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V O L . X X X N O. X I I M AY 2 7 , 2 0 2 4 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 Brunswick to continue employment and training services for dislocated workers affected by layoffs in Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo and York counties. The award follows layoffs at 54 employers, affecting more than 1,100 additional workers, since April 2023. Northeast Hearing & Speech, a non- profit in Portland, is celebrating its 100 years of serving the communities of Southern Maine. The Loquat Shop, a Portland fashion brand, relocated to the first floor of Mechanics' Hall at 519 Congress St. Portland Pottery opened its fourth location, at 49 Fox St. in Portland. The Maine Association of Nonprofits moved to 30 Danforth St. in Portland. The Maine Council on Aging in Brunswick awarded a total of $376,000 to 32 organizations in Maine through the Hannaford Supermarkets' Connection, Health and Equity Through Food program in the first of two micro-grant cycles. The goal of the program is to improve the health and well-being of older adults statewide. Maine Medical Center in Portland said it is scheduled to begin admitting patients to its new 300,000 square- foot Malone Family Tower located on Congress Street on June 9. Coastal Enterprises Inc., a nonprofit, community development financial insti- tution in Brunswick, awarded a total of $225,000 to nine food companies from across Maine's food system as part of its 2024 CEI Tastemakers Initiative. Maine loggers to get aid Maine loggers could receive some economic help after suffering at least $2.6 million in losses from December's "Grinch" storm, fol- lowed by two major storms in January. U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District, and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, this week introduced the Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act, which would establish a new U.S. Department of Agriculture program to support loggers who have lost income due to natural disasters. U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, are cosponsors. "Currently, there are no programs that help assist loggers with natural disasters," said Dana Doran, executive direc- tor of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast. e Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast was formerly the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine. e trade association of 30 years rebranded last fall to reflect its expansion beyond Maine. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N Colby College in Waterville received a $10 million gift from trustee Richard McVey to establish the McVey Center for Computational and Data Sciences. MaineGeneral Medical Center an- nounced that Augusta & Waterville Women's Care is now part of MaineGeneral Obstetrics & Gynecology. Norway Savings Bank donated $50,000 as part of a four-year commitment to the Equality Community Center, a facility in Portland that serves as a workplace and community center for LGBTQ+ and social justice organizations, to help purchase and renovate the center. The bank also donated $25,000 to Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston as part of a multiyear commitment to build a new facility and donated $16,500, part of a $50,000 commitment, to Tedford Housing in Brunswick to construct a new emergency housing building. Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice, an independent, nonprofit home healthcare and care manage- ment organization in Lewiston, changed its name to Andwell Health Partners. Bar Harbor will expand library At Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, work is underway on a 12,000-square-foot expansion intended to modernize the library, increase accessibility, improve technology and expand programming and public meet- ing spaces. With estimated construc- tion costs of $9.1 million, the build-out will double the size of the library. e project is the library's largest expansion since it was established over a century ago. e library is at 34 Mount Desert St., central to downtown commerce to its north and east and adjacent to residential neighborhoods. e addi- tion will offer new public amenities including a 120-person auditorium; several gathering spaces and meet- ing rooms; a maker space with sewing machines, 3D printer and new digital media technology; a dedicated space for teens and children; an elevator to make the building fully accessible; and eight stations to create remote work opportunities, thanks to a grant from the Maine State Library. A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y C a r r i e G r e e n Y a r d l e y , Y a r d l e y E s q . P L L C The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a nonprofit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Q: I believe that if you expect trust, you should show trust. I used to be able to do business on a handshake, and rarely got burned. Do all agreements need to be in writing now? ACE advises: Verbal agreements may be enforced. Some agreements must be in writing. We'll identify those. The real question is not whether agreements must be in writing, but whether they should. History lesson: The handshake deal sustained a body blow in 1677. When literacy rates were below 20%, English courts decided contract disputes based on witness testimony alone. After a few centuries it was obvious the "they said, they said" approach had problems. Both sides' witnesses might be believable, making judgment a coin toss. This was par- ticularly unfair when that coin toss came at high cost to the loser or gave the winner an undeserved windfall. It was never about trust; it was about better proof. With ris- ing literacy, Parliament decided that certain contracts were so lucrative that witnesses would be tempted to lie or could result in unfair financial injury if the court got it wrong. Enacted in 1677, the statute of frauds required written proof of agreements to: 1. Require an executor to pay an estate's debt personally 2. Guarantee a debt 3. Pay for a spouse 4. Transfer a real estate interest 5. Perform the contract for more than a year. Today, all 50 states have statutes of frauds, roughly based on the original. Almost all require written proof of a sale of goods worth more than a certain amount (usually $500). In addition to the original five categories, Maine requires written proof of contracts to pay a debt discharged in bankruptcy, give property by will and not to compete. You can memorize these categories, or just document your agreements. The U.S. literacy rate is 80%. Statutes of fraud simply require "a writing." An email exchange may be enough to lay out the basic terms, and the other party's acceptance. More complicated deals may require a lawyer. But before you decide a handshake is enough, first decide how much you can afford to lose on a coin toss. Carrie Green Yardley, vice president of ACE, founded Yardley Esq. PLLC in 2015. The firm works with small businesses and owners on governance and transactions, from startup to exit. She can be reached at carrie@yardleyesq.com M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N

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