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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X I I I J U N E 2 7 , 2 0 2 2 6 U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced that five Maine colleges and universi- ties received a total of $16 million to support Upward Bound programs over a five-year period. The programs assist first-generation, low-income students gain equal access to higher education. Recipients included Bow- doin College, $4.1 million; University of Maine at Presque Isle and Univer- sity of Maine at Farmington, $3.6 million each; University of Southern Maine, $3.3 million; and University of Maine at Orono, $1.5 million. Gov. Janet Mills announced two initia- tives from the Maine Jobs & Recov- ery Plan to attract and retain health care professionals in Maine. The first, offered through the Finance Author- ity of Maine, provides student loan repayment assistance to health care professionals in medicine, dentistry, behavioral health, and nursing educa- tion. The other boosts funding by $2 million for FAME's Doctors for Maine's Future Scholarship, which awards up to $25,000 in annual scholarships to students enrolled in the Tufts Univer- sity School of Medicine Maine Medi- cal Center Maine Track Program and the University of New England Col- lege of Osteopathic Medicine. The Maine Department of Education in Augusta awarded $2.5 million in Rethinking Responsive Education Ven- tures funding to support education in- novation in 12 school administrative units across Maine. U.S. Sens. Angus King and Su- san Collins announced that Quill Hill to Perham Stream in Franklin County and Chadbourne Tree Farm in Oxford County each received $8 million as a result of the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act that allows Maine to conserve large swaths of forest and improve out- door recreation. Starting Aug. 1, Maine will extend postpartum Medicaid health care coverage for new mothers, Gov. Janet Mills announced the plan after get- ting the green light from the federal government. As is already the case in 11 other states, coverage will be extended from 60 days to 12 months after a woman gives birth. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state B R I E F An engineering firm transforms vacant Rite Aid space as HQ B y J e s s i c a H a l l P o r t l a n d — Engineering, architecture and design firm WBRC Inc. has transformed a former Rite Aid store in Portland as its new office, giving it ample parking, good lighting and the opportunity for signage on the busy Forest Avenue thoroughfare. WBRC leased 6,253 square feet at 701 Forest Ave. from CAM Cony LLC. John Finegan of the Boulos Co. was the agent for the landlord, while Justin Lamontagne of the Dunham Group represented the tenant. WBRC, which was founded in Bangor 120 years ago, pre- viously had space at 30 Danforth St. in Portland. It outgrew that location and wanted easier parking. "We had been looking at various locations. Still being in Portland is very important to us," said Richard Borrelli, senior principal of WBRC. "About 30 sites were in the running. We whittled it down to six. We preferred this site because other places were disjointed and here we're all in one room." "We're part of a company that has been in Bangor since 1902. While we expanded to Florida 20 years ago and have been in Portland for over a decade, not everyone necessarily knows how far our reach is. This highly visible location will help people know that WBRC is in Portland, too," Borrelli said. "Our previous location had no opportunity for exterior signage. We're excited to have our name in lights from two angles on this highly-visible thoroughfare." WBRC employs 60 professionals including architects, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, design- ers, and support people. Twenty-two of those staffers are in the Portland location. Being an engineering, architecture and design firm, WBRC designed the revamping of the Rite Aid to fit its unique needs of collaboration and meeting space. "We had three interior designers who have joined us recently, and they all jumped in to help with the interior design process," said Jocelyn Boothe, principal and senior architect with WBRC. The landlord, Tony McDonald, partner with the Boulos, initially took a few days to think about WBRC as tenants, but ultimately decided to move forward. "I'm not usually drawn to work with office clients when I'm converting a retail space. They tend to move often and need to rework interiors. With WBRC, we have an organization that is both local to Maine, not some international conglomerate, and that has been around for a long time. Their design for the renovation transformed the space without any major structural changes. It's been a pleasure to work with them," McDonald said. WBRC's Portland branch opened in 2006, when WBRC was awarded the contract for the design of Ocean Avenue Elementary School. That school is just down the street from its new offices. Major projects in and around Portland include South Portland Middle School, Aura and the Cross Insurance Arena renovation and expansion. WBRC's Portland-based healthcare team recently designed two replacement hospitals, Northern Light CA Dean Hospital and Northern Light Blue Hill Hospital, as well as major proj- ects on VA Medical Center campuses in Augusta, Manchester, N.H., and Providence, R.I. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F W B R C I N C . WBRC Inc. architect and senior principal Richard Borrelli, left, with Jocelyn Boothe, architect and principal, right, stand before WBRC's new Portland offices. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E S T A T E W I D E This highly visible location will help people know that WBRC is in Portland, too. — Richard Borrelli WBRC Inc.

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