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V O L . X X V I N O. X V I 200 200 IDEAS FOR MAINE'S BICENTENNIAL 12 Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 0 C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 1 4 » Maine's biotech industry comes into its own B Y W I L L I A M H A L L iotechnology is often rooted in busi- ness "clusters" around major met- ropolitan areas, but Maine has become a cluster in its own right. The state is now home to more than 200 bioscience businesses and organi- zations. They range from Maine's sec- ond-largest public company by revenue, Westbrook-based IDEXX Laboratories Inc. (Nasdaq: IDXX), to one of the small- est, ImmuCell Corp. (Nasdaq: ICCC), of Portland. Both IDEXX and ImmuCell develop products for the animal health indus- try. Both were founded in the 1980s, but have made shifts in their scientific focus over the years. IDEXX, for example, responded to the pandemic by adapting a veterinary diagnostic test for use in humans. Maine's bioscience businesses draw on the state's long history of cultivating scientific research. It includes iconic insti- tutions such as the Jackson Laboratory and MDI Biological Laboratory, both in Bar Harbor, and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, in East Boothbay. At the other extreme is one of the newest entrants in the Maine biotech field, ElleVet Sciences. Founded in 2017 and led by former IDEXX executives, the Portland startup also focuses on animal health, with therapeutic chews and oils derived from hemp, a form of cannabis. Top tourist destination Portland Old Port once faced the wrecking ball B Y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n he Old Port and Waterfront District is touted on Portland's website as the heart of the city's tourist industry. It's also home to Portland's most valu- able commercial real estate and highest retail rents. It could just as easily not exist. The district, rebuilt after the 1866 fire, was a thriving commercial area until the 1950s, when many busi- nesses moved out. It deteriorated, host- ing seedy bars and vacant buildings. Development and urban renewal crept across the city, leaving the rubble of old buildings in their wake. Then, in 1961, Victorian landmark Union Station, on St. John Street, met the wrecking ball. It was one building too many, sparking Portland's historic preservation movement, which is still strong today. The Old Port and Waterfront District, comprising Fore, Milk, Middle, Exchange, Market and Silver streets, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. More than 70% of the buildings date to between 1850 and 1880 Nearly 50 years later, an estimated 1 million annual visitors are drawn to the district's retail, restaurants and bars, soaked in historic charm. T B P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y M A R K O P E N D E / P R AYA G M U R AWA L A / M D I B I O L O G I C A L L A BO R AT O R Y P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / P H I L L I P C A P P E R , F L I C K R P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y I D E X X Ramunas Stepanauskas, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. An image of an axolotl captured using the DEEP-Clear method at MDI Biological Laboratory. Wharf Street in Portland's Old Port