Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. V M A R C H 4 , 2 0 2 4 10 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 Katahdin Bankshares Corp., the Houlton-based parent of Katahdin Trust Co., declared a first-quarter cash dividend of 17.5 cents per share, pay- able on March 22 to shareholders of record as of March 15. ReVision Energy opened a 14,256-pan- el community solar farm on a former gravel pit in Hampden. Wishcamper Hampden, as the site is known, is a joint effort between Portland-based Wishcamper Cos. Inc., the investor, and South Portland-based ReVision Energy, which served as the devel- oper. The power generated there is being used by College of the Atlantic, Deer Island/Stonington School District, Isle au Haut Power Co., Bangor Water District and the town of Blue Hill. Building systems supplier F.W. Webb Co. moved its Aroostook County wholesale location from 420 Main St. in Caribou to 15 Central Drive in Presque Isle, 12 miles away. At 43,000 square feet, the Presque Isle facility is more than four times larger than the building in Caribou. F.W. Webb is based in Bedford, Mass., and has more than a dozen sites in Maine. It is the Northeast's largest wholesale distributor of plumbing, heat- ing, HVAC systems, LP gas, refrigeration, pipe, valves and fittings. Maine HR Convention www.mainehrconvention.com Everyone thrives when HR is on top of its game. M a y 6 - 9 , 2 0 2 4 S a m o s e t R e s o r t | R o c k p o r t , M E Learn More at PORTLANDREGION.COM/EVENTS Join us at our Signature Chamber Events! Bye-bye, birdie: Maine to phase out chickadee license plate B y W i l l i a m H a l l C ars and other motor vehicles registered in Maine will soon begin sporting new license plates, and on Feb. 26 state offi- cials unveiled the design. The new plates depict an Eastern white pine tree and the North Star, somewhat similar to the symbols found in Maine's 1901 state flag. The plates will replace the "chickadee" ones that have been standardly issued since 1999. Legislation last year authorizing the new plates also called for another design, identical but without the pine tree and star. Both plates will display the vehicle identification number in navy blue, while "Maine" and "Vacationland" will appear in green. The new plates will be issued starting in May 2025, as the chickadee plates are phased out. There is no additional cost for the new versions. For a fee, Maine currently also offers plates in more than two dozen specialty designs, which display particular distinctions and associations approved by the Maine Legislature. The design of license plates has increasingly become a focus of attention for many states, as they seek to distinguish and market themselves. P O L I T I C S & C O The new plates will be issued starting in May 2025, as the chickadee plates are phased out. The new design for Maine license plates issued in 2025. P ROV I D E D / M A I N E S E C R E TA R Y O F S TAT E

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