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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 9 Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is our top content from March 11 to March 25. 1. Piscataquis County: The under-the- radar hot spot in Maine real estate 2. Report: Shortage of loggers and truckers hinders growth of $8.5B forest products industry 3. Saco Lofts development taps appeal of Saco-Biddeford's 'hip, cool market' 4. Waterfront home that failed to sell in auction gets second chance 5. Bangor Savings Bank makes Forbes' 'World's Best' rankings 6. Here's how federal CMS rates Maine's 34 hospitals for quality 7. Portland area is ranked 'best city' for women 8. Developer will partner with Canopy by Hilton on Portland hotel project 9. Once stymied by China tariff, lobster dealer finds a workaround 10. It's maple syrup time: Maine Maple Sunday this weekend P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N 1 From the Editor S mall business growth depends on an entrepre- neur's business plan, willingness to work long hours and ability to make a convincing "elevator speech," or pitch. Maine has a wealth of pitch competitions that aim to help businesses with a sound prod- uct and leadership find capital. Gorham Savings' LaunchPad, "Greenlight Maine" and Top Gun are just three of the programs that where entrepreneurs can make a name for themselves — and, possibly, walk away with some cash. One entrepreneur who had success in pitch com- petitions last year was Eliah anhauser, a founder of North Spore Mushroom Co. anhauser, who is on the cover, secured $150,000 in prizes, winning two pitch competitions. But, as Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber shows in her cover story, the process of going through the pitch competitions can get an entrepreneur closer to the sources of fund- ing — whether it's bank- ers, economic development organizations or nonprofits. For anhauser, winning the pitch competi- tions provided capital vital to growing his company. But he says honing his pitch was also an important skill to learn. See Page 14. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz A story in the March 5th Mainebiz Daily Re- port regarding workers' compensation legislation, "Maine AFL-CIO backs bills that would revise work- ers' compensation law," tells just one side of the sto- ry — the perspective of organized labor. Here's our view as an insurance company covering 18,000 Maine employers. Remarkably, there are more than 25 workers' com- pensation bills that have been submitted for consid- eration. e most costly, LD 601, would restore cost- of-living increases for open claims retroactive to 1987. As written, it would immediately cost Maine em- ployers an estimated $100 million in the form of higher insurance rates. Another bill, LD 600, would lower the stan- dard for stress-related claims. e result will be ad- ditional millions added to the cost of insurance and increased conflicts over hard-to-define claims of mental injury. Once the worst state in the entire nation, the Maine workers' compensation system was com- pletely reformed in 1992 and has treated everyone fairly for more than 25 years. Organized labor, however, assumes that with the governorship and legislature in Democratic control, their agenda to increase both costs and lawyer-driv- en conflicts may have an easy path forward. Grate- fully, we don't believe that the Legislature or gov- ernor will upend all that has been accomplished. It wouldn't serve the interests of Maine. Why? e goal always has been to be in the middle of the pack. To improve our current ranking from the 19th most expensive to only average, employers and la- bor still have a lot of work to do. If you agree, please write your legislators to tell them to keep the bal- ance in our workers' comp system. Michael P. Bourque President & CEO e MEMIC Group To the Editor Be smart. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need someone committed to raising the bar, not just passing it. From 'Greenlight' to the green light

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