Check out your industry peers - Who's new? Who's in the news? Who's celebrating milestones? Who's receiving awards? If you have something you would like to share please contact Vanessa Pike, Membership Director.
Custom Coach and Limousine Celebrating 25th Anniversary
Custom Coach and Limousine began in 1988, with just one 25 passenger mini coach. Today Custom Coach and Limousine has become one of the largest most diverse ground transportation companies in Maine. We are extremely thankful for our clients both past and present, and are appreciative of all of our new client relationships going forward. As a Maine based, family owned company we are excited for the next chapter in our history. Again Thank you to our clients!
Sean McCullough - Sales & Marketing Manager
Custom Coach & Limousine
19 Bartlett Rd Gorham, ME 04038
www.customcoachandlimo.com
LLBean Outdoor Discovery Schools Offer First-Ever Kids' Summer Camp For 2013
L.L.Bean's 33-acre seaside Lower Flying Point outdoor center to serve as the backdrop for a summer camp filled with a variety of outdoor activities--archery, stand-up paddleboarding, fly casting, nature walks and more.
Outdoor retailer L.L.Bean announced that it will be offering its first-ever summer day camp for kids in Freeport through its Outdoor Discovery School program. The camp will be conducted at L.L.Bean's oceanside property on Lower Flying Point in Freeport and will feature a wide variety of outdoor games and activities such as archery, kayaking, canoeing, fly casting, stand-up paddleboarding, wildlife identification and more. The camp will be available to kids 6 to 12, by the day, a few days, by the week or the entire summer. The camp will be led by L.L.Bean's experienced camp counselors, as well as L.L.Bean's instructors, many of whom are Registered Maine Guides.
"Our campers will engage in a variety of outdoor activities, but our camp will also encourage campers to develop communication, problem-solving and social skills through group games, activities and leadership opportunities,” said Gretchen Ostherr, manager of the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools. "This will be a unique experience, giving campers of all ages the opportunity to experience the L.L.Bean brand in action.”
Each day, campers will be greeted by L.L.Bean's counselors and instructors at L.L.Bean's Flagship Store, prior to being shuttled to the oceanfront Lower Flying Point property. Once the campers arrive, the counselors and instructors will outline the day's activities, divide the campers into smaller groups and begin enjoying all of the activities. Young campers will also be assigned certain responsibilities throughout the day such as Safety Watchdog, Chief Navigator, First Mate and more. The camp runs from June 24 to August 23, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with early drop-off and late pick-up available. For more information, please click here or call 888-552-3261.
Maine Lobster Fishery Awarded Prestigious International Certification
Governor Paul R. LePage today announced that the iconic Maine lobster fishery has received the prestigious international Marine Stewardship Council's Sustainable Seafood Certification.
MSC certification recognizes ecologically sound practices, from the harvest through delivery to consumer. Certification provides a competitive advantage in marketing to the growing number of retailers and consumers around the world who place a premium on seafood harvested in an environmentally responsible, sustainable manner.
The Governor made the announcement at the International Boston Seafood Show. "The Marine Stewardship Council's certification will provide the Maine lobster industry with a globally-recognized seal of approval,” said the Governor. "This certification recognizes our longstanding practices of good stewardship and ensures that every lobster caught in Maine waters can be marketed not only as delicious, healthy food, but also as a resource that meets the most stringent international environmental standard for seafood sustainability.”
Efforts to support marketing for the Maine lobster have received widespread support in the wake of last season when supply exceeded demand, resulting in the lowest per pound prices in over twenty years. "This places greater emphasis on the need for effective marketing and highlights the unique marketing advantage MSC certification provides,” said Governor LePage.
The Marine Stewardship Council is the premier international certification program for wild-capture fisheries. MSC certification is the only seafood certification program that meets all the major international standards on sustainable fishing, ecosystem protection, and eco-labeling. Currently, more than 100 fisheries worldwide are MSC certified.
