december 2013 intouch
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December 2013 edition of InTouch, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce's monthly newsletter.TRANSCRIPT
InTouch MONTHLY NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013
50 ELM STREET, WATERVILLE, ME 04901 • TEL: (207) 873-3315 • FAX: (207) 877-0087
[email protected] • www.midmainechamber.com
Brad Fisher, Chair of the Board • Kimberly N. Lindlof, President & CEO
The newest health care resource for the Kennebec Valley, the Al-
fond Center for Health, opened Nov. 9. Moving 120 patients to the
new facility marked the completion of the first phase of the $322 mil-
lion project to transform health care in the region.
With the Alfond Center for Health opened, construction began on
the Thayer Center for Health. Renovations will make $16 million
worth of improvements to the facility.
The Thayer Center for Health remains open during these renova-
tions. The construction will provide better patient access to services.
“We are pleased to be fulfilling our promise to provide the best
care and services to our family, friends and neighbors in the Kenne-
bec Valley,” said Chuck Hays, CEO of MaineGeneral Health.
“Through the commitment of so many community members, con-
struction workers and of course MaineGeneral staff, we have taken a
huge step to making this dream a reality.”
The new hospital at 35 Medical Center Parkway in Augusta con-
solidated inpatient services from the previous Augusta Campus and
the Thayer Center for Health in Waterville. New services in the area
are now possible, including providing 24/7 pediatric hospitalist cover-
age and a Level II neonatal intensive care unit (NICU II), which was
used the first day the hospital opened.
Waterville residents Nikkia and Tim Veilleux welcomed twins on
Nov. 9, five weeks earlier than they expected, but they were able to
deliver their babies and keep the family intact in the Kennebec Valley
thanks to the NICU II at the Alfond Center for Health.
Thayer continues to serve patients with a 24/7 Emergency Depart-
ment and outpatient services, including same-day surgery. Just like at
the Alfond Center for Health, services at Thayer will enable patients
to access their providers, tests, lab work and other services all under
one roof. For a patient with a heart condition, for example, the cardi-
ologist and cardiac rehab will both be located on the first floor. Other
similar services will be located near each other at the Thayer Center
for Health, as well.
“The amazing commitment to serving our patients is the key factor
in the Alfond Center for Health opening and the planning for the ex-
citing level of care for patients at Thayer,” said Sherri Woodward,
senior vice president of Patient Services and chief nursing executive.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”
MaineGeneral Medical Center Opens
Alfond Center for Health, Renovates
Thayer
Highlights in this Issue:
P. 2: From the President’s Chair
P. 2: Promote Events at www.MidMaineFun.com
P. 3: Plan to Thrive in 2014
P. 4: Member Events Calendar
P. 6: Promoting Literacy at Kringleville
P. 8: Member Spotlight: Tree Spirits
Our 2014 Business Breakfast Series
schedule is here! See insert inside or visit our Web site for details on an exciting
upcoming season, including dates, speakers and topics.
Join the Breakfast Club!
Register now for the entire series for free admission to one Breakfast seminar. Call us at 873-3315 for details.
- Kimberly
Page 2
From the President’s Chair
I am constantly amazed and forever
grateful at how much our “little” Cham-
ber is able to accomplish in any given
day, week, month, year. This fall espe-
cially seems to have been a whirlwind.
We recently learned that the Mid-Maine
Chamber has moved up in MaineBiz’s rankings to
become the 8th largest chamber in Maine (not so
“little” anymore). Reflecting on our 2013 accomplish-
ments, we have hosted 10 Business Breakfasts; 10
Business After Hours; 4 Leading Women’s Luncheons
(the one last week with Shannon Haines was fabu-
lous!); sold out Annual Awards Dinner (thanks Nikki
Desjardins), sold out Golf Tournament (thanks Gary
Levesque)and sold out Super Raffle (thanks again Nik-
ki); greatly expanded our Business to Business Show-
case (thank you Colby College and Bruce Harrington
for your vision); and Jeff Corey seriously took the
Taste of Greater Waterville™ to the next level with
more food vendors than ever before plus a kicka*^
video thanks to Catharsis Media. We’ve accom-
plished all of this plus the Meet the Reps series that we
partner with KV Connect to host and two “sold out”
new member orientations.
