Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce
50 Elm Street
Waterville, ME 04901
Office: (207) 873-3315
Fax: (207) 877-0087
Monday to Friday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
For General Inquiries:
brandi@midmainechamber.com
Staff
Kimberly Lindlof
President & CEO
Kimberly@midmainechamber.com
Photo credit Bowdoin Photography
Brandi A. Meisner
Vice President of Operations
brandi@midmainechamber.com
Photo credit Elm City Photo
Cindy Stevens
Program Director
cindy@midmainechamber.com
Katelyn Hood
Customer Service Specialist
katelyn@midmainechamber.com
Photo credit Elm City Photo
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Board of Directors
Joy McKenna
Chair
joy.mckenna@mainegeneral.org
Growing up in Bangor, Joy developed a passion for volunteering and participated in a wide variety of activities in school and in the community. Her desire to work in all aspects of community improvement and personal empowerment led her to government. She served as a staff person in the U.S. Congress and for two health care-related nonprofits during her 10 years in Washington, D.C. Joy returned to Maine to join the communications office of Governor Baldacci. Since 2011, Joy has served at MaineGeneral Health, the largest private employer in the Kennebec Valley. She became director of Marketing & Communications in 2014. She is currently Board Chair of the Chamber.
Michelle Joler-Labbe
1st Vice Chair
hr@thomas.edu
Michelle Joler-Labbe, a Winslow native, attended University of Maine Farmington receiving a B.A. in Psychology. She also went to Springfield College where she obtained a Master’s in counseling. Currently, she is the chief human resource officer at Thomas College. Michelle presently is a member of Kennebec Valley Human Resource Association. She resides in Vassalboro with her husband, daughter and two dogs. In her spare time, she boats, kayaks and spends time at the lake. Michelle is current Chair of Mid-Maine Chamber’s Business Breakfast Series.
Mike Guarino
2nd Vice Chair
mainewilderness@gmail.com
Mike Guarino owns Maine Wilderness Guide Service. He currently is on the Boards of Friends of Messalonskee Lake Association, Belgrade Lakes Region Business Group, and Kennebec Valley Tourism Council. He sits on the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s Mid-Maine Bass committee, golf committee and the marketing and membership committees.
Bruce Harrington
Treasurer
Bharrington@mainestatecu.org
Bruce is a commercial loan officer at Maine State Credit Union. Bruce is responsible for commercial lending in the greater Waterville and Augusta Areas. He is board treasurer, chairs Business to Business Showcase and Business Expansion & Retention Committees, and serves on the Bass Fishing Subcommittee, and Marketing Committee. Bruce earned his undergraduate finance degree and his MBA at the University of Maine in Orono, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Business Administration. Bruce was born and raised in Fairfield, where he now lives with his wife, two daughters, and two sons.
Greg Zimba
Director-At-Large
Gregory.Zimba@T-Mobile.com
Greg is currently a recruiter for T-Mobile USA, based in Oakland at the Customer Experience Center located on First Park Drive. He serves as a member of the Marketing and Membership committee with the MMCC, as well as being involved with several sub-committees. Greg has worked in the central Maine area for 25+ years for organizations like EMHS(Northern Lights), MBNA America (Bank of America) as well as having run Chameleon Productions Inc. in Waterville in the 90’s.
Gary Levesque
Past Chair
glevesque@ft.newyorklife.com
Gary Levesque grew up in Jay, Maine and earned his Bachelors L.S. from University of Maine, Orono. He’s a financial service professional with New York Life Insurance Co. and has worked there for 20 years. Gary is a past board member of the Hospice volunteers of Waterville Area, and Past Trustee of Oakland United Baptist Church. He is a Member of Kennebec Valley Elks Club and is a Mason. He’s Past chair of the Mid-Maine Chamber Golf Committee. Gary joined the board to create a better economic environment to attract businesses to the area as well as to help businesses that are already here to prosper and to be able to hire and retain more employees. Gary is married, has two children, and enjoys golfing when he can.
Rick Whalen
gwhalen@investorscapital.com
Rick is a financial advisor and an accredited investment fiduciary at Choice Wealth Advisors located in Waterville Maine. Rick works with individuals, families, and small businesses primarily in the Central Maine region. He serves on the Chamber marketing and membership committee and is chair of the golf committee, along with serving as the president of the board of directors at the Waterville Country Club. Rick resides in Mercer, Maine with his wife Deborah and enjoys spending summer weekends playing golf, hiking the Kennebec Highlands and year round fishing on North Pond.
