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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 2 8 , 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 From the Editor M aine's chambers of commerce are going through another round of leadership over- haul. In recent weeks, Ross Cunningham stepped down as president and CEO of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, saying he planned to pursue other opportunities. Matt Leonard, president of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, resigned in the wake of the backlash over an advertised raffl e of an automatic weapon. Most recently, Toni Crouch, president of the Damariscotta Chamber of Commerce, said she will step down, indicating that she'd like to dial back her demand- ing schedule. It was only a year ago that we were writing about departures at chambers in Bar Harbor and Ellsworth. ree diff erent reasons, yet the trend seems to be that chamber positions are shorter-term posts, with two to three years being a normal tenure. Bixby continues rapid ascent Meanwhile, Kate McAleer, a 2014 winner of the Mainebiz NEXT award, was at the annual Mainebiz Momentum Convention recently off ering samples of her signature Bixby Bars and the new Bixby Bites. She is no stranger to accolades, having won the Small Business Administration's 2015 "Maine Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award." More recently, she beat out more than 500 entrants to win a $100,000 grant investment from the Tory Burch Foundation. In a state with so many entrepreneurs, she continues to lead by example. Lori Valigra's story in these pages about House of Genius cites an entrepreneur who sought out McAleer. Last I saw her, at the Momentum Convention, Eimskip Chairman Richard D'Abo was at her booth, chatting and sam- pling chocolates. I can only imagine that it's a matter of time before a shipping container of Bixby products lands in Europe. Heard on the street From Bangor, there's news that a McDonald's owner-operator, Gary Eckmann, has won his fourth Ronald Award, given to the top owner-operator in the chain's Boston region. He became an owner- operator in 1979 and moved to Maine in 1986 after buying four McDonald's sites in the Bangor area. But his involvement in Mickey D's goes back even further: he has worked for McDonald's for 53 years, which predates the introduction of the Egg McMuffi n, Chicken McNuggets and Filet-o-Fish. More recently, he was on the team that brought the lobster roll to McDonald's restaurants in New England. … Elsewhere in Bangor, Doug Reed, who opened a sweetFrog franchise in 2013, is using a counterintuitive approach to selling frozen yogurt. Taking note of how ice cream sales fall in the win- ter months, he invested in a "campfi re-like atmo- sphere," he says, outfi tting the Bangor store with gas fi replaces, comfy couches and "warm, inviting décor." e result, he says, has been that sweetFrog has become more of a community gathering place and hangout. In dollars, the Bangor location had sales of $1.25 million in its fi rst full year, making it the No. 1 location for the 320-store, Richmond, Va.-based chain. Reed opened a second site in Waterville in 2014. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Chamber doors getting used Be smart. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need someone committed to raising the bar, not just passing it. Maine Beer Co. expansion on tap Maine Beer Co. was given the green light by Freeport's Project Review Board to add 20,330 square feet, more than tripling the footprint of its Route 1 tasting room and brewery. Find out what the brewery has in store for the space at mainebiz.biz/beerco ACA-covered Mainers in limbo after election One of President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promises is to ask Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act during his first day of office. Now 84,000 Maine residents who have insurance coverage through the ACA may be wondering what happens next. Find out what the nonprofit organization Community Health Options sees in the future at mainebiz.biz/acatrump The hunt is on for seasonal workers Employers across the country are racing to fill sea- sonal holiday openings and are enticing prospective employees with more flexible schedules, better benefits and higher pay. Find out how many sea- sonal workers companies like L.L.Bean, Amazon and UPS will need at mainebiz.biz/tistheseason I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's I can only imagine that it's a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a a matter of time before a shipping container of Bixby products lands in Europe.

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