Mid-Maine Chamber has sold nearly $40,000 in
Chamber Gift Certificates so far in 2013, and our holi-
day sales haven’t even begun yet. We’ve distributed
nearly 25,000 Chamber Advantage Discount Key tags
and worked on several economic development initia-
tives including the Summit Natural Gas pipeline and
convening the HVAC contractors.
The three of us in the Chamber office could never have
accomplished all of this without your financial and
volunteer support! You make our Chamber shine.
THANK YOU for all that you do and for allowing us
to work on your behalf. Christian, Amy and I value
each and every one of you, our members, and look
forward to helping you grow in 2014.
Happy Holidays,
Bowdoin Photography
Business After Hours
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
Many fabulous door prizes, 50/50 raffle & more!
Thank you to our
50/50 Sponsor:
Sponsored by:
FairPoint Communications
at T&B’s Celebration Center
6 Jefferson St., Waterville
December 11th
· 5:30-7PM
For locals and visitors alike, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s
online events calendar is the place to go for information on all
there is to do in our area. Are your events getting this exposure?
Learn more about using www.MidMaineChamber.com to maximize the
value of your membership. Chamber members can:
Post events on our calendar, www.MidMaineFun.com
Share your latest news and “hot deals”
Advertise with us! Members have the exclusive opportunity
to purchase sponsorship ads on our Web site
Download a Mid-Maine Chamber “web sticker” to add to
your own site
Post job openings on our online job board (see page 3)
For these opportunities & more, log in at www.midmainechamber.com. For
help logging in, contact Amy at [email protected] or 873-3315.
Page 3
“When we were hiring for a Business Loan Officer, we knew
that the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce Web site would be an
ideal place to post. Professionals from all over the Waterville area
read InTouch, and we were able to fill a position with strict re-
quirements by placing an ad on the Chamber Web site. Best of all,
this was done at no cost as a member of the Chamber.”
-Joe Harrison, Marketing Coordinator
New Dimensions Federal Credit Union
Traditionally, late December is often
when you close the books on your busi-
ness year. How has 2013 been for you? For
me, 2013 was a life altering year. I found
myself without a job for the first time in my
39 year professional career.
Late December – early January is also the
time of the year when we think about the year
to come. Setting goals and establishing New
Year’s Resolutions can be pretty common.
For me, I am planning to use 2014 as the year
I reinvent myself from employee to success-
ful, independent consultant and mentor in the
arena of employee well-being. I want to help
employers, particularly small employers, de-
velop healthy, happy and engaged employees.
I finished 2013 surviving. I plan to thrive
in 2014. How about you? Will 2014 be a year
you thrive, or another year you just survive?
We all want a life that matters – health,
wealth, happiness and success. More often
than not though, we run our lives on autopilot
and when we make a decision, we often allow
our short-term decisions to override what’s
best for our long term well-being.
So what might your goals be for 2014?
What will you need to do to reach your
goals? As you think about your goals, also
think about the barriers and issues you are
likely to encounter as you pursue your goals
and develop a plan for how you might best
get past them.
When it comes to reaching your 2014
goals, how will you define success? Far too
often, we define our success based on some-
one else’s terms. Far too often, we also meas-
ure our success solely on the basis of wealth
and/or materialism. Our definition of success
often does not include the other elements that
make up our wellness and well-being.
Will your 2014 goals be growth goals –
goals beyond what you currently expect
of yourself? Or will your goals stay with-
in your current comfort zone? How will your
goals mesh with your personal values?
