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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 A U G U S T 2 1 , 2 0 1 7 , customers, the Sentinel reported. e project would ultimately sell energy out of state, said Garvan Donegan, an economic development specialist for the Central Maine Growth Council. It would be Maine's largest such project on a closed land ll, Donegan said. e -acre land ll at Webb Road, south of the city's airport, was capped in . e smaller array would be on acres at Webb Road. New nancing secured for western Maine businesses Community Concepts Inc. has secured nancing for a new loan program aimed at small businesses. e South Paris- based organization said the nancing, from Lewiston-based Androscoggin Bank, will be used to grow Community Concepts Finance Corp.'s business lending program, which provides nancial resources, including education and loans to new and existing busi- nesses across Maine. "Working with local funders allows CCFC to be more adaptable," Glen Holmes, director of CCFC, said in a news release. " rough partnerships like this we can move at the speed of business, and as a result better serve our community and clients in real time." CCFC has been recog- nized as a Top Performing Microlender in Maine by the Small Business Administration, and provided loans to Maine businesses through the SBA microloan program totaling more than , in scal year . In total, it invested . million with Maine businesses, creating jobs and pro- vided technical assistance to clients. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N Androscoggin Bank's MainStreet Foundation board of directors an- nounced the recipients of its quarterly impact grants for the second quarter of 2017. A total of $10,600 was awarded to Freeport Community Services in Freeport, LearningWorks in Portland and Susan L. Curtis Charitable Foundation in Portland. Q: What should I do before hiring my fi rst employee? ACE advises: Congratulations! You are at the tipping point of growth and suc- cess, but it can be stressful as well as exciting. You have been in control of every aspect of your business, but to grow you need a team. There are a few things you should do before writing that help-wanted ad: 1. Prepare a growth strategy. A good hire always spurs company growth. Write out two job descriptions — one for you, and one for your new hire. What will your responsibilities be? What jobs will you be delegating? What will they require? What other resources will you need? 2. Write out a list of standard operating procedures. How exactly do you onboard a new client? Send out bills? Answer correspondence and send out propos- als? Having SOPs will help you train your new employee quickly, reducing the person's time being underutilized on your payroll. 3. Create an onboarding process. Set the standard of expectations, excellence and acceleration from Day One. Secure the correct documents from federal and state governments. Consult an attorney or HR expert to ensure your documentation is complete and accurate. The last thing you need is a legal headache by not starting out on the right foot. Hiring your fi rst employee can be greatly rewarding if done correctly. Take the time to do due diligence, set expectations and share your vision and business mission with your new employee. Finally, make the process fun, enjoyable and rewarding — after all, you are now part of a team — your team! A S K AC E A n s w e r e d B y P r i s c i l l a H a n s e n - M a h o n e y , B l a z i n g T r a i l s C o a c h i n g The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a non-profit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Priscilla Hansen-Mahoney, a principal at Blazing Trails Coaching, can be reached at Priscilla@blazingtrailscoaching.com You spoke. We listened. Simple and affordable checking for Maine businesses. mainesavings.com/bizwallet Bangor | Brewer | Corinth | Ellsworth | Hampden Jax Lab | Milo | North Vassalboro | Old Town

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