Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I N O. I I I F E B R UA R Y 8 , 2 0 2 1 6 N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $1.5 million to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services' Maternal Opioid Misuse Model to help combat the opioid crisis. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also awarded $2 million to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, $1.1 million to Wabanaki Health and Wellness and $500,000 to the Aroostook Band of Micmacs to support mental health and substance use programs as well as awarding $118,500 to the Portland Community Health Center, $106,140 to York County Community Action Corp., $99,060 to Islands Community Medical Services Inc. and $95,100 to Maine Mobile Health Program Inc. to strengthen health services in commu- nities throughout Maine. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Continuum of Care Program awarded a total of $14.6 million to 10 organizations and state agencies in Maine to support housing assistance to homeless indi- viduals and families, as well as those fleeing domestic violence, sexual as- sault and stalking. Recipients included the state of Maine, $10.7 million; Maine State Housing Authority, Augusta, $1.2 million; Preble Street, Portland, $1.1 million; city of Bangor, $1 million; Through These Doors, Portland, $297,486; New Beginnings Inc., Lewiston, $164,339; Kennebec Behavioral Health, Waterville, $47,251; OHI, Bangor, $40,566; Community Housing of Maine Inc., Portland, $28,413; and Tedford Housing, Brunswick, $16,283. N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N The Davis Educational Foundation in Yarmouth awarded a two-year, $297,000 grant to the University of Maine System that will be used to fund the development and implemen- tation of interdisciplinary Statewide Strategic Program Plans involving academic programs offered jointly or in coordination by multiple univer- sities in the system. The first two statewide strategic plans will involve the faculty and academic leaders of the four nursing programs and the six education programs of Maine's public universities. Experience Maine and Mainely Armanda announced a partnership to of- fer an expanded range of travel planning and vacation services to outdoor enthu- siasts and adventure travelers in Maine. Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty in Portland said that it recorded sales of $755 million, a record number of transactions total- ing 1,034 sides and was rated the No. 4 real estate company in Maine for all sales statewide in 2020. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N The U.S. Small Business Administration, in partnership with the National Science B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N L.L.Bean, Hannaford, Unum among those that score high on 'equality index' B y W i l l i a m H a l l T his year's Corporate Equality Index, an annual bench- marking study of LGBTQ workplace fairness, gives high marks to two Maine-based companies among over 1,000 that were graded nationwide. Other prominent businesses in the state also performed well. Hannaford Supermarkets received a score of 100% on the index, released by the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign and the HRC Foundation. L.L.Bean Inc. earned a rating nearly as high, 90%. This is the 10th consecutive year Scarborough-based Hannaford has received the perfect score, while the rating for L.L.Bean nearly doubled from its showing last year. The Freeport retailer, with about 5,000 employees worldwide, scored 50% in 2020. The CEI, first issued in 2002, uses voluntary surveys and other data to evaluate companies on the basis of nondiscrimination policies, benefit equity, support for an inclusive culture, and corporate social responsibility. Of the 1,142 companies that participated in the study this year, 767 earned the top score. L.L.Bean Chief Operations Officer Marie McCarthy said in an email to Mainebiz, "At L.L.Bean, we value individuality and encourage our colleagues to be themselves, because we know the uniqueness of each person makes the whole better. These beliefs have been inherent in our organization for many years, and we worked with HRC in 2020 to share all of our policies, programs and detailed ways in which we strive to create the most inclusive environment possible for our LGBTQ+ employees, resulting in an increased score." At Hannaford, Vice President of Operations Jim Hamilton said in a news release, "We are proud to have received this recognition from HRC for the ways in which we create safe and welcoming environments for our associates and customers alike. This accomplishment acknowledges the work we do each and every day to celebrate differences and respect each other's lived experiences." The company, which employs nearly 30,000 people throughout the Northeast, also said it's the only grocery retailer in its market area to have received a perfect score and the only business of any kind to have received the top mark in Maine. However, other busi- nesses with large foot- prints in Maine tied that mark, or came close. For example, Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) earned a 100% rating this year and in 2020. The insurance and ben- efits company, which incorporated in Maine 173 years ago and is now based in Tennessee, still maintains its largest operations in Portland, with 2,800 employees. Another insurer, Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF) also scored 100% in 2021, the 13th year it received that grade. Sun Life has 500 employees in Scarborough and South Portland, and is planning to move into a 100,000-square- foot Portland office complex that broke ground in December. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) received a score of 95%, after getting 90% last year. The company has been hiring Mainers to ramp up production of COVID-19 medical tests, and expects to have 2,000 workers in Scarborough and at a new plant in Westbrook. And Hannaford's primary rival in Maine, Shaw's Super- markets, is a subsidiary of Albertsons Cos. Inc. (NYSE: ACI), an Idaho-based food retailing giant that received an 80% grade. F I L E P H O T O At L.L.Bean, we value individuality and encourage our colleagues to be themselves. — Marie McCarthy L.L.Bean B I Z M O N E Y L.L.Bean nearly doubled its Corporate Equality Index rating since last year.

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