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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 5 , 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 25 – April 8. 1. Maine makes top 5 in states with highest tax burden 2. Seized properties of gambling ringleader hit the market 3. cPort Credit Union lists $2M condo in Portland's East End 4. Two Maine employers recognized as 'psychologically healthy' workplaces 5. Emera Maine to be sold to Calgary- based energy company for $1.3B 6. Waterfront home that failed to sell in auction gets second chance 7. Cianbro acquires Connecticut construction firm, expands Mid- Atlantic footprint 8. Skowhegan Savings Bank's president and CEO to retire 9. Maine Food City chain becomes employee-owned 10. Biddeford-based Fiber Materials to add 50 employees this year From the Editor P arts of Maine are reaping the benefit of the recent building boom. ere are a number of commercial projects under- way or recently completed. ere are office buildings going up, hotels on the drawing board. ere is some much-needed housing under construction. ere are pockets of growth. But, to make the numbers work, developers are rely- ing now more than ever on a range of incentives, from federal Opportunity Zones to historic tax credits to Tax Increment Financing. Putting together the "capital stack" is one of one of the central challenges of being a developer, as Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber reports in her story "Inventive incentives." See Page 18. Coupled with the tricky financing picture, the cost of construction has skyrocketed in recent years, a byproduct of the labor shortage and higher costs for steel and aluminum. As Senior Editor Maureen Milliken writes, construction costs can often make or break a project. And the chal- lenges are only expected to grow. See Page 24. Despite the higher costs, many employers are still intent on creating invit- ing and healthy workplaces for current and prospective employees, as Senior Writer Renee Cordes writes. See Page 32. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Recently, I traveled to Taipei on behalf of York- based Maine Coast, one of the largest exporters of lobster in the United States. We concentrate on both North American and overseas markets. I joined the Maine Coast team in June 2018. I was born in Southern China, educated both in China and the United States. Prior to Maine Coast, my career has spanned technology, logistics and e-commerce living and working in Hong Kong and developing business relationships in both China and other Southeast Asian countries like Taiwan. Maine Coast, along with other lobster wholesal- ers, are watching carefully to see if the tariff issue is going to be corrected in the near future. As we wait, Maine Coast has pushed hard to expand its overseas markets. It was great fun recently to return to Taiwan to represent Maine Coast and the lobster industry. We were the only seafood company to go to the buyers' mission in Taiwan hosted by Food Export Association-Northeast. Taiwan has developed into one of the world's largest economic and trading entities. It is the 11th largest U.S. market for processed foods as well, totaling US $629.7 million in 2017. It is a market that is looking for new retail and quality products. Maine Coast enjoyed this trip. We believe strongly that investing in travel to personally meet with current and new customers is critical to suc- cess. We are able to better understand their business needs, and help them learn more about what makes Maine Coast and the lobster industry valuable to them. We continue to innovate, focus on delivering quality products and go directly to the customer to develop and expand our markets. Harry Szeto Maine Coast Co. Senior account executive, Asian markets To the Editor Be smart. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need a JD with an MBA's approach. Construction boom has its limits WA L L E T H U B : T O P 1 0 S TAT E S W I T H H I G H E S T O V E R A L L TA X B U R D E N S O U R C E : WalletHub's "2018 Tax Burden By State" report State Total tax burden Property tax burden Individual income tax burden Total sales and excise tax burden 1 New York 13.04% 4.62% 4.78% 3.64% 2 Hawaii 11.57% 2.20% 2.85% 6.52% 3 Maine 11.02% 4.80% 2.69% 3.53% 4 Vermont 10.94% 5.20% 2.32% 3.42% 5 Minnesota 10.37% 3.00% 3.70% 3.67% 6 Connecticut 10.19% 4.17% 3.34% 2.68% 7 Rhode Island 10.14% 4.70% 2.31% 3.13% 8 Illinois 10.08% 4.11% 2.44% 3.53% 9 New Jersey 10.02% 5.12% 2.46% 2.44% 10 California 9.57% 2.66% 3.65% 3.26% Percent of personal income spent on taxes

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