Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X V I I A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 4 6 Maine ranks high in health care scores When it comes to high-quality health care, Maine places among the top 10 states in a ranking by WalletHub, the personal finance website. e Pine Tree State ranked No. 9, sandwiched between Vermont at No. 8 and Colorado at No. 10. To determine the best and worst states for health care, WalletHub researchers looked at health care costs, access and outcomes, which were further broken down into 44 relevant metrics. Each state (plus the District of Columbia) was then assigned a weighted average across all metrics for an overall score and ranking. Minnesota ranked No. 1 overall, followed by Rhode Island at No. 2 and South Dakota at No. 3. Mississippi ranked lowest in the comparison, at No. 51. Elsewhere in New England, New Hampshire was No. 5, Massachusetts was No. 6, and Connecticut trailed at No. 24. Maine farms to share in $4.3M in energy-related funds Dozens of Maine farms and small rural businesses are in line to receive $4.3 million in federal funding to invest in solar power and other projects designed to lower energy costs. e funding consists of 41 Rural Energy for America Program grants and one guaranteed loan, funded via the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. REAP provides grants and loans to agriculture producers and rural small businesses to help them make energy efficiency improvements, such as installing renewable systems. e awards to Maine farms and businesses are part of a national $163 million invest- ment, announced in late July by the U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at the Brunswick Farmers Market. e funds will be used to support 338 clean energy projects in 39 states. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced that six Maine fire departments were awarded a total of $1.1 million in fed- eral grants through the fiscal year 2023 Assistance to Firefighter grant program. Recipients included Kennebunk Fire Rescue, $569,978; Belfast Fire and Ambulance Department, $310,952; Auburn Fire Department, $123,514; Wesley Volunteer Fire Department, $52,720; Portland Fire Department, $45,455; and Waterville Fire Department, $30,304. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the general com- petition selection of the New England Heat Pump Accelerator to receive a $450 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to accelerate the adoption of cold-climate air-source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and ground source heat pumps. The accelerator is a coalition application led by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, in partnership with the Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources. About $69 million will be earmarked for Maine efforts to make the coast more resilient to climate change and other hazards.The money will come from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, specifically the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a $575 million program funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. It will be administered by the Maine Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Resilient Maine effort. Bus service will link Portland and L/A A new commuter bus service hit the road on July 22, running between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland and replacing a previous bus connection that ended in June. e new service, called LAP and overseen by the 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 SP ONSORED BY FUN FACT: Dentists were in short supply in Maine, as the Mainebiz issue of May 5, 2014, reported. Some two-thirds of dentists in Maine were over 50, including the third of the dentists who topped 60 years old. There simply weren't enough younger ones joining the profession, the story reported. As a result, dental practices were increasingly relying on hygienists, assistants and new technology "to see more patients and enhance productivity." In 2014, moving to Portland still seemed like a novel idea B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n I t was 2014 and the Maine economy was just starting to emerge from the effects of the 2008-09 Great Recession. The April 21, 2014, issue of Mainebiz had a cover story, "Destination Portland: 'Wow, they're thinking of coming here' is the new mantra for 04101 and beyond." Today, with housing prices still hitting new highs and development continuing at a brisk pace, the cover theme seems dated, but consider this. The 2014 story looked at the arrival of Michael Kors and Microsoft stores at the Maine Mall. Upscale condos were selling for $600,000 and more on Munjoy Hill. Some 500 hotel rooms were under construction in the city. Urban dwellers now had their choice of coffee shops — the chain Starbucks or a range of independents, including Coffee By Design. And the city's mayor at the time, Michael Brennan, touted $250 million in commercial and residential develop- ment in progress in Portland. "It's a hot, exciting city," one real estate broker told our reporter. "And people are paying a premium to live here. Look at all the high-end condos springing up." F u l l c o n t e n t s o n pa g e 4 » M O R E I N S I D E F O C U S B a n k i n g & F i n a n c e c O n T i n u e d O n Pa g e 2 6 » B Y J a m e s m c c a r t h Y S e e w H O ' S n e x T O n Pa g e 4 2 » Craig Gorris, general manager of The Maine Mall, in front of the soon to be opened Michael Kors. S ta r t i n g o n P a g e 14 » Destination: 'Wow, they're thinking of coming here' is the new mantra for 04101 and beyond B y L o r i V a L i g r a Portland April 21, 2014 VO L . x x n O. V i i i www.mainebiz.biz The April 21, 2014, cover of Mainebiz

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