Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Advocacy Project in Portland and Legal Services for the Elderly in Augusta. Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice in Lewiston said it raised $140,000 during its 19th annual Autumn Night Out benefit. Good Shepherd Food Bank in Auburn announced its 2022 Corporate Partners for a Hunger-Free Maine. Hannaford Supermarkets was named a Transformational Partner for donating the equivalent of 10.4 million meals through a combination of monetary gifts and food donations in the last year. Visionary Partners, those who donated at least 150,000 meals, were Albertsons Companies Foundation; Bernstein Shur; BJ's Wholesale; Broccoli Associates Inc.; Diversified Foods Inc.; Feeding America; Maine Credit Unions, Campaign to End Hunger; Morgan Stanley Foundation; Native Maine Produce and Specialty Foods; New Balance Foundation; NRF Distributors; Oakhurst; Sam's Club; Shaw's; Subaru; Target; Trader Joe's; Viking Lumber; Walmart; and Whole Foods Market. Brunswick companies set sights on space launches BluShift Aerospace, a new space startup in Brunswick, has come to a $7 million agreement with another Brunswick firm, Northern Lights Space Exploration LP, for five suborbital launches. Northern Lights specializes in secur- ing launch sites globally and market- ing experiences through immersive B I Z M O N E Y With acquisition, Cross Insurance continues to build its Massachusetts portfolio B y A l e x i s W e l l s C ross Insurance, one of the largest independent insurance providers in the Northeast, announced it has purchased Patriot Benefit Solutions Insurance Agency, based in North Andover, Mass. The deal for Patriot Benefit Solutions Insurance Agency will help broaden Cross Insurance's service offerings and the agency's ongoing strategic plans. The Patriot Benefit Solutions team will remain in North Andover and operate under the name Cross Insurance, over- seen by Dave Messersmith, president of Cross Insurance's coastal region. "This strategic alliance will continue to better serve the needs of our existing New England clients while also open- ing the doors wide open for new ones," Messersmith said. Bangor-based Cross Insurance has acquired more than 120 insurance agencies since it was founded in 1954. The company has 1,000 employees at offices in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and Florida. "We look forward to becoming part of Cross Insurance, a successful family-owned and operated insurance agency that shares our values," said John F. Kelley, owner and employee benefits consultant. "Under the Cross name, our agency will continue to invest in our knowledgeable staffing service capabilities, allowing us to offer unparalleled sup- port, including implementing and maintaining exceptional benefit programs." Cross Insurance was ranked No. 9 among the largest Maine family-owned businesses in the 2022 Mainebiz Book of Lists, based on the number of Maine employees as of June 30, 2021. Cross Insurance has 387 Maine employees and 14 Maine locations, according to the 2022 Mainebiz Book of Lists. Mainebiz reported on Sept. 9 that Royce Ross would step down as CEO to be succeeded by his son, Jonathan Cross, now the third CEO of Cross Insurance. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C RO S S I N S U R A N C E Cross Insurance has acquired more than 120 agencies since it was founded in 1954. Cross Insurance acquires North Andover-based Patriot Benefit Solutions Insurance Agency. Shown here is Cross Insurance CEO Jonathan Cross. technologies. e company plans to offer multiple services; the first is using a patent-pending method to conduct memorial services in space. In a signed agreement with bluShift's CEO, Sascha Deri, Northern Lights committed up to $1.4 million for the use of each launch vehicle, with a total contract value of $7 million. Northern Lights' founder and managing partner is Charlton Shackleton, an Antarctic explorer, sailor and entrepreneur who is also a descendant of famed Antarctica explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Charlton Shackleton has dedicated his life to giving underrepresented minorities the opportunity to have equitable access to space, and contracted with bluShift for suborbital space launches in the latter's beta version of its suborbital launch vehicle, called Starless Rogue. 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 Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce is expanding autumn and winter events and ramping up its mar- keting strategy in a push to increase off-season visitation. The goal is to make it financially viable for more local hotels and businesses to stay open beyond late fall or throughout the year, the chamber's executive director, Alf Anderson, said. Many downtown businesses close shop at the end of October, and shoulder season events aim to boost the local economy during an otherwise slow period. Bangor-based Haley Ward expands its footprint in Florida Haley Ward Inc., a Bangor-based engi- neering firm, made its second acquisi- tion in as many weeks by expanding its footprint in Florida. Haley Ward has acquired the MilCor Group Inc. a woman- owned multi-disciplined engineering firm with offices in Port St. Lucie, and Hobe Sound, Fla. With the addition of MilCor Group, Haley Ward now has a presence on both coasts of Florida. Its office has been in Fort Myers, on the Gulf Coast. MilCor provides civil-site, roadway, stormwater, utilities, agricul- tural engineering, construction inspec- tion, and project management. Its clients include state and federal agen- cies, municipalities, commercial and industrial clients. M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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