This 800-employee-third-generation-family-owned distribution company serves 5000 New England and New York clients through its convenience store, food service, beer & wine and vending divisions. Started in Augusta in 1940 by Charles F. Canning, Sr., Pine State is now New England’s leader in marketing and distribution of convenience and beverage products. Current owners since 2007, Gena Canning, Keith Canning and Nick Alberding continue their family tradition of investing in the people and technology needed to consistently deliver consumer products and services. Gena credits Pine State’s “absolutely outstanding Capital region workforce for the
successful growth of the business.”

This Augusta native, President of Macomber Farr & Whitten, is a respected insurance executive, musician, professor, community volunteer and business leader. A Cony grad, John earned a degree at UMA then an English BA at Orono. He’s been president of a number of statewide insurance organizations and is an expert litigation witness. He co- founded and is adjunct professor of UMA’s Financial Services program. He’s past chair of UMA’s Board of Visitors and heads the UMA Foundation. Music is a lifetime love; John performs regularly in his 44-year-old rock band, Cahoots, and is a church organist and former choir director. Oh, and among a dozen current community leadership positions, John is 35-year Chair of the Augusta Parking District.

A true entrepreneur-business leader-community leader, Bill Perry has made his mark on Kennebec Valley’s quality of life. A pilot since 16, he is president of Maine Instrument Flight (MIF) and Maine Beechcraft sales. After years of highway engineering and flying for his dad’s MIF, Bill founded the successful Maine Beechcraft in 1976 to devote full time to aviation. The Chelsea native is pleased with his leadership role in forming the CARA recreation complex (now containing more than a dozen sports fields), with his years of school board leadership, with his role in helping fund the Alfond Cancer Care Center and his many board posts.He is especially proud of his wife, Kitty, their five children and 10 grandchildren.

At age 3, Keltie McCatherin Collins began her dance career in her two sisters’ Augusta studio. In 1973, influenced and inspired by her passion and by the great dance legends of our country, opened the first of her studios in downtown Augusta. In 2004, a dream of building her own facility came true with her state-of-the-art three-studio sprung floor dance centre in North Augusta where she and her artistic staff teach 49 classes a week. Thousands of students have thanked Keltie and will continue to do so for teaching proper dance techniques, life long lessons, respect, style and grace. She's proud of those who have gone on to NYC dance fame, but equally proud of those who simply acquired her love of dance.

“Fair play, good value, and excellent customer service” – that’s the pledge Renys has made to customers for 62-plus years. Starting with one store and three employees in 1949, to 16 stores with 525 employees in 2011, Renys is one of Maine’s most respected family-owned businesses, now in its third generation. Says company President John Reny, “we scour the US for the best merchandise to sell at low prices,” making Renys a true Maine Shopping Adventure. The local Renys store in Gardiner was opened in 1956.

At Maranacook High School, Steve Barrows, “a quick learner,” began repairing appliances and loved it. By 18 he managed a store and a decade later, 1992, started his own business “repairing appliances from Westbrook to Bangor, working very hard from morning ‘til bed, and sometimes missing bed.” His wife Darcy joined the firm in 1996 and in steps they grew a small 600 sq-ft shop into a 6,000 sq-ft appliance and furniture store. Focused upon honesty and customer satisfaction, Steve’s grew to 15 full-time employees and in 2011 opened an attractive and welcoming new 18,000 sq-ft store on busy Route 27 in Sidney where, according to Steve and Darcy,
“business is booming.”

Built in 1864 when Abe Lincoln was President, this Gardiner downtown treasure is Maine’s oldest operating theater. For 60 years a center for vaudeville, plays, concerts, and lectures, the hall then showed movies until 1959. In 1989 local visionaries bought the building and created a nonprofit to preserve history and promote arts. Judy Lloyd, executive director since 2004, presents professional shows and kids’ programs for 7,000 guests each year, and rents to community groups, in a restored 110-seat space. Plans include converting the upper floors into a new 360-seat theater and conference center as Johnson Hall continues its regional role of enriching peoples’ lives while serving as a cultural and economic catalyst.

“Giving” is a way of life to this coach-educator-entrepreneur- preacher (almost). At 20 Carolyn, a newcomer to Augusta, opened a downtown Christian book store and soon began the Bread of Life soup kitchen and homeless shelter. She earned Master’s in Education at Orono, Master’s in Leadership at University of NE and is working on a Master’s in Theology at Bangor Seminary. She’s coached Cony field hockey and boys’ tennis to state champs, was Maine's 1997 Phys Ed Teacher of the year, served as assistant principal at Cony and principal at Farrington. Currently a service learning mentor for Augusta schools, Carolyn continues her passion for giving back to the community by preparing for the ministry.

From world class skateboarder to a leading area businessperson, this 33-year-old is bent upon reviving the grandeur of downtown Augusta, one building at a time. Tobias earned his BA, at the University of Hartford, and for 10 years has traveled the world as a professional skateboarder. He is now Chief Operating Officer at Oakes & Parkhurst Glass. Since 2009 he has bought and refurbished two Water Street historical buildings and enticed a successful restaurant to the downtown. Tobias, who championed the drive for a major Augusta skateboard park, credits business and city leaders with helping him bring exciting new residential and retail life to an architecturally beautiful and historic Capital downtown.