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 J U LY 2 5 , 2 0 1 6 For a daily digest of Maine's top business 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 Fifth Five Guys Burgers and Fries to call Augusta home The proliferation of Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Maine contin- ues, with the announcement that a fifth franchise location will be coming to Western Avenue in Augusta this fall. Find out more about the grow- ing popularity of the national burger joint at mainebiz.biz/fiveguysfive Maine Winter Sports Center changes name, expands mission The Caribou-based nonprofit that started 17 years ago with a mission to get people in Northern Maine on skis, is changing its name to the Outdoor Sport Institute. According to Andy Shepard, MWSC's president and CEO, the name change reflects a new identity and greatly expanded role for the nonprofit. Find out more about the changes coming to the nonprofit at mainebiz.biz/OSI Maine's largest solar farm could be coming to Farmington Environmental studies are now under- way in the Franklin County town for a 50-to-80-megawatt farm proposed by the Yarmouth-based energy company Ranger Solar. Where exactly that solar farm will be, though, remains a mys- tery. Find out what we know about the project at mainebiz.biz/farmsolar From the Editor I t's always interesting to me how businesses can thrive while being completely under the radar. One company immediately comes to mind: Warren Construction Co. in Freeport does not have a sign on its headquarters and even its trucks have relatively subtle branding compared to some of its competitors. Like many businesses in Maine, its marketing is by word of mouth. But that kind of marketing comes with some subtle cues. As CEO Peter Warren told me, "Mainers are a tight- knit bunch." Say someone is at a barbecue or cocktail party and asks who built your house. e owner says it was Warren Construction. e guest asks, "How'd they do?" " e answer has to be 'great,'" Warren says. "If they say 'OK,' I'm dead." Such is the subtle power of word-of-mouth advertising. Warren's story (on Page 32) is just one of the features in our issue, which is focused on Real Estate, Construction and Design. Laurie Schreiber, our real estate reporter, did yeoman's work, putting together stories on the changing nature of offi ce space, how aff ordable housing can embrace high- effi ciency technology and Portland developers' growing interest in tiny lots. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Nomination for 'iconic brands' list I look forward to each and every issue of Mainebiz — you are the best. I always enjoy going through the Fact Book: Doing business in Maine [of July 4], and thank you and your staff for doing such a good job. Relative to Maine, I would like you to consider the Farmers' Almanac as a Maine brand. It has been edited and published out of Lewiston since 1955. We no longer manufacture in our plant, but when the national media refers to the Farmers' Almanac, it is usually with a copy of our Maine Almanac. You can check our website, farmersalmanac.com. We have over a million Facebook Likes, a circula- tion that tops 3 million copies, and we are among the most quoted when it comes to long-range weather predictions. In fact, our 2017 edition will be our 200 th . It might be worthy of a story in Mainebiz once it is launched. anks for continuing to put out a fi rst- class publication. Peter E. Geiger Editor, Farmers' Almanac, Lewiston Disappointment over Fact Book airport listings I always enjoy reading the Fact Book published by Mainebiz, but I'm a little disappointed that Eastport Municipal Airport was left out the Infrastructure/Distribution section. With customs service for international fl ights, self-serve Jet-A and 100LL, weather reporting, and a very well-maintained runway, Eastport serves corporate fl ights for eastern Maine and New Brunswick and is used by Life Flight's fi xed- wing aircraft. Slated for a new SRE and terminal build- ing, Eastport Municipal Airport is a popular choice for pleasure, business and medical fl ights. We're proud of our airport and wanted you to know. Elaine Abbott City Manager, Eastport, Maine To the Editor Word-of-mouth advertising has subtle meanings Be selective. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need a partner who knows the law —and your industry. E D I T O R ' S N O T E : Other letter writers lamented that the Fact Book did not include airports in Augusta and Sanford. We did our best to include larger airports, though admit that the FAA's list of sites — including airports, heliports, grass strips and designated sea-plane landing areas — did little to sort out the largest. Clearly, we'll have to come up with another method for covering the information in next year's Fact Book.

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