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w w w. m a i n e b i z . b i z 11 F e b r ua r y 9 , 2 0 1 5 town has been purchased by wood- processing company Maibec, which is based in Quebec. e Presque Isle Star- Herald reported that the sale of Fraser Timber's lumber mill in Masardis, first announced last September, closed on Jan. 26 and will bring Maibec's total workforce to nearly 850 employees. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Cross adds branding to Patriots' stadium Bangor-based Cross Insurance will have its name attached to a new facility open- ing this summer at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the home of the New England Patriots. Gillette Stadium announced on Jan. 30 that the Cross Insurance Pavilion and Business Center will feature 20,000 square feet of space for private functions, including business meetings and trade shows. e facility will be located inside the stadium's Bank of America gate. In Maine, Cross has naming rights on the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland and Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. VIP expands in Presque Isle, fills mall vacancy Lewiston-based VIP Tires & Service is expanding its Presque Isle presence by p ortland's fastest-growing compa- nies are working hard to recruit the workers they need. As they do, a slew of city, state and public-private efforts are underway to make Maine more appealing to out-of-state job candi- dates, and bring Mainers' skills in line with the needs of local employers. In Portland, "we're doing what we can to support businesses and create the right environment for growth," says Greg Mitchell, Portland's direc- tor of economic development. "We're working on creating the infrastruc- ture and housing, making direct investments, and doing anything we can to influence the market." at includes the Business Assistance Program for Job Creation launched in 2012. Nine businesses have received matching grants, a total of $140,000, for the creation of 20 jobs. Maine's Department of Labor is working with employers, educators, and job-training groups to create a pipeline of workers for the positions where they're needed. A job vacancy survey due in March will identify areas that are most in demand. e Department of Labor is implement- ing its five-year workforce invest- ment plan, to make workforce train- ing more relevant to the needs of Maine's businesses. "We're bringing industry players to the table to figure out how many people they'll need, connecting with education partners to figure out who has the facilities to provide the training and figuring out what state or federal funds are available," says spokeswoman Julie Rabinowitz. An earlier success was the 2013 Health Care Sector Grant, which trained 1,000 Mainers. Project>Login, a partnership between major employers and Educate Maine, was launched in 2013 to help connect computing students at Maine colleges with local employers. e partnership works through campus network- ing receptions, an online database for internships and IT jobs, and programs that raise awareness of digital careers for students. Workforce housing is vital to Portland's growth, experts say. A number of residential developments geared for Portland-based profes- sionals are in the works. e Portland Regional Chamber's 2014 Economic Scorecard found that the average cost of owning a home in the city is higher than it is elsewhere in Maine. "You have got to be able to have housing for your workers," says econ- omist Jim Damicis, who developed the scorecard. "at's critical." Serving two-career couples is also being addressed. Last year, Creative Portland, Growing Portland, Pro Search and 15 employers created an informal network to share resumes of job recruits' spouses and part- ners. "Dual-career couples are often tough to recruit due to either a real or perceived paucity of career options," says Jennifer Hutchins, Creative Portland's executive direc- tor. "One of our toughest challenges is countering a prevailing perception that Maine is exclusively lobster, lighthouses and summer camp." p o l i t i C s & C o. B Y J E N N I F E R V A N A L L E N 1 # We're Find out why Androscoggin Bank is the top lender for SBA 504 loans* in Maine at androscogginbank.com. Smarter Banking ™ 1.800.966.9172 • androscogginbank.com To find smarter solutions for your business needs, contact Dave Eldridge, SVP and Commercial Lending Manager at 207-376-3626 • deldridge@androscogginbank.com. *As ranked in dollars lent and units by the Small Business Administration for FY 2014. Out-of-state worker recruitment aided by various programs

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