We're Nominated for Chamber of the Year! | | |
We’re honored to share that the KV Chamber has been named a finalist for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce’s first-ever Chamber of the Year Award!
To be recognized alongside the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce and the Rangeley Lakes Chamber of Commerce is truly humbling. This nomination is not just a win for us — it’s a celebration of our members and the work we all do together to make the Kennebec Valley a thriving place to live, work, play, and stay.
Thank you for helping us carry out our mission to support the local business community and enhance the quality of life for all residents in Kennebec Valley!
Join us at the Maine State Chamber's Annual Meeting & Dinner on October 15th at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor to watch the reveal videos, learn more about the other finalists, and cheer us on!
| | |
Friday Feature - Interstate Bowling & Town Line Sports Grille
This month's Friday Feature spotlights Hallowell's very own Interstate Bowling & Town Line Sports Grille!
With 24 lanes and a welcoming atmosphere, it’s the perfect spot for everything from a casual night out with friends to league play. Add in great food from the Town Line Sports Grille, and you’ve got a community hub where fun and connection go hand in hand.
Learn more about Interstate Bowling & Town Line Sports Grille in this month's Friday Feature!
| | Want to See Your Logo in Friday Feature Videos? | | |
Our Friday Feature videos are posted to the KV Chamber's social media platforms, YouTube channel and Chamber website along with a dedicated email to 2,850+ subscribers. As a sponsor, your logo will be prominently displayed in every Friday Feature video for 1 year (12 total). On average these videos get 75+ likes, 25+ shares and 7,000+ views on Facebook alone!
There are two opportunities to sponsor this great program at $2,500 each. This unique opportunity to showcase your business and support other local businesses in the Kennebec Valley will not last long. Reach out to Melissa to secure your spot!
| | October 8th | 11:30AM - 1PM | |
Leading with Heart, Purpose, and Authenticity
Vanessa Madore, President & CEO
Maine Savings Federal Credit Union
Join us for a fireside chat about how authenticity and culture shape Vanessa's vision for the future.
Kennebec Valley Chamber
105 Second Street, Hallowell, ME
| |
Women's Network Luncheon is sponsored by:
Kennebec Savings Bank & MaineGeneral Health
| |  | |
Maine Arts Academy
Join us at Maine Arts Academy to network and learn more about how they're integrating art with education!
Plus, the chance to win great prizes!
310 Cony Road
Augusta, ME 04330
| | | To secure your spot in the 2026 Visitor Guide, or if you have any questions, please contact Melissa Walden at (207) 623-4559 or MLW@kennebecvalleychamber.com | | |
Join us on Thursday, October 2nd for a special Chamber Connection with Michael Duguay, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
Commissioner Duguay will share an update on the state of economic development in Maine. From programs designed to spur growth and innovation, to strategies for supporting Maine’s workforce, this is a valuable chance to hear directly from the leader helping shape the future of our state’s economy.
Don’t miss this discussion and opportunity to connect with the Commissioner!
| | CYNERGY's Annual Bowling Tournament is Back! | | |
Get ready for one of the most exciting events of the year! Bring your friends, coworkers, and family and join us for a fun two-round bowling showdown.
Enjoy great food, friendly competition, and the chance to win cash prizes—including $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $50 for team spirit.
Cost: $20 per person (includes shoe rental, two games, pizza & snacks)
When: November 7th | Registration at 5:00 PM | Tournament from 5:30–7:30 PM
| | |
Kennebec Journal Readers’ Choice is back and it’s time to vote for your favorite chamber member businesses for 2025
The Kennebec Journal Readers' Choice is a community contest highlighting the BEST of what our area has to offer from dining and shopping to arts and entertainment. Vote for your favorite business today!
Don’t wait! Voting ends Sunday, October 12th at 11:59 P.M.
| | Celebrate Confidence: Boudoir Event with City Drawers and Melissa Walden Photography | | |
Join us October 4th from 2–6pm at City Drawers in Hallowell for this uplifting, empowering event. This event is all about celebrating your beauty, inside and out. Why Come? Because boudoir photography isn’t about being a model—it’s about embracing who you are!
Explore racks of beautiful outfits curated to make you feel amazing. The City Drawers team will be on hand to help you style pieces that match your personality, your body, and your vision.
Meet Melissa and see her stunning boudoir photography. She’ll share her philosophy of empowerment, answer questions about what a boudoir session is really like, and show how women of all ages, shapes, and sizes can look incredible in front of the camera. Refreshments will be provided!
RSVP to our Facebook event!
| | Volunteer with Junior Achievement of Maine | | |
When you volunteer, you’re able to highlight your company and showcase career pathways within it to students and help them build skill sets that allow them to envision choice filled futures.
Openings are available year-round in K–12 classrooms, with single-day and multi-week opportunities. All materials and training are provided. More than 40 volunteer spots will need to be filled this school year in Kennebec Valley.
Contact Junior Achievement today to learn how you can impact youth in our community!
Learn more at www.maine.ja.org.
| | Goodwill Northern New England Celebrates Milestone Achievement: Helping 10,000 People to Stability | | |
Goodwill Northern New England (Goodwill NNE) is proud to announce a significant milestone in its mission to support people on their path to stability. Through dedicated programs and community partnerships, Goodwill NNE has helped over 10,000 people achieve stability, an achievement that reflects the organization’s commitment to providing support and services to any person who wants to achieve their own personal stability.
