Mainebiz

V O L . X X V N O. V M A R C H 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 state permit applications to the jurisdiction of the Maine Board of Environmental Protection, a seven- member citizen board created by the Legislature. e company, which is pursuing a $150 million land-based salmon aquafarm in Belfast, will consolidate permit applications with BEP that previously were being submitted to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection — namely its application for a Maine Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or MEPDES, permit; as well as for permits under the Site Location of Development Act and the Natural Resources Protection Act. Bangor Daily News reported that the BEP members would be assisted by an assistant attor- ney general, an analyst and DEP staff in their evaluation of Nordic Aquafarms' applications. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Maine Sport Outfitters partnered with Sundog Solar in Searsport to install a 61.9 kW solar system on the roof of its flagship store in Rockland. Front Street Shipyard in Belfast completed construction of Building 6, which is 22,500 square feet. It is now packed with boats undergoing winter refit work. MRC director to step down Municipal Review Committee Inc., a group of 115 Maine cities and towns, said its longtime execu- tive director has resigned. Greg Lounder played a key role in shep- herding the regional recycling and waste-processing plant Fiberight to its commissioning next month, according to a Feb. 22 news release. Lounder was expected to step down March 1. e Fiberight single- stream recyclables and municipal solid waste processing facility in Hampden will open in March. e $70 million, 144,000-square-foot waste-to-energy plant is expected to convert 80% of the waste it takes in either into renewable energy or recycling it. It will process 180,000 tons of municipal trash per year from 115 municipalities. e com- mittee anticipates advertising for a permanent executive director in the coming weeks. Interested candi- dates can visit the Municipal Review Committee's website for more information. Municipal Review Committee Inc., a nonprofit, was formed by municipalities in 1991. Bangor Savings buys building adjacent to HQ As Bangor Savings Bank settles into its new 117,000-square-foot opera- tions center at 11 Hamlin Way, the bank also made a strategic acquisi- tion of a neighboring vacant build- ing at 36 Pleasant St. in Bangor. It bought the 28,780-square-foot office building from Gopher Hill Communications LLC. e site is expected to add capacity to the bank's newly built flagship cam- pus on the Bangor waterfront. TC Haffenreffer from NAI e Dunham Group represented the seller. David Hughes from Epstein Commercial Real Estate and David Latulippe of CJ Developers Inc. rep- resented the buyer. "It makes perfect sense," Carol Colson, a senior vice president and director of community and media relations, told Mainebiz. "It almost touches our first build- ing at 24 Hamlin, which opened last July." e property is expected to be part of the bank's future expansion, but it's not clear yet how. 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 U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded $1.6 mil- lion to the Southern Aroostook Development Corp. to assist in the construction of a manufacturing food- processing plant in Houlton, which is expected to create 17 jobs. Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor broke ground on its new Pediatrics Center, which is slated to open in October. The 20,000 square- foot facility will feature 30 exam rooms, a larger reception and wait- ing room area and expanded clini- cal space and services. The ground breaking also served to kick-off the organization's $1 million capital cam- paign to support the project. A real-life top gun offers money and advice for Top Gun competition B y M a i n e b i z S t a f f David E. Shaw, managing partner of Black Point Group and co-founder of the publicly traded Maine companies Covetrus and IDEXX, will add an additional $25,000 prize to a winning entrepreneur in this year's Maine Center for Entrepreneurs' annual "Top Gun" Showcase event. Shaw said the new award was estab- lished to coincide with the recent pub- lic offering for Covetrus, formed from a merger between Portland startup Vets First Choice and Henry Schein Animal Health — uniting two companies that had a combined $4 billion in 2018 rev- enues — as well as the 35th anniver- sary of the founding of his first business, IDEXX Laboratories Inc. (2018 revenue: $2.21 million). He serves as chairman of Covetrus, was former chairman and CEO of IDEXX and the founding CEO and chairman of Ikaria, a critical care phar- maceutical company. Beyond those accomplishments, he has played leadership roles in numer- ous business and public service ven- tures, including Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor and the Second Century Stewardship at Acadia National Park. "Entrepreneurial businesses are the engine of our economy — driving growth, innovation, and opportunity locally and across the world," Shaw said. "I am pleased to join MCE in supporting the next generation of great Maine-based companies. I am grateful for the wonderfully fulfilling life that business and social entrepreneur- ship have created for me and the teams I have worked with around the world." Tom Rainey, executive director of Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, told Mainebiz that Shaw's gift enables it to offer two $25,000 prizes to two winners at its annual Top Gun Showcase event, which will be at the University of Southern Maine on May 23. "Having David Shaw, Maine's most prominent, successful and worldly entrepreneur enthusiastically supporting our start-up clients is an invaluable asset," Rainey added. In addition to the prize, the winner will receive some mentoring from Shaw, who has offered to make connections. Top Gun, which started in 2009, is an annual program for competitively selected Maine entrepreneurs that combines mentoring with high-impact weekly learning sessions held in Portland, Bangor, Lewiston/Auburn, Rockland and Waterville. To date, Top Gun has helped 200-plus entrepreneurs launch businesses. There will be 10 finalists presenting at that showcase, two from each of the five regional partners. The two top companies will each receive a $25,000 prize to be used to advance their business. A judging panel will select the two winners. The second $25,000 prize is from Maine Technology Institute, which has been providing the cash prize the last several years. In past years there has only been one prize awarded. Entrepreneurs from each Top Gun location in Bangor, Rockland, Portland, Lewiston/ Auburn and Waterville will compete in the beginning of May in local pitch-off events to determine the top two regional finalists, who will compete at the showcase event on May 23 and earn a chance to win one of the two $25,000 cash prizes. The Top Gun program is supported by MCE partners, including the University of Maine, the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, MaineStream Finance, and the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College. MCE receives funding support from corporate and nonprofit sponsors, local businesses, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Small Business Administration. B R I E F P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E C E N T E R F O R E N T R E P R E N E U R S Entrepreneurial businesses are the engine of our economy. — David E. Shaw Black Point Group David E. Shaw N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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