The quality of our life is directly propor-
tional to the quality of the questions we ask
ourselves and to the messages we repeatedly
say to ourselves. What are the powerful ques-
tions you will be asking yourself in 2014?
The questions you ask yourself will help you
thrive and adapt. Rather than continuing to
beat yourself up for stuff in the past, instead
say what you will do in 2014. Our brains
love to have an action plan to work on.
Above all, in 2014, enjoy life while you
live it. Best wishes for this holiday season
and a toast to your thriving in 2014.
Bill McPeck is a Certified Worksite Wellness
Program Consultant, Wellness Culture
Coach and Holistic Stress Management
Trainer. He is available to help you with all
your employee wellness, safety, work-life and
well-being needs. Contact Bill with your
questions and comments at 355-1203 or
Survive or Thrive in 2014—Which Do You Want? By William McPeck, MSW, CWWPC
Post your career opportunities at
www.MidMaineChamber.com.
Mid-Maine’s source for job postings is free
to our members! Call us at 873-3315 or
e-mail [email protected] to
learn more.
Page
4
Nov. 15-Dec. 20: Common Street
Arts’s Holiday Bazaar with works by
40+ artists and artisans. Wed-Sat. 12-
6PM. FMI: 872-ARTS or com-
monstreetarts.org.
Nov. 29 - Dec. 22: Waterville Main Street
presents Kringleville. Bring your children to
visit Santa at REM, 93 Main St., Waterville.
FMI: www.kringleville.com
Dec. 3: Cookie Lee Jewelry by Michelle
presents Santa’s Speedy Networking Holiday
Social. 5:30PM in Chamber Boardroom. Pro-
ceeds benefit Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter.
FMI: facebook.com/events/581563085225256
Dec. 4: GHM Agency Open House 10AM-
3PM. Refreshments, live broadcast by 93.5
True Oldies, & toy drive to benefit Maine
Children’s Home for Little Wanderers.
FMI: 873-5101
Dec. 6: Kennebec Valley Community Col-
lege’s free, non-credit welding program be-
gins, along with several other free, non-credit
programs that still have openings. FMI: Flora
at 453-5014.
Dec. 6: Join KV Connect for a tour & tasting
at Tree Spirits and participate in its annual
holiday donation drive for Family Violence
Project. All are welcome. 6PM. FMI:
facebook.com/events/1432892600257631
Dec. 7: Waterville Main Street’s Downtown
Waterville Holiday Open House. See what our
downtown businesses have to offer. FMI: 680-
2055 or [email protected].
Dec. 7: Humane Society Waterville Area
Open House 1-5PM. Live broadcasts with 92
Moose and B98.5, dog sled team rides, crafts,
auction & more. FMI: 873-2430.
Dec. 7: Railroad Square Cinema screens
Justice Is Mind, starring Waterville actors
Kim Gordon & Richard Sewell. 1PM. Intro-
duction by writer/director & actors. FMI:
873-4021
Dec. 7: Mid-Maine Regional Adult Commu-
nity Education bus trip to see I Love Lucy!
the musical in Boston. FMI: 873-5754.
Dec. 8: Warming Up for Christmas, an annual
Christmas concert with Steve Fotter & Friends
at Waterville Opera House at 4PM. Proceeds
benefit Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter. FMI:
873-7000 or www.operahouse.org.
Dec. 9-14: Good Will-Hinckley’s 21st annual
Festival of Trees, featuring Christmas trees
decorated by local designers, community tur-
key dinner on Wed., craft fair on Sat. & more.
FMI: [email protected] or 238-4280.
Dec. 10: My HealtheVet enrollment support
available at Waterville Public Library 4:30-
6:30PM. No appointment necessary. Monthly
on the second Tuesday. FMI: 872-5433
Dec. 10: WordPress Users & Developers
Group meets 6-8PM at Maine Technology
Group. FMI: Tracy O’Clair, TOCmedia,
Dec. 11: Maine Development Foundation
presents Leadership Unplugged with Kristen
Miale on hunger in Maine as an economic
issue. 7:30-9AM at Unum, 2211 Congress St.,
Portland. FMI: mdf.org or 622-6345.