“When we set this big goal back in 2017, we knew we had to transform our work,” said Trendy Stanchfield, Senior VP of Mission Services at Goodwill NNE. “Through innovation, collaboration, and a focus on workforce development, we created a model that truly supports the people we serve. We’re grateful for our partners who believed in our vision and helped bring it to life.”
This milestone is a testament to the hard work of Goodwill NNE staff, the resilience of program participants, and the support of the broader community. From employment services and job training to career support and placement, Goodwill NNE’s workforce development programs have empowered thousands to overcome barriers and build sustainable futures. Since 2017 we’ve learned that overcoming these top 5 barriers, Employment, Education, Housing, Transportation, and Food, was the key to helping us achieve the greatest movement toward our goal of helping provide the tools to helping others to personal stability.
To learn more about Goodwill Northern New England or how to get involved, visit https://goodwillnne.org/about/
| | Consolidated Communications Becomes Fidium, Uniting All Services Under One Bold Identity | | |
Consolidated Communications today announces the next step in its transformation: uniting its residential, business and wholesale lines of business under a single, modern fiber internet and network services brand – Fidium. Fidium now represents all the company’s fiber-based solutions nationwide, and more than 75 percent of its broadband customers. The company is on track to reach more than 80 percent of its footprint with fiber within the next few years.
Since the Fidium brand launched in 2021, it has grown rapidly and earned one of the industry’s highest Net Promoter Scores by redefining home and small business internet service with fiber-optic speed, reliability and simplicity. That same commitment now extends to enterprise, government, education and wholesale customers.
Fidium now represents all lines of business formerly branded as Consolidated Communications:
- Fidium Fiber – Residential fiber internet with multi-gig speeds and exceptional simplicity
- Fidium Business – Scalable fiber internet, network services, security, voice, collaboration and transport solutions for businesses of all sizes
- Fidium Wholesale – High-capacity, carrier-grade transport and connectivity solutions for infrastructure providers nationwide
“For commercial and wholesale customers, Fidium means enterprise-level networks, carrier-grade infrastructure, and solutions designed to grow with them,” said Dan Stoll, president of commercial and carrier business, Fidium. “By unifying under one fiber-focused brand, we can scale faster, expand our capabilities and network more seamlessly, while continuing to deliver the secure, reliable connectivity organizations need to compete and succeed.”
To learn more about this change, click here.
| | WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS | | |
40 YEARS
Century 21 Venture, City of Augusta, Downeast Energy, Everett J. Prescott, Inc., Greater Augusta Utility District, Lajoie Brothers Corporation, Longfellow's Greenhouses, Peachey Builders, PERFORMANCE Foodservice NorthCenter
30 YEARS
City of Gardiner, Interstate Bowling Center, Rizzo Mattson, Realtors
20 YEARS
Alternative Manufacturing Inc., BONNEY Staffing Center, C&C Realty Management, LLC, Capital Area Federal Credit Union, Cives Steel Co New England, Housing Initiatives of New England Corporation, Neokraft Signs, Inc., Salvation Army
10 YEARS
Albison's Printing, Augusta Food Bank, Aveda Institute Maine, Black Diamond Consultants, Inc., BNI - Kennebec Networkers, Camden National Bank, Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, Matt Maloney State Farm Insurance, Mid Maine Generator, Mill Park Petanque, Mitchell Tardy Jackson Government Affairs, NAMI Maine, Wendy's
50 YEARS
Amtrak Downeaster, City of Hallowell, Elliott Office Products, Homewood Suites by Hilton Augusta, Maine Market Refrigeration, LLC, Maine Tourism Association, Town Line Sports Grille
Renewing
Bean's Septic Service, Doodys Electrical LLC, HydraPure Infusions MedSpa, Island Park Brewing, Kennebec Cabin Company, Kirkpatrick's Service & Repair, Maine Mobile CPR LLC, Nellie's Kitchen, Pinto Thai To Go, Run Amok Mead, TD Bank, N.A.d
| | |
Andrew Silsby, Chair*
Kennebec Savings Bank
Lori Dube, Chair Elect*
Sprague & Curtis Real Estate
Matthew Tardiff, Treasurer*
J.S. McCarthy Packaging and Print
Michele Pelletier, Past Chair
PERFORMANCE Foodservice NorthCenter
Cathy DeMerchant, Human Resources*
Capital Area Staffing Solutions, Inc.
Katie Doherty, President & CEO*^
Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce
* Executive Committee ^ Full-Time Executive
Randall Anderson
The Meadows Golf Club
Karen Boston
Lipman Katz & Boston, P.A
Dr. Jenifer Cushman
University of Maine at Augusta
David Farago
Fourteen Forty Financial - A Financial Advisory Practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC
| | |
Sue Grenier
G&E Roofing Co., Inc.
Robbi Lockhart
Team EJP
Steven Marson
Central Maine Pyrotechnics
Nicole McSweeney
MaineGeneral Health
Stacey Morrison
Ganneston Construction Corp.
Rebecca Pushard
MIKA
Lynn Quirion
Macomber, Farr & Whitten
Alec Rogers
Maine Evergreen Hotel & Maine Gallery of Art
Jessika Williams
Cross Insurance
Kathryn Yates
Central Maine Power Company
| | |
Sincerely,
KVCC Staff
Katie Doherty, President & CEO
Lindsay Corbett, Chief Operating Officer & Events
Melissa Walden, Membership & Development Director
Lauren Turcotte, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Megan Bachelder, Office Administrator
| | | | | |
