Androscoggin Leadership Development Institute – New & Improved Format, Begins September 12

The Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Uplift LA present an updated version of the Androscoggin Leadership Development Institute (ALDI).  ALDI will run weekly September 12 – November 14 and help participants foster stronger working relationships, learn to communicate and motivate and gain skills needed to advance their careers. Beckie Conrad, LA Metro Chamber President & CEO stated, “I’m pleased that Uplift LA has taken the lead for the Chamber to redesign and refresh the Androscoggin Leadership Development Institute to meet the needs of our rising professionals and expand their capacity to increasingly take on leadership roles within local businesses and organizations.”

Hone your leadership skills – Be it managing a team, running a nonprofit, or starting up your own business, ALDI is the place to hone the skills that will make you a successful leader and manager. The 2018 Program is designed for first time to middle managers who are interested in developing their communication, strategic planning, and core leadership skills.

The Androscoggin Leadership Development Institute is designed to provide rising leaders the real world skills needed to have a tangible impact on their businesses and communities. The program will challenge participants to use learned skills vital for today’s managers and leaders. Additionally, ALDI will address complex challenges facing businesses today. The program culminates with a capstone that will bring real expertise back to your workplace and community!

ALDI is a 3 month program combining classroom learning, interactive sessions, and hands on experiences designed to enhance leadership skills, cultivate strengths, and strengthen weaknesses. Participants will learn from experts in their fields who have demonstrated success in communication, networking, strategic planning among others. The program prepares its graduates for success in the business, nonprofit and government worlds, ensuring they have a foundation capable of meeting the pressing demands of today’s ever-changing workforce.

Member & non member cost is $750 until 9/5/18, on 9/6/18 the cost increases to $1,000. Registration is limited! Sign up today! All classes will be held in Lewiston and Auburn. Register online at www.LAMetroChamber.com. Questions? Call 207-783-2249.

Class Schedule: 

September 12, 5-8pm – Intro to course – Orientation, ice breakers, structure of program, expected outcomes, discussion of capstone, start thinking about specialty areas, background data. Facilitated by: Dan Bourgeois-Capozzi, Androscoggin Bank

September 15, 9am-3pm – Core Skills – Behavioral Identification – Participants will use a behavior assessment in class. The facilitator will help participants understand their own behaviors and identify how to best interact and communicate with others. Facilitated by: Ann Burrill, Androscoggin Bank

September 19, 5-8pm – Core Skills – Communication and Demeanor – using behavioral results to apply to these areas, role playing activities, networking will be briefly covered. Facilitated by: Ann Burrill, Androscoggin Bank

September 26, 5-8pm – Core Skills – Networking – importance of internal vs. external; difference between initial introductions and building a professional network; what to do after; career pathing. Facilitated by: Shelly Prey & Kendra Wheeler, Bangor Savings Bank

October 3, 5-8pm – Local Issues – Employers of participants will receive a survey upon sign up to find out what’s important to them, a panel discussion will be built around that data. Facilitated by: TBD

October 13, 9am-1pm – Core Skills – Strategic Planning – how to build one, take a look at the health and wellness of the organization, potential futures, complexities involved, continuous improvement, successful cultures build this in to overall operations; Harvard Business Review case study. Facilitated by: Paul Beaudette, Leading Edge Business Solutions & Shanna Cox, Project Tipping Point

October 24, 5-8pm – Local Issues (2nd session) – Employers of participants will receive a survey upon sign up to find out what’s important to them, a panel discussion will be built around that data. Facilitated by: TBD

November 1, 4-8pm – Specialty Areas – Participants will be given 5 topics (Entrepreneurship, Managing a Team, Change Agility, Nonprofit, Civic Policy) and asked to select top 3 areas for deeper discussion. Groups split up based on choices. Participants will create a deliverable from each specialty area (capstone). Facilitated by: Varies

November 14, 4-8pm – Specialty Areas (2nd session) – Participants will be given 5 topics (Entrepreneurship, Managing a Team, Change Agility, Nonprofit, Civic Policy) and asked to select top 3 areas for deeper discussion. Groups split up based on choices. Participants will create a deliverable from each specialty area (capstone). Facilitated by: Varies

The LA Metro Marketplace is a showcase of the greater Lewiston Auburn area. Under one roof we will capture an inspiring representation of the many facets of our communities. As you explore the LA Metro Marketplace, you’ll be captivated by the number of world class products made here, the top notch services provided and overall how much we have to be proud of right here in our own area. Anyone walking into the Marketplace that day will leave with a positive image of our area

Register today!

LA Metro Marketplace

• Be employed 20 or more hours by an investor in good standing of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
• Begin course(s) within 6 months of receiving award
• Be applying to or matriculated in college-level coursework applicable toward an Associates, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree
• Have a high school diploma or equivalent
• Be at least 18 years old
• If already matriculated, proof you are a student in good standing from the college you are attending

View all of our 2018 Annual Award videos here!

