About and Contact Us
Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce
50 Elm Street
Waterville, ME 04901
Office: (207) 873-3315
Fax: (207) 877-0087
Monday to Friday – 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
For General Inquiries:
customerservice@midmainechamber.com
Jennifer Pepe
Director of Marketing and Membership
jennifer@midmainechamber.com
Photo credit Elm City Photo
Cindy Stevens
e Guarino
Jamie FeylerBoard of Directors
Michelle Joler-Labbe
Chair
hr@thomas.edu
Michelle Joler-Labbe, a Winslow native, attended University of Maine Farmington receiving a B.A. in Psychology. She also went to Springfield College where she obtained a Master’s in counseling. Currently, she is the Vice President of HR and Diversity at Thomas College. Michelle presently is a member of Kennebec Valley Human Resource Association. She resides in Vassalboro with her husband, daughter and two dogs. In her spare time, she boats, kayaks and spends time at the lake. Michelle is current Chair of Mid-Maine Chamber’s Business Breakfast Series.
Shawn MichaudShawn is a Sales Representative at Seacoast Security. He currently serves on many boards including Board of Directors for Pen Bay Chamber of Commerce and multiple committees. Shawn is a member of Waterville Elks. He serves multiple committees of the Bangor Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of Rock Coast Networkers. Shawn chairs the Taste of Waterville committee for Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce. He has been involved with the Chamber for over 13 years.
Gary PoulinBorn in Waterville and raised in Benton, Gary Poulin is known for being an active member of the community. He spent 16 years working as a sales representative for the EZ to Use telephone directory service before joining Mix Maine Media. Gary used his time with EZ to Use to build relationships with local businesses and was known for his excellent customer service. He continues to work with members of the community in his new role, and enjoys being able to form new connections. Gary is an active member of both the Mid-Maine and Kennebec Valley Chambers of commerce, and in 2014 he received the Mid-Maine Chamber’s Elias A. Joseph award for his community service and dedication. He lives in Clinton with wife and enjoys golfing and motorcycles.
Bruce Harrington
Treasurer
Bharrington@mainestatecu.org
Bruce is a commercial loan officer at Maine State Credit Union. Bruce is responsible for commercial lending in the greater Waterville and Augusta Areas. He is board treasurer, chairs Business to Business Showcase and Business Expansion & Retention Committees, and serves on the Bass Fishing Subcommittee, and Marketing Committee. Bruce earned his undergraduate finance degree and his MBA at the University of Maine in Orono, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Business Administration. Bruce was born and raised in Fairfield, where he now lives with his wife, two daughters, and two sons.
Gary Levesque
Director-At-Large
glevesque@ft.newyorklife.com
Gary Levesque grew up in Jay, Maine and earned his Bachelors L.S. from University of Maine, Orono. He’s a financial service professional with New York Life Insurance Co. and has worked there for 20 years. Gary is a past board member of the Hospice volunteers of Waterville Area, and Past Trustee of Oakland United Baptist Church. He is a Member of Kennebec Valley Elks Club and is a Mason. He’s Past chair of the Mid-Maine Chamber Golf Committee. Gary joined the board to create a better economic environment to attract businesses to the area as well as to help businesses that are already here to prosper and to be able to hire and retain more employees. Gary is married, has two children, and enjoys golfing when he can.
Joy McKenna
Past Chair
joy.mckenna@mainegeneral.org
Growing up in Bangor, Joy developed a passion for volunteering and participated in a wide variety of activities in school and in the community. Her desire to work in all aspects of community improvement and personal empowerment led her to government. She served as a staff person in the U.S. Congress and for two health care-related nonprofits during her 10 years in Washington, D.C. Joy returned to Maine to join the communications office of Governor Baldacci. Since 2011, Joy has served at MaineGeneral Health, the largest private employer in the Kennebec Valley. She became director of Marketing & Communications in 2014.
Brian Bowman
Brian Bowman is co-owner and Vice President of Bowman Constructors and is responsible for all aspects of the business.
Martha WentworthMartha Wentworth works at GHM Agency. Martha has developed a passion for insurance over the years, obtaining her Property and Casualty license in 1996, Life & Health Insurance license in 2002, currently holding her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation and working on her Certified Risk Management designation (CRM). Martha enjoys working with both personal & commercial customers.
