Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 7 A U G U S T 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 in Rhode Island would pay the highest premium, with average farmland at ,, well over the national average. As always, with farmland, experts cau- tion that you have to buy land suitable to the crops you wish to grow, in the climate that will match your goals. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration awarded a State Pipeline Safety Base grant of $303,037 to the Maine Public Utilities Commission. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said the town of Winslow and the city of Rockland received $650,000 in federal infrastructure investments from the Northern Border Regional Commission. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services received $2.4 mil- lion for the Maine Center for Disease Control's Cancer Prevention and Control Programs. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Vets First Choice buys two pharmacies Within weeks of securing a mil- lion public capital infusion, Direct Vet Marketing, doing business as Vets First Choice, said it bought two pharmaceu- tical practices to boost its prescription management business. e company services , U.S. veterinary prac- tices for prescription management and , others who want its information software and data services. e acquisi- tion of Roadrunner Pharmacy and Atlas Pharmaceuticals, both of Arizona, are part of a global initiative for it to profes- sionalize prescription management ser- vices for veterinary practices. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Vets First Choice had employees at the end of , and aims to have by the end of this year. Revenue was . million in , the last time the privately held company released numbers. Hussey Seating hits record $100M in revenue Hussey Seating Co. reported record revenue of million for its most recent scal year. e family owned company also had its largest pro t- sharing contribution for its employees. A chunk of business in Nashville con- tributed to the York County company's strong year: It replaced , seats in Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL Tennessee Titans, and , seats in Bridgestone Arena, home to the NHL's Nashville Predators. Even with that, Hussey's primary market isn't the professional event venue market, but rather the K- and college and university market for space-saving S O U T H E R N Portland call center plans to fill 120 jobs — We'll take it METRO announces ambitious westward expansion plans — A key transportation link for USM students A $5.65M revamp of Portland's Woodfords Corner to start next week — A much-needed makeover A college degree for under $10K? One UMaine campus says yes — How refreshing Job fair at Bangor casino promises signing bonuses for some positions — The jobs are out there Millinocket nursing shortfall could result in one-day strike — There must be some middle ground Lewiston's Agora Grand Event Center goes on the market — At $1.2 million, it could be a tough sell Mechanization, market glut mean fewer blueberry workers — Can the industry rebound? Some L/A merger opponents call for boycott of pro-merger businesses — C'mon, man Former union official indicted over embezzled funds — Enjoying the fruits of others' labor C R E D I T S & D E B I T S

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