Mainebiz

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 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 Kittery shipyard contributes $1.6B to economy Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Kittery facility that repairs and services the U.S. submarine fleet, continues to play an important role in employment and payroll through- out the region that includes Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In 2024, the shipyard injected $1.6 billion into the region's economy, up from $1.54 billion in 2023, $1.46 bil- lion in 2022 and $1.32 billion in 2021. at finding comes from a report released by the Seacoast Shipyard Association, a nonprofit. e report uses data on civilian payroll, military payroll and the costs of purchases and contracted services to estimate the yard's annual economic impact. In 2024, the shipyard employed 7,721 civilians, up from 7,469 in 2023. e civilian workforce peaked in 2020 at 7,639. e 2024 civilian payroll totaled $762.2 million, up from $716.2 million in 2023 and from $663.5 million in 2022. Leaving on a jet plane Frontier Airlines, a Denver-based low-cost carrier that posted a second- quarter loss in August, plans to stop flying in and out of the Portland International Jetport while leaving the door open for a potential return when the time is right. e news, first reported by Portland-based WGME-TV, was confirmed by a spokesman for the airline without specifying a timeline for stopping ser- vice. "We regularly review and update our routes based on demand, sea- sonality, and other factors, and have made the difficult decision to end our service at Portland International Jetport at this time," the spokes- man said in a statement emailed to Mainebiz. "We value our partner- ship with PWM and will continue to evaluate a potential return in the future." Other airlines serving the Jetport include American Airlines, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country Airlines and United. N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N MaineHealth Behavioral Health moved its programs from 66 Baribeau Drive to 329 Maine St. in Brunswick. Benchmark Real Estate in Portland announced plans to develop Aurora, a 13-unit mixed-use luxury property at 64 Pine St. in Portland's West End. The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities awarded MaineHealth in Portland a four-year grant totaling $2.8 million to fur- ther develop technology designed to improve neonatal resuscitation skills among rural clinicians. RE/MAX Shoreline in Portland an- nounced that Blue Meadow Homes, a luxury 18-home residential develop- ment in Cape Elizabeth, broke ground with occupancy scheduled to begin in spring 2026. Partners Bank in Sanford donated $15,000 to the Sanford Performing Arts Center to support its 2025 Spotlight Series. The Foundation for Portland Public Schools said that United Way of Southern Maine donated $53,940 to Gerald E. Talbot Community School to support its whole-school model, which integrates pre-K through fifth grade learning with family and community engagement. Hannaford Supermarkets in Scarborough partnered with Portland Public Schools to launch a Fuel Kids at School program resulting in a school-based food pantry at Portland High School. Colby gets record pledge toward planned science complex Colby College said it received a $150 million anonymous gift to build a 200,000-square-foot science com- plex on the school's Waterville campus by 2030. e donation is the largest in the school's history. e planned center is part of a $500 million investment in science and technology that includes the cre- ation of new engineering and public health programs targeting health and environmental issues. e core of the overall investment is the devel- opment of a $300 million science complex, at 4000 Mayflower Hill in Waterville, and the expansion of the science curriculum to include S O U T H E R N C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N

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