Chamber Updates, Member News

& Tips for Business You Can Use

Dear Members and Supporters,

Since he joined us two years ago, Anthony Jamison has elevated our chamber in a variety of ways. For all of the broad strokes and big ideas I have, Anthony is the perfect foil, following up on commitments, bringing his professionalism to every project he encounters, and painting in the fine details of the picture to make it whole. Having an employee that I can send to a meeting without coaching or prepping has been incredible. Anthony handles everything that comes along so well- I never worry about a project getting done (and done well) when he's working on it.

As we announced Wednesday night at the January After Hours, Anthony’s last day with the chamber is today. In February he begins a new role with a member-business so you'll continue to see him at many chamber events... and knowing him, probably volunteering with chamber projects he enjoyed working on so much. He will be missed, but his effect and influence on this chamber will be remembered for years to come. Thank you, Anthony, for being such a strong leader, confidante, and work partner these past couple of years- I wish you all the best in this next chapter. 

With that, for the time being the chamber will be a two-person show with me and Brittany. As always, your member updates, newsletter content, and marketing ideas can go to Brittany@midcoastmaine.com. Please note that Brittany works an extremely limited schedule so responses may be delayed. Everything else comes to me at Cory@midcoastmaine.com.

That “everything else” includes:

• Our February host for 12 @ 12 had to swap out for a date later in 2025, so if you want to host the 12 @ 12 let me know! And feel free to RSVP to the February 19th networking lunch by emailing me.
• Our Awards Night is coming up March 14th- sponsorships and committee volunteers are welcome. Email!
• Want to know what’s happening in 2025 with the Chamber and ways you can engage? E-mail me to book a 1-on-1 or small group catchup on all things chamber.  

Check out the great stories below, our new name (what?!), and two new workforce programs that you can engage with right now.

Thanks, Cory

United Way of Mid Coast Maine and the BBTRC

Worksites Needed for Two Incredible Programs

Our chamber has partnered with the United Way of Mid Coast Maine on two incredible workforce programs through the Working Communities Challenge.

Connecting to Tomorrow Internship Program

Two dozen students will have the opportunity to earn either 20 or 40 hours of real world experience in a career path that interests them.

• For the business, it’s a great way to showcase the career opportunities that your industry provides and connect with a potential leader of tomorrow.
• Students get real-world experience, development of business communications skills, and a glimpse of what your future could be. As a bonus, each participant that completes the program will receive a stipend.

We're looking for businesses interested in hosting students on their site to showcase their career path. E-mail Cory for more details or to schedule a sit-down to go over it. 

Connecting to Tomorrow Inclusivity Project

Many of our businesses need help connecting with the workforce of tomorrow. The next generation of employees values inclusivity. Some employers and organizations have been early adopters of inclusive policies, helping those who may belong to different races, genders, backgrounds, socio-economic levels, or other identifiers be present and welcome in their workplace. We would love ALL employers to see how advanced Human Resource (HR) and workplace policies can help attract, retain, and engage their current staff. 

The Connecting to Tomorrow Inclusivity Project is a film-based project. Student film groups will meet and connect with local employers who have established inclusive policies. They'll create a 3–5 minute video about the organization and it will be shown at a workforce celebration in May. E-mail Cory for more details or to schedule a sit-down to go over it. 

Did you notice the change in our acronym above?

The BBRC is now the BBTRC, or the Bath Brunswick Topsham Regional Chamber! While we've always served Topsham, we're thrilled to acknowledge the community's growth and impact on the region by officially adding them to our name.

We're working through the legal stuff but we anticipate being official and rolled out in March. So while we practice adding that extra 'T' into the acronym, we thought we'd share our updated logos!

Chamber Events

January Chamber After Hours: Annual Meeting of the Membership Recap

With over 80 people RSVP'ing to this week's CAH, we knew we'd have a great bunch and we weren't wrong! The Landing YMCA was a spectacular host providing plenty of Wild Oats food and a wide variety of drink options. Additional thanks to the Bath YMCA for co-hosting.

This month's After Hours serves as our Annual Meeting of the Membership - here we vote in new and returning board members, and introduce everyone to attendees. With another strong group of local business leaders on our board, we know good things are in store for 2025.

