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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 CHA Consulting Inc. in Albany said it acquired PDT Architects, an archi- tectural, interior design and planning firm in Portland. The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation in Bangor awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine a grant of $10,000 to sup- port and expand its Big Readers pilot program. Fluid Imaging Technologies, a labo- ratory instrumentation manufacturer in Scarborough, earned U.S. Patent No. 7,796,256 for the development of oil immersion-enhanced imag- ing flow cytometry to improve image resolution by 40%. Sage Data Security, an independent cybersecurity firm in Portland, an- nounced that its Security Operations Center now offers 24/7 threat moni- toring and analysis for subscribers of its nDiscovery Managed Threat Detection service. Trafton Road project off I-95 moves forward Waterville's part of a business-gov- ernment partnership to bring business development to the southern end of the city took a step forward when the city council gave initial approval to a tax increment financing district that will help it pay for its share of the project. e city agreed to contribute $500,000 to road improvements for the new Trafton Road interchange at mile 124 of Interstate 95, and rev- enue from the TIF, which comprises three lots totaling 144 acres, will help pay for it. City council unanimously approved the TIF, but it must still be approved by the state Department of Economic Development, the Morning Sentinel reported. e $4.8 million interchange and road improvement project, approved in 2014, was the first under the state's Business Partnership Initiative. Much Q: How can I get more of what I need from others I work with? ACE advises: Frequently, deliberate time is not given to clarifying expectations between peers, bosses and those who report to us. The problems this generates are magnified by growing flexibility in the workplace, more remote relationships and situations with overlapping responsibilities. Often, we learn what others need from us and what we need from others based only on time, experiences together, and from working through problems and difficulties when they occur. No working relationship should be based only on a process of experience and discovery. Take time for a deliberate and serious conversation in which both individu- als, including boss-subordinate relationships, or all team members make some notes about what they need from one another and then talk openly and directly. This becomes the basis for a sort of work contract, though it is not carved in stone and should be revisited periodically. Address topics like how we communicate, what we need from one another in order to meet our responsibilities, how we support one another, how we exchange feedback, how we prefer to address problems and differences when they occur, etc. Talking about this up-front can accelerate a good working relationship and create the basis for effective interactions through which everyone gets more of what they need to do their jobs effectively. A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y J o h n S h o r b , T h e D e l p h i G r o u p I n c . 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. John Shorb is principal and co-founder of the The Delphi Group Inc. in Portland. Maine lawyers. Maine clients. Maine values. Por tland / Kennebunk • 207-775-7271 • 1-800-756-1166 • jbgh.com At Jensen Baird, our commitment is to you. We know what our clients need, because we know Maine. Our lawyers understand the unique challenges of living and doing business here. We aren't part of a huge national firm, we're part of the community. And we've been that way for over 60 years. C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N

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