Portland, ME — The MEMIC Group, a national leader in workers’ compensation insurance, proudly announces the 2025 MEMIC Award recipients. These honors celebrate employers and individuals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to workplace safety, employee well-being, and workforce partnership.

Excellence in Worker Safety & Employee Care

Recipient: Sargent Corporation

Sargent Corporation, a 100% employee-owned construction company headquartered in Orono, Maine, received MEMIC’s top honor for Excellence in Worker Safety & Employee Care.

Through its CARE program — which stands for Committed, Accountable, Responsible, and Empowered — every employee-owner pledge to prioritize safety. In 2024, Sargent employees worked over one million hours with zero lost-time injuries — a milestone proudly featured on their homepage.

Sargent has consistently demonstrated integrity, responsiveness, and a collaborative spirit in its partnership with MEMIC, working seamlessly alongside Cross Insurance to deliver exceptional results.

“Receiving this award is an honor,” said Cameron Haggar, Sargent Safety Director.  We want to thank MEMIC for recognizing the dedication to safety that is genuinely embodied by individual Sargent employee-owners in the field. Their commitment to looking out for one another, taking the time to plan, and identifying risks is what ultimately contributes to creating a safe and healthy work environment.”

In addition to receiving the award, Sargent was honored with a $2,500 grant from The MEMIC Group to donate to a charity of its choice. Sargent proudly selected the Travis Mills Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting post-9/11 veterans who have been injured in active duty or as a result of their service. To learn more about the impactful work of the Travis Mills Foundation and explore opportunities to support their mission, please visit their website at www.travismills.org. 

MEMIC Mission Award for Industry Leadership

Recipient: Dr. Dana Kerr, University of Southern Maine

The inaugural MEMIC Mission Award for Industry Leadership was presented to Dr. Dana Kerr, Associate Professor and John T. Leonard Endowed Chair in Risk Management and Insurance at the University of Southern Maine (USM).

Dr. Kerr has strengthened the workers’ compensation system through education and workforce development. Under his leadership, USM’s Risk Management and Insurance program boasts a 90% placement rate, and he has helped more than 275 MEMIC employees earn the Workers’ Compensation Professional (WCP) designation. In 2023, he revised the national WCP coursework to improve industry education standards.

“I'm honored to receive the first MEMIC Mission Award and grateful for the partnership we've built over the years,” said Dr. Dana Kerr. “MEMIC has been instrumental in helping the University of Southern Maine's risk management and insurance program grow since I started it in 2008. I want to thank my students, including all those at MEMIC who have gone through the WCP course and those USM grads who are now members of the MEMIC team.”

Excellence in Workforce Partnership

Recipient: Kevin Bunker, Developers Collaborative

The Workforce Partnership Award recognizes Kevin Bunker, founder of Developers Collaborative, for his visionary efforts to address Maine’s housing crisis — one of the greatest barriers to workforce attraction and retention. Bunker’s work in sustainable, smart-growth development has provided affordable housing and revitalized communities. Among his most impactful projects is Freedom Place, a 38-bed transitional facility for women recovering from addiction and homelessness. The facility was converted from a planned luxury condominium project.

“As I get older, I find myself caring less about money and more about people,” said Kevin Bunker. “Putting people before profit and creating opportunities for the most vulnerable has become my driving purpose. It finally feels like I’m doing something that truly matters.”

Bunker’s values-driven leadership aligns with MEMIC’s mission to improve workforce well-being and create opportunities for those most in need.

Horizon Scholarship Honorees

Since 2001, the Horizon Scholarship has awarded over $290,000 to 49 scholars—spouses and children of workers seriously injured on the job. Funded in memory of Harvey Picker, a co-founder of MEMIC, the scholarship honors families facing adversity by supporting their higher education goals.

The 2025 recipients are Arie Decker of New York and Manuela Kalonda of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Both have demonstrated extraordinary resilience and are each awarded a $10,000 scholarship to support their academic journeys.

Message from MEMIC President and CEO Michael Bourque

“The MEMIC Awards reflect the heart of our mission: protecting people,” said Michael Bourque, President and CEO of The MEMIC Group. “We don’t just insure workplaces — we partner with employers to prevent injuries, improve outcomes, and build cultures of care. These honorees show what’s possible when you truly prioritize people.”

The awards were presented at MEMIC’s Annual Meeting of Policyholders in Portland, Maine, on June 9, 2025. To learn more and watch recipient videos, visit memic.com/awards.

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About The MEMIC Group
The MEMIC Group includes MEMIC Indemnity Company, MEMIC Casualty Company, and parent company Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company. All are rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best and collectively insure more than 21,000 employers and 300,000 workers across the United States. MEMIC provides dedicated safety and injury management services from Maine to Florida