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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 M AY 2 7 , 2 0 1 9 bernsteinshur.com Be smart. BE SHUR. When you need a lawyer who thinks like an executive and speaks like a human. From the Editor F or our focus on Lewiston-Auburn and western Maine, our cover story looks at efforts to attract off- season visitors to Bethel and the surrounding area. Bethel already has a lot going for it. It's situated between Sunday River and Mt. Abram ski areas, giving it a wintertime influx of visitors. It also hosts Nordic ski events from the Bethel Inn. It has a strong down- town, with restaurants, shops and inns. It has a private school, Gould Academy, which ensures an influx of new people. It has a small regional airport. What it doesn't have is that same level of engagement in the warmer months. But, as Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber writes, that is starting to change. She talks to some of the key people trying to build a year-round visitor base — the head of the chamber of commerce, the director of a nonprofit that raises money for trail networks (including ones connecting Bethel to the ski areas) and to the GM of the Bethel Inn, among others. Much of Bethel's effort to bolster its summer- time business depends on finding workers — and isn't that a story we've heard before, in many dif- ferent contexts. Seasonal workers are often college students or residents from nearby towns, so finding places to house workers has been key, as has the cre- ation of a bus line connecting surrounding towns. Laurie's story starts on Page 14. Elsewhere in the issue, Maureen Milliken looks at Auburn's efforts to build its agricultural economy, while it balances out what kind of incentives are feasible. Page 18. Senior Writer Renee Cordes has a roundup of news from around Lewiston and Auburn, includ- ing ongoing efforts to build out the Bates Mill and sustainability initiatives at Bates College. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz A story in the print edition of May 13, "A new-style anchor for a high-profile retail space in Rockland," misstated the amount of square footage being leased by Planet Fitness. It should have been 11,500 square feet. Correction 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 the weeks between May 6–20. 1. Gelato Fiasco selling its Brunswick factory, after co-packing move to Michigan 2. Island Falls has plan to fill empty downtown buildings 3. CMP: Bill to create consumer-owned utility amounts to 'hostile takeover' 4. Ex-UBS bankers launch Portland wealth management firm 5. Cinemark to build 12-screen movie complex at Westbrook's Rock Row 6. Economic development director, action plan launch Katahdin region into new era 7. GO Lab lands $250K grant to test and market its 'disruptive' fiberboard insulation 8. Longtime Seven Islands' CEO to retire, LaMontagne named as successor 9. Maine hospitals rank No. 3 nationally for hospital safety 10. Pine Point co-op, restaurant buy 'perfect fit' for business owners P H O T O / JA M E S M C C A R T H Y 1 Bethel as a barometer for economy of western Maine Much of Bethel's effort to bolster its summertime business depends on finding workers.

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