To achieve MSC certification, fisheries are assessed based on a rigorous set of standards that include the health of the fish stock, marine ecosystem protection, and the effectiveness of fishery management. Within these core areas are 31 performance indicators used by accredited independent, third-party certification bodies to evaluate a fishery applying for certification.
The MSC certification program includes a process for tracing each certified lobster to its location of origin, Maine waters, which is key to protecting the Maine brand. "This global certification program will open new markets worldwide and just as important it will provide the means to trace our certified lobsters, no matter where in the world they end up, back to waters of Maine,” said The Governor.
For more information on MSC certification for the Maine lobster fishery, contact John Hathaway, President of Shucks Maine Lobster, by phone at 207-329-1791 or by email atjohnny@shucksmaine.com.
NorthEast Charter and Tour Co. Receives ABA's Green Operator Award Sponsored by MCI
NorthEast Charter and Tour Co./NorthEast Trailways of Lewiston, Maine, was honored in front of 2,500 attendees at the American Bus Association's annual Marketplace, January 5th-9th, 2013 in Charlotte, N.C., as the recipients of ABA's "Green Operator Award.” The annual award is sponsored by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) of Schaumburg, Ill.
NorthEast Charter and Tour Co. was picked in the small category with 30 or fewer buses, and Anderson Coach and Travel was selected in the large category of motorcoach operator, those with a fleet size of more than 30 motorcoaches.
The company was selected by its peers after an extensive review process of their day-to-day motorcoach operations, which also included the company's commitment to environmentally friendly ways to drive, the use of anti-idling techniques when the motorcoach is not in use, the safest and greenest ways to recycle oil and other engine fluids and overall business practices that promote environmental protection and awareness.
"It's a true honor to receive such a prestigious award at ABA Marketplace,” said NorthEast Charter President and CEO Scott Riccio. "I've worked to create a green philosophy throughout my personal life, and the employees at NorthEast help carry that vision forward with what we do every day as a company.”
As part of the judging, ABA received significant assistance from David Kestenbaum, the Director of the University of Vermont's Certification for Sustainable Transportation program. Many motorcoach companies are seeing the value of being green, and the University of Vermont program helps those companies, such as NorthEast Charter and Tour Co., obtain their goals, which include being a good environmental steward, reducing their overall costs, saving energy and promoting the company with the University's eRating certification and driver training programs.
According to environmental research done by the ABA Foundation, when compared directly to other modes of transportation, motorcoaches provide the most fuel-efficient and cleanest means of transportation.
Motorcoaches provide 206.6 passenger miles per gallon of fuel; single-occupant automobiles, in contrast, achieve 27.2 passenger miles per gallon. Average transit buses achieve 31.4 passenger MPG, airlines achieve 44 passenger MPG, and commuter rail achieves 92.4 passenger MPG.
Motorcoaches emit the least carbon dioxide per passenger mile when compared to other vehicles and are, on average, seven times more energy- and fuel-efficient than single-occupancy automobiles. Motorcoaches are three times more efficient in reducing carbon dioxide output when compared to commuter rail, and six times more efficient than transit buses.
"Providing environmentally conscious transportation options for the public and protecting the environment are very important parts of what ABA and the motorcoach industry are all about. We are very proud that both Anderson Coach and Travel and NorthEast Charter and Tour Co. will be recognized at ABA's Marketplace for their very significant work to emerge as environmental leaders in our industry,” said ABA President and CEO Peter J. Pantuso, CTIS.
"The Union of Concerned Scientists and The Natural Resources Defense Council both recognize motorcoach travel is the ‘greenest' form of transportation, surpassing air and rail travel and well ahead of private automobiles. Our industry is a leader when it comes to best environmental practices, and we're very proud of that,” added Mr. Pantuso.
"Motor Coach Industries is very proud to once again recognize great operators such as Anderson Coach and Travel and NorthEast Charter and Tour Co. as they've taken a high-profile leadership role in our industry when it comes to best environmental practices. They are great examples of an industry that safely transports hundreds of millions of people each year in a very environmentally friendly manner,” said MCI CEO Rick Heller.
