The Third Annual Ignition Awards Survey

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* 1. Pick Your Choice for the Corporate Social Responsibility Award (Businesses that show passion for social issues accompanied with business success)

Speak About It

Goodwill NNE

Knack Factory

Evergreen Credit Union

The Holy Donut

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* 2. Pick Your Choice for the Growth Stimulation Award (Companies that had a substantial impact on Maine’s economy and bringing young professionals to Maine.)

CertaPro Painters

Lone Pine Brewing Company

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* 3. Pick Your Choice for Innovator of the Year- (Entrepreneur, small business owner, or young professional who’ve made great strides in their business/ field thus far and are committed to making a difference in Maine.)

CampTek Software, LLC

MAINERMEDIA, Dylan Gillis

Haul, Inc

Startup Maine, Katie Shorey

Flow Fold

The Portland Pod, Tanner Campbell

Coffee Me Up

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* 4. Pick Your Choice of Young Professional of the Year-(Young Professionals that go above & beyond with their work in their industry or community organizations.)

Kelly and Ashley Dow- Stick Sweet- Sticky Sweet is a plant-based, vegan and gluten-free ice cream company founded by Kelly and Ashley Dow in Portland. They haven't been around a while, but focusing on women and social justice issues are key to their success, for example: donating 100% of our profits from the day to Planned Parenthood or the creation of their "gingerbread woman" ice cream that gets people talking. They are the #1 frozen food product sold at Portland Co-op and will be opening an ice cream shop in downtown Portland this summer 2019 I'm nominating them for the Young Professional of the Year award because of their steadfast drive in creating a community around their product that is good for the environment and for people.

Brice Ndayisenga-Born in Burundi, multilingual, and passionate about supporting his Portland community, Brice is a Member Service Representative at cPort with a strong desire for helping people with financial literacy needs and beyond. He can always be spotted at community events. He is an active board member of Learning Works, Amjambo Africa Newspaper, and Welcoming the Stranger, and volunteers at the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center. Brice is a humble yet passionate young person who deserves recognition for his great dedication to his community.

Melanie Henkes-Melanie is the General Manager of the Cross Insurance Arena and leads great professionalism and creativity. The event industry needs leaders like Melanie that have a high level of customer service, community minded and provide entertainment to the area. The Cross Insurance Arena is at the center of southern Maine’s entertainment landscape and Melanie directs the building impressively.

Sarah Guerette- As the newly promoted, Director of the Women's Business Center at Coastal Enterprises (CEI), Sarah goes above and beyond. She champions female (and male) businesses that are in all phases of the business cycle. Sarah is a leader at CEI and highly-sought after Business Advisor. Her clients would agree that she provides them with valuable information, resources and connects them to others, all in a meaningful and thoughtful way. She shines in front of our Board of Directors, she shines with colleagues and peers. We are lucky to have her at CEI.

Whitney Adell-Whitney is the Program Manager of Advocate and Outreach Services at Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine. She is responsible for staffing and supporting the 24/7 helpline for survivors and caring others who have been affected by sexual assault. Through her efforts, survivors in York and Cumberland county are able to get emergent and on-going support as they navigate the aftermath of assault. The impact of her work is felt across the counties and also the state as she oversees Maine's two daytime sexual assault helpline advocates.

Abraham Lorrain- Funky Bow Brewery support their community in many ways. Working with the Center For Grieving Children, Maine Academy Of Modern Music, Rescue Dog organizations, Food shelters. They are always looking out for the community and bringing the community together to laugh, love, heal, and have fun!

