By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — The Greater Limestone Chamber of Commerce held their annual dinner meeting on Nov. 15 at the Limestone Country Club, with guest speakers Erica Quin-Easter and Natalie St.Pierre highlighted at the podium.
Quin-Easter is the microenterprise trainer at Women, Work, and Community’s Presque Isle office, during the chamber dinner she offered business owners some tips on how to add to their success. Among the many helpful ideas offered, Quin-Easter encouraged business owners to be proactive in their community, citing the idiom “a rising tide floats all boats.” She also mentioned the importance of being open to possibilities “and pursue them doggedly,” and the necessity for business owners to delegate, yet know enough to be present.
“Finally, never say never — say how,” Quin-Easter said, and introduced St.Pierre to the audience.
St.Pierre told of her journey to become a business owner, and her words echoed Quin-Easter’s emphasis on never saying never.
A recent graduate of the New Ventures program through Women, Work and Community, spoke of her new business, Social Envy Image and Event Consulting out of Presque Isle.
“Being a person with a disability, I wanted to do everything that I could do, not only for my family, and my personal life, but also for myself,” St.Pierre said, describing how being a person with a disability and being a productive member of society don’t always go hand-in-hand.
“I said ‘OK, I’m going to take my life into my hand and I’m going to pursue my dream,’” she described to the audience.
Programs like Woman, Work and Community, she said, helped her establish her business model (even if she began successfully taking clients before the model was complete.)
Following the two guest speakers, annual updates were provided by incoming Chamber President Michelle Albert and President of the Limestone Rotary Club David King.
Albert described the accomplishments reached over the past year by chamber members, including the town’s new website (Limestonemaine.org), another successful Fourth of July celebration, and various ways in which the organization has worked to promote the town.
King advised the audience that the gazebo has been installed at the Rotary Park in downtown Limestone, with its beautiful new town clock. He described all the work that’s gone into the project and the work that still needs to be done (like walkways, seeding grass and planting no-maintenance annuals such as hostas.)
He also informed the audience that once the park project is complete, the Rotary Club will gift the brand new downtown park to the town.
While the downtown park has been steadily moving along, King also described other annual events that keep the 14-person Rotary Club busy year-round, with the next big event being the Christmas Baskets they put together with other community organizations.
“With the things we do, it’s all hands on deck all the time,” King said.
The next meeting of the Greater Limestone Chamber of Commerce is on Monday, Dec. 10 at the Limestone Municipal Building. The Limestone Rotary Club meets every Thursday morning at 7 a.m. in the same building as Russetto’s at the Loring Commerce Centre.
