S.W. Collins named Business of the Year

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
COMMUNITY SPIRIT — McGill’s Community Band won the Community Spirit award at Saturday’s Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce annual gala. Accepting the award are, from left, Michael Clark, Joe Fagnant and Dave McGillicuddy.
McGill’s Band, Cunha, Chase also recognized for community efforts
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — It was an evening of fine dining and camaraderie as the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce held its annual Dinner Meeting and Gala Saturday evening. The Houlton Lodge of Elks was transformed into scenes of Broadway and First Street to “A Night in New York City.”
    Serving as the Chamber’s annual business meeting, four major awards were presented on the evening — Lifetime Achievement Award, Business of the Year, Community Service and Community Spirit. The Business of the Year award went to S.W. Collins; Community Service Award was presented to McGill’s Community Band; Community Spirit Award went to Dave Cunha; and the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Peter Chase. (A story on Chase’s award appears on the front page of today’s paper.)
    Former Chamber Executive Director Lori Weston, who is now the economic and community development director for the town of Houlton, served as moderator for the evening along with Chamber President Ben Adams. Weston was also honored for her five years of service to the Chamber.
    “I’m sure many of you thought that you were going to be rid of me,” joked Weston. “I am so happy and proud to be a part of this year’s event.”
    “The town is very lucky to have her,” Adams said. “Although we were very sad to see her leave, we are all excited for her and her new position with the town and the potential doors this can open for all of us. Lori’s commitment and care for the town are unlike any other I have ever seen. Lori is what every Chamber of Commerce member should strive to be.”
    An emotional Weston also introduced Lynn Parker, interim executive director, who was hired as the Chamber assistant last July. The Chamber has yet to name a permanent replacement for Weston, who left the post in October.
    “It’s not an easy task when somebody leaves,” Weston said. “I appreciate Lynn’s efforts and also the Chamber membership for helping her out during this transition period. We are all committed to this wonderful community. I am privileged to say that I know each and every one of you.”
    Outgoing board members Barrett Potter, Karen Fitzpatrick and Debbie Nesbitt were also recognized for their time with the Chamber.
    Decorations for the evening, which featured New York City skylines, street signs and lamp posts, were arranged by Ernie and Lynn Wheeler, while Daniel’s Florist provided rose bouquets for each table. Waiters and waitresses for the evening were Houlton High School seniors, collecting money for Project Graduation.
    Following the awards presentation, a fund-raising auction was held.
Business of the Year
    Criteria for Business of the Year Award includes business growth and improvement; quality customer service; staying power within the community; overall excellence in the marketplace; community contributions and major achievements within the business field.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
BUSINESS AWARDED — S.W. Collins was named the Business of the Year by the Greater Houlton Chamber Saturday. Accepting the award is Scott Dionne, store manager of the Houlton branch.
    S.W. Collins has only been in Houlton for the past five years, but has had a tremendous impact on the area. The company, which formed 168 years ago in Caribou with Sam Collins and Washington Vaughn, remains a family-owned and operated business, with the Collins family.
    Today, the firm brings lumber, building materials and custom millwork to northern Maine and beyond with three retail lumberyards, a kitchen and bath design center and a full-service millwork shop.
    In the spring of 2007, S.W. Collins came to Houlton when it acquired the Almon H. Fogg Company from Steven Richardson. The Collins family began developing the facility and empowering its workforce. The retail store featured a new floor design, flooring, lighting and fixtures making it easier to navigate it inventory.
    The company raised its front area to provide more parking spaces and easier access to the Bangor Road building. More recently, a 105-foot by 210-foot storage warehouse was added at the rear of the property, which helped boost the amount of on-hand product it has available to the public in an enclosed environment.
    Owners Sam and Gregg Collins were unable to attend Saturday’s function, but Scott Dionne, store manager for the Houlton business accepted the award on their behalf.
    “The entire Collins family are extremely honored for this recognition from the Chamber and its members,” Dionne said. “They are very proud to be part of a community that knows the importance of keeping business in The County and supporting family-owned and -operated companies. Sam also wanted me to make sure everyone knows how envious he is of Houlton’s downtown. It’s rare to travel anywhere in Maine and find original, well-maintained buildings filled with unique and thriving businesses.”
    Dionne added the Collins family has always felt welcomed in Houlton.