View of Lewiston from Auburn Riverwalk, 2017 by Kenneth Harvey

Selected “Best in Show” and reproduced as 100 limited edition prints to celebrate the 130th Anniversary of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

Kenneth Harvey, from Sabattus, Maine is a self-taught watercolorist. After working for a major corporation for 32 years, he retired to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a full-time artist and paints primarily en plein air, mostly in the Boothbay coastal area of Maine.

The prints are for sale at the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, 415 Lisbon Street, Lewiston. $100 each, limited supply!

The Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Uplift LA and Northeast Charter & Tour are joining forces to brighten the holidays for local families in need.

From now until December 12 you can donate NEW toys and clothing, appropriate for children ages 0-18. All donations received will be distributed by representatives of Advocates for Children, Boys & Girls Club, Tri County Mental Health Services, Trinity Jubilee, Tedford Housing, Safe Voices, and Sandcastle Clinical & Educational Services and will stay within our community, assisting only local families.

Where can you make your donation?
*At the LA Metro Chamber, 415 Lisbon Street, Lewiston by December 8
*Drop off at one of our participating bus stops before December 11
(List available here)
*Business After Hours at Lost Valley on Tuesday, December 12

• Nominees must be members in good standing of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (individuals must be employed by a member e.g. owner, staff) or be an individual member.
• Individual award nominations may not be active members of the LA Metro Chamber staff or Board of Directors.

Deadline is November 15! Nomination someone today! Click here.

The Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) invites Maine artists to submit an original two-dimensional artwork to be selected for reproduction as a limited-edition print.

The creative direction is any two-dimensional image that represents a distinctive, classic, iconic theme, landmark, environmental or structural detail, texture, tone or representation of the LA region of today and tomorrow. Past examples of local iconic images are canals, skylines and streetscapes but visions of the future are encouraged. Works can be created in any medium; photography, illustration, paint, etc. that can be reproduced at a high-quality resolution. The maximum size of the finished piece cannot exceed 24” x 18”.  Each piece should be titled.

USE OF IMAGE

Twenty pieces will be selected by a jury of Chamber board members, staff and local arts professionals for display at the Chamber’s 130^th Fête d’anniversaire on Friday, November 3, 2017. A cash prize of $700 will be awarded to the artist whose piece is judged “Best in Show” and that image will be reproduced as 100 limited-edition prints. The original will be framed and auctioned as part of a live auction and all other submissions will be displayed for audience judging and silent auction at the 130^th Fête d’anniversaire. A $300 cash prize for the “People’s Choice” award will be given at the event. Each piece should be assigned a value for sale following 50-50 gallery standards, including a minimum reserve. The Chamber will promote the names of each participating artist when marketing the 130^th Fête d’anniversaire. The reverse of the limited-edition print will feature text on the artist and their work. Pieces that do not meet their reserve for sale on November 3rd will be returned to the artist following the event.

APPLICATION PROCESS

DEADLINE = September 30, 2017.  Work may be dropped off at the Chamber Office during business hours, Monday-Thursday, 8AM-5PM and Fridays 8AM-3PM. Eligibility is open to professional, practicing artists who reside in Maine. For more information contact Beckie@lametrochamber.com.

Last Friday, February 17, our board of directors concluded a 3-month search for a new President and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.  Rebecca Swanson Conrad will begin as our new President and CEO on March 27, 2017.  The search process was extensive, generating over 50 applicants from across the country.  Our 11-person selection committee led the search process, which included three rounds of interviews, with the final being in front of the entire board, extensive testing of the applicants, and thorough reference checks. We were thrilled with the tremendous interest in the position from a group of highly qualified applicants.

Rebecca Swanson Conrad is currently the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine where she has worked since 2006. She was co-owner with her husband of Austin’s Fine Wines and Foods for 20 years, and for 3 years owned and operated Rÿsen Home Garden & Antiques, a retail gallery promoting local art and products that supported international women’s economic development. Both shops were located in downtown Auburn. Prior to Rÿsen, Conrad’s career spanned 21 years in higher education administration at Bates College, including 1999-2003 when she served as executive director of LA Excels, the college’s non-profit community development partnership in Lewiston-Auburn focused on leadership, arts, educational aspirations and economic revitalization. She served on the Maine Arts Commission for seven years, with four as vice-chair. Volunteer board roles include chair of the Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council, past chair of L/A Arts and Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, vice chair of the Maine Association of Nonprofits and as a board member of Advocates for Children, the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce and the advisory boards of USM/LA College and Central Maine Community College. Conrad received her BA in English from Bates College and studied in the New England Studies MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine. She lives in Auburn with her husband Austin Conrad, Jr. and her cat, Charles Mingus.

The entire board of directors, and particularly our 11-member selection committee deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the time and effort they put into a very extensive search process.  They were ably assisted by former board chair, Art Boulay of Strategic Talent Management.