Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 JA N UA R Y 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T The Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth announced that its Maine Theater Fund awarded a total of $93,500 in grants to 20 organizations across the state. In addition, the foundation's Welch Charitable Fund awarded $283,000 to 16 organizations that serve Greater Portland. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that Downeast Community Partners in Ellsworth re- ceived $1.2 million for its Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families' Office of Head Start. A Penobscot Co. wind project captures $25M in financing Natick, Mass., renewable energy company, SWEB Development, Own your retirement with a healthy smile protected by high-quality dental insurance at an affordable price. DeltaDentalCoversMe.com YOUR TEETH NEVER RETIRE. PROTECT THEM WITH SMILE POWER! NEDD_1_2 PAGE_ Senior V3.indd 1 8/19/19 8:06 AM An Orono hotel will be converted to offices by Tyler Technologies B y W i l l i a m H a l l A 48-room Orono hotel, which served the community and generations of UMaine alumni, has been sold to Texas-based Tyler Technologies, which plans to convert the property into an office complex. The University Inn Academic Suites, at 5 College Ave., was acquired in a deal that closed Wednesday, Tyler spokeswoman Jennifer Kepler told Mainebiz. She would not disclose terms. The 24,000-square-foot hotel and its 4.4-acre site cur- rently have a value of $1.6 million, according to town tax rolls. The University Inn opened in 1964 and had been owned since 2001 by Tracey Whitten, who closed its doors in December. Tyler Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TYL), which is based in Plano, Texas, provides software and services for public-sector clients, and employs 5,500 people — including 1,200 at offices in Bangor, Falmouth and Yarmouth. The company plans to move its 36-person Bangor team to the former inn, steps away from the University of Maine campus. Tyler will also add about 40 new hires there, Kepler said. It's not yet clear what kind of makeover the property will receive. Groundbreaking is expected next fall, with the office opening in late 2023. Tyler's roots in Maine go back to 1962, when John Marr Sr. founded Process Inc. in Falmouth. That business later became the Computer Center and then was renamed MUNIS in the 1980s. The company was sold to Tyler in 1999. Over the years, Tyler has grown through a series of Maine acquisitions, the most recent of which was the 2018 purchase of a Portland cybersecurity firm, Sage Data Security. In total, Tyler has acquired 25 companies nationally since its found- ing in 1966, and has made 16 of them in the past five years, according to an M&A tracking company, Mergr. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F U N I V E R S I T Y I N N A C A D E M I C S U I T E S B R I E F The University Inn Academic Suites, in Orono, has been sold to Tyler Technologies for an undisclosed price. N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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