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V O L . X X X I N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 2 2 , 2 0 2 5 6 Minimum wage will top $15 an hour Maine's minimum wage is set to increase by 45 cents next year, to $15.10 an hour, in accordance with a state law requiring adjustments for inflation. For now, the state- wide minimum wage, in place since the start of 2025, is $14.65 an hour. Citing Current Population Survey estimates, the Maine Department of Labor said that 35,000 work- ers were paid hourly and earned an hourly wage of less than $15 an hour in 2024. ose workers represent around 5% of all wages and salary workers and about 9% of wage and salary employees who are paid at hourly rates. Banks hail passage of consumer protection law Credit reporting agencies will no longer be allowed to sell consum- ers' contact information when they apply for a residential mortgage under a law set to take effect next year. Under current law, when a bank checks on credit from a credit reporting agency for a customer requesting a mortgage, the pro- cess "triggers" unsolicited inquiries to prospective homebuyers. With many of those calls coming from unscreened and unknown enter- prises, that often creates hassles and confusion for consumers about which lender they are working with, according to the Maine Bankers Association. Under the bipartisan Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act amends abusive mortgage "trig- ger leads" by only allowing contact information to be sold to third parties under limited circumstances. Signed into law by President Donald Trump on Sept. 5, the new measure is slated to take effect in early March. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Central Maine Power, a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., said it completed the installation of 250 new smart de- vices across its energy grid in 2025 to strengthen service reliability for nearly 50,000 of the utility's custom- ers statewide. 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 SP ONSORED BY North Spore mushroom company is expanding its reach B y A l e x i s W e l l s N orth Spore, a Portland-based business that sells mush- room-growing kits, is paving the way to make mushrooms the next frontier in wellness. The company was founded in 2014 by college friends Jon Carver, Matt McInnis and Eliah Thanhauser. The three have served as co-CEOs since the company's inception, but have recently ceded that title to Ben Chesler, who has started up and grown food companies and led entrepreneur efforts at the Roux Institute of Northeastern University. With Chesler as CEO, Thanhauser will be president going forward. The company, which is based on Riverside Drive, offers a range of products for mushroom cultivation, including grow kits that are pre-packaged for home use. It also sells cultiva- tion supplies, medicinal mushroom products and mushroom "spawn," which serves as the seed for growing mushrooms. "We think there is tremendous untapped potential in grow- ing the market of mushroom growers," says the new CEO, Chesler. "When people learn about the myriad health and ecosystem benefits of mushrooms, they're hooked. But only a small percentage of gardeners are actually incorporating mushrooms into their annual gardening plans." North Spore has kits for all skill levels. Its most popular beginner-level product is the spray and grow kit. The grow kits offer a step-by-step tutorial in getting started as a mushroom grower: The kit contains a sawdust block colo- nized by mushroom mycelium. Getting started is as simple as cutting an X in the plastic, then spraying the area with water. The kit grows best in a humid spot or direct sunlight. The mycelium will sense oxygen and start forming mushroom pins. The mushrooms are harvested as the oysters before the caps flatten, usually two to five days after formation of the "pin," the first sign of the fruiting body of the mushroom. "Our goal is to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of growing mushrooms, encouraging them to incorporate them into their gardens or cultivate them indoors year-round," says Chesler. All products are crafted at the company's headquarters at 921 Riverside St. in Portland and are available for purchase on the North Spore website or Amazon, with a number of products offered at $29.99. North Spore recently received a $750,000 investment from Maine Technology Institute to help fund expansion. In an effort to reach a wide customer base, Chesler said the company plans to team up with retailers in the lawn, gar- den and grocery sectors. North Spore also plans to introduce new offerings, including outdoor grow setups. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Ben Chesler, left, CEO of North Spore, and Eliah Thanhauser, president, behind sterile grain bags used for making mushroom spawns. Our goal is to educate as many people as possible about the benefits of growing mushrooms, encouraging them to incorporate them into their gardens or cultivate them indoors year-round. — Ben Chesler CEO of North Spore

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