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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 6 We're attorneys. But we're people first. Meet Steve. A seasoned tax attorney with a focus on family- and employee- owned businesses, Steve partners with clients from startup through exit, advising on strategic business structures that align with their long-term goals. bernsteinshur.com Steven R. Gerlach Shareholder From the Editor B y the sheer numbers, Maine has an estimated 160,000 small businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Of those, according to the Portland-based Institute for Family-Owned Business, 128,000 are family owned. at's four out of five small businesses. And while the SBA defines a small business as anything under 500 employees, IFOB says in Maine a more typical threshold is 50 employees or fewer. To put it another way, Maine's economy relies on family-owned businesses. But, like any business, those held by fami- lies need to keep pace with the times. As Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber writes in our cover story, Maine's family farms have had to adapt to new technologies and ways of doing business. Dairy farmers, in particular, face a host of challenges, from the cost of fuel and transportation to a lack of processing sites. Farmers need to be innovative and figure out additional revenue streams. "e reality is that if you have one source of income, you're probably not setting yourself up for any sort of flexibility for any economic lows that come your way," one farmer tells Laurie. See Page 16. Maine's top advocate for family-owned busi- nesses, Catherine Wygant Fossett of the Institute for Family-Owned Business, is closely monitoring this fall's elections. Any policy shift can have an impact on small businesses. "We need to create an environment where family businesses can not only survive today, but thrive for generations to come," she says. See Page 22. Elsewhere in the issue, L.L.Bean tops the list of Maine's largest family-owned businesses. See Page 34. 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 Oct. 9–26. 1. Nichols Portland plans to move a manufacturing division to larger Westbrook site 2. York County Food Hub opens in Biddeford 3. Bath custom cabinet company's new showroom will offer downtown visibility 4. South Portland expands senior housing with 43 apartments near Maine Mall 5. Woodhull wins preservation award for work on Old Port building 6. Portland developer criticizes obstacles to commercial projects, market-rate housing 7. Custom design shop in Aroostook County jumps on chance to double its space 8. 2026 40 Under 40 Honorees 9. Maine governor candidates lay out housing plans, budget priorities 10. Roux Institute's future Portland campus selected as site for life sciences lab P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y E X P R E A LT Y 1 Maine's economy relies on family-owned businesses. And those companies, in turn, need to adapt to the times. 'Family owned' applies to many Maine businesses

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