Bill Nemitz sits down with candidates for governor to take a break from politics and gets to know the personal stories of Maine’s public figures.
In this episode, state Sen. Garrett Mason talks about his deep bond with his mother, who used to give him a hug every day they worked together in the State House.
A company’s physical work environment has a tremendous impact on productivity, profits and employee recruitment and retention. As more firms are drawn to the “agile office” when they move locations or redesign, finding the balance between flexible space, sound level management and a sense of routine can be a challenge. Join a panel of experts for free discussion of the benefits and detriments to breaking out of the office space box
HOST: Carol Coultas, business editor
Carol Coultas has been practicing journalism in Maine since the mid-‘80s and focusing on business journalism since 2003. She’s been the business editor at the Press Herald, overseeing an award-winning staff, since 2014.
Panelists:
Mark Pettengill, CEO, Patrons Oxford Insurance Company
Mark Pettengill is a lifelong Mainer who has worked in the insurance industry for more than 25 years. For the past six years he has been the President & CEO of Patrons Oxford Insurance Company, recently relocating from Auburn to Portland. Pettengill is a board member for the Center for Grieving Children as well as a father of two boys.
Giovani Twigge, Chief HR Officer, IDEXX
Since 2010, Twigge has been vital to IDEXX’s global growth, which has included doubling IDEXX’s employee population worldwide. Coming from an HR generalist background with innovative thinking, Twigge has consistently aligned HR with business and shareholder objectives.
Prior to IDEXX, Twigge held supported employee bases of up to 12,000 people for multibillion-dollar company Abbott Laboratories. Over 11 years, he focused on growth, change management and turnaround, including the successful turnaround of Abbott’s $3.5B Diagnostics Division as well as the separation of the company’s US and international nutrition businesses into a newly formed $4B global division with 6,000 employees.
Lisa Whited, founder and CEO, Workplace Transformation Facilitation
Lisa Whited, NCIDQ, M.S., has a passion for improving workplaces. Her work is borne out of the desire to move the needle on the shocking statistic that only 14% of employees worldwide are highly engaged at work. Whited’s process leverages the connection between leadership, employee engagement and physical workplace design, which results in more engaged employees and transformational cultures.
In addition to her business, Whited volunteers in her community to bridge connections between immigrants, refugees and city residents. She has written and published more than 50 professional industry articles, taught at several New England colleges and been honored with an International IIDA Leadership award in 2002 and the Council of Interior Designers’ Louis Tregre Award in 2017. She also serves as a Senior Associate to Advanced Workplace Associates and on the advisory board of George Mason University’s Workplace Strategist Program.
A company’s physical work environment has a tremendous impact on productivity, profits and employee recruitment and retention. As more firms are drawn to the “agile office” when they move locations or redesign, finding the balance between flexible space, sound level management and a sense of routine can be a challenge. Join a panel of experts for free discussion of the benefits and detriments to breaking out of the office space box
HOST: Carol Coultas, business editor
Carol Coultas has been practicing journalism in Maine since the mid-‘80s and focusing on business journalism since 2003. She’s been the business editor at the Press Herald, overseeing an award-winning staff, since 2014.
Panelists:
Mark Pettengill, CEO, Patrons Oxford Insurance Company
Mark Pettengill is a lifelong Mainer who has worked in the insurance industry for more than 25 years. For the past six years he has been the President & CEO of Patrons Oxford Insurance Company, recently relocating from Auburn to Portland. Pettengill is a board member for the Center for Grieving Children as well as a father of two boys.
Giovani Twigge, Chief HR Officer, IDEXX
Since 2010, Twigge has been vital to IDEXX’s global growth, which has included doubling IDEXX’s employee population worldwide. Coming from an HR generalist background with innovative thinking, Twigge has consistently aligned HR with business and shareholder objectives.
Prior to IDEXX, Twigge held supported employee bases of up to 12,000 people for multibillion-dollar company Abbott Laboratories. Over 11 years, he focused on growth, change management and turnaround, including the successful turnaround of Abbott’s $3.5B Diagnostics Division as well as the separation of the company’s US and international nutrition businesses into a newly formed $4B global division with 6,000 employees.
