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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 O C T O B E R 3 1 , 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 Bipartisan support behind national monument, prioritizing solar According to a new report by market research firm DRI/Critical Insights Inc., likely Maine voters from both sides of the aisle agree on a number of issues including the development of clean energy, opposing the rollback of solar net metering and the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Read the study's complete findings at mainebiz.biz/dri Ranger Solar advances solar project at Sanford airport Sanford City Manager Steven Buck says that once completed, the 50 megawatt project will provide $2 million in annual tax revenue for the city. Find out more about the project at mainebiz.biz/sanfordsolar The business of being Bob Dylan Dennis Bailey, the president and founder of Savvy Inc., lives a not-so-secret second life as the frontman of The Bob Band, a Dylan cover band with a diehard fan base. Find out how much a Dylan cover band makes in 2016 and how local businesses benefit from live shows at mainebiz.biz/bobbusinesss Be ready. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need outside legal counsel that feels like par t of your team. R oads, bridges and bypasses, water systems and sewers. It's sexy stuff , yes. In December, the American Society of Civil Engineers is expected to deliver its report on the state of Maine's infrastructure. e report comes out every four years. In 2012, ASCE gave Maine a C- grade, which believe it or not is slightly better than that of the United States, which earned a D+ grade. Maine's only grade above a C was in the area of aviation, where it earned a B, based on runway rehabilitation, taxi and apron rehabs and other safety work. Maine's "airport infrastructure is in good condition and has improved modestly," the 2012 report stated. It was achieved with the help of federal grants. e grade may change in the coming report, which will be made public Nov. 28. In the past year, with support from U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, Maine's airports have received a healthy infl ux of federal funding. Each time Collins and King announce federal funds for airports they cite the need for rural airports, which are crucial to Maine's economic development. With that in mind, Senior Writer James McCarthy visited airports and talked to some of the people with fi rst-hand knowledge of the importance of those upgrades for businesses that depend on Maine's public- use airports. If you think about it, Maine is uniquely suited to invest in its airports. It's fre- quently discussed that, for trucking companies, rail and ships — which all depend on keeping shipping containers full going in both directions — Maine is often considered the end of the road. Air freight can mitigate that issue. More than that, company executives can be better connected to their clients both in Maine and out of state. In much the same regard, correspondent Laurie Schreiber looked into what some companies are doing to alleviate worker shortages, in part by trans- porting employees from one worksite to another. Blueberry farmers and lobster processors have been doing this for some time, by bus. But Presque Isle- based Smith's Farm, which has growing sites in Maine, Florida and California, may stand apart in that it fl ies workers from state to state, giving a mod- ern interpretation to the migrant workers of yore. Back in Portland, the University of Southern Maine is in the process of setting up a Critical Infrastructure Institute. Organizers of the insti- tute saw the tremendous need our country faces in updating its infrastructure, coming in confl ict with a limited amount of money to pay for it. e institute hopes to pursue public-private solutions, but it has another purpose as well, grounded in its role in higher education. e institute is designed to develop a workforce to tackle tasks associated with improving our infrastructure. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Infrastructure fi nds its way into the lexicon From the Editor In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society In 2012, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine of Civil Engineers gave Maine a C- grade, which, believe it or not, is slightly better than that of the United States, which earned a D+ grade.

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