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V I E W P O I N T S We're attorneys. But we're people fi rst. Meet Bernstein Shur's 2026 Summer Associates—future leaders gaining real-world experience on complex legal work across multiple practice groups, including a dedicated pro bono rotation. Our hands-on program integrates these emerging attorneys with our nationally recognized team to prepare them to thrive in today's legal landscape. bernsteinshur.com Summer Associates Banah Alhanfy Richard Byrne Tanner Kelly Grace Mitchell Adam Blais Bella Caprio Sydney Lorom Lily Wilson W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 2 6 From the Editor T his issue has a feature by Tina Fischer that looks at first jobs and the lessons learned. First jobs leave indelible memories, good and bad. One of my favorite anecdotes from Tina's story is from the former barista, who now leads a trade association in Maine. Years after serving her last cup a coffee, she ran into a former café customer at the summit of Mount Washington. She couldn't remember the customer's name, but she remem- bered their usual order: a double cappuccino with extra foam. While the theme of this issue includes work- force development — a worthy field — that kind of training didn't exist when I was young. We learned about the workplace by bumbling along. One of my most lasting lessons was from a sum- mer job at the Lobster Inn, a high-volume tourist restaurant in the Hamptons. It was on the Sunrise Highway, and on Friday and Saturday nights it felt like all of New York crammed into its booths. I started at the bottom, as a dishwasher. It was humbling, smelly and greasy. ere was melted but- ter on everything. One night, as the bus tubs piled up in my cramped workspace, the industrial dishwasher hissed and spat out a last gasp of steam. It was broken. I was elated — I can go home, I thought. Minutes after I reported the breakdown to the manager, I saw the cheerful owner, Roger Tollefson, burst into the dish room. Normally, he worked the front of the house, greeting and entertaining customers, often by taking the largest lobster on a circuit around the dining room. is time, he was holding a toolbox, and he headed straight under the dishwasher, kneeling in what seemed to be an inch of restaurant grease. He started banging around in there and I gamely offered to help. In less than five minutes, he had the dishwasher back up and running, and it was spewing out steam like a champ. Moral of the story is, whether you're the boss, the owner, the manager: there's no job beneath you and a good leader needs to know how everything works. Another lesson is: It's not all glamor- ous, and there are a lot of dirty jobs in everyday businesses. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Mainebiz offers the latest business news in the Daily Report and the Real Estate Insider newsletters. Here is the top content from June 1-22. 1. Formerly vacant Lewiston hotel gets $3M makeover 2. Maine's West Marine stores slated for closure amid national bankruptcy 3. UMaine's aims for fall opening of 'Factory of the Future' 4. Rockland vacation-rental firm adds 400 homes to its portfolio 5. Friday Food Insider: Employee housing costs push Wells diner into Chapter 11 6. Pop-up in Portland's Old Port offers 'experiential' retail 7. Buyer rescues a John Calvin Stevens house in Augusta, then takes it for a drive 8. Saco's Thornton Academy completes $14.5M athletics facilities 9. Portland's Press Hotel sold to New York real estate investment firm 10. Furniture maker Thos. Moser to move showroom to Portland's Old Port P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y S T E V E M A R T I N E K F O R K S H O S P I TA L I T Y G RO U P 1 Nothing like those early jobs to learn lessons about the workplace — and life The restaurant's owner burst into the dishroom and got under the dishwasher with a toolbox.

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