Heather MacKenzie Thorne
heather@mackenzielandscaping.com
Heather works at MacKenzie Landscape Supply Center. She grew up in Winslow and still resides there with her husband Nick, son Brayden and Chocolate Lab, Duke. Heather received her Bachelors in Mental Health and Human Services from the University of Maine, Augusta in 2013. Heather is on the Steering Committee for KV Connect – the Chamber’s Young Professional group. She enjoys dinner with friends and spending time in Greenville and the Moosehead Lake Region.
Shawn Michaud
smichaud@cunninghamsecurity.com
Shawn is a Sales Representative at Cunningham Security. He currently serves on many boards including Board of Directors for Pen Bay Chamber of Commerce and multiple committees. Shawn is a member of Waterville Elks. He serves multiple committees of the Bangor Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of Rock Coast Networkers. Shawn chairs the Taste of Waterville committee for Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce. He has been involved with the Chamber for over 13 years.
Brian Bowman
brian.bowman@bowmanconstructors.com
Brian Bowman is co-owner and Vice President of Bowman Constructors and is responsible for all aspects of the business. He is new to the Chamber.
Martha Wentorth
martha@ghmagency.com
Martha Wentworth works at GHM Agency.Martha has developed a passion for insurance over the years, obtaining her Property and Casualty license in 1996, Life & Health Insurance license in 2002, currently holding her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and working on her Certified Risk Management designation (CRM). Martha enjoys working with both personal & commercial customers.
Rick Barry
Originally from Newton, MA., Rick now lives in Waterville with his wife Sara. He has 2 adult children and a granddaughter. He is Vice President of Nursing and Patient Care Services at Northern Light Inland Hospital. Rick is currently on the Family Violence Project Board , serving as Treasurer.
Larissa Larrabee
larissa.larrabee@huhtamaki.com
Larissa Larrabee is the Mill Controller for Huhtamaki, where she has been employed for five years.
Larissa attended Lawrence High School in Fairfield. She later received a master’s degree from Thomas College. Larissa is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She has participated in the Leadership Dev. Program, Center for Creative Leadership, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Mergers and Acquisitions program, and the Emerging Leader Dev. Program, Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
Larissa currently serves on the Mid-Maine Chamber Public Policy Committee and has served as Past Board President for the United Way of Tri-Valley. She is a supporter of military families through the Christmas Across Maine program.
Larissa is married to Tony Larrabee and has one son, AJ Larrabee. Larissa’s hobbies include crafting, farming and movies.
Mark Bradford
MBradford@valley-beverage.com
Mark Bradford has served as Area Sales Manager for Valley Beverage Distributors for the past ten years.
Mark was born in the Waterville area and attended Lawrence High School. He then received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine.
Mark has served for seven years as a volunteer coach for P.A.L. football and basketball and is a member of the Augusta Elks. Mark is a member of both the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic Committee and the Taste of Waterville Committee.
Mark and his wife Beth, have a son, Leighton and a daughter, Lyla. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching and playing sports, and travelling.
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury
mkhoury@unity.edu
Dr. Melik Peter Khoury is the President and CEO of Unity College. He holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Maine Fort Kent, an MBA from the University of Maine, and a doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
He is an energetic visionary, passionate about the environment, technology, education and sustainability science. Under his leadership Unity College has successfully launched The Enterprise Model, which offers traditional and adult students educational opportunities through UC: Distance Education; UC: Hybrid Learning; UC: Technical Institute for Environmental Professions; and UC: Sustainable Ventures. In the process, Dr. Khoury has begun to break down the traditional barriers associated with higher education – making it more affordable, accessible, flexible and relevant for students locally and around the world.
Linanne Gaunce
lgaunce@cmautogroup.net
Linanne Gaunce has managed special events and donations for ten years for Central Maine Motors Auto Group, a family-owned auto dealership based in Waterville. Linanne was born in the Waterville area and attended Messalonskee High School. She then received an Associates Degree from Thomas College. After having moved away from the area after college, she and her husband returned to Waterville to put down roots in the community and raise their family.Linanne is involved as President of the Waterville High School Boosters Association for the Golf, Baseball, Tennis and Cross-Country Teams. She served as co-President of the Waterville Senior High School Project Graduation Committee for 2020, helping to plan a unique graduation ceremony in light of the pandemic. Linanne has served as a member of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards and Super Raffle Committees.
