Business of the Year Nominees:

Eastport Breakwater Gallery

Michael and Cynthia Morse opened their gallery in 2009 marking their 15th year in business! They survived Covid in 2020, bounced back with record numbers, and continue to be one of the first shops to open in spring and stay open through the holidays. Michael and Cynthia are both artists and feature over 35 artists and craftspeople focused on Maine, you will also find work featured from New England and New Brunswick and beyond. The Morses are a great team and do so much for our community behind the scenes year after year. They are mentors to many and deserve to be awarded Business of the Year, an award that is long overdue!

Individually Cynthia is a long standing member of both the School Board and the Eastport Art Center board. She helps coordinate the Festival of Trees for the EAC, the Raffle for the Salmon Festival and is on the Cruise Ship Committee. Michael serves as Chamber Vice President, is on the Budget and Marketing Committees and makes the welcome posters for the cruiseships. He volunteers his time to the Eastport Arts Center, contributes to the Quoddy Tides, and assists with many of our annual festivals. A prior code enforcer, he has written ordinances for the City of Eastport and recently worked on the ATV ordinance. He serves on the Economic Development Committee, the Planning Board, and the Energy Commission Committee for the City.

WACO Diner

Maine's oldest diner since 1924, in business for 100 years!! That alone should say it all, but as we have seen, many restaurants come and go around here so it is much easier said than done! The Waco is a neighborhood gathering place and in addition to serving conversation, beautiful deck views and breakfast and lunch year-round, they stepped up to fill a need in the community with dinners on Sun-Tues, nights when often no other restaurants were open. They know what they are doing and we hope they last another 100...!

Eastport Port Authority

The Port is a huge asset to our community and is so deserving of this award and recognition. Surviving reduced income for several years during and post Covid, the Port with all its employees and board should be recognized for their tireless efforts and outstanding leadership in supporting local businesses, not only in Eastport but our surrounding areas. They hosted the commissioning of the USS Augusta last year and they are working to build Eastport as a sustainable cruiseship destination; as evidenced by the success of last season and the feat of handling 4,000 passengers on the Princess Cruise just last week.

Phoenix Fine Wines

Since buying her building in 2020 Laura Stanczyk has invested in bringing to life that flagship building. She operates 2 vacation rentals, leases to the wildly successful Horn Run Brewing and has created a beautiful, 2 level wine shop with a Wine Bar below and a wine shop and piano room upstairs. She hosts music, trivia and scrabble year round. Plus Laura serves on the board of the Tides Institute and actively supports many community activities.

Overstory Restoration

Micah has brought his fine craftmanship to our town. In addition to launching his window restoration business, he icurrently heads the Parks & Recreation committee and is working to develop a team to bring life and results to a committee that has been somewhat stagnant in recent years. He is a supporter of the Eastport ArtFests, and helped to implement the Holiday Lights project in 2023.

Happy Crab.

Under new ownership they have managed to maintain what has been special about this place all along. They are open year round, and offer both a dining experience and are open late several nights a week. Beyond that, they have expanded their offerings to include weekend breakfast, without sacrificing their consistency and reliability - which is difficult to manage through the ebb and flow of an Eastport year.

The White Birch Exchange.

In one short year, Michael and Craig have made a splash here in Eastport. Customers love their furniture and home decor. They have generously donated and participated time and funds to several Chamber projects and support the Eastport ArtFests. We welcome our Canadian friends to our Eastport community and congratulate them on their success.

207 Maine Gifts

Rayett and Jeremy Cooper, Air Force Veterans, run this local business specializing in comfortable, stylish and locally designed t-shirts, tote bags, mugs and souvenirs. Besides keeping busy with their growing business, Rayett is Chamber president, has worked to increase membership and establish and formalize sub-committees during her tenure as a officer. She serves on the Member Development and Holiday committees and is constantly seen around town talking to business owners and other community members about ways to improve Eastport while sustaining the charm that makes this place special. She and Jeremy also organize the vendors for the Port Authority cruiseship visits.

