Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X I I I J U N E 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 6 Hospitality industry short 2,100 foreign workers Delays in processing work visas are creating labor shortages at restaurants and hospitality-related businesses in Maine. Some 2,100 foreign workers have been held in up in H-2B visa program, which is handled by the Department of Homeland Security, the Kennebec Journal reported. Sarah Diment, owner of the 73-room Beachmere Inn in Ogunquit, told the paper she typically hires nine people through the H-2B program, but hasn't been able to get any visa work- ers this year. Her housekeeping staff will be down to fi ve housekeepers in the next two weeks and she needs 12 to do the work. "I've never been this understaff ed since I've been here," she said. Congress authorized an expan- sion of the program to make up to 63,500 more visas available on top of the annual cap of 66,000 visa work- ers. But the expansion hasn't been implemented yet. Maine regulators approve FairPoint sale e Maine Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved the $1.5 billion sale of FairPoint Communications Inc. to Consolidated Communications Inc. e Illinois-based buyer agreed to invest at least $52.2 million on facilities and infrastructure in Maine should the merger get the green light from federal regulators and regulatory bodies in Vermont and New Hampshire. Public Advocate Tim Schneider said the deal is good for Maine because the network being acquired by Consolidated serves as the backbone for communications across the state, the Associated Press reported. 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 14_261_3131. oo George Casey Discover what thousands of CEOs already know. Vistage works. Get answers. Take action. Like you, the members of a Vistage Advisory Board are proven business leaders and critical thinkers. They have smart ideas and insightful opinions and this is the forum to express them. At our monthly meetings, you'll encounter lively discussions where business leaders tell it like it is. If you are a CEO, key executive or business owner who is interested in finding out more about our Vistage group in Southern Maine, call 207.869.5491 or visit vistage.com/portlandme. South Portland's Grow-Tech acquired by Dutch company B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y S o u t h P o r t l a n d — Anania & Associates Investment Co. said that it has sold Grow-Tech LLC, one of its portfolio companies, to the Netherlands-based fl oricultural company Dümmen Orange for an undisclosed price. Peter V. Anania, president of AAI, told Mainebiz that Grow- Tech, which is based in South Portland, had doubled its workforce and had grown by 700% since joining the AAI portfolio in 2010. Grow-Tech, which started in a small factory in Lisbon Falls, is now based in a 30,000-square-foot facility in South Portland. Grow-Tech engineers and manufactures soilless growing media from the highest quality organic peat, other organ- ics and a proprietary foam binder. It is on track to generate nearly $10 million in revenue this year. Grow-Tech has 26 full-time employees and a similar number who work part time. Grow-Tech's management and employees and its day-to-day operation changes will remain the same under the new ownership. Anania said Dümmen Orange — a global leader in the breeding and development of cut fl owers and potted plants, with 7,000 employees and an international reach — pur- chased Grow-Tech on the strength of its workforce and the manufacturing capabilities of its South Portland facility. "The good thing about this acquisition is that they have some technology they want to bring here that could expand Grow-Tech's sales globally and increase the workforce 20% to 30%," Anania said. Grow-Tech CEO Edwin Dijkshoorn added: "Grow- Tech is proud to already have a wide global reach, but with this acquisition, we will be able to further strengthen our position in the plug mar ket as we join with an industry leader that operating on a global scale." Dümmen Orange is the world's leading breeder of cut fl owers, potted plants and bedding plants. AAI's news release said Dümmen Orange had 7,000 employees and is committed to increasing sustainability, a mission that Grow-Tech's products will help them to achieve. According to its website, Grow-Tech engineers and manu- factures soil-less growing media from the highest quality organic peat, other organics and a proprietary foam binder. Its growing media are used by forestry, horticulture, fl oriculture, and hydroponics customers in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia to start seeds and root cuttings. The company got its start in the 1980s when Dole Foods was searching for a solution to improve the lettuce seeding operation. The collaboration of Dole and the company that would become Grow-Tech provided Dole with a technology initially developed by NASA. Over its decades in operation, Grow-Tech has been a leader in the development of biobased growing media. In 2014 the company received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Grant to assist with the development of BioStrate, an industry- fi rst growing medium that can be disposed of in a commercial composting facility instead of in a landfi ll. In 2016, the company expanded its product line and rolled out two major new offerings: Puregrown hemp-felt, which is used in the organic production of micro-greens, salad greens and wheatgrass, and the ZenPlug, which makes transplanting of tissue culture starts and pre-rooted cuttings easier. B R I E F Grow-Tech CEO Edwin Dijkshoorn P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F A N A N I A & A S S O C I AT E S I N V E S T M E N T C O. P H O T O / A N A N I A & A S S O C I AT E S I N V E S T M E N T C O. FlexiPlugs manufactured at Grow-Tech's South Portland factory coming off the manufacturing line.

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