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V O L . X X X I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 6 , 2 0 2 5 6 Median home price tops $500,000 in three counties ree Maine counties recorded a median sales price in excess of half a million dollars in the most recent quar- ter, the Maine Association of Realtors reported. Cumberland County contin- ues to set the pace, with a median sales price of $616,000 in the three months ended Aug. 31, up 4.41% from the same period a year ago. York County buy- ers paid a median price of $550,000, a 3.77% gain. And Lincoln County's MSP was $502,500 in the most recent rolling quarter — an increase of 6.56% from a year ago. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Consolidated Communications, a na- tional internet services company operat- ing in numerous locations across Maine, announced it united its residential, busi- ness and wholesale lines of business under a single, modern fiber internet and network services brand called Fidium. Developer named for life sciences incubator Maine's burgeoning life sciences sector is poised for a new chapter with the creation of the Maine Life Sciences Center to coordinate research, busi- ness and workforce efforts along with a bricks-and-mortar startup incubator to be built in Portland. Both initia- tives will give a fresh jolt to a $2.3 billion industry made up of nearly 600 companies active in fields from technology to diagnostics. Together, they employ close to 10,000 people in well-paying jobs. Out of $2.7 million in Maine Technology Institute grants announced on Sept. 25, $2.3 million will go to Hatch.Bio Labs, of Somerville, Mass., to develop an incubator facil- ity in Maine's largest city by the end of 2026. e remaining $400,000 was awarded to Northeastern University's Roux Institute to expand entrepre- neurial support systems for the life sciences sector and companies to be housed at the incubator. A Swedish maker of wound-care products to expand Maine production B y T i n a F i s c h e r G lobal medical products manufacturer Mölnlycke Health Care walks the talk when it comes to sustainability by executing a relatively simple premise — locating its factories close to its customers. The 176-year-old company is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and operates nine factories in more than a dozen countries around the globe. But its two factories in Maine — in Wiscasset and Brunswick — are where it produces a majority of its wound-care products for its rapidly growing U.S. market, which generates 30% of the company's $2.3 billion in annual sales. Hospitals and acute care facilities in the U.S. are the company's top customers. Some of their post-op dressings are sold at CVS and Walgreens stores. Mölnlycke's base in Maine is strong, with MaineHealth being a long-time customer. Strong enough, in fact, to spur a $135 million addition to the existing Brunswick Landing factory, with the groundbreaking in September. Mölnlycke has 270 Maine employees and plans to add another 20 to 30 once the expansion is completed in 2027. The Maine factories make 12 different products. Wiscasset produces much of the raw materials — foam padding and other textiles — which are then incorporated into finished products in Brunswick. The bandages, in various sizes and shapes, feature advanced adhesives engineered to protect wounds while preserving delicate tissue — critical for elderly and dia- betic patients. Wiscasset is the only Mölnlycke facility worldwide that manufactures the patented Z-Flo Fluidized Positioners — highly flexible cushions that ease pressure points. When used for premature infants, the cushion can simulate a womb-like experience, the company says. Chris Kennedy, who heads up sales for North America and Latin America, says physicians and patients repeatedly tell him the products dramatically speed healing, ease patient discomfort and often eliminate the need for further treat- ment and costly equipment such as home hospital beds. "Globally there are rising numbers of chronic issues and clinicians are stretched thin," adds Anders Andersson, execu- tive vice president for Mölnlycke wound care products. "Our mission is to free patients and caregivers from the strains of wound care and restore dignity for our patients." True to its core value of reducing its environmental impact, the company keeps its carbon footprint in check by sourcing machinery and technical equipment from U.S. companies and is committed to using 100% renewable energy at its plants. The new addition in Brunswick will generate electric- ity by utilizing both solar and wind power. "We're investing in the future of health care," Andersson says. "This is a new chapter in our journey to bring wound care closer to those who need it most." 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 P H O T O / T I N A F I S C H E R P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Mölnlycke's two Maine factories make 12 different wound-care products. Production of wrappers for wound dressings at Mölnlycke Health Care's factory at Brunswick Landing.

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