Dec. 12: Maine State Chamber of Com-
merce hosts Federal Health Care Reform: In
the Here and Now—After Oct., 2013 from 8-
12PM at Senator Inn, Augusta. Free; registra-
tion required:
Dec. 13: Sunset Home of Water-
ville Open House. Tours, complimentary re-
freshments, door prizes & more. 9-11AM.
FMI: 872-8414.
Dec. 13-15: Bossov Ballet Theatre’s The Nut-
cracker. Waterville Opera House. FMI: ope-
rahouse.org or 873-7000.
Dec. 14: Turbo Tabata class at Champion’s
Fitness Club. 9AM. Free to members; child
care available. FMI: 873-0571.
Dec. 14: Lamp Light Night at Stained Glass
Express with refreshments, displays from
local artists, sales & more. 4-6PM.
FMI: [email protected].
Dec. 16: Maine Film Center Monday Night
Movies series presents Comfort & Joy.
Waterville Opera House. 7PM. FMI:
mainefilmcenter.org.
Dec. 17: Katie Leighton of Day’s Jewelers at
Social Media Breakfast Central Maine on
marketing with Pinterest. 8-9:30AM. Hosted
by Thomas College; sponsored by TOCme-
dia, Little Pictures of Maine & KV Con-
nect. FMI: [email protected].
Dec. 18: Information session with Women
Unlimited at Waterville Public Library.
10:30-11:30AM. Learn how Women Unlim-
ited’s programs can help you. FMI: 872-5433.
Dec. 18: Waterville Opera House presents
The Metropolitan Opera’s Falstaff in HD.
7PM. FMI: operahouse.org or 873-7000.
Dec. 20: C’est Noël at Waterville Opera
House with mezzo-soprano Joëlle Morris &
pianist Bridget Convey in concert. 7PM. FMI:
operahouse.org or 873-7000.
Page 5
Diane’s Travel Agency Diane Roderigue
197 Main St., Waterville, ME 04901
873-9500· www.dianestravelagency.com
Eaton Mountain Ski Area David & Donna Beers
89 Lambert Rd., Skowhegan, ME 04976
474-2666· www.eatonmt.com
Knowles Mechanical, Inc. Christina Knowles
1097 Route 3, S. China, ME 04358
445-4092· www.knowlesmechanical.com
Maine State Landscaping Company Jesse Trudeau
105B Main St., Waterville, ME 04901
877-4860· www.mainestatelandscaping.com
Mount Saint Joseph Linda Lowell
7 Highwood St., Waterville, ME 04901
873-0705· www.mtsj.org
O’Reilly Auto Parts Chris Watters
337 Main St., Waterville, ME 04901
62 Bay St., Winslow, ME 04901
859-9251· www.oreillyautoparts.com
Sleeper’s Clothing & Footwear
Neil Landry
11 Elm Plaza, Waterville, ME 04901
877-0520· [email protected]
Mike Reny,
host of Silver
Street
Tavern’s Open Mic Night each Wednes-
day, is now also its day manager. Drop by
to visit Mike and have lunch!
Spectrum Generations announced that
Kristin Overton, director of its Bridges
Home Care division, was awarded the
Distinguished Service Award at the Home
Care & Hospice Blaine House Tea held in
November. Congratulations!
Plum Creek Timber Co. announced re-
cently that Scott Henker has been promot-
ed to general manager of the company’s
Northern Hardwoods Region where he
will oversee the company’s operations in 6
states – ME, NH, VT, WI, MI & WV.
Additionally, Ben Dow has been named
senior resource manager of the NE Re-
gion, which encompasses ME, NH & VT.
Dow will oversee all land management
activities for Plum Creek’s approximately
976,000 total acres in those states.
