, Best Companies Group, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, Maine HR Convention and Mainebiz recognizes companies that have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace environments.

“This program, for the past nine years, has been successful because of the great companies who recognize that part of their success is based on the importance placed on recruiting and retaining top talent,” said Marcia Benner, State Director of the SHRM Maine State Council.

In June, Best Companies Group will survey all the Maine companies that have registered online by the deadline of May 22. The scientifically validated survey will incorporate a company’s employee benefits and policies and responses from a comprehensive employee engagement and satisfaction survey. The data collected from the assessment will be used to determine the Best Places to Work in Maine.

“I’m pleased to support a program that takes care of their most valuable resource, which is the people who work for them,” said Governor Paul R. LePage. “Maine’s job creators help make our State the best place to live, work and raise a family. I look forward to hearing about who is at the top of the list this year.”

The Best Companies Group “Employee Feedback Report” is presented to each participating company, even if they did not make the list. The report includes the summarized employee engagement and satisfaction data, the Maine Benchmark Report, and the transcript of employee written comments. The report is used by many to make significant improvements in their workplace culture.

There is a fee to participate in this program that covers the cost to conduct the comprehensive survey and create the "Employee Feedback Report".

First place winners of the ninth annual “Best Places to Work in Maine” program in 2014 included Edward Jones based in Belfast in the large company category, Patriot Subaru, located in Saco, took the same honor in the medium category and #1 in the small company category was TruChoice Federal Credit Union based in South Portland.

Any company with at least 15 employees in the state of Maine is encouraged to participate. Companies selected as a “Best Place to Work in Maine” will be announced at a gala event in the fall of 2015. A complete list of top companies will be featured in a statewide publication put out by Mainebiz.

Interested companies can apply to participate in the program online at www.bestplacestoworkme.com. The deadline for registration is May 22, 2015 and all registered companies will be surveyed simultaneously following the deadline date.