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 J U LY 1 0 , 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 From the Editor W e hear it all the time about the "two Maines," the part in the north and the part in the south. As Staff Writer Laurie Schreiber reports in her story about real estate in York County, houses are selling at a premium, $10,000 to $20,000 over asking price. Snooze you lose. For the fi rst time since the recession, developers are building houses on spec. One builder made the remark, and I'm paraphrasing, that buyers start showing up after the sheetrock goes up. From 2004-16, York County accounted for 18% of the single-family home sales in Maine — the equivalent of Aroostook, Franklin, Piscataquis, Sagadahoc, Somerset, Waldo and Washington counties combined, according to the Maine Association of Realtors. In the Portland area and pockets along the coast, we're hearing reports of bidding wars on houses. It's not always clear where the dividing line is between the areas where houses are a hot commod- ity and the areas where houses sit on the market — or worse, fall into disrepair. Our friend Tony Ronzio, former managing editor at the Bangor Daily News, calls it "the Volvo line," the part of the state where you stop seeing luxury cars. Mainebiz recently visited Sanford as part of our "On the Road" series. Sanford is in York County, and is seeing some of the real estate boom. It still has a strong manufacturing core and its citizens feed many of the big employers in southern Maine, including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, as Senior Writer Renee Cordes writes. But some Sanford leaders told us the city is often overlooked by compa- nies looking to expand. It's too far off the Maine Turnpike or too far from the coast for some. No doubt that's true, but some in the "other Maine" would welcome at least being in the proximity of York County's growth. At the same time, I think we're all aware of how fl eeting growth in Maine can be. Mainebiz wins three AABP awards Mainebiz won three industry awards, including silver in the "Best Newspaper: Small Publication" category, in the annual Alliance of Area Business Publishers' annual competition for regional business publications. e award presentations took place June 24 at the end of the AABP's three-day conference in Dallas. AABP is a Los Angeles-based trade association representing 55 independent magazine and newspaper members in the United States, Canada and Australia. For the awards, 43 publications submitted 483 entries, which were judged by faculty members from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. "It's quite a validation for the dedication and tal- ent of the Mainebiz team to be recognized among our peers in local markets across the country for the outstanding work we do — we are so proud to bring these awards home to Maine," said Mainebiz Publisher Donna Brassard. Mainebiz also received silver awards for "best overall design" and "best ancillary publication" for the annual Fact Book, both in the small newspaper category. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Go time in southern Maine Acts of kindness Maine's most vulnerable people are getting a help- ing hand from the John T. Gorman Foundation, which is awarding $800,000 to 48 Maine nonprof- its through its annual direct services grant pro- gram. The grants support projects in all 16 Maine counties, ranging in size from $25,000 to $5,000. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/helpinghand MMC's investment in Westbrook Maine Medical Center's purchase of Westbrook's largest office building — six sto- ries and 130,726 square feet — will allow the Portland-based health care provider to consolidate information services and other administrative functions that are cur- rently spread across eight office locations. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/riverfrontplaza Maine Woods Initiative Since 2003 AMC has invested more than $57 million in its Maine Woods Initiative, leading to a total economic impact of more than $18 million in Piscataquis county and more than $25 million in Maine. The latest example of its commitment to Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness Region is the reopening of Medawisla Lodge and Cabins on Second Roach Pond. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/medawisla Be smart. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need someone committed to raising the bar, not just passing it. York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for York County accounts for 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family 18% of all single-family homes sold in Maine, according to the Maine Association of Realtors.

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