On Wednesday, July 20, Pine Tree Society honored the 2016 recipients of the Spirit of Pine Tree Society award. The profile below is the story of honoree Priority Learning. Learn more about the other honorees: Dave Johnson, owner of Kennebec Electric in Waterville and Marie Preston.

Priority Learning is an organizational development consulting firm that helps organizations fulfill their mission by training their staff in how to lead.

Their motto is “We believe in the potential of all people.”

Pine Tree Society’s motto is “Discovering abilities together.”

Together, Priority Learning and Pine Tree Society have made a commitment to discovering and developing the potential of Pine Tree Society’s leaders and rising stars so they have the tools they need to bring a greater impact to the lives of Maine people.

“We have a philosophy that says we should be giving back,” said Priority Learning’s founder Ralph Twombley. “I can’t think of a better cause than Pine Tree Society.”

Ralph and his wife Lorraine founded Priority Learning to train, coach, and mentor managers and leaders. They recognize that non-profits like Pine Tree Society lack the resources to provide high level, dynamic learning for their staff, so they stepped up to offer their services in-kind.

“We each have a work of passion,” Twombley continued. “It’s just a different passion. Our passion is to grow leaders. Leadership is a real craft to be learned and what we do every day is build leaders.”

Twombley says that the team at Priority Learning is “actually more grateful for Pine Tree Society than they are for us. Their leaders bring passion, energy and strength of spirit that adds a tremendous value to the entire group.”

For Twombley, Pine Tree Society is a great example of doing the right things for the right reasons.

“They honor us by simply being there. They remind us that there is more to life than dollars and cents. That there are bigger goals.”

When asked what he thinks drives the staff at Pine Tree Society, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment.

“Their energy of spirit is THE fuel.”

Without it, they could not do what they do.

It is that energy of spirit combined with the generosity of Priority Learning that is helping Pine Tree Society’s staff carry forward the organization’s mission of discovering abilities together.