Mainebiz

V O L . X X I X N O. X V J U LY 1 0 , 2 0 2 3 6 AARP Maine announced that 14 organizations throughout the state received 2023 Community Challenge grants – part of the largest group of grantees to date with $3.6 million awarded among 310 organizations nationwide. The Maine Connectivity Authority said that it will receive $272 million over the next five years to expand high-speed internet access under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced that Maine will receive $29 million through the federal RAISE grant pro- gram to fund two projects: $25 million to implement several safety and mobil- ity improvements along U.S. Route 302 and State Routes 35 & 115 in North Windham and $4 million to de- velop two sections of the Eastern Trail in York County. SimKit, a medical education start-up in Portland, launched its simulation- based education subscription box for fighting procedural skill decay. The subscription provides hands-on and digital learning for four critical but low- occurrence procedures that emergency medicine clinicians need to know. Falmouth Town Council approved a $100,000 contribution to the $1 mil- lion Lee Twombly Pond Save the Pond Campaign to revitalize the ice-skating pond at Family Ice. Evernorth, a nonprofit organization with an office in Portland that pro- vides affordable housing and com- munity investments, said it closed its fourth multi-investor fund, Housing New England, Fund IV. A total of $54 million in equity was committed by 14 investors to provide equity to finance affordable housing in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Berry Talbot Royer, a CPA and advi- sory firm in Falmouth, is now named Royer Advisors and Accountants. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state B R I E F Sun Life unveils $24 million office hub on Portland's East End B y R e n e e C o r d e s Portland — Two and a half years after a virtual ground- breaking during the pandemic, Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF) inaugurated its $24 million Portland office hub for 525 employees with space for hundreds more. "This office is designed as the future of work," Dan Fishbein, president of Sun Life U.S., said at the ribbon- cutting ceremony on June 27. Equipped with quiet spaces as well as areas for collabo- ration and technology-enabled conference rooms, the idea is to offer options so that employees can choose their work space "based on what they're doing," he said. The choice extends to whether to work from home or the new Portland office, with "unique spaces to host clients, work, socialize and relax," he said. Sun Life is a Canadian financial service company with $758 billion in assets under management. Its new Portland hub is located at 110 Thames St. on the city's East End. The company provides asset management, wealth insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional clients. Interior features include moss walls, spacious restrooms with showers, a studio with yoga mats for stretching and workouts, a prayer room and living-room-style areas furnished with sofas and book shelves to evoke a home-at-work feel. Sun Life U.S. and its affiliate business FullScope RMS occupy 76,785 square feet on three floors of the four-floor building. Consigli Co. was the builder, while Gastinger Walker&, of Kansas City, Mo., was the interior architect, in collaboration with Red Thread and Pandamonium Design. The Sun Life complex, part of the Portland Foreside mixed- use development that includes Twelve restaurant, can accom- modate up to 860 employees. Developer Casey Prentice is also planning to build a 130- room hotel, 1,000-car garage and 250 market-rate apart- ments on the site, he told Mainebiz ahead of a Portland Planning Board workshop next month on the next phase. Reflecting on the delayed start to the Sun Life building dur- ing the pandemic, he said, "It was wild." 'Future of Maine' Fishbein was joined at the ribbon cutting by Maine's two U.S. senators, Gov. Janet Mills, Portland Mayor Kate Snyder and City Manager Danielle West and Prentice, against a picture-window backdrop of sailboats and ferries on Casco Bay. Sun Life's new home is close to WEX Inc., Covetrus and Northeastern University's Roux Institute. Asked what he likes best about the building, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told Mainebiz, "The openness, the views, the technology, the environmental concerns." Later during his formal remarks, King told Sun Life employees gathered in the new space that "this is for you." He also recalled remarks he made in 1995, and referenced by Fishbein, envisioning a future where people work where they live. "This is the future of Maine," King declared. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, quipped about not letting any of her staff members see the Sun Life building lest they would want to leave her employ and work there. "I don't think I can compete with all of that," she said. On a more serious note, "this project is about economic opportunity," she said. Noting that "work building" is a more apt description than "office," Mills expressed hope that Sun Life's grand opening "sends a message" for others to come to Maine to live, work and raise a family. More about Sun Life Sun Life U.S. is one of the country's largest providers of employee and government benefits, helping more than 50 million Americans access health care and insurance benefits. SunLife has been an employer in Maine for 30 years, with officers previously located in Scarborough and South Portland. In the new waterfront office building, it shares a roof with FullscopeRMS, a wholly owned subsidiary estab- lished 20 years ago that became part of Sun Life in 2016. FullscopeRMS provides turnkey group benefits solutions to other insurance carriers and health plans. During the opening day event, with a host of impromptu tours around the building, it was business as usual for vari- ous employees on calls in private "phone booths," behind closed doors on Zoom, and at their desks. Portland Foreside also has offices in the building, with retail space available on the ground floor. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Dan Fishbein, president of Sun Life U.S., cuts the ribbon at 110 Thames St., joined by developer Casey Prentice, U.S. Sen. Angus King, Gov. Janet Mills, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, Portland Mayor Kate Snyder and City Manager Danielle West. 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 N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N S O U T H E R N

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