Left to Right:
Mike Ouellette, Service & Parts Manager, NorthEast Charter
Scott Riccio, President & CEO, NorthEast Charter
Pat Ziska, Vice President, Marketing & Sales, Motor Coach Industries
Todd McCollough, Safety Director, NorthEast Charter
About the American Bus Association
The American Bus Association is the trade organization of the intercity bus industry with more than 1,000 motorcoach owner and tour company members in the United States and Canada. Its members operate charter, tour, regular route, airport express, special operations and contract services. Another 2,800 members are travel and tourism organizations and suppliers of bus products and services who work in partnership with the North American motorcoach industry.
About MCI
With headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, MCI is the leading manufacturer of intercity coaches in the U.S. and Canada. Reliability Driven, MCI builds expertly engineered models offering the lowest cost of ownership, including the best-selling J4500 and D-Series models, for the tour, charter, line-haul, commuter and transit markets. MCI is also the distributor of the Setra S 417, Setra S 407 and Setra parts in the U.S. and Canada. The company offers 24-hour technical support and industry-leading technician training along with the market's most extensive aftermarket parts and repair service.
About NorthEast Charter and Tour
Headquartered in Lewiston, Maine, NorthEast Charter has provided safe, reliable motorcoach and school bus transportation since 1999. With 75 employees, the company operates a fleet of 17 motorcoaches , 29 school buses, and additional passenger vehicles. NorthEast Charter serves the transportation needs of groups of all sizes, and is the official transportation provider of the Portland Sea Dogs, Portland Pirates, Bates College Athletics and Bowdoin College Athletics.
GMRI's New Restaurant Initiative Brings Sustainability into Focus
Sustainable Seafood Culinary Partners Empower Patrons to Identify and Support Restaurants Committed to Sustainability
New England restaurateurs have forged a new partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) to support their commitment to local, responsibly harvested seafood.
"Many of the complexities around sustainability and seafood sourcing are challenging for both restaurant owners and their patrons,” said Sam Grimley, sustainable seafood project manager at GMRI. "The Sustainable Seafood Culinary Partners program provides the support restaurant owners need to meet ambitious sustainability goals and then communicate their success to patrons.”
Through the program, GMRI equips Culinary Partners with transparent, science-based sustainability information through monthly updates and annual educational workshops for their staff. GMRI also helps the restaurateurs set and adhere to clear goals for continuously improving the sustainability of their businesses, such as switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products or participating in composting programs.
"Even for those committed to sustainability, it can become difficult to think of viable solutions that work within your budget, space and timeframe,” said Michelle Corry, co-owner of Portland restaurant, Five Fifty-Five. "This partnership helps us receive and share workable practices, provides access to up-to-date information and pushes us to create new goals every year.”
Each Culinary Partner commits to sourcing at least 20 percent of its seafood from the Gulf of Maine and offering at least one species that has been verified through the Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested program at all times. This ensures that patrons can rely on Culinary Partner restaurants as sources of local, sustainable seafood.
"This collaboration of fishermen, chefs and scientists from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute makes it easier for us to ensure our menu choices support, rather than negatively impact, the health of the Gulf of Maine and its fishing industry,” said Rauni Kew, PR and green program manager for Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth.
At the launch of the program, GMRI's Sustainable Seafood Culinary Partners also included Portland restaurants, Local 188 and Sonny's, and The Jordan Pond House on Mount Desert Island.
About the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI)
GMRI is a neutral, nonprofit organization that catalyzes solutions to the complex challenges of ocean stewardship and economic growth in the Gulf of Maine bioregion. Based in Portland, Maine, GMRI utilizes a dynamic fusion of science, education, and community to effect change from multiple directions while remaining committed to its core principles of objectivity and collaboration. For more information, visit www.gmri.org.
Contact: Steven Profaizer
Communications Manager
Gulf of Maine Research Institute
sprofaizer@gmri.org