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Sunday, February 25, 2007

DANA F. CONNORS is president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. As the executive leader of the 5,000-member business association, Connors oversees the association's many activities, including its advocacy efforts, economic development initiatives, international trade opportunities and a wide variety of member services on behalf of the state's business community.

JOHN FITZSIMMONS is president of the Maine Community College System, a post he has held since 1990. During his presidency, he has led the system through tremendous growth, with enrollment increasing by more than 150 percent. The system's seven colleges now enroll more than 11,600 matriculated students with an additional 14,000 students enrolled in credit and non-credit courses. Under his leadership, the community college system has played a significant role in enhancing educational opportunities for Maine adults and career-bound high school students.

MATT JACOBSON was appointed president and chief executive officer of Maine & Company in January 2006. Before joining Maine & Company, a private, non-profit corporation that focuses on business attraction, Jacobson was assistant vice president of sales and marketing for Canadian National Railways, based in Chicago. In his role there, Jacobson was responsible for international and North American intermodal sales and marketing and a revenue budget of $1.1 billion.

VALARIE C. LAMONT is associate dean for innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Southern Maine's School of Business. Lamont directs the Center for Real Estate Education and the Center for Entrepreneurship. The Center for Real Estate Education provides pre-licensing and continuing education courses to real estate and appraisal professionals. The Center for Entrepreneurship hosts the statewide Student Business Plan Competition and offer the FastTrac Business Development programs to start-up companies and existing businesses.

JOHN OLIVER is vice president of public affairs at L.L. Bean with responsibility for government, environmental, media relations and community affairs. He has been at L.L. Bean for 15 years and was previously president and owner of J. Oliver Associates, a Maine-based public affairs consulting firm.

DAVID PATCH is president of PLSystems , overseeing the commercialization of laser fabrication systems developed at Applied Thermal Sciences and Technology Systems Inc. From 2001 to 2005, he served as president of TSL, where he transitioned research projects into commercial products. He secured a multi-million dollar precision fabrication contract from the U.S. Navy.

MARIANNE SENSALE-GUERIN is president and owner of Gorham-based Guerin Associates LLC, an environmental services and home heating oil delivery service. Sensale-Guerin was named by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the 2005 National and Maine Small Business Person of the Year. Guerin Associates' offices are in Gorham and Presque Isle.

EILEEN F. SKINNER has been president and chief executive officer of Mercy Health System since September 2002. Mercy Health System of Maine consists of the 230-bed Mercy Hospital, Mercy Primary Care, Visiting Nurse Association Home Health Care and McAuley Residence. It has approximately 1,400 employees.

BOB SMITH started his career in the hospitality industry in Maine 30 years ago as a night porter at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. He is the founder and principal of Northeast Hospitality and Kellory Management Corp., and the owner of Sebasco Harbor Resort in Phippsburg. The resort was purchased in May 1997, and has invested more than $10 million in renovations.

QUENTIN J. TONELLI became vice president of IDEXX Laboratories in June 2001 and is general manager of the production animal services business unit within the food and environmental group. He oversees the company's infectious diseases research and development.

PETER G. VIGUE is president and chief executive officer of Cianbro Corp., a company with more than $350 million in revenue and 1,900 employees operation in regional offices located in Pittsfield and Portland, Maine; Bloomfield, Conn.; and Baltimore, Md. As one of the largest and most diversified contractors on the East Coast, Cianbro routinely operates in 15 states.