Near the end of December, Pliable Marketing, a Maine-based marketing company that burst onto the NIL scene throughout 2024 with a focus on athlete branding, expanded its growing list of clients.
University of Maine at Augusta freshman Emma Boulanger joined more than 30 other athletes at the high school, college and professional levels under the Pliable Marketing umbrella from all across the United States.
They wasted no time in helping her secure a name, image and likeness deal, as she now has a partnership with Aroma Joe’s, a local coffee shop. They have two locations in the Maine capital and she is the ninth person who has become an ambassador for the business.
“As a college athlete, I am excited about the opportunity to pursue name, image and likeness opportunities. I see this partnership with Aroma Joe’s as a way to spread positivity to others, including promoting women’s sports to inspire the next generation of young girls. Aroma Joe’s and Pliable have created some amazing opportunities for high school and college athletes so I am really excited to be part of more events in the Augusta community and beyond,” said Boulanger.
A two-sport athlete, Boulanger is currently playing forward for the women’s basketball team, where she has played in 16 games and is averaging 4.4 rebounds. During her senior year at Sacopee Valley High School, she was named the Western Maine All-Conference First team and invited to the Maine McDonald’s All-Star game.
A three-sport athlete in high school, she played soccer and softball in addition to her work on the hardwood. At Augusta, she will be playing softball in the spring.
“Emma is one of the hardest working athletes I have met. She typically starts her day working the morning shift at 4 a.m. and then goes to class, has practice or a game and maintains really good grades. As a two-sport athlete, she has really good time management skills. When you factor in Emma’s personality and her passion for Aroma Joe’s, this was a perfect name, image and likeness partnership for her. I know she really wants to use her platform as an athlete to give back to her community and support the next generation of high school and college athletes in Maine and beyond. Emma is a great role model and is going to inspire a lot of other athletes with this NIL partnership,” said Greg Glynn, founder & CEO of Pliable.
As part of the deal with Aroma Joe’s, Boulanger will receive compensation for her name, image and likeness by appearing in social media posts and making promotional appearances for the business.
She will be promoting events in August, Kennebec County and other places around New England. Boulanger is featured in a commercial that will appear during telecasts of the basketball games on Munzing Media as well.
“We are very excited to work with Emma since she goes to college so close to the two Aroma Joe’s locations in Augusta. This partnership is unique because she is the first community ambassador who already works at Aroma Joe’s and her college is located in the same city where Aroma Joe’s has two locations. This will make it easy for her to be involved in community events and help spread positivity in the Kennebec Valley area and beyond. We know Emma is going to be a great role model for kids to look up to, and to showcase how athletes can give back to their communities,” said Crystal Brown, Community Marketing Manager for Aroma Joe’s Development ME/NH.
While influenza remains the top concern for Maine public health experts, other viruses are also currently circulating, including norovirus and COVID-19.
“Influenza is clearly the main event,” said Dr. Cheryl Liechty, a MaineHealth infectious disease specialist. “The curve in terms of the rise of influenza cases was really steep.”
Maine reported 1,343 flu cases for the week ending Jan. 3, an uptick from the 1,283 cases recorded the previous week, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitalizations increased to 147 from 108 during the same time periods.
“I hope the peak is now,” Liechty said, “but I’m not really sure.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday that all of New England, except for Vermont, is currently experiencing “very high” levels of influenza. Vermont is in the “moderate” category.
“What we are seeing, overwhelmingly, is the flu,” said Andrew Donovan, associate vice president of infection prevention for Northern Light Health. “We are seeing both respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses in our patients.”
Norovirus also appears to be circulating, although due to its short duration and because it’s less severe than the flu, public health data on the illness — which causes gastrointestinal symptoms that typically resolve within a few days — is not as robust.
“Norovirus is the gastrointestinal scourge of New England winters and cruise ships,” Liechty said.
According to surveillance data at wastewater treatment plants in Portland, Bangor and Lewiston, norovirus levels detected in those communities are currently “high.” The treatment plants participate in WastewaterSCAN, which reports virus levels in wastewater through a program run by Stanford University and Emory University.
Dr. Genevieve Whiting, a Westbrook pediatrician and secretary of the Maine chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said viruses are prevalent right now, especially the flu and norovirus.
“For my patients right now, it’s a rare encounter that I hear everyone in a family has been healthy,” Whiting said. “I’ve had families come in and say their entire family has had norovirus. Several of my patients have had ER visits for suspected norovirus, where they needed IV fluids because they were dehydrated.”
Both Liechty and Whiting said they are seeing less respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, likely because there has been good uptake of the new RSV vaccine, which is recommended for older people and those who are pregnant. The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2023.
“The RSV vaccine has been a real success, as RSV was a leading cause of hospitalizations for babies,” Whiting said.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases increased to 610 in the final week of 2025, compared to 279 the previous week. Influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations are available at primary care, pharmacies and clinics across the state.
“If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet,” Liechty said, “you should beat a hasty path to get your shot.”
Defensemen Max Wanner was re-assigned to the Maine Mariners from the Providence Bruins on Thursday. Defenseman Michael Underwood was also re-assigned to Maine.
Wanner, 22, was acquired by the Boston Bruins when they traded Trent Federic to Edmonton last March. He played in 15 games for the AHL Providence Bruins at the end of last season, and seven this season.
Underwood returns for his second stint with the Mariners. He appeared in 67 games with Maine last season.
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