Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. V M A R C H 9 , 2 0 1 5 6 Study: Hannaford saves $16M on sustainability Hannaford Supermarkets is saving million and diverting tens of millions of pounds in waste annually because of its sustainability practices, according to a new study. Progressive Grocer maga- zine reported that the study was done by Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences, a Plymouth, Mass.-based nonprofit that reviewed the supermarket chain's sustainability practices across all of its locations in . Manomet also found that Scarborough-based Hannaford decreased its greenhouse gas emissions in an amount equal to taking nearly , automobiles off the road. In addition, Hannaford was found to have saved more than million in elec- tricity and natural gas costs. Maine's 2014 lobster catch was an all-time high Maine's lobster catch value reached an estimated . million in , a new all-time record that was driven by an unusually high increase in price per pound. e Bangor Daily News reported that the average statewide price for lob- ster last year was ., a . increase from . at increase, combined with a catch that yielded more than mil- lion pounds for a third year in a row, led to the record-breaking estimated catch value, a roughly increase over 's . million. Maine farm trade group names new leader Lisa Webster, the owner of North Star Sheep Farm in Windham, is the new president of the Agricultural Council of Maine. e Maine farm trade group announced Webster's appointment on Feb. . She previously served as vice president and on the group's execu- tive committee. She is replacing Frank Miles, a board member of the Maine Farmland Trust. As president, Webster will help the trade group pursue its strategic plan. e Agricultural Council of Maine aims to promote Maine's agricultural industry through legisla- tive support and raising awareness of the state's farms. Maine home sales increase in January Sales of existing single-family homes in Maine were up in January, increasing by . over the same month last year, while the median sales price decreased. Maine home sales reached units in January, with units having been sold the same month last year, according to new data from the Maine Realtors Association. e median sales price in January decreased . to ,. On a national level, home sales increased ., while the median sales price increased . to , during the same period, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales in the Northeast increased ., while the median sales price increased .. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Maine Credit Union League an- nounced its members raised a record- breaking $552,257 through the Maine Credit Unions' Campaign for Ending Hunger in 2014. MaineHousing announced that six affordable housing development projects will receive a share of $3.4 million in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits to build or re- habilitate 324 affordable housing B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E UnitedInsurance.net/cyber-security Let's discuss your risk. Call today. A data breach should not be taken lightly. Eimskip boosts Portland-Halifax shipping calls Eimskip, the Icelandic shipping company that moved its U.S. port of call to Portland from Norfolk, Va., is increasing the number of calls it makes to Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 13 to 31 per year. In a joint press release with the Port of Halifax, Eimskip noted the expanded service began on Feb. 19 with the addition of the vessel MV Selfoss to its "Green Line" route, which includes service by two other Eimskip vessels, MV Reykjfoss and MV Skogafoss. Originating in Reykjavik, Iceland, the vessel will travel to Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador before stopping in Halifax as its nal port before heading to Portland. "As a result of this service enhancement, the number of Eimskip calls in Halifax will increase from 13 to 31 calls per year, giving our customers additional options for cargo destined and originating in Europe," said Jeff Simms, managing director of Eimskip Canada Inc. "This is good news for our intra-North American customers as well and will provide one more channel for Nova Scotia exporters to move goods into the New England states, acting as a feeder service for the 14 other carriers calling Halifax." To support the expanded service, Eimskip is planning to open a local ofce in Halifax. The service also will have direct connection with European destina- tions — including Iceland, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. Ashley Dunning, CEO of Halterm Limited, which operates Canada's largest Atlantic coast container terminal on a 70-acre site in the Port of Halifax, said in the joint release that the company will be working with Eimskip to develop "new trade that will signicantly extend choice for those shipping lines and shippers requiring networked solutions for New England cargo." The inbound rotation for this service will originate in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and include Immingham, UK; Reykjavik, Iceland; Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador; Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Portland. The outbound call will start in Portland and will include Argentia and St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador; Reykjavik, Iceland; Immingham, United Kingdom; and Rotterdam. The service will provide importers and exporters with easy access to ports in Hamburg, Germany; Aarhus, Denmark; Halmstad, Sweden; Fredrikstad, Norway; Sortland, Norway; Tórshavn, Faroe Islands; and Scrabster, Scotland. In an interview with Mainebiz last November, John Henshaw, executive direc- tor of the Maine Port Authority, which oversees Maine's cargo ports, cited the westward expansion of Portland's International Marine Terminal as an investment that will enhance opportunities both for Eimskip and other shipping companies as well as for Maine businesses seeking to expand their market reach beyond the United States. — Eimskip will boost an already signicant shipping presence on the Portland waterfront. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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