Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. X I V J U N E 3 0 , 2 0 2 5 6 Fidium, a national internet provider, ex- panded its all-fiber internet network in Van Buren, Hamlin, Cyr Plantation, Old Town, Orono, Bradley, Milford and Old Orchard Beach bringing symmetrical, multi-gig speed internet to more than 1,500 homes and businesses. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced that three organizations in Maine received total of $1.4 million through the Fiscal Year 2025 AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program and the Senior Companion Program to support the work of 149 older volunteers across the state who provide aid, companionship and guidance to seniors, young people and children. Recipients included The Opportunity Alliance in South Portland who received $583,373; Penquis CAP, Bangor, $399,717; and University of Maine System, Orono, $390,305. Bioscience Association of Maine and a coalition of partners including FocusMaine, Maine International Trade Center, Maine Technology Institute and the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development attended the BIO International Convention in Boston. The convention attracts over 20,000 of biotechnology and pharma's most influ- ential leaders from all over the world for several days of networking to discover opportunities and partnerships. The Maine Bankers Association in Westbook said that in 2024 Maine banks provided more than 125,000 volunteer hours by employees, donated $15.3 million to charities and approved $3.6 billion in loans to businesses and $2.3 billion in residential and commer- cial real estate loans. The Atlantic Federal Credit Union Foundation in South Portland said it awarded a total of $20,000 in scholar- ships to five graduating high school students in Maine. First Serve Hospitality Group an- nounced it will expand seating and add a small market at Spruce Creek Pizza in Kittery. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N S O U T H E R N N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E S T A T E W I D E Shop offers quality craftsmanship, but you can't meet the makers B y B r i d g e t R e e d M o r a w s k i T he brick-and-mortar storefront in Thomaston looks like many others in Maine, with wide windows previewing the handmade furnishings and decorations inside. Depending on when you go, you might find for sale polished wooden bird houses, colorful Adirondack chairs, metal firepits or toy rockers carved to resemble boats on the water. The shop also has a notable presence on Facebook, with over 19,000 followers and hundreds of "likes" on recent posts. Commenters frequently praise the craftsmanship and quality, with some noting how often they've purchased from the store over the years. But unlike most shops in the state that sell handmade local goods, you likely can't meet the person who made your furniture. That's because the Maine State Prison Showroom's inventory is entirely created by incarcerated people. Hallis Thayer, the chief industry manager for the Maine Department of Corrections, says that 159 incarcerated people are enrolled in the program, officially known as the Maine Correctional Industries Program. Real-world skills Dale Wood is one of those incarcerated workers. Wood, convicted of murder in 1994, described himself in a super- vised interview as a "lost soul" living a "disaster" life before his sentence, holding onto the wrong things and not progressing in life. Wood has been working in the pro- gram for decades, in addition to obtain- ing a bachelor's degree and a continu- ing education certificate, as well as creating a music therapy program to help other inmates with behavioral or mental health problems. He said the program has helped him keep his mind occu- pied and build real-world skills along the way, which he hopes to use upon his release. After starting in the small project department, he eventually moved up to becoming a crew boss. "You know, everybody changes," says Wood. "And within time, it's up to you on whether you want to change in a posi- tive direction or a negative direction. Education was a major factor in who I am today," he adds, both through his degrees and through the work program. Now 58 years old, his earliest custody release date is offi- cially listed as September 2033. Wood said that the money he saves now will help him once he is released. However, how much money he has earned since he began working and, critically, how much he has saved are considered confidential information under Maine law, Thayer says. Wages for incarcerated people in the program range from $1.20 to $16.37 an hour, which Thayer says is "paid out of sales from the industries program." The current state minimum wage is $14.65 an hour. Other inmates, Thayer points out, can earn "real-world salaries" through work release or remote jobs. "Maine does have a particularly better system than for [incarcerated] work than I've seen in other states, in the sense that people can even have laptops [and] work real jobs," says Bianca Tylek, the founder and executive director of Worth Rises, a nonprofit focused on prison exploitation. Tylek noted that the state does garnish workers' wages, and that incarcerated workers aren't covered by workplace safety protections under OSHA or discrimination protections under the EEOC. Given these factors, she noted that "it's important to put people's reflections into the context of what's the other choice they have" within the prison system. SP ONSORED BY Hal Thayer, chief industry manager for the Maine Department of Corrections P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY In Thomaston, the inventory of the Maine State Prison Showroom is entirely created by incarcerated people.

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