Larissa Larrabee
Larissa Larrabee is the Mill Controller for Huhtamaki, where she has been employed for five years.
Larissa attended Lawrence High School in Fairfield. She later received a master’s degree from Thomas College. Larissa is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She has participated in the Leadership Dev. Program, Center for Creative Leadership, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Mergers and Acquisitions program, and the Emerging Leader Dev. Program, Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
Larissa currently serves on the Mid-Maine Chamber Public Policy Committee and has served as Past Board President for the United Way of Tri-Valley. She is a supporter of military families through the Christmas Across Maine program.
Larissa is married to Tony Larrabee and has one son, AJ Larrabee. Larissa’s hobbies include crafting, farming and movies.
Mark Bradford
Mark Bradford has served as Area Sales Manager for Valley Beverage Distributors for the past ten years.
Mark was born in the Waterville area and attended Lawrence High School. He then received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine.
Mark has served for seven years as a volunteer coach for P.A.L. football and basketball and is a member of the Augusta Elks. Mark is a member of both the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic Committee and the Taste of Waterville Committee.
He enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching and playing sports, and travelling.
Linanne Gaunce
Linanne Gaunce has managed special events and donations for ten years for Central Maine Motors Auto Group, a family-owned auto dealership based in Waterville. Linanne was born in the Waterville area and attended Messalonskee High School. She then received an Associates Degree from Thomas College. After having moved away from the area after college, she and her husband returned to Waterville to put down roots in the community and raise their family. Linanne is involved as President of the Waterville High School Boosters Association for the Golf, Baseball, Tennis and Cross-Country Teams. She served as co-President of the Waterville Senior High School Project Graduation Committee for 2020, helping to plan a unique graduation ceremony in light of the pandemic. Linanne has served as a member of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards and Super Raffle Committees.
Linanne and her husband, Chris have two sons, Charles J (CJ) and Daniel and are proud owners of the family dog, Alpine. Linanne enjoys traveling, skiing, yoga, boating and golf.
Ken Walsh
Ken Walsh is Chief Executive Officer for the Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA at the Alfond Youth & Community Center, a position he has held for 29 years. He holds a degree from State University of New York, Cortland BSE Physical Education. Through Ken’s leadership, the Alfond Youth & Community Center has expanded programs to serve multiple constituents, including work with area after-school care and food/nutrition programs.
Ken serves on the YMCA and BGCA State Alliance, Main eSports Legends, and is an assistant baseball coach at Colby College, as well as a planned giving and legacy gifts advisor. He has served on multiple boards including KVCAP, GoodWill Hinckley, and Boys & Girls Clubs of American President’s Council.
Ken is a second and third baseman on state and national baseball teams, is a 7th degree black belt, tennis player, marathon and triathlon participant, and enjoys white water kayaking and hiking.
Karen Normandin
Serving as the President since June 1, 2022, Karen has been with Kennebec Valley Community College for 33 years. Karen has served in a variety of roles including adjunct faculty, Director of a federally funded grant program (TRiO), Assistant Dean of Students and finally, the Dean of Student Affairs. Each of these roles has provided her with the opportunity to impact many student journeys. Karen lives in Augusta with her husband of 41 years, Denis, has 2 children and a beautiful granddaughter. Born and raised in Portland, Maine has always had a very special place in her heart. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH; a Master’s Degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and is a Doctoral Candidate at Capella University.
Jamie Plourde
Jamie is an Associate Broker and has been with Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate since June 2020. Jamie was born and raised in Winslow and moved back to the area in early 2020. She is a graduate of Bentley University, Suffolk University, and has completed a Women In Leadership Certificate from Cornell University.
Jamie is a second-generation member of the Coldwell Banker Plourde family who spent the prior 14+ years working at Fidelity Investments in various leadership positions in the Boston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. Jamie is active in the community and currently serves as the Treasurer of the Kennebec Valley Board of Realtors, Director on the Board of the Maine Association of Realtors, Vice President of the Board of the Children's Discovery Museum, and Director on the Board of the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce. Jamie currently serves as Chair of the Mid-Maine Chamber’s Leadership Luncheon and is a Member of the Marketing & Membership Committee and KV Connect.
