The MEMIC Awards
For three decades MEMIC has helped employers commit to improvements in workforce safety. We created The MEMIC Awards to highlight this emphasis, with annual recognition for companies that excel in our core philosophy: safety, injury management, and workforce partnership.
2026
MEMIC Award Winners
Dead River Company
Excellence in Worker Safety and Employee Care
Safety is central to Dead River Company’s operations, supported by a strong, organization-wide commitment to protecting employees through proactive risk management, continuous improvement, and shared accountability. The company has demonstrated integrity, responsiveness, and a collaborative approach in its partnership with MEMIC, helping to advance safer workplaces across the region.
Melissa Skahan
Excellence in Workforce Partnership Award
Melissa Skahan, Vice President of Mission Integration at Northern Light Mercy, has been named the recipient of the Excellence in Workforce Partnership Award in recognition of her leadership in developing and advancing the +MPOWER Program.
2025 MEMIC Award Winners
Sargent Corporation earned the 2025 MEMIC Award for Excellence in Safety & Employee Care for its exceptional dedication to worker well-being. Through its CARE program—which stands for Committed, Accountable, Responsible, and Empowered—every employee-owner embraces a shared responsibility for safety. In 2024, the team worked over one million hours without a single lost-time injury, demonstrating a strong culture of integrity, accountability, and collaboration.
Dr. Dana Kerr, Associate Professor at the University of Southern Maine (USM) and the first holder of the MEMIC John T. Leonard Endowed Chair in Risk Management & Insurance, received the inaugural MEMIC Mission Award for Industry Leadership for his impactful contributions to education and workforce development in workers' compensation. Under his leadership, USM's Risk Management and Insurance program has achieved a 90% job placement rate. Dr. Kerr has also supported more than 275 MEMIC employees in earning their Workers' Compensation Professional (WCP) designation and revised national WCP coursework in 2023 to elevate industry standards.
Kevin Bunker, founder of Developers Collaborative, received the 2025 MEMIC Award for Excellence in Workforce Partnership for his innovative approach to addressing Maine’s housing crisis—a key barrier to workforce stability. Through sustainable, community-focused development, Bunker has expanded access to affordable housing and revitalized neighborhoods. Notably, he transformed a planned luxury condo project into Freedom Place, a 38-bed transitional home for women recovering from addiction and homelessness. This act of leadership—putting people before profit—demonstrates a deep commitment to creating opportunities for the most vulnerable among us and reflects MEMIC's mission of workforce well-being and development.
About The MEMIC Awards
To earn a MEMIC Award for Excellence in Safety, organizations demonstrate adoption of best practices in identifying and removing workplace hazards and building a culture of care and accountability throughout their operations.
In 2021, MEMIC began recognizing employers that help injured workers regain health and return to work with its MEMIC Award for Excellence in Injury Management. Winning organizations collaborate with MEMIC and healthcare professionals to achieve the best possible outcomes for workers injured on the job.
MEMIC also created the annual MEMIC Award for Workforce Partnership in 2021 to recognize leaders who create opportunities to attract, support, and develop a qualified workforce.
All awards are given annually. Nominees are recommended by our policyholders’ Loss Control and Claims representatives to recognize outstanding performers in safety and injury management.
If you are a MEMIC policyholder making progress toward creating a safer, more compassionate workforce, contact your Loss Control or Claims representative to see how you might qualify for consideration.
If you are not receiving premium workers’ compensation services from your current insurer, ask us about becoming a MEMIC-insured employer and get ready to create a culture of safety that reduces risk, increases productivity, and enhances your bottom line.