Mainebiz

V o l . X X I N o. I Ja N ua r y 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 10 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 Camden developer starts hotel conversion project An historic, two-story brick build- ing in Camden that most recently housed Peter Ott's Restaurant and the Bay View Street Cinema is on its way to becoming a 22-room hotel. Developers Stuart and Marianne Smith expect the renovations at 16 Bay View St. to be done in June. e new hotel will have a function hall and a restaurant that will seat up to 36 people. Once completed, the Smiths plan to refocus on their pro- posed 65-suite, four-story waterfront hotel in Rockland, according to the Bangor Daily News. Brunswick tech business incubator to open soon e doors are expected to open soon for TechPlace, a federally backed, 90,000-square-foot business incuba- tor focused on various technology sectors at Brunswick Landing. e Forecaster reported that Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the developer of Brunswick Landing and TechPlace, already has 10 business tenants lined up for a 20,000-square- foot office space at 74 Orion St. that became available in January as part the incubator's first phase. e second phase will include laboratory space for biotechnology research. Fuddruckers to open first Maine restaurant Fuddruckers, a Texas-based cheeseburger restaurant chain, is planning to open a franchise location at a new commercial development in Ellsworth, its first in Maine. e Bangor Daily News reported that the Fuddruckers restaurant will be part of a 9,500-square-foot building on Route 1A that is under construction and will include a Tim Horton's restaurant and a Tradewinds Variety convenience store and gas station. e building's tenants are expected to open in April or early May. Chuck Lawrence, co-owner of the Tradewinds company, told the newspaper that Fuddruckers initially was skeptical when he proposed opening a franchise in Ellsworth. But he was soon able to convince them, noting the high volume of traffic that goes through Route 1A during the summer to destinations like Acadia National Park. Mass.-based developer buys Camden inn e Whitehall Inn in Camden is receiving a complete renovation after being purchased by a Massachusetts- based developer, with plans to reopen in July. e Bangor Daily News reported that the inn's name will be shortened to Whitehall. e inn will include a new restaurant, called Pig and Poet, which will be led by Executive Chef Sam Talbot, who was a semifinalist on the second season of Bravo's "Top Chef." e inn's new owner is Lark Hotels, a Newburyport, Mass.-based developer that also owns the Pomegranate Inn in Portland and Captain Fairfield Inn in Kennebunkport, along with a number of properties in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. N O t E w O r t h y M i d C o a s t & d o W n e a s t Tilbury House Publishers in Thomaston published Homes Down East: Classic Maine Coastal Cottages and Town Houses written by Earle Shettleworth Jr., Christopher Glass and Scott Hanson, with photography by David Clough, who is also a contributor to Mainebiz. Camden National Corp. announced a quarterly dividend of 30 cents a share payable on Jan. 30, for shareholders of record on Jan. 16. The dividend is an 11% increase from the 27 cents paid in the third quarter of 2014 and the same period a year ago. The First Bancorp in Damariscotta de- clared a quarterly dividend of 21 cents per share payable Jan. 30, to share- holders of record as of Dec. 31, and is equal to the 21 cents paid in the past two quarters. Based on the Dec. 17 closing price of $17.74 per share, the annualized dividend of 84 cents per share translates into a yield of 4.74%. Staples to close Presque Isle store amid its downsizing e Staples office supply chain plans to close its Presque Isle store on Feb. 7, cre- ating another vacancy in the Aroostook Centre Mall. e Bangor Daily News reported that the Presque Isle store is among hundreds of other Staples stores in North America slated for closure. e Presque Isle store, which opened in 2004, has about 15 employees. e Framingham, Mass.-based chain blamed greater competition from online retailers. Staples is the second company Maine Startup and Create Week announces dates for 2015 The second annual Maine Startup and Create Week will be held June 22-28 in Portland, the event's organizers announced recently. The weeklong conference — which attracted more than 3,000 attendees dur- ing its inaugural week in June 2014, in Portland — aims to celebrate startups, innovators and entrepreneurs across Maine. It promises "world-class speakers" at a variety of events, including panel discussions, pitch events, informational seminars and industry "collision sessions." The Portland Regional Chamber, Startup Portland and Creative Portland are organizing the event. The conference also will introduce some new events, including "Learning Sessions," which seek to help attendees learn the skills necessary to succeed in the marketplace, covering topics like design, customer acquisition, hiring and prototyping. Jess Knox, the chief organizer of Maine Startup and Create Week, told Mainebiz in June that over 700 people registered for the 2014 event, which enabled them to attend daily panels. Other events, like networking sessions, did not require registration. "I couldn't be prouder about how the community and the state embraced the companies at the conference," he said. "It exceeded all expectations, which I think is a testament to this kind of discussion, giving companies the ability to showcase themselves" and giving people an opportunity to discuss ideas and issues surrounding startups and innovation. — D Y L A N M A R T I N M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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