Mainebiz

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 A P R I L 2 0 , 2 0 1 5 For a daily digest of Maine's top busi- ness news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is some of the best from our online-only offerings: Featured @ Mainebiz.biz Canada ahoy! The family connected to Bangor- based Varney Agency has acquired a one-third ownership stake in one of Quebec's largest independent sawmill operators. Find out how the deal will allow the insurance agency to expand business into Canada for the first time at mainebiz.biz/varneyexpansion Office space demand growing The recent $66 million sale of two commercial buildings in Portland under- lines a growing demand in the city for high-quality office space. It may not be enough to spur new development, but local experts say the tipping point may happen soon. Find out why at mainebiz.biz/office2015 hammondlumber.com I n the year since I joined Mainebiz, I have preached (and tried to practice) the philosophy that the editorial staff should get out and meet with businesspeople around the state. It's important that we put the "Maine" in Mainebiz, but it also refl ects an old newsroom edict that it is shoe leather that leads you to good stories. To quote Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ben Cramer, " ere are no stories at your desk!" With that in mind, I have encouraged the staff here to make a list of people they'd like to meet, get out the DeLorme atlas and get on the road. In line with the thinking, Mainebiz staff ers have adopted a beat system that we hope enhances our cover- age and understanding of Maine's businesses. Senior Writer James McCarthy has done a great job already covering health care and energy issues, and he will continue his pursuit of those fi elds. He will also cover law fi rms and legal issues. Jim also has decades of experience covering Bath Iron Works and will continue that coverage, as well. Senior Writer Lori Valigra has already demon- strated a talent for covering technology; under the new system, tech will come under the umbrella of "innova- tion," which will also include covering organizations like Maine Technology Institute as well as the venture capital industry that makes so much innovation pos- sible. She has already and will continue to cover the broad spectrum of food production. Today, much of the talk is about "farm to table," which she'll cover, but in Maine it also includes the major challenge of distribution. Lori's beats will also include banking and fi nance. Our online editor, Dylan Martin, has stepped up to pro- vide detailed real estate coverage for our Tuesday Real Estate Insider, and he will also cover retail, marketing and media. ere are many beats that we cover every day in our Daily email, and those include higher education, ship-and-boat- building, the fi sheries, tourism and recreation, manufacturing, labor and forest products. ese continue to be priorities. We hope that the beat system will deepen our under- standing of particular industries, help us develop sources and provide a point of contact for you, the readers. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Beat system refl ects Mainebiz effort to get out the door From the Editor I like your focus on real business in Maine. We continually underestimate the vibrancy of the Maine economy and often miss the point when we try to stimulate growth. Maine is really a micro-business state, not a small business state. On the coast those micro-businesses involve fi shing, especially lobstering, run by sole proprietors. Away from the coast these business involve agriculture. All over the state there are start- ups in retail and manufacturing, with an emphasis in food service and food processing. Across the board these busi- nesses are undercapitalized and at risk of factors far outside of their control. If we want them to grow into viable small and perhaps large businesses we should focus on things that can be controlled and increase the odds of success. It is a mistake to overcommit to sectors. Quality is a random occur- rence. Business will succeed or fail based on markets and management, both unpredictable. Access to capital at reason- able terms is understood as a need and, hopefully, improving; but a universal need and historic cause of stress has been lack of access to aff ordable high quality health insurance. Why would anyone in their right mind start a business if it would mean leaving their family without? My wife grew up in a fi shing family in Friendship. As is the case up and down the coast, having a spouse with benefi ts was a key diff erentiator for success. It is no accident that Maine has the fourth highest utilization of the Aff ordable Care Act in the nation. It will be a tragedy for small businesses and small communities if access to health insurance is denied to our micro-businesses. Charles ( Wick) Johnson President, Kennebec Technologies, Augusta To the Editor An inside look Get a digest of the state's largest commercial real estate transactions, industry movers and more in our weekly Real Estate Insider newsletter. Sign up at mainebiz.biz/enews.

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