Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I I I D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6 10 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Maine Huts & Trails hires state's tourism director Maine Huts & Trails, a nonprofi t that operates backcountry trails and eco- lodges in Maine's western mountains, said Nov. 29 that Carolann Ouellette will take over as executive director in January 2017. Ouellette will over- see operations and development of trails, huts, organization, people and programming. Ouellette has served as director of the Maine Offi ce of Tourism since 2011. A graduate of Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, Ouellette was chef- owner of a restaurant in Jackman and for a period managed the Sugarloaf Inn. She is a registered Maine guide and former operations manager for New England Outdoor Center. Maine Huts & Trails books 10,000 bed nights a year and has welcomed 40,000 visi- tors since opening in 2008. Electricity Maine faces class- action lawsuit A class-action lawsuit fi led in U.S. District Court in Portland claims Electricity Maine used fraud and deception to enroll 200,000 Maine households and small businesses with the promise of substantial cost savings. e Associated Press reported that Maine residents Kathleen Veilleux and Jennifer Chon are seeking $35 million in damages in the lawsuit fi led against the Auburn-based electricity supplier on Nov. 18. e lawsuit claims that Electricity Maine enrolls customers at artifi cially low rates and then trans- fers them with little notice to long- term rates that exceed the standard- off er rate. A representative for Spark Holdco LLC, which owns Electricity Maine, said the company doesn't com- ment on pending litigation. e plain- tiff 's attorney, Benjamin Donahue, said dozens more ratepayers have contacted him since the lawsuit was fi led. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N Norway Savings Bank said it reached its goal to raise $10,000 through the sale of a limited-edition cookbook called Colorful Cooking Solutions cre- ated by its employees. The money was donated to food pantries located in Brownfi eld, Brunswick, Lewiston, Norway and Portland. Eel farming could be next aquaculture boom A small eel farm is underway in South Bristol, raising elvers so they can be sold live and fully grown to local restaurants. e Associated Press reported that farm operator Sara Rademaker, who launched American Unagi in 2014, sold her fi rst eels to Maine sushi restaurants this summer. She is hoping to scale up production in the coming years. Selling elvers locally would be a big change. In the past, most elvers were shipped to aquaculture facilities in Asia, where they're grown to adult size then processed. Maine is one of only two East Coast states, along with South Carolina, to allow elver harvesting. In recent years, elver harvesters have earned anywhere from $900 to $2,600 per pound, thanks to demand in Asia. Fishermen dive into scallop season e scallop fi shery started for the winter season on Dec. 1 on an opti- mistic note, the Ellsworth American reported. Over the past fi ve years, scallop landings have almost tripled, to 453,000 pounds in 2015. e fi shery employs hundreds of draggers and divers, and the number has been ris- ing in recent years, Trisha Cheney, a resource management coordinator at the Department of Marine Resources, told the newspaper. e larger work- force refl ects the high prices paid at the dock and possibly greater num- bers of scallops in Downeast waters, which some fi shermen attribute to an aggressive management program the DMR implemented. Maine's scal- lop industry was worth $5.7 million in 2015 for 452,672 meat pounds of scallops, down from 2014's $7.6 million and 605,360 meat pounds, according to the DMR. e per-pound price remained similar, however, at $12.70 in 2015 and $12.67 in 2014. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Patricia Royall was promoted to exec- utive director of the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce. Royall had previously served as the cham- ber's events and marketing coordina- tor. She replaces Rick Prose, who resigned in October. Helping Maine Businesses Thrive. It's what we believe in. It's what we do. Bangor Savings Bank has been named Maine's Top Small Business Lender 6 Years in a row by the Small Business Administration 1.877.Bangor1 | www.bangor.com Member FDIC M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N

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