And last but certainly not least, it was the Landing YMCA's Executive Director Catherine Johnson's birthday! There was a spirited singing of Happy Birthday by the whole room, certainly a moment to remember.

Next month's CAH is at Brickyard Hollow, details below - hope to see you there!

November 12 @ 12

Wednesday, February 19th

12:00pm - 1:30pm

We need a February 12 @ 12 host!

Unfortunately our February host has an unforeseen conflict so we're looking for a business that my be interested in showing off their space, and expanding their reach while networking with potential clients.

It's a fun, small group, low key way to network, one of our favorite things we do each month.

Think hosting may be a good fit for your business? Email Cory to secure your spot! Can't make February work? We need a March host too!

News & Notes

January 31, 2025

Recap: Art. Auction. Appetizers.

A benefit to support the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association

The Maine Coast Fishermen's Association held an event at The Press Hotel last Saturday to raise funds for their programs in support of small boat fishermen, working waterfronts, and coastal communities. At the event, MCFA unveiled never-before-seen photography from David McLain, whose work has graced several National Geographic publications, featuring the hardworking men and women of Maine's commercial fishing industry. 

"We wanted to put the people at the forefront of conversations around working waterfronts and the seafood industry," said MCFA Executive Director Ben Martens. "It's been one year since the storms that devastated waterfront infrastructure and deeply affected local fishermen, and these photos showcase the grit and determination of the people who bring in your seafood." 

Chef Christian Bassett of UNION Restaurant prepared local seafood appetizers, including a hake chowder, lobster arancini, flounder fishcakes, and bacon-wrapped scallops that had just been landed by MCFA's board chair and fisherman Alex Todd. 

A silent auction featured local experiences and products, many of which were donated by generous local businesses. All together, the event helped raise nearly $5,000.

If you missed it, the gallery space at The Press Hotel is open to the public and the photography exhibit will be up through the end of March. 

Spark Cycling Studio New Rider Intro Special

29 Burbank Ave

Brunswick Landing

Spark Cycling's best offer of the year for new riders! From now until the end of January, our New Rider Intro is 3️⃣ weeks for just $35 🥳 Today is the FINAL DAY to purchase... make February your kickstart month!

Questions? Send us an email 📧

It's finally here—Summer Camp Registration time! Our registration for both Kennebec Explorers (rising grades 2–5) and Mariners Adventure (rising grades 6–8) will be open Saturday, February 1. Learn more about our Kennebec Explorers sessions and our Mariners Adventure sessions. 

Registration happens on Campbrain, your one stop registration destination, including financial aid information. 

New this year! 

We are adding a third week of Mariner's Adventure in July! Mariner's Adventures: Learning the Ropes will be open to female, female-identifying and nonbinary campers. During this week, campers will learn traditional skills such as blacksmithing, woodworking, navigation, and knot tying. It will be a fun and exciting week and we hope to see you there! 

We can't wait to welcome our campers to the museum this summer—we have our pickling jars ready! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or clarification. In the dead of winter, some of our staff choose to work remotely so the best way to get in touch is by email.

SCORE Maine February Workshops

DIY SEO For Small Businesses

February 13, 2025, 12:00pm

Attract more customers & increase sales: Discover simple, effective Search Engine Optimization techniques you can implement today!

What To Know Before Starting A Food Service Business

February 17, 2025, 12:00pm EST

Don't let unforeseen challenges derail your food service dream. Gain valuable insights and actionable advice in this workshop designed to help you succeed!

Employee Relations

February 19, 2025, 11:00am EST

Build strong, productive teams and navigate workplace challenges with confidence in this workshop!

New Member Spotlight

Magic City Consulting

(207) 447-2186

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewleino/

magiccity207@gmail.com

Magic City Consulting is a local, client based commercial energy brokerage. We help businesses save on their energy costs, through lower supply rate negotiation of electricity and natural gas. Clients are able to choose who they purchase their energy supply from, and not just settle for the utility standard rates of CMP, Versant, or Unitil natural gas. We work with the client to compare all options, and offer different purchasing strategies to mitigate risk and maximize savings.