Community Service Award
    The Community Service Award identifies a group or individual that consistently contributes to the community in any manner that has improved the quality of life to its community members through services or programs.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
LARGE GATHERING — The Houlton Lodge of Elks was transformed into scenes of New York City Saturday evening for the annual Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce gala and awards banquet.
    Dave Cunha, owner of County Yankee Grocery in Houlton, was chosen for this year’s award. Cunha was unable to attend Saturday evening’s event, due to an out-of-state family commitment. Representatives from his business attended and accepted the award on his behalf. Cunha also owns Steaks n’ Stuff in Presque Isle and Lincoln.
    “When we called Dave to tell him he won the award, he was just so Dave,” Weston said. “He said to me, ‘Really? Are you sure you counted the votes right? I’m sure there are other people who are more deserving.’”
    Cunha has shared much with the community, both on a personal and professional level. Numerous groups have benefited from his generosity on such items as Boston Bruins and U-Maine Black Bear hockey tickets to countless donations and sponsorships for benefit suppers, community events and causes including youth hockey, Dollars for Scholars, Moosestompers, Houlton Fair, school fundraisers and the Houlton Rotary Club to name a few.
    Cunha is active in the community as he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Houlton Lodge of Elks and the Odd Fellows.
    The son of Portuguese immigrants, Cunha moved to Maine from Dartmouth, Mass. in 1978 and began working at Friel’s Mill in Oakfield. In December of 1978, he started on the road to his grocery career, taking a job at Bell’s IGA in Patten. After several years, Cunha spent some time at Charlotte, N.C., where he worked for a drug company and coffee service company.
    In 1985, he returned to Maine to work at the Ellis Family Market in Patten and in 1993, Cunha and Rick Burpee formed a partnership to open County Yankee in Houlton. In 1995, he bought out Burpee’s share and became sole owner.
    Cunha is currently in the midst of constructing a new County Yankee grocery store on Military Street, a short distance from his current building that will be more than double the size of his present store.
    In a prepared statement, Cunha said, “It has been a privilege to be part of the Houlton community and I look forward to the future in the new store. I feel very fortunate that my path in life has led me to Houlton.”
Community Spirit Award
    The Community Spirit Award honors an individual or group who shows extraordinary community spirit thought acts of volunteerism or any other manner of contribution to the area. McGill’s Community Band was formed in 1985, marking the fulfillment of David McGillicuddy’s dream to bring such a band to the Houlton area.
    With musicians coming from many of the surrounding towns, as well as New Brunswick, Canada, McGill’s grew from a 55-member band in its first year to more than 80 today. The group performs free concerts in Community Park every Thursday during the summer. Attendance at these concerts is among the largest in the state for similar bands, with several hundred residents often filling the park with lawn chairs and blankets to listen to the music.
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
WESTON HONORED — Lori Weston,  right,  was lauded for her years as executive director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce Saturday evening at the annual gala. Weston served as the executive director for five years. With Weston is Ben Adams.
    Weston said visitors to the area, or those who recently moved to Houlton, would often call her at the Chamber and ask what events there were to do in the summer. She regularly told them about McGill’s Community Band and the day after a concert she would often get a phone call from those people.
    “Visitors would be absolutely enthralled by the fact that they got to watch an entire community engaged in conversations as families,” Weston said. “Apparently, this doesn’t happen in a lot of places other than Houlton. It is a unique thing that happens here, and it makes you so proud.”
    In 1998, the band played its first concert at its new amphitheater, providing shelter from the elements, as well as electricity and lights. The Houlton Rotary Club helped raise money for the amphitheater through its annual auction.
    After 20 years directing the band, with an average of 10 concerts every summer, McGillicuddy retired as its director. He traded in his baton for his trusty saxophone and took a seat as one of the band members. Current SAD 29 band director Joe Fagnant took over the director duties in 2005.
    The band supports itself by donations and routinely passes the hat during each performance to assist with purchasing new music to perform each year and provide uniforms for its members.
    Band member Michael Clark thanked the Chamber for the award and shared some information on the band.
    “In the last four or five years, we have found out, through working with other community bands, that we have the largest community band in the state,” Clark said. “We can take great pride in that fact.”
    Clark also used the evening’s ceremony to encourage more people to join the band for its first performance.
    “Our first concert is going to be June 1,” Clark said. “We hope to have a large contingent of Rotary Clubs from around the state coming to Houlton and will perform for them on that day.”