Maine Business School Receives $25,000 Gift From Competitive Energy Services LLC
Competitive Energy Services LLC (CES) of Portland, Maine, has donated $25,000 over five years to support the Maine Business School’s MBA Business and Sustainability Track at the University of Maine.
The gift will provide student learning and educational opportunities through conferences and workshops, according to Associate Professor of Management Terry Porter, who coordinates the Business and Sustainability Track.
“We are grateful to CES for this generous gift which will greatly expand the opportunities we can provide for our students,” she says. “Sustainability is becoming a basic part of most businesses and this gift will help prepare the new generation of business and sustainability professionals.”
The Business and Sustainability Track includes the University of Maine’s chapter of Net Impact, a student sustainability organization with activities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Net Impact seeks to inspire, educate and equip individuals to use business to create a more socially and environmentally sustainable world.
“We want to work with the Business School, collaborate with other areas of the university to help everyone better understand sustainability and assist the university community at-large in living a more sustainable life,” says CES President and Chief Operating Officer Jon Sorenson, a 1986 UMaine graduate, and member and former chair of the MBS Board of Advisors.
“Our company is active with universities, communities and businesses in managing their carbon emissions and sustainability efforts. An investment in UMaine puts a great focus on the educational component that will benefit everyone. We hope to help with the expansion of internships, provide real-life work and knowledge to the Business School, broaden the curriculum, improve campus stakeholder collaboration and provide a vehicle for the Business School to grow and, in time, become a leader in sustainability. We hope our investment and contribution is just a start to something much bigger.”
CES also has supported students in sustainability in other ways, such as sponsoring undergraduate internships.
Founded in 2000 by career energy professionals, Competitive Energy Services is an independent energy services company that advises institutional, industrial, commercial and nonprofit sectors on the procurement and management of their energy needs and issues. Services include alternative energy projects, cogeneration, carbon management and planning, and sustainability planning, etc. CES now serves more than 2,500 accounts across North America, including the University of Maine, and manages in excess of $2 billion in energy and utility spending.
Contact: Ruth Ellen Cohen, 207.581.1926