Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. V I I I A P R I L 1 7 , 2 0 1 7 6 MaineCare Public Reporting in an effort to improve health care quality provided by the organization's Health Home and Behavioral Health Home providers. The Finance Authority of Maine in Augusta announced that lender part- ners can opt for up to $750,000 in loan insurance through OnLine Answer, a secure web application, and receive a decision in seconds. This expan- sion allows lenders to use the system instead of applying for larger exposure loans through the organization's tradi- tional paper application. Reed & Reed wins $17.4M turnpike contract Woolwich-based construction firm Reed & Reed has been hired to build an E-ZPass Open Road Toll facility near Exit 44 of the Maine Turnpike. Reed & Reed, Maine's second-largest construction company, won the con- tract with its low bid of $17.4 million, the Maine Turnpike Authority said on April 7. e new toll plaza will be just north of an existing toll plaza near Interstate 295's Exit 1. It will include four open road toll lanes (two in each direction), which will allow E-ZPass users to cruise through at highway speeds while sensors collect the toll electronically. Maine's other ORT plazas are located on Interstate 95 in New Gloucester, West Gardiner and on the Falmouth Spur off Exit 52. e project will be done over the next three construction seasons, with comple- tion scheduled for summer 2019. Reed & Reed has annual revenue of $125 million and 250 employees, accord- ing to a Mainebiz list of Maine-based construction companies published in the April 3 edition. Its largest project last year was the $100 million Bingham Wind Project. It is also working on the Bath viaduct replacement, a project valued at $14 million. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard means $756M for economy e Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery had a total economic impact of $756 million in 2016, according to a report released by the Seacoast Shipyard Association. e Associated Press reported that the advocacy group's annual report for the shipyard pegged Lawmakers look at tax on fantasy sports leagues State lawmakers are looking to tax fan- tasy sports leagues as a potential source of revenue. e Sun Journal reported that a proposal would require anyone operating a fantasy league to register annually with the Maine Department of Public Safety and pay a fee of 10% of their yearly revenues, capped at $5,000. According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, the growth of the num- ber of people playing fantasy sports — including soccer, baseball, hockey, NASCAR, football and basketball —has exploded over the years, from an estimated 500,000 players in 1988 to 57.4 million in 2016. "Right now in Maine, online fantasy sports games are already being played on websites like Draft Kings, for example. Unlike your normal office pool fantasy foot- ball league, these sites are allowing people to spend large sums of money and they are completely unregulated in Maine," state Rep. Jared Golden, D-Lewiston, who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Roger Katz, R-Augusta, told the paper. e proposal was expected to go next to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The Maine Department of Health and Human Services in Augusta launched B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N Finnish aircraft firm lands headquarters at Brunswick Landing B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y B R U N S W I C K — Brunswick Landing has been selected as the headquarters for a joint venture between the Finnish aircraft company Atol Avion. Along with a U.S.-based investor group, Atol Avion plans to build and distribute an amphibious light sport aircraft in the North American market. "They'll be starting off in TechPlace," Steve Levesque, executive director of Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, told Mainebiz. Levesque said Atol USA Inc. will eventually move into Hangar 4 at Brunswick Landing, which is undergoing renova- tions to accommodate the company's plans. The Atol 650 is a high-performance, amphibious aircraft designed to meet light sport aircraft rules. Atol Avion will begin deliveries for European customers from its Finnish factory late this year and deliveries from the Brunswick Landing operation are scheduled for mid-2018, the company said in a news release. Anssi Rekula, Atol Avion co-founder and sales director, said Brunswick Landing gives the company access to the North American market, which he said holds great potential for its amphibious aircraft. "Although the 650 is mission-capable, it's also perfect for the sheer pleasure of flight ... cruising at 100 knots is the perfect speed to see the world slip by," he said. "North America is the biggest aviation market, with huge demand for seaplanes. We think Atol USA is the best and fastest solution for us to be able to serve our North American customers." The aircraft features Oratex fabrics and other light-but- durable materials that include carbon fiber, aluminum, Kevlar and wood composites. Paul Richards, Atol USA's president, says the Atol 650 is "a serious adventure machine … and it's a blast to fly." Levesque, who is a pilot himself, acknowledged that he played a role in bringing Atol USA to Brunswick Landing. It's also why he attended the recent Sun 'N Fun International Fly-In Expo at Lakeland's Aerospace Center for Excellence. "We're doing what we're supposed to be doing," he said. "We're down here at this event marketing the property. That's what we've been doing all along." Brunswick Landing's growing aviation hub Brunswick Landing, a former Navy air base with both preex- isting and new infrastructure, has become a hub for aviation companies, including One Aviation, Tempus Jets, Flight Level Aviation, MVP Aero, Brunswick Aviation Services and Maine Coastal Flight. The Brunswick Executive Airport features two 8,000 foot runways, 700,000 square feet of hangar space and maintenance facilities, over 103 acres of taxi- ways and aircraft parking apron space, an advanced glycol recovery de-icing system, jet engine test and maintenance facilities and a new instrument landing system. "We have world class assets to leverage on this project and have invested heavily to attract operations such as Atol," Levesque said, noting that MRRA is currently con- structing an environmentally controlled composites layup room, curing oven and paint booth, all designed to aviation standards and sized to accept wings, fuselages and other large structures. "These complement our computer numerical control machining center, welding shops, 3D printers and on-site Composites Engineering Research Lab in TechPlace, our manufacturing technology incubator," he added. "We make these assets available to companies throughout the state. We've taken what the Navy left us and elevated it a notch to attract aviation manufacturers." B R I E F The Finnish company Atol Avion will manufacture the Atol 650 amphibious aircraft at its new U.S. headquarters at Brunswick Landing. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F AT O L U S A I N C .

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