Family businesses can be nominated for one or more awards, simply pick from the list below for what categories would be the best fit.  Businesses can only win once in a category.  They can win in others.  For a list of past winners click here.

Maddy Corson Small Business Award: The Maddy Corson Small Business honoree is a company with fewer than 25 full-time (year-round) employees that demonstrates excellence in the following areas:

• Positions and responsibilities
• Family involvement
• Succession
• Use of external resources
• Family communication
• Value of being family-owned
• Business communication
• Business success
• Community service

Renys Large Business Award: The Large Business honoree is a company with 25 or more full-time (year-round) employees that demonstrates excellence in the following areas:

• Positions and responsibilities
• Family involvement
• Succession
• Use of external resources
• Family communication
• Value of being family-owned
• Business communication
• Business success
• Community service

Shep Lee Community Service Award: The Shep Lee Community Service honoree is a business of any size that demonstrates excellence in the following areas:

• Commitment to giving back to the community
• Monetary or in-kind giving (if applicable)
• Employee service to the community
• Volunteer board service
• Volunteer leadership

Chalmers Insurance Group Customer Service Award: The Customer Service honoree is a company of any size that demonstrates excellence in the following areas:

• Commitment to continuous improvement of customer service
• Commitment to exceeding expectations
• Innovative practices or systems that result in improved service
• Exceptional personal interactions
• Diverse, customer-driven services and means of delivery
• Easily accessible troubleshooting services and feedback systems
• Satisfactory means to address customer issues
• Efficiencies that contribute to quality customer service
• Examples of compassion and care that go beyond typical expectations for customer service

M&T Bank Innovation & Technology Award: The Innovation & Technology Award honoree is a company of any size that demonstrates excellence in any or all of the following areas:

• Development or creation of a new idea, method, or product which may solve a problem or improve a pre-existing solution to a problem
• Demonstration of original, compelling ideas and/or innovation or technology
• Significant benefit to and/or impact on others
• Fulfillment of a market need or creation of a new market through a service or product
• Use of applied science or innovative methods in product development or modifications

Holiday Inn By The Bay First Generation Award: The First Generation honoree is a company of any size, with at least one family member serving as an active equity owner and at least one family member active in the business on a regular basis. The business must not have transitioned yet from one generation to the next. The honoree will be chosen based on overall excellence among the awards listed above. 

• Demonstrates efforts to reduce carbon footprint, by policies or actions
• Demonstrates environmental stewardship
• Engaging others to reduce, recycle, reuse
• Demonstrates commitment to recycling or alternative power sources
• Championed steps towards creating a sustainable/resilient local community through positive solutions that may include energy efficiency, renewable energy, local foods development and innovative modes of transportation.

BerryDunn Lifetime Achievement Award: Voted on by the IFOB board, the BerryDunn Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated sustained success, leadership and innovation in his or her own family business, to the IFOB, and to the broader community. 

To mark the Institute’s 25th anniversary in 2019, the IFOB presented its first Lifetime Achievement Award to Maddy Corson.  Maddy is the quintessential example of what it means to be a strong leader and advocate for Maine businesses. It only seems fitting that this award was given out on the 20th anniversary of the Maine Family Business Awards, which all started as an idea from Maddy two decades ago and has recognized 113 businesses and counting. Maddy was the fourth generation of her family business, Guy Gannett Communications.

The IFOB Board honored Harry Fraser with the 2nd Annual BerryDunn Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Maine Family Business Awards. Shortly after, Harry passed away. We miss him dearly.

In 2022, we honored another longtime IFOB advocate and friend, Frank O’Shea.  Frank served as the IFOB Board Treasurer from 2003 to 2019 and currently serves on the IFOB Advisory Board.  He saw us through the conversion to an independent non-profit and, along with many others, made significant contributions to the growth and development of the Institute.  He has also participated as a speaker and mentor in several IFOB programs.

Frank has spent his 43-year professional career as a CPA, tax advisor and business consultant to family-owned businesses.  During that time, he has advised clients on a range of issues including the development and implementation of tax-efficient strategies for business operations and ownership succession.  As a trusted advisor, he has been asked for counsel on business decisions, mentoring younger family members and has also served as executor for the estates of family business owners.  He retired from his public accounting career in 2019, after serving as a tax principal for both Coopers & Lybrand LLC and BerryDunn.  Although not a native Mainer, since 1991 Frank has travelled the state from top to bottom and East to West in support of his passion for helping family businesses, and has become a well-known resource in the process.

Frank now spends a significant amount of time with his family, including five grandchildren, and can also be found on the golf course or touring New England on his Harley.  He continues to advise a few clients on planning for business transitions, and serves on an advisory board for a southern Maine family business.