Chamber hosts annual gala, awards banquet

Smith & Wesson selected as Business of the Year By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce held its 2010 Annual Dinner and Gala Event Saturday at the Houlton Lodge of Elks.
    Serving as the annual business meeting, four major awards were presented on the evening — Lifetime Achievement Award, Business of the Year, Community Service and Community Spirit. Smith & Wesson was selected as the Business of the Year, while John Fitzpatrick was chosen for the Community Spirit Award and Houlton Regional Hospital Auxiliary won the Community Service Award.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR — Smith & Wesson Plant Manager Terry Wade, left, accepts his plaque for “Business of the Year” from Greater Houlton Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lori Weston during Friday night’s gala event.
    Walter Goodrich was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. (See front page for a story on Goodrich).
    Set to the theme of a Hawaiian paradise, participants were presented with tropical flowers as the entered and enjoyed a dinner set to a tropical theme.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
SERVICE WITH A SMILE — Students from Houlton High School served as waitresses for the annual chamber dinner. Serving appetizers are HHS students Rebecca Waite (left) and Amber Carmichael as Stacy Emery and Mandy Emery sample the goodies.
    “Each year I am overwhelmed by the response we receive for this event,” said Chamber Executive Director Lori Weston. “For me, this event reflects on just how wonderful our community is. Not only is it a time of fellowship with your fellow peers, but it’s a celebration of the people and business that have an enormous impact on our lives and the community.”
    The following officers were re-elected for the 2010 year: Kent Good, president; Sam Henderson, first vice president; Ben Adams, second vice president; Stacy Emery, treasurer; and Anne Callnan, past president.
Business of the Year
    Smith & Wesson plays an integral role in the community as a major employer and supporter of numerous community projects. There are 165 people employed at the facility, which runs mostly three shifts, five days a week. Some operations are performed on a 24-hour, seven-day a week schedule.
    “We’re really excited about receiving this award,” Plant Manager Terry Wade said. “I never had an idea. It’s just unreal. I thank the Chamber for making this possible.”
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
COMMUNITY SPIRIT — John Fitzpatrick, right, receives his plaque for winning the Community Spirit award at Friday night’s banquet. Making the presentation is Greater Houlton Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lori Weston.
    Wade thanked the many staff members who work at the plant as “they are the ones that make this business succeed.”
    Smith & Wesson opened a manufacturing facility on the Bangor Road in 1966 and moved to the Houlton Industrial Park in 1979. In 1980, handcuff production began and the Houlton facility shipped its first finished products. The Model 422 .22-caliber pistol launched production in 1986 and in 1992, the premiere target pistol — Model 41 — came to Houlton.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
RETIRING MEMBER — Wanda White-Ouellette, right, receives a plaque as an outgoing director of the Greater Houlton Area Chamber of Commerce. Making the presentation is Chamber Executive Director Lori Weston and Kent Good, chamber president.
    With the increased production came the need for greater space and in 1994, the plant was doubled in size to 36,000 square feet. The Walther PPK handgun began being produced in Houlton in 2001 and in 2008, production began on the “Metal Pistol” line that includes 1911 45 ACP pistols, as well as the 9mm pistols 40 Smith & Wesson and 45 ACP that are used by the New York Police Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the California Highway Patrol.   
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Joseph Cyr
COMMUNITY SERVICE — Eleanor Harvey, left, president of the Houlton Regional Hospital Auxiliary is presented with her plaque by Greater Houlton Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lori Weston during Friday night’s awards ceremony.
    Wade said he began working at Smith & Wesson in 1972, when he was hired by then-Plant Manager John Fitzpatrick. He took over as Plant Manager in 1997.
    “When we moved out to the new building in 1979, we had 29 employees who’s average pay was around $2.80 an hour,” Wade said. “That was a good wage back then. Today, we have 160-plus employees. Our products, whether they be handcuffs of guns, have Houlton, ME stamped or engraved on them,” Wade said. “What better advertising [for the town] could you ask for?”
    Wade said Smith & Wesson has invested $3.3 million dollars in the past three years in its Houlton plant and the payroll for the company has now grown to  $4.2 million, compared to $250,000 in the 1970s.
    “The success and growth of Smith & Wesson is due largely to the ‘can-do’ attitude of its people and the availability of a quality work force,” Wade said. “The support of the town and educational system is a key factor in the continued success of Smith & Wesson.”
Community Service
    “There are extraordinary people doing extraordinary things in Houlton all the time,” Weston said. “But what we found is they are not properly recognized for their efforts. That is especially true of the group we are honoring tonight.
    The Houlton Regional Hospital Auxiliary was established in 1973 following the merger of two local hospitals. At its peak, there were more than 400 paying members, but following a nationwide trend, the auxiliary downsized in 2004.
    Determined not to let the auxiliary dissolve, a core group of members pledged their support to keep the Auxiliary alive by maintaining a slate of officers and a 23-member advisory committee.
    Since its inception the auxiliary has given back significant funding for healthcare totaling $800,000 to Houlton Regional Hospital’s mission of providing compassionate, quality, cost effective care to the communities it serves.
    “We were just thrilled when we got the [notification] letter,” said Eleanor Harvey, president of the Auxiliary. “The volunteers we have sitting at these tables manage everything that goes on. They are the ones that make it all happen.”
    Harvey said changes in the healthcare industry have been dramatic over the years.
    “Anyone that reads a paper or watches a television knows that running a hospital is no walk in the park,” she said. “And it looks like it probably won’t be getting any easier. Our community has been blessed by the quality of physicians we have been able to bring to this town. In the future, if we are going to continue to attract qualified health care providers, they are going to want up-to-date equipment and a good place to work.”
    Harvey closed her remarks with some words of wisdom.
    “Keep your eyes on health care, because it’s going to change,” she said.
Community Spirit
    “The one thing that Houlton does extremely well is its number of volunteers, who routinely step up to the plate to make things happen,” Weston said. “That certainly is the case our 2010 Community Spirit Award recipient John Fitzpatrick.”
    Fitzpatrick is a lifelong resident of Houlton. He has been married to his wife Nancy for 48 years and the couple has three children — Patty Hersey of Houlton, John Fitzpatrick of Tucson, Ariz., and Mike Fitzpatrick of Houlton — and seven grandchildren.
    His professional career saw Fitzpatrick work as general manager for Coca-Cola in Presque Isle, a position he held until his retirement in 2000. He was responsible for the daily operations of the bottling plant, while also attaining sales and profit goals.
    Always civic minded, Fitzpatrick was active during his career in Presque Isle with Rotary Club, serving on the Boards of UMPI, NMTC, Presque Isle Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Maine Fair.
    A member of the Houlton Town Council, Fitzpatrick also serves a board member of the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation. He is pro-active in the community and was one of the individuals responsible for getting the “log cabin” building built in Community Park.
    “Community spirit comes about by being with people in the community,” Fitzpatrick said. “We are so fortunate to have the town manager we have. I think in the next five years, we are going to see Houlton grow more than it has in the past 30 years.”