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Hardy Girls’ exec makes Mainebiz top ten list! The link below to read the article! http://www.mainebiz.biz/news45296.html This is news too good to wait for the next Hardy Girls e-news. We couldn’t be more proud of Hardy Girls’ executive director Megan Williams who was named by Mainebiz this week as one of 10 Mainers driving the future of Maine’s economy! We have known all along that Megan is well-respected throughout the state for her collaborative working style and innovative, entrepreneurial spirit but we were thrilled to learn that others think that, too! Chosen from more than 70 nominations, Megan joins 9 other fabulous women and men running entrepreneurial businesses and organizations in Maine. Hardy Girls works hard every day to make sure the voices of girls are included in local activities and policies affecting their lives. Girls today will be the civic leaders and business owners of the future and we hope most of them will be doing that right here in Maine. We appreciate Mainebiz’s recognition that what we are doing today is making a difference for the future of our state. And, thank you for supporting our work. Girls and women hold up half the sky and we can’t afford to waste a bit of that potential. Our economy is depending on it! Hardy Girls Healthy Women • 14 Common Street • PO Box 821 • Waterville Maine 04903 contact: info@hghw.org • phone: (207) 861-8131 • URL: www.hghw.org This email was sent to WTVME_Hampton@hilton.com. To ensure that you continue receiving our emails, please add us to your address book or safe list. manage your preferences | opt out using TrueRemove®. Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails. powered by

WATERVILLE -- Amidst a light atmosphere of champagne, beer, breads and cheeses, Erik Thomas was stunned. "I'd have to say I'm pretty surprised," said Thomas, owner of Blue Marble Gallery/Digital ImageWorks in Waterville. "My friends are just going to freak out about this." Thomas' surprise came after the announcement that Blue Marble Gallery was named the Downtown Business of the Year. The announcement was made by Waterville Mayor Paul LePage and Ave Vinick, president of Waterville Main Street, at the fifth annual Downtown Celebration, held Thursday evening at the future home of Barrels Community Market. "I do printing for artists and businesses, which is really the main part of the business," Thomas said. "The Blue Marble Gallery was sort of a natural offshoot of the printing business. I was working with so many artists and I wanted, instead of just making prints for them, to actually help them out and try to sell their work." Nominations for the award were submitted by local business owners, and a four-person selection committee determined the winner. Criteria included visual appearance, contributions to downtown Waterville, involvement in the community and feedback from community members. The selection committee included LePage, Vinick, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce President Kimberly Lindlof and John Butera, executive director of the Central Maine Growth Council. Also nominated for the award were A.E. Hodsdon, Engineers, GHM Insurance Agency, Kennebec Chocolates, Pinnacle Development, Soup to Nuts Coffee House and Waterville Savings Bank of Maine. "Every one of these businesses is important not only to downtown, but to the city as a whole," LePage said. "Waterville's undergone a transformation over the last 30 years. We've got to reinvent ourselves, and these are the people who are doing it." Vinick said Thomas' community involvement was a major factor in the committee's choice. Thomas is on several committees, serves on the city's planning board and in March received the William R. Cotter Award for community service. "We do hear about the problem of young, talented folks leaving the state of Maine," Vinick said. "There aren't enough jobs, et cetera, et cetera. I think what Erik shows is that a place like Waterville actually can be a good place for a young person to grow a business. You have to have the right kind of business, the right kind of energy, but there's a supportive environment here."

Check out Shannon in this article. http://centralmaine.mainetoday.com/flipbooks/WQflip09Spring/