We also offer Net Energy billing and Community solar programs, that can yield additional savings and solar credit discounts, as well as supporting Green/Renewables and reducing Maine's carbon footprint.

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Recognized by Newsweek as One of “America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions” for Second Consecutive Year

Bar Harbor Bank shares (NYSE American: BHB), the parent company of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust, is pleased to announce the Bank has been recognized by Newsweek as one of “America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions” for the second consecutive year. The Bank was selected from among approximately 9,170 financial institutions for the honor based on a combination of indicators of financial health, operational performance, long-term stability metrics, and customer reviews.

“We are honored to once again be recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s best regional banks,” said Curtis C. Simard, President and CEO of Bar Harbor Bank & Trust. “This award is especially meaningful as it recognizes the success, resiliency, and efficiency of the Bank as a business as well as the value we bring to our customers through outstanding service and first-class products. Our customers and the communities we serve are our first priority, but we can only serve them if we have a strong foundation as a business. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees, we are fortunate to deliver on both promises.”

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has been serving the financial needs of Northern New England residents and businesses since it was founded in 1887. The Bank balances the delivery of innovative digital products and services that customers need, such as mobile banking and mobile deposit, with a personal, relationship-oriented approach to banking that customers want, including more than 50 full-service branches across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The Bank employs hundreds of experienced banking professionals who provide personalized services to customers including financial guidance and planning, home financing, business lending, merchant services, and wealth management.

In addition to the back-to-back “America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Union” recognition by Newsweek, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has been recognized by Forbes as one of the “World’s Best Banks” for two years in a row starting in 2023. Other awards the Bank has won in recent years include Forbes “Best-in-State Banks” in 2022, 2023, and 2024; Newsweek’s “America’s Best Banks” in 2022; and Mastercard’s Doing Well by Doing Good Award in 2022.

Newsweek collaborated with Plant-A Insights Group, a market data research group, to identify the financial institutions named to the “America’s Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions 2025” list. All regional banks and credit unions across the United States were examined and selected based on indicators of financial health, operational performance, and metrics indicating long-term stability. Only institutions operating in fewer than 30 states and that had positive profitability, creditworthiness, and healthy lending capacity were included in the analysis.

The results of the financial analysis were combined with additional data points including an independent customer survey of more than 71,000 United States residents; more than 845,000 reviews; and more than 1.9 million social media reviews and 129 million app store reviews from Apple and Google Play. Only banks and credit unions that ranked in the top 50^th percentile of scorers within their respective headquartered states were included in the list of ranked institutions.

Visit Newsweek’s website to learn more about the recognition and the selection process.



Municipal News

Beware of Fake Planning Department Emails and Invoices

The Town of Brunswick is aware of a fraudulent email scam targeting individuals and businesses, falsely claiming to be from the "Planning & Zoning Commission" of the Town of Brunswick. The Town does not have a Planning & Zoning Commission. These emails have been sent from planning.brunswick-me.gov@usa.com, which is not a legitimate Town of Brunswick email address.



Details of the Scam

 The scam email includes an attached fake invoice requesting a wire transfer payment (which we never do in Planning). The invoice falsely uses the Town of Brunswick logo and includes incorrect contact information. These fraudulent emails are designed to appear official but are not associated with the Town of Brunswick in any way.

What to Do

• Do not respond to the email or provide payment.
• Verify any invoices or communications by contacting the Town of Brunswick directly or the Planning & Development Department at 207-725-6661.
• If you have sent money or feel you have been a victim of a scam, contact the Town of Brunswick Police Department at 207-725-5521.

How to Identify Legitimate Town Communications and Invoices 

• All official Town of Brunswick emails end with @brunswickme.gov. 
• Invoices come from donotreply@civicplus.com (our software provider). Be cautious of any communication claiming to be from the Town that does not follow these formats.
• If you receive a suspicious email about the approval of a planning application or have doubts about an email's authenticity, please contact the Planning & Development Department immediately at 207-725-6661. 

Thank you for helping keep our community safe from scams. 



Have a great weekend!