Harry Mattin Award Nominees:

Jim Riccio

He quite literally made Eastport more beautiful. The holiday season of 2023 would have been much darker without Jim's generous leadership, organization, donation solicitation and installation of the holiday lights and greenery. Jim has worked with the Eastport Garden Club to install the beautiful hanging plants downtown, and could be seen all summer watering the baskets to ensure that they maintained their beauty. When a long planned art show was cancelled by the Eastport Arts Center, Jim persevered to create something truly special at a unique venue on Water Street. His art show, "Exposed," brought artists together from around the area to celebrate artwork of the male form without shame. Beyond all of those efforts, he's a consistently generous person with his time and consideration for people. As people move to town or just visit, they will frequently meet Jim, with his big smile and warm personality, and benefit from his efforts to introduce them to people and make them feel welcome.

Cynthia and Michael Morse

Owners of the Eastport Breakwater Gallery since 2009, the Morses are a great team and do so much for our community behind the scenes year after year. Individually Cynthia is a long standing member of both the School Board and the Eastport Art Center board. She helps coordinate the Festival of Trees for the EAC, the Raffle for the Salmon Festival and is on the Cruise Ship Committee. Michael serves as Chamber Vice President, is on the Budget and Marketing Committees and makes the welcome posters for the cruiseships. He volunteers his time to the Eastport Arts Center, contributes to the Quoddy Tides, and assists with many of our annual festivals. A prior code enforcer, he has written ordinances for the City of Eastport and recently worked on the ATV ordinance. He serves on the Economic Development Committee, the Planning Board, and the Energy Commission Committee for the City. They are mentors to many and deserve this recognition.

CAPT Bob Peacock

Quoddy Pilots bring every other ship into the Port and he has done so for years. He is instrumental in the relationship with the US Navy in securing ships for the annual 4th of July celebrations. He communicates with all safety agencies to ensure a safe visit for each ship. In past Salmon Festivals he has provided Salmon at short notice from RJPeacock Canning when they processed Salmon. Bob is a long time member of the Port Authority and served a term as Chair of Eastport City Council. He is a good spokesman for Eastport's maritime world.

The 4th of July Committee

Sonya Sullivan, Whitney Vinson, Gloria Harris, Barbara McPhail, Judy Limewood and so many others to name, all play a part in making the 4th of July and Old Home week a memorable time for all. Their role and part in planning, organizing, and dedication they put into the event every year is admirable. We as a community are incredibly fortunate to have them. Each and every one of these committee members not only organize, plan, put together the 4th of July every year but they also spend tireless hours on other events throughout the year volunteering and helping whenever, wherever they are needed - Bingo, Eastport Rec Center, Shead High School events, community events, and supporters/organizers of the local fundraisers just to name a few.

Ross Furman

Ross started the Pirate Festival and ran it for many years making a big contribution to this community. He also runs Rossport which offers short term housing for people to stay in while visiting here, providing much needed capacity to support our tourism sector. Born and raised here, he is and has been a great asset to this community for many years.

Ella Kowal

One of the unsung heroes of Eastport, she has kept City Hall humming along even with the revolving door of City Managers. She is professional, respectful and supportive of all, she follows through on everything she does. My first encounter with Ella was the 2020 election, when I was an election observer and I was very impressed with how she ran the voting during a fraught time. I have ultimate respect for her and believe that Ella Kowal is past due to receive the Harry Mattin award for her continued service to our community.

Billy Boone

Billy been on the City Council for many years, during times of constant transition with City Managers and Council members, and has been Council president for the past couple of years. He manages the council meetings calmly and professionally, not always easy when contentious issues arise. And of course he can always be seen greeting customers at our post office!

Donna Murphy

Donna joined the Chamber as a "friend" in 2023, and took on responsibilities confidently and did things on her own initiative. She jumped in with both feet to successfully organize the Salmon Festival in 2023 and continued to provide support for this year's festival. She is the Chamber treasurer and has maintained a level of professionalism that has helped the Chamber plan and execute projects at a high level. In addition, Donna is a key member of the Destination North America team, representing Eastport at its best, giving professional, guided tours to the increasing number of cruiseships visiting each year. Donna has been a great addition to our community.