--FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--
June 28, 2012
Contact: Tatiana Brailovskaya, Director of Communications; Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, www.bigelow.org; tbrailovskaya@bigelow.org; (202) 747-3255, ext. 103.
Well-Known Maine Business Leader Joins Founders Campaign for a New Era at Bigelow Laboratory
EAST BOOTHBAY, ME — Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has announced that Paul Coulombe, Southport resident and former CEO and Chairman of White Rock Distilleries in Lewiston, Maine has made a $250,000 gift to the Laboratory’s Founders Campaign, joining a growing number of private donors who are supporting the development and operation of the Laboratory’s Ocean Science and Education Campus in East Boothbay.
“I’m happy to be part of the future of Bigelow Laboratory,” Coulombe said. “This group of talented, dedicated people will be important to the economy of Maine for years to come and I’m proud that they’re right here on the Boothbay peninsula.”
“We’re delighted that Paul is among the visionary individuals who are making it possible for the Laboratory to build a sustainable, state-of-the-art future for ocean science on the mid-coast,” said Laboratory Executive Director Graham Shimmield. “As a Bigelow Founder, he brings a special energy and entrepreneurial expertise to the Laboratory that will be tremendously helpful as we continue building our new campus and creating a strong and diversified financial base for our work.”
Under Coulombe’s leadership, White Rock Distilleries grew from a small 10,000-square-foot plant to a 10-acre facility supporting an international operation with a major worldwide market for over 100 products. White Rock was recently selected as one of “Maine’s Best Places to Work” by Best Companies Group, a statewide initiative dedicated to identifying and recognizing Maine’s best employers.
Spurring significant economic growth in Maine through construction of its Ocean Science and Education campus, Bigelow Laboratory conducts interrelated research, education, and technology transfer programs ranging from microbial oceanography to large-scale ocean processes that affect the global environment. The Bigelow Founders Campaign is limited to the first twenty donors who provide unrestricted support of $250,000 or more to the Laboratory. Founders will be prominently identified and their support recognized with a permanent display at the new campus. More information about the Founders Campaign is available by calling Jennifer Cutshall at (207) 553-9802. ####
White Rock Distilleries CEO and Chairman Paul Coulombe (left) and Bigelow Executive Director Graham Shimmield at the Laboratory’s new campus in East Boothbay. Photo by Robert Mitchell.