Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X I I I J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 2 4 6 Gov. Mills: Maine needs workers Maine needs more workers – including those from other states and countries – to keep pace with the state's economic growth, Gov. Janet Mills told more than 150 business and community leaders at a June 3 event in Portland. Overall, about 13,400 people have joined the state's workforce in the past three years, she said at an event co- hosted by the World Affairs Council of Maine and the Maine International Trade Center. "at's good news, but we know that our economic growth is continuing to outpace the number of people who are available to work in Maine," Mills said. "We need every person who is able to work in Maine to be able to do so — to support them- selves, to contribute to our economy, and fill the jobs that our businesses are creating every day." Touting the value of immigrants to Maine's workforce, she noted that her administration is working with members of Maine's congressional delegation to urge the federal government to allow people who are seeking asylum in Maine to get work authorizations faster. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced eight communi- ties in Maine will receive nine grants totaling $22 million in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant programs. In addition, the agency announced $11 million in supplemental funding to four exist- ing, high-performing Brownfields RLF Grant Programs to help expedite their continued work at sites in Maine. The agency also announced that its 2023 Clean School Bus Program rebate competition awarded $7.7 million to 15 school districts across Maine to assist in the purchase of 38 clean school buses. Maine Med caps off $378 million addition Capping off a major expansion and modernization project, Portland- based Maine Medical Center was set to open its new 300,000-square-foot Malone Family Tower on June 9. e $378 million, eight-story cardiovas- cular tower increases the center's capacity to care for patients and includes 96 private patient rooms, 10 operating rooms, nine procedure rooms and 40 pre- and post-pro- cedure beds. "e Malone Family Tower is a much-needed investment in our patients, our care team and our entire region," said Britt Crewse, president of MaineHealth's southern region. e structure was developed to meet a growing need for cardiac and cardiovascular care in the region with flexible spaces designed to pro- mote collaboration and innovation among members of Maine Medical Center's cardiovascular care team. e tower adds 32 intensive care unit beds to the hospital, bringing MMC's total ICU bed capacity to slightly more than 100. N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N Hannaford Supermarkets in Scarborough said that it has donated more than $3 million to its community partners in New England and New York through its Hannaford Helps reusable bags program. Coastal Enterprises Inc., a nonprofit, community development financial in- stitution in Brunswick, announced that 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 'We need to sell Maine': 25 years later, the topic still rings true B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n S teve Levesque has had a long career in economic devel- opment in Maine. He may be best known for leading the redevelopment of Brunswick Landing, a former Navy air base that has now become one of Maine's leading business parks, with Tech Place, and hotbed for new-home development. He was named a Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year in 2018. By the time he retired from Brunswick Landing/ Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority in 2021, the business park had generated more than 2,400 jobs at 140 businesses and had an annual payroll of $150 million. At that time, the development had attracted more than $500 million in private-sector capital investment, as well as prop- erty sales to 20 new owners, including more than 650 units of workforce housing. Going further back — to an issue of Mainebiz from June 1999, 25 years ago — Levesque was beating the drum for the state, as commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. At a speech he gave at the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, Levesque talked about the need to promote Maine as a place to do business. "The biggest thing we've found is that we really need to sell Maine," he told the group. "Mainers don't like to tell other people how good we are, and that's hurting us. There's a lot of money out there, but we're not getting our fair share of it." His words are as valid now as they were 25 years ago. SP ONSORED BY FUN FACT: The June 1999 issue of Mainebiz reported that the University of Maine Cooperative Extension planned a course in how to raise chickens. The agent in charge expected a few dozen people to sign up for the class, which was offered in Gray. To his surprise, more than 100 people signed up and the Cooperative Extension had to start a waiting list. Courses in Skowhegan and Ellsworth were also swamped. B I Z A R C H I V E P H O T O Steve Levesque

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