Doreen Brown of Hampton Inn Water-
ville was recently awarded the Spirit of
Pride Award for consistently exceeding
expectations, living brand pillars, and pos-
itively impacting others. Doreen was
nominated to receive the award by her
fellow team members. Great job, Doreen!
During Homecoming & Family Weekend
at Thomas College, both all-weather turf
fields were dedicated: "Red Field" was
dedicated to Brian '88 & Amy Bernatchez
and was renamed Bernatchez Field. Brian
is a member of Thomas College's Board of
Trustees and president of Golden Pond
Wealth Management, and Amy is the
director of the Maine Majestix Field
Hockey Club. "Black Field" was dedicated
to Todd '92, M.B.A. '99 and Kelly Smith
M.S. '12 and was renamed Smith Field in
honor of their commitment to the Thomas
Soccer program. Todd is co-chair of the
Board of Trus-
tees & owner
of TSSD Ser-
vices, Inc., and Kelly is a volunteer assis-
tant coach with the Women's Soccer
Team. At the dedication, skydivers with
Vacationland Skydiving landed on the
newly named field. Since the opening of
the all-weather turf fields in 2012, over
3,000 middle & high school students from
central Maine have utilized the fields.
Camden National recently announced
promotions for three individuals: Arissa
Egan to assistant vice president, market
research analyst, Camden National Bank;
Devon Perry to assistant vice president,
compliance officer to vice president, Cam-
den Financial Consultants; and Chad Place
to assistant vice president, commercial
portfolio manager, Camden National Cor-
poration. Congratulations, all!
Kennebec Savings Bank announced that
President & CEO Mark Johnston will re-
tire on June 16, 2015, with Executive VP/
COO Andrew Silsby as his successor.
Johnston has been with KSB for 21 years
& served as president & CEO since 1999.
Charlene Joy has been presented with
Bridges Home Care’s 2013 Employee of
the Year Award for going above and be-
yond in serving her clients. Great job,
Charlene!
Suzanne Uhl-Melanson, CFP®, AAMS,
CLTC, AIF® of Uhl-Melanson Investor
Services recently attended a national edu-
cational conference for independent finan-
cial advisors. The conference provided
more than 850 participants with useful and
strategic ways for advisors to enrich their
businesses, including educational sessions
on a range of topics from privacy and in-
formation security and investment strate-
gies to social media and integrated mar-
keting.
Page
Upcoming Events December 5: Meet the Reps 5:30-7PM at Hampton Inn Waterville
425 Kennedy Memorial Dr., Waterville
Join Mid-Maine Chamber and KV Con-
nect for Meet the Reps, a chance to meet
and interact with your representatives at
the local, state, and national level in a casual setting.
Free and open to the public. Please RSVP to
Christian at [email protected].
December 12: Business Breakfast Series 7:15-9AM at Thomas College
Oak Room, Spann Student Commons
“The Impact of Energy Efficiency to
Your Bottom Line” with Mike Stoddard,
executive director of Efficiency Maine
To register, visit www.midmainechamber.com or e-
mail Christian at [email protected].
December 11: Business After Hours 5:30-7PM with FairPoint Communications
at T&B’s, 6 Jefferson St., Waterville
Join us for networking and more. As
always, this is a great way to mix and
mingle with other business profession-
als! Remember your business cards.
No registration required. Join us!
6
Tues., Dec. 3 8:00 AM Business Expansion & Retention
Chamber Boardroom
Fri., Dec. 13 7:30 AM Executive Committee
Chamber Boardroom
Wed., Dec. 18 8:00 AM Membership Services Committee
Chamber Boardroom
Fri., Dec. 20 11:30 AM Board of Directors’ Luncheon
For those of you who
have been around a
while, you may recall
that it was the Mid-
Maine Chamber that
founded Kringleville
back in the late
60’s. Eventually, we
worked with various
partners including the
city of Waterville to
create the building and
scenery that is displayed
in Castonguay
Square. Since then, Kringleville has been turned over to the downtown associ-
ation which is now Waterville Main Street. Last year, over 2,000 area chil-
dren visited Santa in downtown Waterville. What a huge opportunity to attract
sales to downtown businesses.
