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V O L . X X I I I N O. X X V I O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E International Ltd., a Chicago- based insurance brokerage with 400 offi ces. Terms of the acquisi- tion were not disclosed. Graff am specializes in employee benefi ts and primarily serves businesses in Maine and New Hampshire. It was founded by Kristen King in 2003. A year ago, Hub acquired the assets of Norton Insurance and Financial in Cumberland. at deal included Norton's offi ces in Winthrop, Brunswick and Portsmouth, N.H. At the time, Hub said it was looking to expand its presence in northern New England. Second Brunswick aviation fi rm faces legal issues A British investment company has sued the parent company of Tempus Jets, an aircraft refurbisher located at Brunswick Landing, alleging the company has failed to repay $9.7 million in loans. e Bangor Daily News reported that the lawsuit fi led by Greensill Capital Ltd. in U.S. District Court in Virginia alleges that Tempus failed to pay an October 2014 loan for more than $9.66 million plus interest and charges the com- pany and its principals Jack Gulbin and Scott Terry with breach of con- tract. Terry, CEO of Tempus Applied Solutions, told BDN in an email he was aware of the lawsuit but wouldn't comment on it other than to say "negotiations are currently underway to resolve the issue between the par- ties and it has no real eff ect on our operations in Brunswick." Tempus, which is based in Virginia, signed a lease for space at Brunswick Landing in September 2013, indicating at that time that it planned to have 50 employees working there by the end of 2014. Another of the business park's tenants, Kestrel Aircraft, was evicted for failing to pay rent for at least a year. It also faces possible legal action by the state of Wisconsin and the city of Superior, Wisc., over mil- lions in defaulted loans. N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N Maine Solutions Federal Credit Union opened a branch at 209B Western Ave. in South Portland. Q: One of our senior designers wants to work at home but we're worried that would hurt staff morale. How should we handle it? ACE advises: Work at home, often called work in place, is an increasing trend. It can result in happier and more productive staff as well as better management and better employee retention. Start by creating a "work in place agreement" that spells out communica- tion and work arrangements. It should cover hours and when the employee can be reached. It should specify a dedicated workplace and may require a weekly "signifi cant events" report to keep other employees aware of what this employee is doing. Actually, requiring such a report from all staff can be helpful. Signifi cant events are not just accomplishments, but may include warning of problems that have not been addressed, observations of some national or cultural trends, and anything else that could become signifi cant. The biggest culture change involves the habit of management by proximity. Just because I see Jane and Harry in their cubicles doesn't mean they are pro- ductively addressing business problems. They could be caught up in all manner of concerns important from home and elsewhere. Instead, managers need to contract with staff to produce certain results, create awareness of the status of customer relationships, or work in other ways towards very specifi c goals. I may see my "remote" employees, but I could cer- tainly tell when they had addressed the goals. The contract needs to be amended when the understanding of goals changes. With such measures in place, staff should recognize the work done by remote employees, just as they value work of colleagues they see regularly. A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y A r t h u r F i n k , A r t h u r F i n k C o n s u l t 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. Arthur Fink, principal at Arthur Fink Consulting, can be reached at arthur@arthurfink.com To register or for more information visit www.mainebiz.biz/addiction Jill Rivas HR Director, Crooker Construction Dr. Jonathan Fellers Maine Behavioral HealthCare Katy Rand Partner, Pierce Atwood Melissa Skahan Vice President of Mission Integration, Mercy Mike Bourque CEO, MEMIC PA N E L I S T S M O D E R AT O R Thursday, November 30 7:30–10:30am | Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland PRESEN T ING SP ONSOR SUPP OR T ING SP ONSORS FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #MBAddiction17 Early bird tickets are $25 ($30 after October 31) and include breakfast. A panel of professionals from the legal, HR, compliance, and health care industries take on this important topic to provide employers insight and help to deal with addiction in the workplace. You're invited to the 2017 Mainebiz Addiction in the Workplace Forum!

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