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V O L . X X I N O. I X M AY 4 , 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 ruling in late April, saying it had cause to believe that Samantha Blom's rights were violated when she was placed on involuntary maternity leave. Blom was placed on leave a couple months before the restaurant closed in 2014, which made her ineligible for unemploy- ment benefi ts. e restaurant's owner, Jack Shaner, denies that he discrimi- nated against Blom, saying that he placed her on leave out of concern for her health, according an investigator's report. However, the investigator said because Shaner had received no written documentation regarding Blom's health, he did not "have suffi cient information to conclude that [Blom] could not per- form her work duties in a safe manner." Skowhegan board denies Sappi tax break Sappi Fine Paper North America is planning to appeal a Skowhegan board's decision to deny its request to lower the property tax value of its paper mill by more than $137 million. e Morning Sentinel reported that the Skowhegan Board of Assessors unanimously voted to deny Sappi's tax abatement request on April 23. Sappi's request would have lowered its local tax obligation by $2.3 million. Sappi's paper mill in Skowhegan was previ- ously granted a $100 million reduction in property tax value, but the com- pany has said that still doesn't properly refl ect the mill's diminished value. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N The board of directors of Auburn Savings Bank announced President Allen Sterling, who is also on the board, will retire effective May 1. Sterling joined the bank in June 1996. We'll announce our panelists soon, stay tuned! SP ONSORED BY FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #BLOYForum15 For more information and to register, please visit mainebiz.biz/BLOYForum Holiday Inn By The Bay, 88 Spring Street, Portland Thursday, June 11, 8–11am Tickets are $20 ($25 after May 15th) and include a plated breakfast. Register for a table of 8 and save 25%! Contact Rebekah Roy at rroy@mainebiz.biz for details. Join Mainebiz for a panel discussion featuring previous Business Leaders of the Year. With the economy improving, we'll ask the CEOs what's next for the companies that are shaping Maine's economy. The topic for this year: What's next? www.NonprofitMaine.org We help nonprofits help Maine. is employed by a Maine nonprofit Maine workers 7 1 in That's over 84,000 jobs in Maine Aroostook County to host Biathlon World Cup Aroostook County will be the only stop in the United States for the 2016 International Biathlon Union World Cup, a nine-stop circuit featuring the world's top athletes. Mars Hill-based Pineland Farms Naturally Potatoes agreed to be the lead sponsor at the gold level for the fi rst Biathlon World Cup to come to the United States since 2011. IBU World Cup 8 will be hosted by the Nordic Heritage Sport Club at its world-class Nordic ski and biathlon venue in Presque Isle, with competition dates planned for Feb. 11-14, 2016. Teams and visitors from the participating countries are expected to arrive in Aroostook County three days prior to the start of competition and depart the region on Feb. 15. Biathlon is a series of events that combine Nordic skiing with rifl e marksmanship. "Our club is very excited to again be hosting an international event of such caliber at the Nordic Heritage Center," Paul Towle, president of the Nordic Heritage Sport Club, said. "Events such as these provide signifi cant exposure not only for our world-class facility, but also for our county communities and the state of Maine." Towle also highlighted Maine-based Libra Foundation, which recently announced its support for operation and maintenance of the Nordic Heritage facility, as key to the club's ability to move forward with hosting such activities. "Hosting major events like the coming Biathlon World Cup is essential to sus- taining operations at the Nordic Heritage Center, as well as our ability to continue offering the variety of year-round community programs and recreation opportunities our area residents enjoy," he added. "The revenue we are able to generate from these events supports the funding of normal operations at NHC year after year." Jane Towle, event director, said organizers expect up to 300 male and female biathletes from roughly 32 countries. The biathletes will participate in six com- petitions at the Nordic Heritage Sport Center venue: sprint, pursuit and relay in both men's and women's divisions. Organizers, joined by representatives from Pineland Farms Naturally Potatoes, also unveiled on Friday the offi cial event logo, which features the word "biathlon" in a lighter blue with a deeper blue image of a cluster of pine trees appearing in the letters and a silhouette fi gure of a biathlete skiing. The 2016 event will mark the fi rst large-scale event hosted in The County since the Nordic Heritage Center has operated independent of direct support provided by the Maine Winter Sports Center. The operation and maintenance of the world-class, four-season sports facility, located just off the Fort Fairfi eld Road in Presque Isle, are supported in large part by the Libra Foundation, as well as by local businesses and organizations, other donations, club member- ships and revenue generated by events, including those sanctioned by the International Biathlon Union. — J A M E S M C C A R T H Y

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