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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 N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 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 Former Vespucci's Market sold to restaurateurs The owners of the Portland Hunt and Alpine Club, a popular craft cocktail stop that serves Scandinavian fare, have purchased the former Vespucci's Market, which will become a restau- rant, bar and general store. Find out more about the plans at mainebiz.biz/huntstore Maine's voters find common ground Among the findings of a new poll of likely Maine voters is that about half of Democratic and Republican voters believe more money should go into tackling the state's drug problem and that one-third of Mainers believe the economy is the most important issue facing the state, up 11% from the spring. Find out more about the study at mainebiz.biz/dripoll What does the future hold for the recently sold Bangor block? The new owner of a block of buildings on Exchange Street in downtown Bangor wants to preserve the historic features of the six interconnected buildings and city officials say they'll help him connect with preservationists to assure any work on the build- ings will meet historic standards. Learn more about the block at mainebiz.biz/bangorplans From the Editor W e at Mainebiz recently honored our 2016 NEXT winners, 10 people who are changing the economy for the better. e honorees were Elaine Abbott, city manager of Eastport; Tom Adams, founder, owner and CEO of Maine Coast; Brian Corcoran, founder and CEO of Shamrock Sports & Entertainment; Melik Peter Khoury, president of Unity College; Drew Lyman, president of Lyman-Morse Boatbuilding; Charlotte Mace, executive director of Biobased Maine; James McKenna, president of Redzone Wireless; Emily Smith, president of Smith's Farm, a sixth- generation operation; Lucas St. Clair, president of Eliotsville Plantation Inc.; and Sean Sullivan, executive director of the Maine Brewers' Guild and a co-founder of Buoy Local. ey were all deserving, innovating in interest- ing ways. ree of them could not be there, actually demonstrating how they are changing the Maine economy — Tom Adams was on a trade trip to Asia, Drew Lyman was preparing for a trade show, and Lucas St. Clair was on what could be consid- ered a cross-country research trip. As our publisher, Donna Brassard, said in her remarks at the reception, each person took some- thing small, something we might take for granted, and made it something big. ey are entrepreneurs, though not necessarily confi ned by the parameters taught in MBA programs. Naysayers might tell someone going into boatbuilding, "Hey, that's cyclical. You'll lose your shirt." Or someone going into the family farm, "Haven't you heard? Family farms are dying." Or someone trying to off er broad- band to rural areas of Maine: "How are you going to compete with [name the major player]?" I wouldn't bet against this year's NEXT class. If you want to meet a true Mainer, take the example of Elaine Abbott: Our NEXT reception was held in Falmouth. From Eastport, it was a solid four hours, especially in the driving rain the day of the reception. She was the fi rst to arrive. If you want to meet a true Maine entrepreneur, give him or her a seemingly impossible task and watch something get built out of nothing. Heard on the street Craft brewing continues to grow. At press time, Bunker Brewing Co. was preparing to move from 122 Anderson St., where it occupied a postage stamp with an adjoining mailbox, into 17 Westfi eld St., where it takes over 9,000 square feet in an industrial building … e highly selective "Top Gun" program is expand- ing to four locations for the upcoming competition. It will accept about 40 companies total. Applications, which can be completed at MCED.biz, are due Jan. 12 th and the program launches Feb. 8 … e Maine Development Foundation is looking for a vice president for program impact to work closely with President and CEO Yellow Light Breen. A key part of the job will be developing future strategic initia- tives. e pay range is high $70,000's to high $90,000's. Deadline for applications is Nov. 28. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz In a story in the print edition of Oct. 31, "Employers going farther afi eld to fi nd, transport and house workers," there was a reference to percentage of migrant workers that was incorrect. According to the Maine Department of Labor and 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, 125 Maine farms reported hiring 2,706 migrant workers, 18% of the total hired farm workers in the state. Correction What's NEXT: More than a word Be selective. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need a partner who knows the law —and your industry. Right direction Wrong track Mixed/don't know Source: DRI | Critical Insights | dba 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Fall '16 Spring '16 Fall '15 Spring '15 Fall '16 Spring '16 Fall '15 Spring '15 24% of Mainers believe the state is on the right track 15% of Mainers believe the nation is on the right track 40% 17% 28% 24% 33% 19% 21% 15% 47% 44% 41% 38% 53% 46% 52% 56% 13% 39% 30% 38% 14% 35% 27% 28%

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