Jamie enjoys golfing, spending time on Messalonskee Lake, and skiing at Sugarloaf.
Kristian Suttie
Kristian is the Construction/Maintenance Supervisor for Central Maine Power. Kristian was born and raised in Waterville. He is a graduate of Kennebec Valley Community College. He has been a Waterville Elks Club member for over 24 years, Good Time Riders, and Ragged Riders snowmobile club, as well as serving on the KVCC board for the electrical line worker program. Kristian always looks forward to maintaining the Chamber’s strong position in this region by being engaged, and offering new and fresh ideas that will help the Chamber’s successful organization. He is passionate about making a difference with all that central Maine has to offer. Kristian enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, golf, and boating.
Molly Woodward
Molly Woodward grew up in a small northern town in Maine, graduated high school from Penobscot Valley High School, and went on to Thomas College where she graduated with a bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Management. Molly completed an internship at the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce (Summer of 2011) while at Thomas College and fell in love with the Waterville community. Molly has been a part of the growth and development in the region over the past decade and has great hopes for what her future still can be. Molly has a background in personal and business finance; working for Bangor Savings Bank and New Dimensions FCU as a Personal and Commercial Banker. Molly has stepped forward to a career in the casual dining industry working at Cappza's Pizza LLC as their Director of Development. She looks forward to growing and nurturing the staff into the future of the company.
Molly now lives in Oakland with her husband, Richard Pierce, and their son Jameson. Molly is an avid gardener and enjoys playing golf and attending shows at the Waterville Opera House.
Tom Shupe
Thomas (Tom) E. Shupe Jr. is a Financial Advisor for Gateway Financial Partners. He was born in Buffalo, New York. Tom is a graduate of Eckerd College in St. Peterburg, Florida and holds a Business Management degree.
As a financial advisor for Gateway Financial Partners, Tom’s services are more than just knowledge, expertise, and experience . . . they come with something truly unique: a commitment to treat you like family. He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Waterville from 2022 to the present. Tom has also volunteered as a youth hockey coach for 12 years throughout NY and CT. He is currently on the Public Policy committee for Waterville. Tom enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, golf, and boating.
Dan Wildes
Daniel Wildes, President of Sheridan Construction assumed ownership of the Sheridan companies in 2021. His succession of management and ownership follows the recently announced retirement of Mitchell Sammons.
Wildes previously served as Senior Vice President, managing construction operations since 1989. He is a graduate of the Wentworth Institute of Technology where he earned a BS in Architectural Engineering and Construction Management.
Sabrina Gormley"My interest and vision for joining the Board is to further my involvement with an organization whose mission is so vital in the Mid-Maine area. Growing businesses, offering activities for people of all ages, and making our region a welcoming environment and great place to live is so very important. As I’m not from this area, I look forward to making new connections and doing my part to help improve business opportunities and the lives of residents in this area that I have quickly come to love!"
Tonya Clark
As an Employee Relations Partner, I enjoy being dedicated to creating and maintaining a balanced workplace where employees can thrive and organizations can excel. I bring a wealth of experience in conflict resolution, policy compliance, and employee development.
Garvan Donegan
Ex-Officio
gdonegan@centralmaine.org
Garvan manages Central Maine Growth Council’s regional economic development initiatives and networks. This includes city planning and policy analysis, regional projects, grants, business expansion/retention, enterprise growth, and entrepreneurial development. Along with these key roles, Garvan administers the growth and development of the City of Waterville’s federal U.S. Foreign Trade Zone program (FTZ 186), a regional effort to cultivate global trade and outreach in the State of Maine. The Maine native earned his B.A. from Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, FL in 2008, graduating with a double major in Political Science and Environmental Sciences, earned a M.A. (MCPD) in Community Planning and Development from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine, and holds a Maritime Port Manager (MPM) certificate from the Loeb-Sullivan Graduate School of International Business & Logistics, at Maine Maritime Academy and the International Association of Maritime and Port Executives (IAMPE).
To get more information about becoming a member or about the many events and offerings of the Mid-Maine Chamber, please contact: