August 7, 2020
Thanks to our Premium Members:
Camden Office:
2 Public Landing
Camden, ME 04843 
207.236.4404

Rockland Office:
1 Park Drive,
Rockland, ME 04841
207.596.0376

Visitor Centers are open: 
Tuesday - Saturday
10 am - 4 pm
in Camden and Rockland

Tom Peaco

Amy Rollins

Diane Norton

Elizabeth Burrell

Chamber News...
Welcome back, Elizabeth!
The Chamber is excited to welcome Elizabeth Burrell back to the office in her role as our Operations Manager and Volunteer Coordinator. Like so many of our members, the Chamber has had to make painful decisions in recent months about staff furloughs during the coronoavirus pandemic. We're thrilled to have Elizabeth back, and you can reach her in the Rockland office and via email at Elizabeth@CamdenRockland.com.
Chamber Board Nominations
now being accepted
Nominations are open for 6 seats on the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Nominees must be Chamber members in good standing and you may nominate yourself. Three of the seats will be elected by the membership and three seats will be appointed by the board. Click here to nominate yourself or someone else. Deadline for nominations is August 31.
Questions? Please email Tom Peaco at Tom@CamdenRockland.com.
Chamber Award Nominations
are also open!
Nominate an outstanding business, organization or individual for one of our prestigious Annual Awards, and tell us about businesses celebrating milestone anniversaries in 2020, too!

Chamber Awards are not restricted to Chamber members - anyone can nominate and be nominated!
The award nomination form can be found here. Deadline for nominations is August 31.

Winners will be honored later this fall at the Chamber Gala, which will be presented in a modified format - stay tuned for the details!
Save the Date - September 25
Chamber Challenge Golf Tournament
We're looking forward to a crisp, fall day on the links.
Gather your foursome, add a hole sponsorship for extra value, and join the Chamber at Rockland Golf Club on Friday, September 25.
Registration details will be emailed early next week.

For sponsorship info, contact Diane Norton, Director of Member Marketing & Development, at 207-691-0131 or Diane@CamdenRockland.com.
Join us for our next Business After Hours Online!
August 12 - 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

We miss you! Since we can't gather in person, we'd like to invite you to an online version of our Business After Hours on Wednesday, August 12 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM. We're using an online platform called Remo and think it's a great platform to replicate the small group networking that we're all missing right now! And yes, Tom will pull us all together for a few quick announcements, just like a regular Business After Hours. You can learn more about Remo by viewing this quick video tutorial. Bring your own beverage and hors d'oeuvres, and join us for a fun gathering! We can't wait to see you. Click here to register to attend.
Show Your Business Support for Racial Equality -
An invitation from the Maine State Chamber of Commerce

Dear Chamber Member,

Organizations across Maine are looking to engage in the conversation on racism – to take action around promoting racial equity and making their own workplaces more inclusive. There is much to be done in this area – we have our own individual work to do, but also conversations to be had collectively as a community. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce is doing our part and convening businesses and employers in the hopes that organizations like yours will commit to taking action to address racial and social injustice.  

In conjunction with several business leaders and the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, we felt it would be a strong and meaningful message to have members of Maine’s business community make a statement pledging commitment and action around racial and social equity. Attached is a statement, signed by 24 employers doing just that – committing to condemning racism of any kind, providing training and education to their workforce, and evaluating their own practices to ensure they are in line with values and standards that advance racial equity.  

This is a start in our effort to find ways the business community can play a role in promoting racial equity throughout Maine.  

Now we are reaching out to our membership to solicit additional support for this pledge. If your organization would like to sign on as well, please visit this webpage and complete the embedded form. Please note that supporters will be listed as: company/organization name, executive name and executive title.  Also please note that we ask that you pledge your support by this Friday, August 7, to be included in the press announcement of this effort next week. 

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. We hope you will join us in this critically important effort – a step toward making a lasting impact on our state. There is much work to be done, but, together, we have no doubt we can make a difference.
 
Best regards,

Dana Connors
President and CEO
Maine State Chamber of Commerce
COVID-19 News...
COVID-19 Prevention Checklist Industry Guidance
August 5, 2020 - The new rules on large social gatherings for 100 people outdoors and 50 inside are now official. Tthe Maine Department of Economic and Community Development updated its COVID-19 Prevention Checklist Guidance on Wednesday, August 5th. Review it here: Large Gathering Checklist.

Coming on the heels of the Mills' Executive Order issued August 1, the new guidelines underscore size, scope and protocol for employees and food vendors. More...

As Maine Seeks to Maintain Relatively Low Virus Spread, Governor Mills Renews State of Civil Emergency
August 5, 2020 - Governor Mills today extended the State of Civil Emergency (PDF) for thirty days through September 3, 2020. The Governor’s decision to extend the emergency is in line with nearly every other state in the nation, which also have ongoing emergency declarations, according to the National Governors Association. The state of New Hampshire renewed its state of emergency last Friday. More...

