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 JA N UA R Y 2 3 , 2 0 1 7 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 'Road map' for strengthening state's forest economy The Maine Forest Economy Growth Initiative's recom- mendations and report lay out a road map for identifying current and emerging global forest products in which Maine is likely to be most competitive. The report also analyzes the capac- ity of Maine's current and future wood supply to support new and future markets. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/roadmap Local redevelopment effort for Millinocket mill Our Katahdin, a nonprofit, has purchased the former Great Northern Paper assets in Millinocket, including a 1,400- acre former mill site, land adjacent to the Millinocket Municipal Airport, a 157-acre parcel of land at Ferguson Pond and a federal designation enabling foreign investment. Find out how the local investment group plans to work with the town to redevelop the vacant industrial property at mainebiz.biz/ourkatahdin Good and bad news in the growth of Maine's knowledge economy A new report, "Maine's Knowledge Economy: a Snapshot," released Jan. 16, shows that the number of science and technology companies and jobs in Maine is rising at the same time investment in innovation by both companies and universities has remained low. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/snapshot Be selective. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need a partner who knows the law —and your industry. From the Editor W e continue to hear about lengths companies go to find qualified employees. At the Mainebiz "Five on the Future" panel, which was moderated by Jeff Fuhrer, senior policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the theme of hir- ing kept coming back into the discussion. "All I think about is workforce," panelist Joshua Broder, CEO of Portland-based Tilson Technology, said, only somewhat in jest. Tilson, which was named as one of Mainebiz's fastest-growing runners up last year, will move its 200 employees to a new site at 16 Middle St. in November and plans to hire 100 people in the next 18 months. Tilson is looking for a range of employees, from software developers for the IT business to people with civil construction skills for the telecom side. "We need people who can show on time, work hard and be adaptable," Tilson said. "But we also need people with critical analytic skills. We need people who can apply education and rigor around critical thinking." Heard on Main Street Another sign the boating industry is coming back: East Coast Yacht Sales in Yarmouth opened its sixth brokerage, at Front Street Shipyard in Belfast. Front Street has transformed the Belfast waterfront and is build- ing and refurbishing some substantial yachts, includ- ing some over 100 feet. John Knowles, owner of East Coast Yacht Sales, founded the company in 1986 in Yarmouth. In addition to Belfast and Yarmouth, it has sales offices in Camden; Salem, Mass.; Portsmouth, R.I.; and Stonington, Conn. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz e January 9 th issue was exciting, as it presented many of the commercial projects happening here in Maine. Very exciting! I'm very surprised, however, and disappointed at how none of the projects showcased mentioned or even listed the architect or architecture firm responsible for the projects. You mostly mentioned the contractor and construction managers. Important entities in the process, but they build the buildings, architect and interior designers design them, and work very hard to do that. Maine, like most states, requires that architects place their seal on the construction documents for a building and take on professional liability that the building meets all pertinent codes. We, as designers, are also responsible for shaping the built environ- ment, through design thinking and careful consid- eration of each project. Of particular note is how many Maine compa- nies and educational institutions don't work with or consider in-state architects; they prefer to look to Boston or beyond for "quality." at quality exists here in Maine. Until recently every licensed architect in the state had to leave the state to get a degree in architec- ture. University of Maine Augusta now has a five-year B.Arch degree, but every interior designer still must leave to get a degree. So, Maine's native architects and designers have gone "away" and come back to prac- tice here. If publications such as Mainebiz don't credit architects, especially Maine architects, for their work, how can business leaders in Maine be made aware that quality design exists right here in Maine? Paul Lewandowski AIA IIDA LEED AP NC ARB Design principal at Lavallee | Brensinger Architects, Portland President of the New England International Interior Design Association To the Editor Maine employers looking for qualified employees

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