Mainebiz

V O L . X X I X N O. V I M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 2 3 6 High fuel prices slowed '22 lobster harvest Maine lobstermen in 2022 landed the least valuable catch they've seen since 2013, according to the Department of Marine Resources. e catch was valued at $388.6 million, down from $742.2 million in 2021. e per-pound value of $3.97 was on par with the aver- age boat price of the past decade, but a significant reduction from the all-time high of $6.71 per pound in 2021. Last year, lobstermen brought in 97 million pounds of lobster, compared to 110 million in 2021. An industry leader said the downturn was expected. Patrice McCarron, policy director at the Maine Lobstermen's Association, said: "2022 was a difficult year financially for lobstermen. Boat price was extremely low so lobstermen took fewer trips in an effort to keep costs down and stretch profits. We are hopeful that the economy has stabilized and that lob- ster prices will improve in 2023." N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Gov. Janet Mills announced that four Career and Technical Education schools in Maine will receive $15 million in grant funding through her Maine Jobs & Re- covery plan for program, equipment and facility upgrades. Recipients included Bid- deford Regional Center of Technology, $7 million; Region 9 School of Applied Technology in Mexico, $5.5 million; Ox- ford Hills Technical School in Norway, $2 million; and Northern Penobscot Tech Region III in Lincoln, $570,000. In addition, the plan awarded a total of $1.6 million to support innovative transportation initiatives by four Maine employers to help them grow and retain their workforce. Bath Iron Works and TimberHP each received $750,000; Gagne Foods was awarded $59,840; and Robbins Lumber landed $41,600. Maine Connectivity Authority awarded two grants totaling $17 million to Con- solidated Communications, a national fiber-to-the-home provider that services Maine, to help bring multi-gig internet service to more than 15,800 homes and businesses in rural Maine. Saco launches small business grants Saco Economic Development Department has established two grant programs to support small local businesses and help revitalize the city. e Small Business Grant Program offers matching funds for non-operational expenses for com- mercial businesses with 50 or fewer employees within Saco city lim- its. e Downtown Façade Grant Program matches funds for painting, window or door repairs or replace- ments, signage, awnings, and store- front restorations. Grants are avail- able for a maximum of $15,000 for each program and require a match. e applicant will be reimbursed for the amount of the grant award, or 25% of the total project cost, which- ever is less. N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N Goldfish Swim School Franchising LLC, a learn-to-swim franchise concept, an- nounced its first location in the state of Maine will be in the Portland Sports Complex at 550 Warren Ave. Construction of the location is scheduled to begin in April with plans to open the in late 2023. Health network names president Franklin Community Health Network named the current chief operating officer and interim president as the organization's permanent leader. Barbara Sergio joined the hospital in August 2019 as senior director of quality and patient safety and moved into the COO role in January 2021. Before joining Franklin Community Health Network, she was director of quality and patient safety at Boulder Community Health in Colorado. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N The Waterville Rotary Club donated a total of $12,000 to 13 central Maine 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 Bates and Bowdoin colleges welcome incoming presidents B y A l e x i s W e l l s a n d R e n e e C o r d e s Bates College and Bowdoin College each named new presi- dents in recent weeks, with each starting July 1. At Lewiston-based Bates College, Garry W. Jenkins, the dean of the University of Minnesota Law School as its next president, was hired to succeed Clayton Spencer, who has served as Bates' president since July 2012 and will step down in June. Her announcement, in June 2022, gave the college nearly a year to find a successor. Jenkins will start on July 1. He will be Bates' ninth president since its 1855 founding and its first Black leader. Jenkins' election as president of Bates took place during a special trustee meeting Feb. 27. "We are at a pivotal moment for American society and higher education," Jenkins said in a story posted on the Bates website. "The world urgently needs leaders who have been challenged, developed, and nurtured by Bates and a liberal arts education. I am excited about what our community will accomplish together in the years ahead." During Jenkins' tenure as dean, the University of Minnesota Law School's endowment nearly doubled. In 2021, he con- ducted a record-setting fundraising campaign at the University of Minnesota Law School that raised more than $106 million, which surpassed its goal of $80 million. Meanwhile, in Brunswick, at Bowdoin College, Safa Zaki, a psychology professor and dean of faculty at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., has been named the 16th president. She will assume the role on July 1, becoming the first woman to lead the Brunswick liberal arts college since it was founded in 1794. Bringing a global perspective to the job, the Egyptian-born educator will succeed Clayton Rose, who announced plans to step down last April following an eight-year tenure marked by an increase in campus building projects, fundraising and student applications. The appointment follows a comprehensive national search and the unanimous recommendation of a 19-person search committee with representatives from the board, faculty and staff, students and alumni. "In Safa Zaki, Bowdoin has found a distinguished scholar and leader with a global perspective who believes deeply in the transformative power of a liberal arts education," said Scott Perper, a Bowdoin alumnus and search committee member who chairs the school's board. Finally, Colby College announced the passing of a former president, William R. Cotter, who led the Waterville college for 21 years, from 1979 to 2000. A story posted on the Colby website said Cotter was the 18th and longest-serving president, and "guided the college through a period of brisk growth and lasting institutional change from his appointment." He died on March 9, his 87th birthday. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F B AT E S C O L L E G E ; B R A D L E Y WA K O F F As Bates and Bowdoin announce incoming presidents, Colby marks the passing of a past president. Garry W. Jenkins Safa Zaki

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