Alf Anderson Leaves Chamber
Chamber Awards Announced, Bed Races and Pajama Sale Accepting Registrants
BAR HARBOR—After over seven years at its helm, in a letter to Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce members Wednesday morning, Executive Director Alf Anderson announced his resignation.
He wrote,
“I will be staying on through the end of the year in order to support the community with our fall events and the production of our 2023 Bar Harbor Visitors Guide.
“My wife, Heather, and I will be relocating to southern Maine, so I won’t be going far. This was a very difficult decision but we realized over the past few months that we need to be closer to our families.”
Anderson characterized his tenure as “challenging yet rewarding” and said it was a privilege to represent the businesses and a “thrill to be a part of promoting Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park as a world-class destination.”
He will be working through December and asked people to stop by and catch up and say hello.
Board President Nina Barufaldi St. Germain said in a separate press release, “Alf has served as an excellent leader to the chamber, including his time navigating the COVID-19 pandemic when the tourism and hospitality industry struggled across the globe. He has been a supportive team player and innovative planner, in addition to doing a wonderful job promoting our region. We look forward to hearing about his future endeavors.”
The chamber hired Anderson as an events manager in 2015. He previously worked 15 years in the sales and marketing industries. In less than a year at the chamber, he was promoted to director of sales and marketing. Anderson became executive director in 2019. “In September 2022, he was named Community Partner of the Year by Mount Desert Island Hospital for his work leading the Downeast COVID-19 Task Force and finding creative, safe solutions to encourage commerce and support local businesses during the pandemic,” the release said.
Anderson said, “It has been wonderful working with the Bar Harbor community and sharing our incredible region with the world, whether through our diverse marketing efforts, interviews with the media, or at our popular community events. Getting to know the many wonderful people that make up this community and working together to seek solutions to issues and discover new opportunities has been a genuinely rewarding experience.”
According to the release, “the chamber will work closely with a search committee to seek a replacement to fill the role as soon as possible. The Chamber is assembling a search committee to seek his replacement and will post the job announcement to www.visitbarharbor.com/jobs.”
Board President St. Germain added, “It will be hard to fill Alf’s shoes, but the Chamber is a dynamic organization that will present its next leader with opportunities to tackle interesting projects, engage with citizens and Chamber staff, and work in this beautiful location that inspires our work. We look forward to reviewing applications.”
Prior to his departure, will be the bed races and the chamber’s annual award dinner.
Bed Races and Early Bird Pajama Sale
The annual bed races and pajama sale are happening again. These annual chamber-sponsored events will begin at 6 a.m., November 12, and are held in downtown Bar Harbor.
Per the chamber’s website:
Early Bird Pajama Sale
6:00 am - 12:00 pm
Get up early and shop local at participating businesses to get a head start on your holiday shopping (or pick up something special just for you)! Wearing your pajamas can earn additional savings with some of the participants. Scroll down to find a list of participating locations and offers.
If you have a business in Bar Harbor that would like to participate in the Early Bird Pajama Sale, Register Here.
The bed race begins at 10 a.m. and teams from nonprofits, churches, and area businesses race down Cottage Street beginning at the 1932 Criterion Theatre. It is sponsored by First National Bank, Bar Harbor Hospitality Group, Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and Cape Air.
Chamber Announces Award Winners and Annual Dinner
On Wednesday evening, November 2, the chamber will present awards to deserving businesses at its annual dinner. This will be the first time since 2019 that the Chamber has held the meeting in person due to the pandemic. For each of the past two years, the annual meeting has been held remotely.
According to the press release:
“Awards will be presented in the following five categories. The Rising Star Award will be given to a business that has demonstrated marked growth and prominence. The Neighbor Business of the Year Award will be bestowed upon a business member located outside of Bar Harbor. The Community Hero Award will recognize the individual who, in the eyes of the Chamber’s board of directors, has shown a commitment and dedication to our community. And the member business that has demonstrated excellence in operations and performance over the past twelve months will be named the Business of the Year.
“The 2022 awards recipients are:
Business of the Year: My Darling Maine Island Boutique
Neighbor Business of the Year: Island Cruises
Rising Star Award: A Little Mad
Community Hero Award: Jeremy Dougherty
“During the dinner, the Chamber will also unveil the winner of this year’s prestigious Cadillac Award, which is given to a person who epitomizes the virtues of leadership, service, and sacrifice and the quest for personal excellence. The President’s Award is selected by the chair of the board of directors to honor the business or person they admire most in our community. Board chair Nina Barufaldi St Germain has selected Carrie Jones to receive this honor.
“The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce annual dinner is being presented by Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and sponsored by First National Bank and Machias Savings Bank. Additional contributions have been made by Dobbs Productions and the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel & Event Center.”
The event will be held at the Atlantic Oceanside located at 119 Eden Street in Bar Harbor. Cocktails and hors-d'oeuvres will be served at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at approximately 7:00 p.m.
Editor’s Note: I am the Carrie Jones that is receiving the President’s Award. And I have had this press release about the awards for a long time and not released it because it just felt . . . awkward. I am incredibly honored to receive this award, but I am not the best at accepting awards. It’s just not how I was raised. However, I think it’s so important to notice and honor the other awardees.
Information about the pajama sale and bed races.
Annual Dinner tickets and info— Members can purchase tickets online at bit.ly/BHCC_dinner2022 or by calling the Chamber’s administrative office at (207) 801-2566 x12.
If you have a team that would like to participate in the bed races, Click here for rules and registration.
A podcast featuring Alf.