Chamber Resources

Last week we sent out an email full of information on sponsorship opportunities for 2025. We made a downloadable document for you to reference here.

In addition, we've created a one-pager that outlines the benefits of joining the BBRC. We're always eager to welcome new members but we also know that our current members are some of the best resource we have! The downloadable document is here and also below.

2025 Cornerstone Memberships

Cory is booking meetings all month long for Cornerstone Membership visits. These businesses are interested in elevating their commitment with the chamber to include sponsorship of the events and programs that the chamber initiates annually.  There are three levels of Cornerstone Membership for 2025, and they include all of your dues (or most of your dues at the third level) for 12 months. 

The top level is the Cornerstone Member level ($5000 annually) which includes:

• 12 months of dues for your main and branch offices
• Industry exclusivity
• Top level marketing package and mentions and chamber events and chamber programs, including: BBRC Awards Dinner, Hacker’s Ball, Chamber After Hours, 12 @ 12, and much more
• Complimentary Tickets to the BBRC Awards Dinner in March
• Cornerstones are limited to 8 industry-specific businesses only (meaning 8 businesses from 8 separate industries)

The second level is the Chamber Partner level ($2000 annually) which includes:

• 12 months of dues for your main and branch offices
• Secondary level marketing package and mentions at chamber events and chamber programs, including: BBRC Awards Dinner, Hacker’s Ball, monthly Chamber After Hours, monthly 12 @ 12, and much more
• Complimentary Tickets to the BBRC Awards Dinner in March
• There is no industry exclusivity or limited amount of spots at this level- we will accept as many businesses who want to join us at this level

The third level is the Chamber Supporter level ($1000 annually) which includes:

• $400 dues voucher towards 12 months of dues
• Tertiary level marketing package and mentions at chamber events and chamber programs, including: BBRC Awards Dinner, Hacker’s Ball, monthly Chamber After Hours, monthly 12 @ 12, and much more
• Complimentary Ticket to the BBRC Awards Dinner in March
• We will accept as many businesses who want to join us at this level

For the full package, see the listing below. E-mail Cory (or call) if you're interested! Even if you’re not sure he can lay out the 2025 plan and talk about how your business or organization may fit a Cornerstone Membership.  

Chamber Works Program Updates

We wanted to again highlight some very exciting news about our workforce programs.

If your business is interested meeting students and showcasing your careers through:

• Work-Study Internships
• Job Shadows
• Career Bus Tours
• In-School Chats

…then we would love for you to take 5 minutes now to sign up. There are two ways to sign up and/or get more information...



If you're ready to register to be considered for either career bus tours or work-study internship programs, please fill out the following forms and e-mail them back to Anthony or Cory.

If you want to get more information on any of the four programs, or you want to sign up for the In School Chats, or Job Shadows program, please fill out this direct contact survey, it won't take more than a couple of minutes.

Brunswick Landing Neighborhood News

We’re thrilled to announce launch of Brunswick Landing Neighborhood News, a new publication of the BBRC focusing on Brunswick Landing events and business updates, news from MRRA, and infrastructure information. It is intended to both highlight things happening on Brunswick Landing, and to share information that is highly-impactful to Brunswick Landing businesses.

Please note that this is a separate newsletter from the weekly Chamber newsletter. If you would like to be included, you must sign up using this link.

Anyone is welcome to sign up however submissions will be limited to BL businesses and BL news with very few exceptions. Feel free to submit anything you think may be relevant but we will be the final arbiters of what is included. That said, your submission could very well end up in our regular Chamber newsletter. 

After Hours, 12 @ 12, & Cornerstone Info

Chamber After Hours hosts get the chance to show off their space to 60-80 attendees and educated them on their organization. While we are fully booked for the remainder of 2023, we're always happy to secure hosts for 2024. More information and application can be found below.

The BBRC Newsletter is generously sponsored by

our 2024 Cornerstone Real Estate Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

our 2024 Cornerstone Banking Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

our 2024 Cornerstone Commercial Real Estate Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

our 2024 Cornerstone Healthcare Member: 

The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by

our 2024 Cornerstone Automotive Sales Member: