Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I I N O. I JA N UA R Y 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 18 2 0 2 2 E C O N O M I C O U T L O O K F O C U S Building on HospitalityMaine's five- year roadmap for tackling the industry's workforce woes, Fassett says his priori- ties include partnering with agencies to try to attract more people from unde- rused labor pools to hospitality. e Augusta-based nonprofit already works with state agencies such as the Maine Department of Corrections, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services and Maine Adult Education, for example. Youth engagement is another focus for HospitalityMaine as it works with groups including Jobs for Maine Graduates, Junior Achievement Maine and LearningWorks. Fassett also aims to create what he calls "stackable registered apprentice- ships," which will entail working with the Maine Community College System on curriculum development and to ensure connections to Maine's four-year state and private universities. "Next steps will be to solidify our partnerships so processes don't stagnate and so that they become more widely known and accessible," Fassett says. A U.S. Army veteran with a back- ground in military recruitment, Fassett says he expects his experience working with veterans to serve him well in his new role "because it's next to impossible to be an expert in all things workforce." "ere are just too many moving pieces, unique business challenges and diverse business structures to stay on top of everything, he says. "Being able to keep at it through challenging times and leveraging the experience of the amazing HospitalityMaine team will surely bring success." His outlook for Maine's economy: "Hopeful, creative, resilient, persistent and ready." I N D U S T R I A L R E A L E S TAT E As lease rates continue to climb, more spec buildings B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r A s the cannabis industry, the work- from-home trend, suburban flight, and the craft brewery, distillery and kombuchery fads continue to prevail in Maine, industrial vacancy is at an all-time low. e need for distribution and ware- housing space has never been greater, said Josh Soley, founder and president of Maine Realty Advisors in Portland. is lack of space has resulted in a spike in lease rates and increase in spec-builds that started in Cumberland County and is now spreading to sec- ondary markets in York, Kennebec, Sagadahoc and Androscoggin counties. Whereas primary markets had been leasing warehouses for $7 to $8 per square foot and secondary markets were $5 to $6 per square foot, Soley says he's seeing lease rates jump as much as 15% in the primary market and as much as 25% in the secondary markets. "e lines between these mar- kets are beginning to blur," he says. "Whereas there has been a great deal of spec-builds these past two years in the primary market, I predict we will start seeing an increase in builds in the secondary market." Whereas the cannabis market is tied to the political climate, the work- from-home and suburban flight trends appear to be connected to the pan- demic, he noted. "I believe the craft products are driven by our thriving economy," he adds. "A shift in any one of these variables would change the current lack of industrial space we are experiencing right now." Soley's overall outlook for 2022? "I'm very optimistic," he says. "I believe 2022 may mark the end of COVID and thus the end of supply-chain related con- struction delays. I think we may see the beginning of an inflationary period, but nothing our market cannot weather." L O B S T E R The state's health depends on health of lobster industry B y J e s s i c a H a l l T he lobster industry has had a rough year with the pandemic limiting restaurant outings, labor shortages mak- ing crews harder to find and a court rul- ing reinstating a ban on lobster fishing in a huge swath of the Gulf of Maine in order to protect right whales. e outlook for the next year looks rough as the pandemic lingers and the right whale lawsuit continues through the courts. In order for the industry to survive and the state overall to thrive, lobster needs to be king, says John Hathaway, CEO and president of lobster processor Shucks Maine Lobster. "Maine lobster is Maine. Why don't people understand how important the industry is?" Hathaway said. "Millions of people come every year to Maine and want more information on Maine lobster. A cruise docks and there's thousands of people who didn't come here for the Maine Mall — they're coming here for lobster." "It's not a working waterfront issue. It's a statewide issue that affects tourism, stores, restaurants, getting people to come here in the first place," Hathaway says. Hathway sees the right whale law- suit as mired in politics and Mainers need to react. "e government has decided to take over federal waters and take away the best fishing waters for Maine fishermen. It's taking away the livelihoods of the fishing community and the economy of Maine," Hathaway says. "ere needs to be a bigger outcry from the state of Maine. It has to be more than the fishing community championing the cause of the lobster industry," Hathaway says. "e severity of it all has an impact on all of us. Not just on the fishery. But on the whole Maine economy." M A I N E P U B L I C Maine Public to expand news coverage, seek additional radio frequencies B Y R E N E E C O R D E S M aine's public radio and television broadcaster aims to expand news coverage as it seeks to add FM radio frequencies, according to the company's new leader. "We're about telling stories to Mainers and potentially telling Maine stories to a wider audience," says Rick Schneider, who succeeded Mark Vogelzang as president and CEO in July. Schneider previously worked in broadcast journalism, philanthropy and public media, most recently at the National Center for Family Philanthropy in Washington, D.C. Maine Public, which is headquar- tered in Portland with additional facilities in Lewiston and Bangor, is » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Josh Soley, founder and president of Maine Realty Advisors in Portland, says cannabis industry, work-from- home and craft beverages are driving a need for distribution and warehousing. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A I N E R E A LT Y A DV I S O R S The hospitality industry is on track to reach record performance highs. — Derek Fassett HospitalityMaine P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F H O S P I TA L I T Y M A I N E Derek Fassett, HospitalityMaine's director of workforce development P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F S H U C K S M A I N E L O B S T E R John Hathaway, CEO and president of processor Shucks Maine Lobster, warns that regulations over right whale protections are a major concern for the lobster industry.

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