F u l l c o n t e n t s o n pa g e 4
»
M O R E I N S I D E
T H E L I S T
mainebiz.biz
/
printsub
S U B S C R I B E
Tom Welch reflects
on 15 years guiding
Maine energy policy
B y J a m e s m c c a r t h y
T
om Welch's departure as chair-
man of the Maine Public Utilities
Commission on Dec. 31 — two years
before his term was set to expire —
removed a highly regarded utility regu-
lator at a critical moment when rising
electricity costs and a regional natural gas
"bottleneck" are creating additional eco-
nomic uncertainty for Maine businesses.
Nominated by Gov. Paul LePage in
March 2011, Welch previously served
two terms as PUC chairman from 1993
to 2005, when he played a leading role
in the restructuring of Maine's electric
utility industry. He's been supportive
C o n t i n u e d o n pa g e 1 2
»
20 TLC for a legacy inn
On Rangeley's main
street, merchants
welcome the
revitalization of the
historic Rangeley Inn.
22 Coffee company expands
Carrabassett Coffee
has used an
expanding network of
wholesale accounts
to help fuel growth.
25 A whale of a tale
A scientist on Mount
Desert Island rebuilds
whale skeletons for
museum exhibits
around the country.
TD Bank's Auburn Call Center tops our
list of Maine's largest green buildings.
F O C U S C e n t r a l &
W e s t e r n M a i n e
s e e W h o ' s n e x t o n pa g e 3 0
»
January 12, 2015
VO L . X X I N O. I
www.mainebiz.biz
Maine's economy is a hot topic any time of the year, so
we asked five economists to give us their outlook for 2015.
S ta r t i n g o n P a g e 16
»
Amanda Rector | Charles Lawton | Charles Colgan | Jonathan Reisman | Joel Johnson