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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 JA N UA R Y 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews From the Editor A fter all the country has gone through, from the pandemic to social unrest to political turmoil, Maine somehow fortified itself as a safe haven. People are moving here from New York, Boston, Texas, California. e pandemic has allowed many people to work remotely, and they're leaving cities and snapping up houses in Maine. Maine has mostly benefited but has had some growing pains as well. e need for broadband in rural areas is an even-greater issue. Schools in growth areas are seeing an influx of students, even as districts struggle with staffing during the pan- demic. A long-standing shortage of housing has only gotten worse. Maine's median home price shot up 20% in November, to $270,000, from $225,000 a year ago. at's great news if you're a homeowner — or strictly a seller. But for people looking to move up or buy their first home, it's a challenge. Housing and the need for housing remain hot topics. at's why housing is our cover story for the focus on Southern Maine. As Renee Cordes reports in our cover story, the real estate market is putting pressure on developers and contractors to keep building. Naturally, there's always conflict between what's needed and what local municipalities are willing to approve. See "Homeward bound," which starts on Page 10. Elsewhere in the issue, Laurie Schreiber writes about a business park in Saco that is attracting a range of businesses, from startups to seasoned firms. For more on Mill Brook Business Park, see "Microcosm of enterprise," on Page 13. e pandemic may have shut down Maine's hospitality industry for a chunk of last year's tour- ism season, but, as Maureen Milliken reports, some inns and resorts in York County have taken the les- sons of 2020 and plan to apply them to the upcom- ing summer season. Outdoor dining gazebos and "igloos" and other socially distanced practices are just a few of the ways the hospitality industry is get- ting ready. See "Resilient hospitality industry ready for the next test," on Page 16. See our interview with the new chapter chair of SCORE on Page 19. Back on the topic of real estate, the list of Maine's largest residential mortgage lenders is on Page 22. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz 1. Former merchant mariner finds self- storage sector is lucrative 'chapter two' 2. New round of PPP loans has big changes from 2020 version 3. Luxe homes in rural Maine will ready buyers for a sustainable, or unsustain- able, future 4. Fast-growing Maine Crisp Co. expands with move to Winslow industrial building 5. BerryDunn merges with Conn. firm to expand health care offerings, geographic footprint 6. Biddeford apartment complex sells for nearly $2M over last year's sale price 7. Darling's Auto Group expands south with purchase of Brunswick dealership 8. Here are the top 10 most-read real estate stories of 2020 9. Maine eateries face 'hard winter' despite customer support, survey shows 10. 'Bring it on!': What 12 Maine business movers and shakers resolve to do in 2021 P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y S C A R BO RO U G H S T O R A G E S O L U T I O N S 1 Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is our most popular content for the two weeks from Jan. 4–17. bernsteinshur.com Be valued. BE SHUR. We're lawyers in the business of your success. Even amid the crazy past year, housing remained a major story Maine has mostly benefited from the real estate boom but has had some growing pains as well.

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