Chase receives Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award

HOULTON, Maine — Whether it was building bridges, running a major wood products corporation, or starting his own construction company in Houlton, Peter Chase has always been a hands-on type of person.
The Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce lauded Chase for his accomplishments Saturday when he received the organization’s highest honor — the Lifetime Achievement Award during a gala event.
    The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual(s) for a lifetime of constant community contributions. It’s about the actions, achievements and contributions of the person(s) that evoke admiration and respect throughout the community and beyond.
“When I started five years ago, the Chamber routinely only gave out a couple of awards (at its banquet),” said Lori Weston, former executive director for the Chamber and current economic and community development director for the town of Houlton. “We decided that Houlton certainly has extraordinary people and businesses that are doing things all the time and we needed a way to capture that.”
Weston said that by recognizing individuals or groups with the Lifetime Achievement Award, she hoped it helped others aspire to do great things as well.
“What a true honor this is to receive this award,” Chase said. “I think there are so many other people that deserve this. Whenever anyone receives an award like this, it isn’t because of just one person. It’s because of a tremendous group they work with.”
Chase was born in Bedford, Pa., but his family moved to Maine when he was 5 years old. Living in the Augusta area, he graduated from Cony High School in 1975 and later obtained a degree in forest engineering from the University of Maine.
Upon graduation, Chase went to work for Cianbro Corporation as a field engineer. His first taste of Aroostook County came when he was assigned to the Interstate-95 North bridge projects in Island Falls and Houlton. He returned to The County as a project engineer for the Louisiana Pacific OSB mill in New Limerick and did such a fine job building the facility that he was asked to stay on as plant superintendent at the age of 24.
Chase was later promoted to plant manager and ultimately became the operations manager for two OSB mills and a gypsum fiberboard mill in Nova Scotia. In 1992, he invented a method of self-draining OSB flooring, which led to a patented system that became LP’s Top-Notch flooring product.
While at LP, he met the woman who would become his wife, Kathy. The two married in 1984 and quickly started a family. Travel pressures from his job, however, took their toll and Chase decided to leave LP and start his own general contracting company, Buildings Etcetera, Inc. in Houlton. That company has grown 50-fold since its first year and now employs 20 local professionals in various construction trades.
Some of the many projects his company has completed include the John Millar Arena, Houlton Higher Education Center, SAD 29 Auditorium renovations and the installation of a state-of-the-art biomass boiler at Houlton High School.
Chase has also served on numerous town committees and groups, including past president of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce; selectman for the town of New Limerick; past board member of Houlton Regional Hospital’s Health Services Foundation; past president of Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development; past president of Houlton Rotary; chairman of the Route 1 South Corridor Committee; past president of Southern Aroostook Development Corporation; board member and coach for Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association, Bambino Little League and recreation basketball.
Chase and his wife Kathy reside in New Limerick. They have three sons, Jesse, Zachary and Nicholas, all of whom are in the engineering discipline.
Past winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award include: Ed and Dawn Degenhardt (2011), Walter Goodrich (2010), Michael Clark (2009), Frank Dunn (2008) and Robert Anderson (2007).