Mainebiz

V O L . X X V N O. I I I F E B R UA R Y 4 , 2 0 1 9 10 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E line: First National Investment Services, a joint venture between the bank and Cetera Financial Group. Owl Furniture in Stonington launched a newly designed website at www.owl- furniture.com. Bangor and Aroostook malls head to auction block Both the Bangor Mall and Aroostook Centre Mall in Presque Isle have been listed for auction. Bids start at $6.5 million for the Bangor Mall, at 663 Stillwater Ave. ere is no start- ing bid other than "best offer" for the Aroostook Centre Mall. Both auctions are being run by Ten-X, a real estate company headquartered in Irvine, Calif. e Bangor Mall auc- tion will be Feb 25-27, and requires a participation deposit of $50,000. Built in 1978 and renovated in 1998, the 651,000-square-foot mall is 72% occupied. It has gross and net operat- ing incomes of $7.8 million and $3.7 million respectively. e Aroostook County Mall, at 830 Main St., was built in 1993 and has 569,882 square feet on 38 acres; 557,601 square feet is rentable space. Lowe's holds a ground lease on a portion of the property. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N The University of New Hampshire, in collaboration with the University of Maine, established a research and training program to prepare graduate and undergraduate students in the region on the ecological genomics of coastal organisms. Funds for the proj- ect were provided by an NSF EPSCoR grant. The program is fundamental for understanding links between genomes and phenomes in natural populations, or, more specifically, how genetic underpinnings shape the traits that enable tidal marsh birds to adapt and evolve in response to environmental change. It also aims to advance STEM education by training scientists in an interdisciplinary research approach that transcends biological scales, from the molecular to the ecological. C&L Aviation Group in Bangor launched a new website dedicated to job seekers who are looking to find the right position within the company. The website, which can be found at ca- reers.cla.aero, contains the company's available job listings, information about the company and the surround- ing area, FAQs, company reviews and video and photo galleries. With all the news coming out of Waterville regarding its downtown investment and expansion at Colby College, it's hard to fathom the upheaval seen in December 1994. From the first issue of Mainebiz, in December 1994: The Waterville region is experiencing the impact of losing 280 jobs with the announcement of layoffs at Scott Paper and Warnaco Inc. Scott will be laying off 100 at its Winslow mill by the end of the year and Warnaco will drop 180 jobs at its Waterville shirt factory over the next few months. Overall, Scott expects to be down to 430 employees from the current 519 by the end of the year. These are in addition to the loss of 120 jobs with the closing of the LeVerdiere's Drug Store distribution center, also in Winslow. According to the Maine State Planning Office, the loss of these 400 jobs may affect the viability of an additional 250 jobs in the Waterville area through the lost income and spending in the region. SP ONSORED BY Today, downtown Waterville is home to Colby students, who live in a new, $25 million dorm. Also underway are a hotel, office space, retail and other residential housing. With trade tensions, what's next for Maine's global trade? B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n L ast year was fraught with challenges for any com- pany involved in international trade. Tariffs and political instability around the world were just two of the obstacles. Hussey Seating Co., which grappled with the tariff on aluminum, and Maine Coast, whose trade in lobster to China was derailed by retaliatory tariffs, are just two of the Maine companies affected. Despite the rocky year and "unprecedented trade ten- sions," as Maine International Trade Center President Wade Merritt said in the cover letter of the organization's annual report, Maine exports grew by 6% last year, to $2.8 billion. Much of that was dominated by two areas: forest products (including paper, pulp, logs and lumber) and semiconductors, most of which are produced in South Portland at ON Semiconductor or Texas Instruments. The semiconductors are shipped to Asia and then are assembled in cell phones and other consumer gadgets. Some 2,087 companies exported goods and ser- vices to 169 countries, MITC reported. This spring, the trade center's annual Trade Day 2019 Trade Day, to be held May 24 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, will focus on the global "bioeconomy." The focus will be on new and innovative uses of forest-and-ocean products, with speakers from north- ern Europe talking about initiatives they've taken in the same industries. Dana Eidsness, the trade center's director of the Maine- North Atlantic development, spoke to Mainebiz after arriving from Norway, where she participated in a trade conference. "There's a bio-materials revolution happening" around the world, says Eidsness. She cites the example of Finland, which went through a similar upheaval in its paper industry. Responding to market demand over years, it shifted from production of paper to packaging products and tissue. "Now [companies] are asking, 'What else can we make from this stuff?'" she says. Along with ocean products, the raw materials from Maine are used for and could increasingly be used the making of cosmetics, cross-laminated-timber, food addi- tives, biofuels, biochemicals and the like. Maine already has a range of research centers to develop products. "Maine is in a really good position to lead on this," says Eidsness. NYC accounting firm expands Maine footprint Dawson, Smith, Purvis & Bassett, a full-service account- ing firm in Portland, has merged with Marcum LLP. Terms of the deal, which closed Jan. 1, were not disclosed. Dawson, Smith has seven partners and 20 profes- sionals, all of whom will remain. The firm, which is at 15 Casco St., was founded in 1990. Kirk Purvis will be the office's managing partner. Dawson, Smith offers a range of accounting services: tax and financial planning for closely held businesses and high net worth individuals, litigation support, busi- ness valuation, stockholder buy-ins and buy-outs, merg- ers and acquisitions, incentive compensation services, pension audits and employment contract services. It will be Marcum's second Portland office. The other is at 100 Commercial St. It is led by Nancy Fannon, who specializes in business valuation and litigation services. Both offices will operate under the Marcum name. Marcum, which is based in New York City, has New England offices in Boston, Connecticut and Providence, R.I. B I Z M O N E Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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