Senate President Mike Thibodeau Awarded Jim McGregor Government Service Award
Maine Senate President Mike Thibodeau of Winterport has been unanimously selected by the Retail Association of Maine Board of Directors to receive the organization’s 2015 Jim McGregor Government Service Award.
The Jim McGregor Government Service Award has been presented annually to a wide list of state and local officials. The award was designed to mirror the key word in its name: service.
“The retail community of Maine appreciates the leadership of Senator Thibodeau and his efforts on behalf of retailers this last legislative session,” said Curtis Picard, Executive Director of the Retail Association of Maine. “The Jim McGregor Award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond just like Jim McGregor did for our members for so many years.”
Senator Thibodeau is serving his third term in the Senate, representing Waldo County.
Thibodeau is a graduate of Hampden Academy. He is currently the owner and operator of T B Equipment, a heavy equipment dealer supplying new and used equipment to central and northern Maine. Thibodeau and his wife, Stacy, recently began a new company, Mt. Waldo Plastics, which is the only company in Maine to manufacture snow shovels.
“Senator Thibodeau was critical in navigating a very difficult state budget this year. The original proposal included many areas that would have directly impacted Maine’s retailers, but he listened to our concerns and helped forge a compromise that still lowered income taxes, but without increasing sales taxes,” said Picard.
In 2010, the Retail Association of Maine named this award after its retired director of government affairs, Mr. Jim McGregor. Jim’s decades of hard work in the public policy arena paved the way for setting the standard for an award that recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond in support of Maine’s retail community.
The award will be presented on Thursday, November 5th, at the Retail Association of Maine’s 82nd Annual Meeting at the Portland Regency Hotel starting at 4:00 PM. The award presentation will begin at 5:00 PM.
The 2014 recipient was Dr. Kenneth McCall of the University of New England. Past winners have included U.S. Senator Susan Collins, former State Representative Kerri Prescott Bickford of Topsham, House Speaker Bob Nutting, former State Senator David Trahan, Consumer Credit Protection Director Will Lund, former State Representative Sawin Millett, and Attorney General Janet Mills.
The Retail Association of Maine is a statewide, non-profit trade association representing over 400 businesses in the state, from large chains to small independent retailers. Formed in 1933, the Retail Association of Maine serves as the voice of retailers in Maine and concentrates on preserving the state’s strong retail climate. For more information on the Retail Association of Maine, please refer to the web site at www.retailmaine.org or call the Retail Association of Maine office at 207-623-1149.