Mainebiz

November 30, 2015

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V O L . X X I N O. X X V I I N OV E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 6 At least six Tim Hortons in Maine closed Tim Hortons has closed at least six of its restaurants in Maine, includ- ing in South Portland and the Lewiston-Auburn area. e Bangor Daily News reported that the Maine Department of Labor said it was sending Rapid Response teams to the various locations to assist people who have lost their jobs, but it's not clear how many jobs were lost as a result of the closings. An official with the state Department of Labor told the BDN that the department is aware of two loca- tions that closed in South Portland, two in Auburn, one in Lewiston and in Augusta. e Times Record also reported that a site in Topsham closed. Startups in UMaine and MTI accelerator to pitch investors e four Maine startups in a pilot accelerator program launched in September by the University of Maine and the Maine Technology Institute will pitch their ideas at an upcoming showcase in Bangor. e showcase, the first of its kind in Maine, according to program officials, is the culmination of three months of work in the pilot program, Scratchpad Accelerator, located at the University of Maine System office in downtown Bangor. At the showcase, the four startups — CourseStorm of Orono, Double Blue Analytics of Orono and Brunswick, Tip Whip of Old Town and L&K Manufacturing of Bangor — will give investment-style pitches to an audience of supporters, strate- gic partners, the general public and potential investors, the news release said. e program will be held Dec. 11, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Seasons Restaurant in Bangor. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Six engineering firms in Maine received awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Maine for work this year. Kleinschmidt Associates in Falmouth received the top honor, the "grand conceptor" award. Two 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 Cultivating a Pollinator-Friendly Yard: A Seasonal Guide for Mainers A seasonally specific, illustrated zine helping Mainers to support native pollinators. Get involved at: hannahrosengren.com "White like you, Mommy" A documentary collection of the stories of white mothers and their black children, reflecting the changing demographics of Maine. Get involved at: photolesley@hotmail.com Salvaged Crafts Developmentally disabled participants can participate in training to create handmade craft paper and artistic products from recycled fibers for income. Get involved at: enactususm.weebly.com Maine Burundi Drumming World Connect Promoting the impact of performance at large while addressing the needs of the Burundi community and introducing others to this UNESCO recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Get involved at: habonaleandre@gmail.com The Rebel Blend Fund is a vital way to support the Maine arts community through seed money. Winning projects encourage dialog within the community. Congratulations to the 2015 Winners Rebel Blend Arts Grant For more information on Coffee By Design's Rebel Blend Fund, visit coffeebydesign.com. Androscoggin Bank is proud to support this effort. Charles Cawley, founder of MBNA, dies at 75 Charles Cawley, who founded the credit card giant MBNA Corp. and left a lasting mark on Maine with his philanthropy, died Nov. 18 at his home in Camden. He was 75. Cawley and MBNA transformed the state, especially in the midcoast region, by employing thousands and funding construction projects, including state-of-the- art athletic fields, the Point Lookout corporate retreat in Northport and Belfast's Hutchinson Center, which is leased to the University of Maine for just $1 a year, according to an obituary in the Bangor Daily News. Cawley founded MBNA Corp. in Delaware in 1983 and opened an office in Camden in the early 1990s. It later moved to Belfast after some in Camden opposed its expansion plans. The company marketed specialty credit cards to organizations, known as affinity lending. When Cawley retired as CEO at the end of 2003, the company employed about 28,000 people, including nearly 5,000 in Maine, according to the BDN. Bank of America bought MBNA in 2006 for $35 billion and in 2014 folded the card division into its retail bank, according to Bloomberg. In a story about Cawley and MBNA published earlier this year in Island Journaldescribed the sometimes uneasy relationship between the midcoast region and the credit card firm. Tom Groening, a former editor and reporter for the Bangor Daily News, wrote that spending by the company and its top manag - ers may have "rankled many a Yankee's frugal values." Still, Groening wrote, MBNA had a profound impact on the landscape of the midcoast, supporting schools, libraries, cultural organizations and other nonprofits. "It was a level of giving that recalled donors such as Carnegie and Rockefeller," Groening wrote. When Lincolnville Central School suddenly had to close because of mold problems, MBNA built a school in 54 days on the grounds of its retreat center on Ducktrap Mountain. "He was a unique individual," former Gov. John Baldacci told the BDN of Cawley. "He cared deeply about the state of Maine." — P a u l K o e n i g

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