University of Southern Maine Foundation announced that it has received a $100,000 founding sponsor gift from Native Maine Produce & Specialty Foods (Native Maine), a leading wholesale food distributor in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The contribution will support the newly opened McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success on the University of Southern Maine (USM) Portland Campus. The Center’s formal ribbon cutting celebration is scheduled for Wednesday, September 27.
The McGoldrick Center Founding Sponsors program offers employer partners like Native Maine recognition and promotion opportunities in a central, highly visible location at the heart of USM’s newly transformed Portland campus. Their gift will sponsor the Serveryin the 254-seat dining hall on the Center’s first floor. The new building, with its expansive dining area, Husky Brew Pub, University Book Store, Double L Fireside Lounge, and other public spaces, is available for community use and is expected to draw hundreds of people through its doors on a daily basis.
The McGoldrick Center’s second floor is home to USM’s expanded Career and Employment Hub, where students can connect with prospective employers or meet with their career counselors. Large multi-purpose meeting spaces, or salons, are available to host career fairs, employer presentations, banquets, and other events.
The third floor is dedicated to cultivating student leadership opportunities and connections with spaces set aside for USM’s Diversity Center, student organizations, Promise Scholars, and the Student Government Business Office.
“We at Native Maine are proud to support and sponsor this amazing facility and the goals of providing the best education possible for the next generation of leaders,” said Vinnie Caliendo, CEO of Native Maine. “Our focus is to provide local products and exemplary service to our partners. We are excited to play a role in the advancement of the tremendous educational opportunities provided at USM.”
“Student success depends on many factors, including nutritional health and wellness on our campuses,” said Ainsley Wallace, president and CEO of the University of Southern Maine Foundation. “USM and our food service partners, Sodexo, are committed to serving fresh, local, and sustainably sourced Maine products in our dining halls––and Native Maine is integral to that promise. We are deeply grateful for their support and pleased that they will be a visible presence in the new McGoldrick Center.”
With dining facilities, meeting and conference rooms, student activity rooms, and the expanded Career Hub, the McGoldrick Center is among the most environmentally sustainable buildings on USM’s transforming Portland campus. It is a three-story, 42,000 square-foot space that is designed to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Silver certification. It will overlook the new campus quad, named the “Bean Green,” and sits adjacent to Portland Commons, the first residence hall on USM’s Portland campus.
About Native Maine
Native Maine Produce & Specialty Foods (Native Maine) is a leading New England wholesale food distributor based in Westbrook, Maine, serving businesses throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts with delivery of fresh produce, dairy, meats, and specialty foods. Stocking over 3,000 food products from Maine and around the globe, Native Maine provides customers with quality, in-stock products and exceptional customer service.
About the University of Southern Maine Foundation. The USM Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with the University to support the aspirations of students and the strategic vision of USM. Now in its third decade of service, the Foundation is raising the critical funds needed to increase scholarship resources and achieve ambitious goals, as it helps to catalyze transformation at the University of Southern Maine. For more information about the McGoldrick Center sponsorship program, please contact Corey Hascall, Vice President, USM Foundation at corey.hascall@maine.edu or visit the Sponsorship Opportunities webpage.