Kate Beever - Maine Music and Health- She returned to her home state of Maine to practice Music Therapy and has been running her own practice, Maine Music and Health for almost 10 years. She works at the Barbara Bush Hospital and works with Neo-natal patients as well as people with dementia, cancer and other medical and physical issues. She is a true advocate for her profession, working to organize other Music Therapists in Maine to fight for changes in the Insurance industry and to promote licensure of the practice of Music Therapy. Kate leads workshops and goes on rounds with physicians to educate them about the benefits of Music Therapy. She is a pioneer in Maine for the field of Music Therapy and has touched many lives in a positive way with her work as a therapist. She definitely is deserving of this award

Jane Harrell- 'Cause Digital Marketing'- At 36, Jane's already lead the consumer side of two major national pet brands, had her pet-industry projects and work featured by the likes of Apple, INC.com, Search Engine Land, TIME magazine and many more, and turned a start-up into a six-figure company in less than 12 months. A millennial who's found her passion and purpose, Jane's a life-long animal welfare who volunteers for two Maine-based wildlife organizations and works tirelessly to show other change makers how they can not only make a living doing what they love - they'll be better armed to change the world for it.

Jamieson Webking- Director at Glacial Multimedia-As the Co-Chair of StartUpMaine, Jamieson focuses on the economic empowerment of both employers and employees looking to thrive in Maine's business community while enjoying the benefits of our quality of life. In his roles as a manager, colleague, community leader, husband, & outdoors-man, Jamieson sets the standard for those deserving the title of Young Professional of the Year.

Mateo Hodo-Coffee Me Up-As an immigrant business owner of Coffee Me Up, he has quickly established his business to be reputable, desirable and profitable. His volunteer efforts in the community range from new Mainer resource sharing, advocacy and serving as an ambassador to the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce

Connor Yost- Opus Consulting Group- As a young professional in Portland, ME -Yost has supported and inspired businesses in the greater Portland area. Connecting with professionals across multiple industries, applying best practices, and maintaining a network of resources, its safe to say he is a man of many talents. Whether Connor is in or outside the office his hark working persona carries him through his bowling, Foosball, and consulting skills.

Chase Hewitt- Beyond working to promote and market the Greater Portland area as a tourism destination, Chase has volunteered his time with the City of South Portland, working with their Senior Citizen Advisory Council to make South Portland an age-friendly community with available resources for those in need. Chase is attending The University of Maine School of Law this fall with the goal of continuing service in Maine. I believe that giving Chase this award will work to keep younger people in Maine and show them that there are many great reasons and opportunities for those who stay.

Lindsay Heald - Lindsay Heald, Senior Producer at Knack Factory, constantly pushes her team to work with Maine nonprofits to help tell their stories in visually compelling ways. Outside of work, she volunteers her talents to help document and promote other nonprofits including Maine Inside Out, Hardy Girls Healthy Women, and Women United Around the World. This spring she joined the board of Women United Around the World to help redesign their website and build an online storefront for handmade wares. She has risen to become a strong leader at Knack Factory and our continued growth is in large part because of her. She pushes us all to stay true to our values and is an extremely valuable part of our team and community.

Jacqueline Newell-s a member of the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Maine, she assists with brainstorming and process improvement, offering insight from her experience as a Lifetime Girl Scout and specializes on the Gold Award Committee, helping review and groom young women’s applications and projects. In the winter, she can be found at Sugarloaf, where she and her parents have jobs as Ambassadors and Customer Service Agents, welcoming guests to the mountain and helping everyone have as much fun as they do. As an active philanthropist, Jacqueline is currently training and raising funds for the Tri for a Cure, utilizing connections to local businesses to offer yoga classes and raffles, and raise over $2,000.

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* 5. Provide us your email to receive discounts on PROPEL's upcoming networking events!

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The Third Annual Ignition Awards

Vote for Your Picks Below! The Ignition Awards are June 27th at DiMillo's on the Water.

Question Title

* 1. Pick Your Choice for the Corporate Social Responsibility Award (Businesses that show passion for social issues accompanied with business success)

Question Title

* 2. Pick Your Choice for the Growth Stimulation Award (Companies that had a substantial impact on Maine’s economy and bringing young professionals to Maine.)

Question Title

* 3. Pick Your Choice for Innovator of the Year- (Entrepreneur, small business owner, or young professional who’ve made great strides in their business/ field thus far and are committed to making a difference in Maine.)

Question Title

* 4. Pick Your Choice of Young Professional of the Year-(Young Professionals that go above & beyond with their work in their industry or community organizations.)

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* 5. Provide us your email to receive discounts on PROPEL's upcoming networking events!