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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 A U G U S T 9 , 2 0 2 1 From the Editor T his is a special issue for Mainebiz every year, the Women to Watch. Going back to 2009, Mainebiz has honored a group of women that have demonstrated leader- ship in every field of business, health care and the nonprofit world. Now in the 13th year, we've hon- ored 63 leaders. is year's Women to Watch are based through- out Maine and range from CEOs to leaders of nonprofits and a chamber of commerce and even a Maine registered guide. We dispatched a team of reporters to ask them about their professional lives and get their perspec- tives on business today. One of my favorite quotes from the Q&As is from Heather Blease, co-founder and CEO of SaviLinx, a Brunswick call center that has more than 1,000 employees. She is a born entrepreneur, fearless about getting back out there after a failure. "In each case, the idea of launching a new ven- ture caused dread, fear and a rush of adrenaline," she told Mainebiz. We're grateful to have leaders like this in Maine. We owe a debt of gratitude as well to the founders of the Women to Watch program, former Publisher Donna Brassard, who retired earlier this year, and my predecessor as editor, Carol Coultas. anks, also, to our readers for the richness and volume of nominations this year. It made the selection process more difficult but resulted in a strong field — our largest group of Women to Watch to date. Finally, a major part of the Women to Watch program is our reception for the honorees. Last year's event was done via Zoom. Fingers crossed, on Sept. 16, we'll host a live event, outside, at the Halo at the Point at ompson's Point. We hope to see you there. 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 period from July 19 to Aug. 2. 1. Move over, Portland — Bangor eatery takes a top spot in national ranking 2. Portland will consider plans for pro soccer stadium, after getting OK as franchise site 3. Sugarloaf to announce family-focused expansion plans this week 4. Buyer of 19th-century Bangor waterfront building envisions luxury rentals 5. US News ranks the best hospitals in Maine, and nationwide 6. NH buyer hopes to bring new life to Millinocket mall 7. Two movie theaters may be relaunching in southern Maine 8. A Portland law firm beefs up litigation practice with merger 9. Here's what you get for $276,000 in Maine real estate 10. Space odyssey: As employees head back to offices, companies rethink workplace setups P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F T I M B E R 1 bernsteinshur.com Be eff icient. BE SHUR. When you're looking for a law firm to dig deep into your mat ter —not your budget. Eight leaders with a range of lessons to offer Thanks to our readers for the richness and volume of nominations this year. It made the selection process more difficult but resulted in a strong field.

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