GARDINER, ME Maine Drilling & Blasting celebrates the importance of local service to its own success over the past half-century by establishing named scholarships at local universities and technical colleges throughout its service area.

For Maine Drilling & Blasting, it all started with service. Hard work, honesty and quality service were the simple yet sacred principles upon which Ted Purington, Sr. and his wife, Judy, founded the company in Gardiner, ME, back in 1966. Throughout the years that followed, the Company expanded its footprint from Maine to New England, then on through the Northeast, and now through the Mid-Atlantic region. During this growth, MD&B's founding principles remained constant, as did MD&B's deliberate focus on local service. 

"We've always worked to grow regional markets with local people," said Company President & CEO, Bill Purington. "That means local employees and resources for supply and distribution. We've made it a point to commit to a local presence wherever we go. That's how we started; that's how we operate today."

"Our success depends on employing and training the best people in the drilling and blasting industry, in order to continue MD&B's high performance culture," said, Ted Purington, Jr., Executive Vice President. "That means investing in the educations and futures of local, young men and women, all around us. While we have numerous in-house training programs to help our employees develop and hone their crafts, assisting students enrolled in construction management or civil engineering technology programs is a great leg up for them."

Maine Drilling & Blasting is a leading provider of drilling, rock blasting and related specialty services in the Northeast United States, and is one of the largest in the Country. The family business has grown to more than 350 employees, and in 2004 began a progression of employee ownership. William Purington, II, earned a bachelor's degree in construction management technology from the University of Maine in 2011, and has become the third generation Purington engaged in the business, recently promoted to Eastern Division Manager. 

"We want to help grow the next generation, my generation and those coming after me. Being local means connecting on a local level to make a difference," said Purington, II. "And, these scholarships will, hopefully, make a difference in some local lives. It's a fresh twist on support to go along with our usual corporate contributions to local causes and events."

In honor of MD&B's 50th Anniversary, the Company has established recurring scholarships at five educational institutions, which include the University of Maine, Central Connecticut State University, the Pennsylvania College of Technology, University of Massachusetts - Lowell, and Vermont Technical College. $1,000 will be awarded per year for five years at each institution to provide financial assistance to students who are enrolled full-time and majoring in civil engineering technology or construction management. The scholarships have both academic and need-based criteria. First awards of the committed $25,000 total will generally be made in the fall of 2016. However, the institutions will promote the scholarships in the spring of 2016, coinciding with Maine Drilling & Blasting's start-up in March 50 years ago.

Maine Drilling & Blasting, recognized as a leader in the industry and a long-term contributor to the local communities it serves, offers drilling and blasting services to the construction and quarry markets, along with a variety of specialty services throughout the Northeastern United States, including rock bolting, hoe ramming, engineering, public relations, pre-blast surveys and packaged and bulk distribution. In addition to the corporate office in Gardiner, Maine, Maine Drilling & Blasting has offices in New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.