National Survey to Identify Small Business Funding Programs
The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) is working to identify available sources of funding to support small businesses to help them sustain operations and recover from the impact of COVID-19. Many new state and local programs have been launched during the pandemic. A national survey has been developed to gather information about these programs and consolidate it into a single resource. If you would like to add your organization's information to the resource, please click here to complete the brief survey.
Member News...
Submit your news releases to Amy@CamdenRockland.com.
More local businesses sought to display "Finding Our Voices" banners
The domestic abuse-awareness downtown window banners getting peoples' attention "like nothing we have ever seen before," according to the director of a victim-advocacy agency, are back in the midcoast, and one (or two) of the 4' x 2' banners are available to any downtown business with windows big enough to display them. More...
Camden Conference and CIFF present “A Thousand Cuts” at Shotwell Drive-In
The Camden Conference and Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) are co-sponsoring A THOUSAND CUTS, a film about journalist Maria Ressa, one of the most memorable and moving speakers at the 2020 Conference, to be shown at the Shotwell Drive-In Theater in Rockport on Wednesday, August 19. More...

West Bay Rotary Backpack Program Helps Local Kids
No matter what back to school will look like this year, West Bay Rotary’s Backpack Program is back. In 2012, Barbara Heard started the West Bay Rotary Backpack Program and has been the driving force behind it ever since. More...

Camden Library’s Distinctive Double Staircase Safely Restored
The Camden Public Library encourages the community to revisit one of Camden’s hidden treasures, the newly restored Fauns Garden double staircase. Made possible by a $12,000 grant from the Belvedere Historical Preservation Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, the restoration involved repairing and repointing the brick piers that support the outdoor double staircase, and repairing and refinishing the wrought iron railings integral to the stairs. More...

Online Teaching from the Heart program offered at the Hutchinson Center
Registration is open for an online communication program, Teaching from the Heart, at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. The three-day professional development program for educators, teachers and those working with preschool-third grade children runs August 24-26, 9-11:30 am. More...

BHB&T Employees announce recent Casual for a Cause Donations
Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees are donating more than $10,000 collected in Q2 from its employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for a Cause, to 14 non-profits serving Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The non-profits receiving donations were selected by and voted on by the employees. More...

Maine Media Workshops + College receives $1.125M gift from Arnold and Augusta Newman Foundation
The influential and revered photographer and educator, Arnold Newman, enjoyed a decades’ long association with Maine Media Workshops + College, where he taught numerous photographic workshops over the years. More...
Bundling conservation in the upper St. George River
Protecting frontage along the Dead River, headwater stream of the St. George River and the woodlands that buffer it, has been a long-term dream for Eileen ONeil of Appleton Maine. More...
Mid-Coast School of Technology announces fall courses
The fall season of new Adult Ed courses is right around the corner! View or register on our website: www.midcoastadulted.com. Our programs are clearly in-person, online only, or in-person with the option of presenting via Zoom, if necessary. RSU13-area residents will see their MCST Adult Ed catalog in the mail before the end of the month. There is so much to consider this season! More...
Member Events...
Our online calendar is your guide to virtual events happening in the Camden/Rockland Region.
Click here to view our complete Events Calendar.

Have an event to share? Members are invited to share events on the Chamber Calendar. Login to your Chamber Profile Page to get started.
Member to Member Marketplace...
Your business can get there from here.
Pica has been providing branding, marketing and design services to Maine companies for 20 years. We can help your business strategize and thrive, too. Contact us to schedule a picaTHINK, an affordable, one-time consulting session. Only $250 for a 90 minute session focused on your individual needs and goals! E-mail think@pica.is or visit us at pica.is/think.
Win $1,000 from US Cellular
US Cellular is trying to keep some of the fun around for the summer, by giving away $1K each month! From now through December, any Maine resident can enter to win; no purchase necessary.l For contest details and entry, simply click here.
Rocky Coast Reiki Wellness Studio
50% off* a Reiki Energy Healing Session or FIR Infrared Bio Mat Therapy Treatment. Reiki Energy Healing is a simple, natural, and safe method of healing and self-improvement that is simple, effective, and extremely safe. Biomats are FDA approved medical devices that can help with the following: Deep relaxation, revitalize cell metabolism, enhance immune function/fights disease & illness, purify blood, aid in digestion, improve sleep, relieve pain, improve blood circulation, etc. For more information on products or services, please visit www.RockyCoastReiki.com. *Offer valid through September 30, 2020.
Have an offer to share?
Members are invited to email Amy@CamdenRockland.com with details of goods, programs, products, or services they would like to offer to their fellow members. Please limit your offer to headline + 75 words and include an end date not to exceed 3 months.