Houlton Chamber bestows community awards

HOULTON, Maine — The Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce held its annual dinner and awards ceremony Saturday, March 23, at the Houlton Lodge of Elks.  

The  lodge was transformed by decorator Ernie Wheeler of Bangor into a beautiful tropical “Under the Sea” theme. Sequined, jewel-toned tablecloths covered the tables with chairs dressed in white coverings and accent sashes. Many tropical inspired centerpieces created by Chadwick Florist graced the tables and mantels of the iconic Main Street building.

Chamber President, Kent Good welcomed the 200 guests, who enjoyed dinner, the awards presentation and auction. Co-hosts for the evening were Chamber Director Jane Torres and Health Services Foundation Executive Director Lori Weston.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Gary A. Severson. Severson, who was one of the founding partners of the law offices of Severson, Hand and Nelson. His practice focuses on estate and trust planning.

He has held numerous titles including: being a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel; a 24-year member of the Houlton Water Company board of directors, serving as treasurer, secretary and clerk; chairman of the Maine and Amercian Board of Bar Examiners; and currently co-trustee with Paul Callnan of the Aaron A. and Maria H. Putnam Charitable Trust charged with donating to nonprofits in the Houlton area, improving our community one project at a time.

Aroostook Milling was selected as Business of the Year. Nick, Ian and their father Mark Crane are former dairy farmers who purchased the 70-year-old business a few years ago and have expanded with additional product lines. They also opened a branch in Presque Isle and offer benefit packages to their employees.

The Crane family has been devoted to the Houlton Agricultural Fair, showing family cows in 4-H competitions. Mark has served as director in charge of livestock and his sons have followed in his footsteps. They still volunteer for this event and spend many hours at the Fairgrounds.

Ben Adams was presented the Young Professional Award. Adams, the manager of Houlton Power Sports, is originally from Washburn and graduated from Caribou High School. He went on to Thomas College in Waterville, majoring in accounting. Adams also manages a second business, Priority Auto Sales, importing vehicles from Canada for resale. He was the Chamber president in 2012 and 2013.

The Community Spirit Award was awarded to the seniors of the Putnam House. Josephine Holmes and Roberta Johnson accepted the award. They represent the area residents who supported the vision of a senior center created by the Putnam House Trust.

With money from the Aaron A. and Maria H. Putnam Trust, a center was established for seniors to gather. This is a place that welcomes the seniors of the area for company, conversation, music, games and times to share hobbies.

The senior center was originally planned for the Putnam home, located on North Street. However, the cost of refurbishing the building was not feasible, so other buildings were considered.

After looking at a variety of buildings within the town, Gary Hagan suggested a recently vacated veterinarian’s office building located on Court Street next to the First Baptist Church. Many individuals and businesses came together to transform the building into a homey, welcoming place for seniors to enjoy old friends and make new ones.

Weston, a co-host for the evening said, “Miracles do happen and without the community spirit shown by the whole community this project would not have happened. It really is an award for all those who believed in the Putnam project.”

The group Bridge to Hope received the Above and Beyond Award. In 2006, Cathy Kennedy organized a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk in Houlton after learning that two of her aunts had the disease. In 13 years it has grown from 50 walkers to 300. The walk began in Riverfront Park which inspired the group to later name themselves, “The Bridge to Hope”. Its mission is to bridge the hope to all those people fighting this dreaded disease.

Since that first year, Kim Folsom, Dee Butler Henderson and Marie Carmichael have led the force to increase that initial donation from $800 to $15,000 last year. The money raised stays here in the area.

Those dealing with cancer receive gift cards to assist with food, travel, hotel rooms or whatever might be needed. Along with the assistance comes a small gift of hope and support. Two additional members of the group, Amy Hocking, who makes jewelry and her mother, Pam who makes cloth pocketbooks and other items contribute the proceeds of their sales to the fund, as well. They know that when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, support from friends and community is critical to recovery.

“The work these women have done for people with cancer to make them feel that they are not alone is priceless,” said Weston.

An additional Above and Beyond award was presented to Josh McLaughlin. He has been on the Board of Directors for six years, serving as president for two years. He is president of the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation and is on the board for the Houlton Water Company.

Torres said, “Josh’s upbeat attitude has been an inspiration to all of us and that he has truly gone ‘above and beyond’ for this community.

Jon Harbison received the Community Service Award. Harbison, a life-long resident of the area, graduated from the University of Maine Fort Kent, where he was tagged as the resident plumber.

Having learned the trade at a young age from his father, David, Jon has gone on to join the business and also contribute to the community. He has been a volunteer fireman for 12 years and is also a licensed EMT. He’s been on the Chamber board and lends a hand wherever needed in the community.

Torres said, “Jon always goes the extra mile.”

The awards concluded with an auction led by Kent Good which garnered several thousand dollars for the organization whose mission is to advance the general welfare and prosperity of the Greater Houlton area. It is the hope of the Chamber that its citizens and all areas of business and community shall prosper. All necessary means shall be given to the economic, civic, commercial, cultural, industrial and educational interests of the area.