Lisa Whited, founder and CEO, Workplace Transformation Facilitation
Lisa Whited, NCIDQ, M.S., has a passion for improving workplaces. Her work is borne out of the desire to move the needle on the shocking statistic that only 14% of employees worldwide are highly engaged at work. Whited’s process leverages the connection between leadership, employee engagement and physical workplace design, which results in more engaged employees and transformational cultures.
In addition to her business, Whited volunteers in her community to bridge connections between immigrants, refugees and city residents. She has written and published more than 50 professional industry articles, taught at several New England colleges and been honored with an International IIDA Leadership award in 2002 and the Council of Interior Designers’ Louis Tregre Award in 2017. She also serves as a Senior Associate to Advanced Workplace Associates and on the advisory board of George Mason University’s Workplace Strategist Program.
Detective Lt. Tim Cotton runs the Bangor, Maine Police Department’s Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/bangormainepolice/
In the span of three years, with a little help from the Duck of Justice, Tim Cotton has grown the department’s following from 10,000 to (almost) 275,000—more than eight times the population of Bangor. He's now the Criminal Investigations Commander within the department, but he still makes plenty of time for social media.
Tim Cotton was interviewed by Portland Press Herald reporter and social media editor, Jim Patrick as part of the newspaper's "Maine Voices Live" series.
President Donald Trump signed The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law on December 22. How will this affect Maine businesses? Hear from a panel of Southern Maine’s business community about the changes that they have seen thus far in 2018 and what they expect in the coming months. Are businesses changing their incorporation status? Will Maine lawmakers seek conformity between Maine’s corporate taxes and the new federal rates? Press Herald business reporter J. Craig Anderson moderated.
Panelists:
Karla Brannen, CPA, Albin, Randall & Bennett
Justin Coffin, Financial Advisor, Rockland Financial Group at UBS Financial Services
Kris Eimicke, Partner, Pierce Atwood LLP
All businesses need to protect their networked assets, and securing customer data from the start is a top priority for best practices. Small businesses need to consider what services are worth the investment… and what schemes are worth anticipating. Hear from experts about the best strategies to retain and grow your business during a time of rapid technology development. Moderated by business editor Carol Coultas.
The panel today is:
Durward Ferland. He helps lead information assurance services at Macpage and advises clients nationwide.
Mark Monnin who currently teaches courses in Cyber Security and Information Technology at the University of Southern Maine
And Rick Simonds, president & COO, Sage Data Security
This panel was recorded on January 24, 2018 at the Portland Public Library.
Portland Mayor Ethan Strimling pushes back against criticism of his leadership style with his own critique of the media's focus on personality and what he sees as a failure to engage in issues that matter to the city, in a conversation with Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich.
In 2016, a victory at the polls for a substantial minimum wage hike was a small bright spot for progressives in what was an otherwise devastating election. Now, some of the same people behind that referendum were able to pass a Medicaid expansion law over vocal opposition from Gov. LePage. Hallweaver is the legislative director for the MPA and she discusses these policy successes, progressive politics in general and the organization’s next big goal— a state-wide referendum on a universal long-term-care benefit for seniors who want to stay in their homes.
Host's note: This is our last episode of the opinion podcast for a little while. After a year of trying out a new medium, we are taking a hiatus to figure out what worked, what didn't, what we liked, and what we want to hear more of. What did you enjoy most about this podcast since you have been listening? What types of audio conversations and stories would you like to hear more of from the Press Herald? Please email us your thoughts at letterstotheeditor@pressherald.com.
At 12 years old, Sarah Perry woke up to a fight in her home. When she got the courage to leave her room, she found her mother brutally murdered—and would have to wait more than twenty years until the killer was found. She spoke with reporter Kelley Bouchard about After the Eclipse, her memoir about life before and after the crime. Bouchard reveals the difficult responsibility of covering both brutal violence and personal stories. Also in this episode, Kesich and Nemitz take a few moments to untangle the case of the missing Waterville pit bulls, who allegedly escaped from the shelter the same hour they were ordered to be put down.
