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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 J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 bernsteinshur.com Be covered. BE SHUR. Excellence in practice, when you need it most. From the Editor M aine's fast-paced real estate market may have taken its breath earlier this spring, but the market is clearly shifting at an equally breakneck pace. For some workers, the home office may become the only office. But for others, the new office could resemble the old office, with more space between workers. Open concept offices may already be on their way out, as employers look for space that can accom- modate workers' social distancing needs. To be sure, it will continue to evolve as the work- place adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic. In our cover story, Renee Cordes talks to insur- ers, accounting firms and other brick-and-mortar companies about how they're adjusting to the need for additional space. See "Whatever works," which starts on Page 16. On the supply side, Laurie Schreiber talks to the real estate brokers about what they're hearing from clients and what people are looking for. Drew Sigfridson of Boulos Co. says companies want to move away from congested areas, and are nailing down more square-footage in order to build flex- ible space with 6-foot spacing. ey're looking for offices with moveable partitions or hard-wall offices, increasing the footprints and space configurations per employee.ey're also considering new con- struction. See "Spaced out" on Page 22. We've all heard that contractors continue to be busy. Most are still catching up with a backlog of projects that pre-date the pandemic, but in the case of Landry/French Construction, one client had a new project that needed immediate attention. Abbott Laboratories and its diagnostics division are quickly ramping up production of COVID-19 test kits. Landry/French, which already had a full work- load, managed to squeeze a project that would have ordinarily been a year-long job into two months. Maureen Milliken has behind-the-scenes details about how the project came together. See "Doing the 'impossible'" on Page 26. See the Top 5 commercial sales and leases on Page 15. See who tops our list of Maine's largest architec- ture firms on Page 34. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz 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 most popular content for the two weeks from July 6–19. 1. Maine CDC investigates 3 new coronavirus outbreaks at Portland- area businesses 2. Property owned by Anson town clerk convicted of embezzlement to be auctioned 3. Maine's largest railroad is for sale, but implications are unclear 4. Kevin Waters, whose air service connects Maine's islands, dies unexpectedly 5. Small school, big plans: Thomas College readies to reopen at a cost of $1M-plus 6. Maine real estate group names seven 'Notable Projects' for 2019 7. Falmouth Center development moves ahead, but on a smaller scale 8. Sea Bags stores slowly hitting their groove as brand expands 9. No nuptial bliss: Maine's wedding businesses look to expand the guest list 10. Maine angel investors launch $2.4M fund for high-growth startups S C R E E N S H O T / M A I N E P U B L I C 1 Real estate market's breakneck pace now shifts — but remains fast-paced Companies are looking for more square footage — with flexible space for social distancing

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