Linanne and her husband, Chris have two sons, Charles J (CJ) and Daniel and are proud owners of the family dog, Alpine. Linanne enjoys traveling, skiing, yoga, boating and golf.
Ken Walsh
kwalsh@clubaycc.org
Ken Walsh is Chief Executive Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA at the Alfond Youth & Community Center, a position he has held for 29 years. He holds a degree from State University of New York, Cortland BSE Physical Education. Through Ken’s leadership, the Alfond Youth & Community Center has expanded programs to serve multiple constituents, including work with area after-school care and food/nutrition programs.
Ken serves on the YMCA and BGCA State Alliance, Main eSports Legends, and is an assistant baseball coach at Colby College, as well as a planned giving and legacy gifts advisor. He has served on multiple boards including KVCAP, GoodWill Hinckley, and Boys & Girls Clubs of American President’s Council.
Ken is a second and third baseman on state and national baseball teams, is a 7th degree black belt, tennis player, marathon and triathlon participant, and enjoys white water kayaking and hiking.
Gary Poulin
gary@mixmaine.com
Born in Waterville and raised in Benton, Gary Poulin is known for being an active member of the community. He spent 16 years working as a sales representative for the EZ to Use telephone directory service before joining Mix Maine Media. Gary used his time with EZ to Use to build relationships with local businesses and was known for his excellent customer service. He continues to work with members of the community in his new role, and enjoys being able to form new connections. Gary is an active member of both the Mid-Maine and Kennebec Valley Chambers of commerce, and in 2014 he received the Mid-Maine Chamber’s Elias A. Joseph award for his community service and dedication. He lives in Clinton with wife and enjoys golfing and motorcycles.
Chuck Hays
chuck.hays@mainegeneral.org
Chuck joined the state’s third largest health care system in 1995. MaineGeneral Health is an integrated health care system which opened a new 192-bed hospital November 2013 and a comprehensive outpatient center in Waterville in 2014. The system also includes physician practices, long-term care facilities with 269 long-term care beds, and home care and hospice. In the more than twenty years since Mid-Maine Health System joined Kennebec Valley Health System to become MaineGeneral Health, Chuck has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility with the state’s third largest health care system. As Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Chuck headed the team responsible for the construction and operation of the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care which opened in July 2007. In October 2007, he was named President and CEO of MaineGeneral Medical Center. In 2012, he became President and CEO of the parent company, MaineGeneral Health. Under his leadership MGMC has been recognized with many distinguished national quality awards. Chuck is a member of the American College of Healthcare Professionals, Maine Hospital Association, American Hospital Association, Vizient Regional Board, Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce (Past Chair), Kennebec Savings Bank Board (Vice Chair), Alfond Youth Center Board and the Maine Dartmouth Residency Board. In the past he has also been a member of the TOGUS VA Board, Work Force Investment Board, Healthy People of the Capital Area Board, United Way of Kennebec Valley (Executive Board), Augusta Board of Trade, Granite Hill Estates Board, Augusta Y Board and Waterville Opera House Board. Chuck and his wife Maria live in Manchester, Maine and have two grown children.
Karen Normandin
knormandin@kvcc.me.edu
Serving as the Interim President since June 1, 2021, Karen has been with the College for 33 years. Karen has served in a variety of roles including adjunct faculty, Director of a federally funded grant program (TRiO), Assistant Dean of Students and finally, the Dean of Student Affairs. Each of these roles has provided her with the opportunity to impact many student journeys. Karen lives in Augusta with her husband of 41 years, Denis, has 2 children and a beautiful granddaughter. Born and raised in Portland, Maine has always had a very special place in her heart. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH; a Master’s Degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and is a Doctoral Candidate at Capella University.
Garvan Donegan
Ex-Officio
gdonegan@centralmaine.org
Garvan manages Central Maine Growth Council’s regional economic development initiatives and networks. This includes city planning and policy analysis, regional projects, grants, business expansion/retention, enterprise growth, and entrepreneurial development. Along with these key roles, Garvan administers the growth and development of the City of Waterville’s federal U.S. Foreign Trade Zone program (FTZ 186), a regional effort to cultivate global trade and outreach in the State of Maine. The Maine native earned his B.A. from Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, FL in 2008, graduating with a double major in Political Science and Environmental Sciences, earned a M.A. (MCPD) in Community Planning and Development from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine, and holds a Maritime Port Manager (MPM) certificate from the Loeb-Sullivan Graduate School of International Business & Logistics, at Maine Maritime Academy and the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives (IAMPE).