Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. X I I I J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 2 5 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 Acadia says visitation on par with last year Visitation at Acadia National Park is kicking off the summer with num- bers on par with the three previous years. "Memorial Day was busy," Kevin Schneider, the park's superintendent, told the Acadia National Park Advisory Commission. e report came amid concerns voiced by Gov. Janet Mills that U.S. tensions with Canada might hurt Maine's summer tourism season. Whether that's the case or not, the over- all number of visitors to Acadia appears to be steady. Despite rain, the Memorial Day weekend saw visitor numbers that were comparable to the last few years. "From my conversations with businesses and others in the community, I suspect this summer will be comparable with past summers," he said. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Franklin Savings Bank in Farmington opened a full-service branch at 181 State St. in Ellsworth. VIP Tires and Service relocated a mid- coast service center, from 137 Camden St. in Rockland to 1075 Commercial St. in Rockport, about a mile to the north. The new location is 10,000 square feet, rough- ly triple the old space. The store opened May 23. Auburn-based VIP has 75 New England locations and 750 employees. Lewiston service provider will expand Lewiston's Jubilee Center, which pro- vides support services to lower-income residents, has outgrown its rented space in the Trinity Church basement at 247 Bates St. and now has under construction a much larger facility at 123 Bates St. Hebert Construction, which is based in Lewiston, expects to complete the 10,000-square-foot center by November, Simon Hebert told Mainebiz. e new facility will more than quadruple existing space and will allow the soup kitchen and food pantry to move indoors into a large room that can also be used for workshops and classes. A medical clinic will expand dedicated space to include private rooms for client meetings with case managers and counselors, and the day shelter will add a shower and laundry facilities. More work stations will be added to the office to assist more people with job applications. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N New Ventures Maine in Augusta is offering a free business planning class for entrepreneurs in person in Brunswick and online via Zoom start- ing July 1. Called Venturing Forth, the eight-week class helps participants create a written business plan from start to finish with feedback from fa- cilitators and fellow entrepreneurs. Central Maine Power in Augusta, a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., announced that more than 100 smart devices have been installed on the company's grid to provide more reliable service to customers so far in 2025. Norway Savings donated $25,000 to the Trinity Jubilee Center's new facility project in Lewiston. Aroostook hospitals team up Two Aroostook County hospitals are looking to improve their long-term financial stability through a collaboration agreement that could lead to a formal affiliation. e management service agree- ment between Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and Houlton Regional Hospital comes at a time when many hospitals are cutting services and delaying critical investments. Houlton Regional Hospital and Northern Maine Medical Center are among a number of hospitals that have previously closed their inpatient labor and delivery units. Each has 25 acute care beds and both are critical access hospitals, a federal desig- nation for a rural hospital that is by defi- nition small and remote, struggling with declining liquidity, mounting operational pressures and aging facilities. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N Gold Star Cleaners in Brewer is cel- ebrating its 120th anniversary. The Maine group health insurance partner that works as hard as you. * Based on 2024 Member STAMP survey. healthoptions.org • We're working on building partnerships, with a 92% group retention rate • We're working on keeping your employees healthy and happy, with a 98% Member satisfaction rate * Ready for a quote? Ask your broker or call our Business Development team at (207) 402-3353. Made for Members, Powered by Mainers 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 N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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