This year, its committee has decided to move Santa and Mrs. Claus to the
front window space in The Center, 93 Main Street. This will allow passersby
to watch the scene in action, and permit the line of waiting parents and family
members to stand in the warmth that the building provides, hopefully enhanc-
ing the overall experience. In addition, Waterville Main Street has purchased
bags and Marden’s and the Mid-Maine Chamber have joined together to pur-
chase enough reading books to provide each child with one. Our goal is to
reach our area toddlers and encourage the love of reading, thus promoting ear-
ly childhood literacy. Developing the foundational building blocks in our in-
fants and toddlers so that they are able to learn is key to developing our future
workforce.
If this program is successful, we plan to continue it annually, and we’re in
discussions to provide books to children who attend the Taste of Greater
Waterville™ as well. Again, I’d encourage any of you who have waiting areas
to add children’s reading books to your collection of magazines or
toys. Working together we can raise the bar on reading proficiency in our re-
gion. Let’s all take ownership of this.
Thank you to Marden’s, Christian Savage, and all of the volunteers who
helped us label and sort these books for Santa.
Volunteers sort & label books to be distributed free of
charge to children at Kringleville in downtown Waterville.
Mid-Maine Chamber & Marden’s
Partner with Waterville Main Street
to Promote Literacy at Kringleville By Kim Lindlof
Page 7
Maine State Chamber of Commerce and
Maine Development Foundation recently
released Making Maine Work: Growing
Maine’s Workforce, the fourth report in a
series the organizations are partnering on in-
tended to provide strategies for raising in-
comes and improving productivity in our
state. This most recent report makes recom-
mendations to grow Maine’s workforce by
65,000 by the year 2020. Read the report at
www.mainechamber.org/makingmainework.
Tree Spirits won a Silver Med-
al at the New York International
Spirits Competition with its
Applejack recently, making
each Tree Spirits wine and spirit
entered in international competi-
tion a medal winner! Nice
work.
KV Connect kicked off its annual holiday
season donation drive for Family Violence
Project. If you are interested in donating
household and/or personal items to help KV
Connect support the work of this organiza-
tion, e-mail [email protected] for more
information.
CareerCenter’s Maine Job Bank reached a
new record of open jobs in Oct., topping
7,600 positions! Make sure your jobs are on
its free job board, too, by going to
www.mainecareercenter.com.
Summit Natural Gas of Maine announced
recently that the Augusta-based company has
signed an agreement with Skowhegan Sav-
ings to supply 8 branch locations with natural
gas line and utility service reducing
Skowhegan Savings’ energy costs by 30%.
On October 30, Bangor International Air-
port (BGR) started
offering non-stop,
twice weekly flights to
Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda,
FL. The new destina-
tion is the third route of
service on the discount
air carrier Allegiant. Red Sox fans, it’s not
too early to start planning your Spring Train-
ing getaways! Book today at
www.allegiantair.com.
Alfond Youth Center and Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Mid-Maine announced a new ther-
apeutic mentoring program, Reach & Rise, a
national YMCA initiative designed for youth
living in communities faced with a range of
social issues. Young people will be matched
with mentors who are at least 23 years old
and committed to spending 1-3 hours per
week with their mentees for one year. If you
are interested in becoming a mentor, contact
Denise at [email protected] or
873-0684 ext. 255.
Hammond Tractor has a huge selection of
toys! Stop by to check out
toy tractors, construction
equipment, farm toys &
books, as well as ride-on
bikes and tractors. All toys
will be 20% off from
Thanksgiving through
Christmas, excluding bat-
tery operated toys.
