Mainebiz

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 J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 1 9 From the Editor Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews 1 P H O T O / P O R TA & C O. 1. Three deals, two days: $30M of properties sold in Portland 2. Luke's Lobster all set for June 5 opening on Portland waterfront 3. Bethel looks to diversify its economy and strengthen role as western Maine hub 4. Dutch company eyes two sites in Maine for land-based yellowtail aquafarm 5. Ri Ra owner partnering with 82 Hanover developer on BBQ restaurant, bar 6. Goodwill's sale of Portland space paves way for new neuro rehab clinic in Scarborough 7. Maine Harvest Credit Union, with a focus on agriculture, poised to open 8. Mills launches 10-year economic development plan focusing on training, R&D and pay 9. Inside West Bayside, where development is evolving as interest grows 10. Whole Oceans finalizes deal for part of former Verso mill Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is our top content from May 20 through June 3. M ainebiz had its most recent "On the Road" roundtable in Ellsworth. Each year, we visit six places in Maine, and Ellsworth was our third stop of 2019. It's our chance to ask local business people what they see as the major issues. Not surprisingly, the workforce shortage is top of people's minds. But the issue is very much inter- twined with the shortage of affordable housing. One key driver in the need for housing is Jackson Laboratory, which is based in Bar Harbor but has a relatively new facility in Ellsworth. JAX has 1,400 Maine employees, including 460 in Ellsworth and the balance on Mount Desert Island. On MDI, housing is at a premium. Houses and apartments that might have once been available for year-round rental are now largely reserved for short- term use, through Airbnb. With Acadia National Park limiting the land that can be developed, there isn't much in the way of new housing. e median home price is now $320,000, compared to the median price of $179,900 for the state as a whole. Ellsworth's median price is also around $179,000, though until recently there hadn't been a lot of activity. e town is now seeing more multi-family development, though more is needed. Back to Jackson Lab. Its 1,400 employees com- mute from 67 zip codes, 14 of Maine's 16 counties. Many come from the Bangor area and are bused to work on the Island Explorer through a program subsidized by Jackson Lab, with employees paying $20 a week. It's been said before, but with Maine's work- force stretched, the need for affordable hous- ing goes hand- in-hand with finding workers. A fish pier has become home to artists and chocolate makers At one time, the O'Hara fish-and-ice processing pier was a key part of Rockland's fishing economy. Historically, the Tillson Avenue sardine processing factory made its presence known with its prolific output and its prodigious smell. An ice factory, a relic that predates refrigerated shipping containers, made possible the shipment of fish around the world. e surrounding wharves bustled with activity from the fishing fleet. e O'Hara family oversaw it all, including hundreds of employees. Fast forward to recent years: the O'Hara family moved its fishing fleet to Alaska. Today, e U.S. Coast Guard and Journey's End Marina occupy much of the end of Tillson Avenue and the pier. e O'Hara family still owns some of the Rockland property, but now it is a landlord to art- ists and makers, as well as other businesses. Bixby Chocolate, maker of the Bixby Bar, is in the former ice factory. Renowned Maine artist Eric Hopkins has a gallery and studio in the former sardine fac- tory, at 120 Tillson Ave. On Maine's ever-changing "working waterfront," not all of the changes involve condos or hotels. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Ellsworth's housing shortage goes hand in hand with worker shortage Jackson Laboratory, with sites in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth, has 1,400 Maine employees. They commute from 67 zip codes, 14 of 16 counties.

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