This week on the Portland Press Herald Podcast, Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich is joined by Sunday columnists Jim Fossel and Alan Caron to discuss the Legislature's moves to overturn the vote on the minimum wage, and the spilt that is exposing between elected democrats and the Maine People's Alliance. Also using children as political pawns, and can bipartisanship ever happen if people never change their mind?
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill meet and talk about a new poll on the makeup of the electorate; How police body cams became a hot topic in Portland exposing divisions in city hall, and if Bernie Sanders' supporters are unfairly blaming Hillary Clinton for Donald Trump.
This week Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill discuss the collapse of the plea deal with the Commercial Street Black Lives Matter protesters, how Senator Collins is going to deal with Cabinet and Supreme Court nominations, and if the legislature is going to ignore citizen-initiated referendums on ranked-choice voting and minimum wage.
This week on the Podcast, our panel, including Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and Columnist Bill Nemitz, Alan Caron and Cynthia Dill, discuss the beginning of the Trump Administration, massive protests last weekend in Portland and around the country, and the Governor's feisty town hall meeting in Biddeford.
Maine Independent Senator Angus King touches on Russia's influence on the election, the dedication of people who provide the Nation's intelligence, the politics of healthcare, his philosophy on confirmations, how he's planning on dealing with the Trump administration, and barbecued ribs.
This week on the Podcast, Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich, and columnists Alan Caron, Cynthia Dill and Bill Nemitz talk about the return of the State Legislature. What a 2018 Senate run between Paul Lepage and Angus King might mean, The Governor's embrace of "Fake news," and what's behind the discord in Portland City Hall.
This week, Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and columnist Alan Caron discuss the underlying political and economic forces that led to the recent election results, why Governor LePage might not be involved in the new administration, and how the LePage experience might have some clues as to what we might expect from the Trump Administration.
Portland Press Herald Columnists Bill Nemitz, Cynthia Dill, Alan Caron and Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich discuss the election results. What do they mean? Where do things go from here?
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich is joined by Sunday columnists Cynthia Dill and Alan Caron to share thoughts and predictions about Tuesday's election, and which of the referendum questions they expect Maine's voters to reject.
Kyle Bailey, campaign manager for the Ranked Choice Committee debated state Representative Heather Sirocki over Question 5, an act to establish ranked choice voting, at a meeting of the Press Herald editorial board.
The country has a growing economy, but it also has a shrinking number of quality jobs. And the dislocations, fear and anger that result are only going to get worse. A recent report in The Guardian suggests that a “disruptive tidal wave” of automation is upon us that will eliminate another 6 percent of our jobs over the next five years.
Dig deep in this newspaper and you will find a window into another world.
It’s a nature preserve where you can be on a snow-covered mountain one minute and in a desert or by the ocean the next. It’s a place where bears and wolves vie for territory with human predators who want to smuggle drugs or assassinate the president.
This, of course, is the world of Mark Trail, the hero of Lost Forest and the star of the long-running comic strip of the same name that appears here and in 174 other newspapers around the world.
I often wish we could take the spirit that everyone says they feel at Christmastime and inject it into the campaign season. The kindness and thoughtfulness. The generosity and cheerfulness. And the willingness to see the best in people first.
Column from Sunday, August 14, 2016
Music: Porcupong - Cool - used by permission
"One species never stops singing and displaying, all year long. They’re the “Hardenus Politicos,” known informally as the whack jobs, who can be found at the feeder of their favorite partisan media outlet every morning, bulking up for the day. They’ll spend most of their waking hours hurling squawking insults at each other on the internet, and making absolutely final and irrefutable predictions based on what they hope will happen. None of it will have the least effect on the election."
Alan Caron is the owner of Caron Communications and the author of “Maine’s Next Economy” and “Reinventing Maine Government.” He can be reached at:
Portland Press Herald Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich and Sarah Collins, Assistant Editorial Page Editor, review some of the comments our Opinion pages have generated.
Our View: Maine CDC should share, not squelch, disease data
Our View: Court ruling on Harpswell beach access shows need for public land
Maine Voices: A no-tip, living wage for servers will anchor the restaurant industry
Porcupong - Cool - used by permission
Editorial Page Editor Greg Kesich reads, and in some cases reacts to, comments on the newspaper's July 4 editorial, "Our View: Celebrate the Fourth and reject nationalism."