Woodfords Family Services has received a
grant from the Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption, a national nonprofit whose mission
is to find forever families for children in fos-
ter care. The grant is dedicated to funding a
child-focused adoption recruiter for Wendy’s
Wonderful Kids, a signature program of the
foundation, and Woodfords has hired adop-
tion recruiter Mindy Williams to focus on
matching the longest-waiting children in fos-
ter care with loving adoptive families through
the program.
Kennebec Savings Bank announced recently
that it has officially opened
the doors of its second 24-
Hour Electronic Banking
Center on Civic Center
Drive in Augusta. Called
KSB Anytime, the facility
is fully automated, allowing
customers to make transactions around the
clock.
Construction is underway at Railroad Square,
where Maine Film Center is renovating
Railroad Square Cinema and Buen Apetito.
Plans are to increase the restaurant’s seating
capacity with a 500 square foot addition
while also expanding and reconfiguring the
cinema lobby to
allow for more com-
munity interaction.
Both businesses
remain open, so stop
by!
If you have news
you’d like to share with other members of
Mid-Maine Chamber through our newsletter,
please send a brief announcement to
[email protected] by the third
Friday of the month preceding the edition in
which you would like your news to be includ-
ed.
Page 8
50 Elm Street
Waterville, ME 04901
PRE-SORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #146
Waterville, ME 04901
Have some news you would like to share? Submit a short announcement to the Chamber office by the 3rd Friday of the prior month. Inserts are also available for $125 per month. Call 873-3315 or email [email protected]. Disclaimer: Mid-Maine Chamber’s InTouch newsletter is published monthly as a benefit to members and affiliates.
All member news is compiled and submitted solely by our members; therefore, we reserve the right to omit and/or edit as appropriate and cannot guarantee complete accuracy of
all announcements. Sponsorship inserts do not necessarily reflect the position of Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce.
Bruce started making wine 16 years ago when
he and Karen got together and they couldn’t
afford to keep buying it! Since then, they’ve
embarked on lots of wine making adventures
including pressing apples and tapping the ma-
ple tree in their backyard and boiling the sap
on the stove (not recommended if you have
any wood in your kitchen!) Three years ago,
Bruce took the leap from hobby to business
with a partner and last year took another leap
by buying out his partner.
Tree Spirits’ mission is to make great wines
and spirits using local products and to have fun
doing it. In the three years since the first leap,
Tree Spirits’ products have won two Double
Gold Medals (Sparkling Apple extra dry and
Pear Brandy 80 proof spirit), one Silver
(Sparkling Maple demi-sec) and one Bronze
(Knotted Maple 80 proof spirit) at international
competitions in San Francisco, which definite-
ly adds to the fun, as well as testifying to the
taste.
Tree Spirits uses local apples and pears
from The Apple Farm in Fairfield and maple
syrup from the Bacon Farm in Sidney. The
wines were initially all sparkling but they re-
cently added a still apple wine and have plans
for a pear. The spirits are 80 proof and all
distilled from the wine, making them distinct
from other flavored spirits that often begin
with neutral spirits to which they add flavor.
They’re also working on a fortified maple
wine, similar to a port, and an Absinthe. This
summer, Tree Spirits served a Sparkling Sour
Apple and Pear Sangria that people loved so
much they plan to bottle the mix for next year.
Tree Spirits’ tasting room is located at 152
Fairfield Street in Oakland. They’re open
from now through December, Thursdays
through Sundays, from noon til 5:30 pm—and
any other time Bruce’s delivery van is in the
yard.
In addition to the wines and spirits, Tree
Spirits has maple vanilla made from our Knot-
ted Maple spirits, maple balsamic vinegar,
flutes, mini brandy snifters, and lots of other
gifts for the holidays. They also offer private
tastings and tours so if you’re looking for
something special for your office staff for the
holiday season, or to celebrate a special occa-
sion, a pre-dinner outing or just a get together
with friends, give them a call at 861.2723.
They’d love to help!
Tree Spirits Offers Unique Local Wines, Spirits & Gifts
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