Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I I N O. I I JA N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 2 2 6 Prescription costs and broad- band top AARP Maine agenda As Maine state lawmakers got back to work in Augusta, AARP Maine released its 2022 legislative priorities from lower prescription drug prices to better high- speed internet access. "Concerning the lowering of prescription drug costs, suf- fice it to say that Mainers are sick and tired of paying three times what people in other countries pay for the same pre- scription drugs," Noel Bonam, AARP Maine's state director, told Mainebiz. Noting that state lawmakers will consider several bills this year related to the affordability and accessibility of prescription medications, Bonam added that AARP Maine will continue to fight for lower prescription prices on behalf of the group's members and families. Lawmakers returned to Augusta on Jan. 12 for the second legislative session. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced that Maine will receive a total of $45 million to maintain and reconstruct bridges across the state from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and provided through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration. L.L.Bean gift helps propel Mercy Hospital effort A $500,000 gift from L.L.Bean helped Northern Light Mercy Hospital complete its $20 million fundraising goal to support its recent consolidation to an expanded healthcare campus along the Fore River Parkway in Portland. e gift put the capstone on Mercy's five-year capital campaign. More than 1,100 individuals, employees, founda- tions, corporations, and grateful patients joined L.L.Bean to help Mercy com- plete the largest capital campaign in the hospital's 103-year history. e gift coin- cided with the final department move from Mercy's State Street hospital. In early January, Mercy's new emergency department opened at the Fore River campus, marking the official closure of the State Street hospital to patients. Mercy's former State Street site will be redeveloped for housing. N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N The city of Portland launched the Portland Growing Child Care Grant Program to increase the number of child care slots available in the city, with an emphasis on helping startup new home-based child care busi- nesses. The program is supported by American Rescue Plan Act funds. Full Plates Full Potential in Portland awarded a total of $83,000 to five school systems and eight nonprofits through its Oakhurst After School grant program to help establish sustainable and free after school meals programs for children who need them through the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Freedom Place, a low-income hous- ing and services facility that provides services to women who are experienc- ing homelessness and struggling with substance use disorder, opened at 66 State St. in Portland. The three-story building was renovated by Developers Collaborative in Portland and financed by Camden National Bank. By any measure, a big deal Maine Scale LLC, which sells and calibrates weight-measuring devices for industries from trucking to can- nabis, has acquired MaineCal Inc., a calibration service and laboratory equipment repair company. e deal was completed Jan. 1. Terms were not 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 B R I E F After a 22-year run, Totman will step down as head of Avesta Housing B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r P o r t l a n d — The head of Avesta Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer headquartered in Portland, is planning to retire after 22 years on the job — nearly half of the organization's 50 years of existence. As president and CEO, Dana Totman has led the organi- zation through a period of growth, with affordable homes in the Avesta portfolio increasing from 700 to 3,200. Assets have grown from $60 million to $350 million. During his tenure, the staff has grown from 60 to 300. Totman has also participated in statewide affordable hous- ing bonds, the formation of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, and the creation of the initial Housing First com- munities in Maine. A search for the next president and CEO will begin in the coming months. Totman will stay through summer 2022 to lead the organization and support the search for his replacement. "It's never easy to know the perfect time to step back from a role like mine, but what crystallizes it for me is know- ing Avesta is stronger than ever," he said in the release. "Avesta is at its pinnacle and primed for the next leader to take it further and higher than before." Under Totman's leadership, Avesta has addressed a real estate market in which the availability of affordable hous- ing has become extremely scarce. This has been especially evident in downtown Portland, where skyrocketing home prices and rent threaten to displace the city's working class. Avesta Housing is the largest nonprofit affordable housing provider in northern New England. In addition to development, the organization works in residential care and assisted liv- ing, provides property management and resident services, and offers financial counseling, education and advocacy. A lifelong Mainer, Totman has been a leader in the non- profit sector and an advocate for safe, quality, affordable housing in Maine and New Hampshire for decades. His work has been recognized with awards including being named Mainebiz's 2013 Business Leader of the Year. "Over Dana's career, few people have done more to advance the cause of affordable housing, particularly in Maine," said Jonathan Culley, chair of the Avesta Housing Board of Directors. "Dana's deep belief in Avesta's mission and his compassion for the most vulnerable among us have been an inspiration to many." P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F AV E S TA H O U S I N G Under Dana Totman's 22 years leading Avesta Housing, the nonprofit's portfolio of affordable homes grew from 700 to 3,200 It's never easy to know the perfect time to step back. — Dana Totman Avesta Housing

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