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 N OV E M B E R 2 7 , 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 EMHS joins federal lawsuit Brewer-based Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems has joined the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges and America's Essential Hospitals in pursuing legal action to prohibit the federal Department of Health and Human Services's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services from implementing dramatic pay- ment reductions for medications purchased through the 340B pharmaceutical discount program. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/EMHSlawsuit CMBG's $30M expansion hits speed bump In a 3-2 decision, the Boothbay Board of Appeals rescind- ed the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' permit for a $30 million expansion that has already begun. Court seems the likely next stop for CMBG, which says it has complied with the town's zoning ordinance and needs the expansion to accommodate a five-fold increase in annual visitors since its opening 10 years ago. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/CMBG High-stakes competition for BIW Bath Iron Works is one of six compa- nies to bid on a contract to build 20 Navy frigates worth an estimated $19 billion. Design proposals are due Dec. 18 for build- ing a new class of guided-missile frigates that are expected to cost up to $950 million per vessel. To find out more go to mainebiz.biz/BIWfrigate Be smart. BE SHUR. bernsteinshur.com When you need someone committed to raising the bar, not just passing it. It takes a village to raise a business From the Editor A merican Roots is one of several businesses Mainebiz honored recently at our Next event. ere was co-owner Benjamin Waxman with his wife and business partner, Whitney Reynolds, and their young son — all standing before a crowd of a couple hundred people gathered at O'Maine Studios. Whitney was sick and didn't feel she could be there, but was. In accepting the award, Ben made his point to thank the many people who have been instrumen- tal in American Roots' success, including the apparel company's immigrant workforce, his wife and his mom. Next honorees thanked employees and their law- yers, bankers and accountants — each as important as the next. But it was the friends and family members that came out that really showed the depth of sup- port. Developer Jim Brady brought his in-laws. Front Street Shipyard's JB Turner had his dad and brother, who had driven up from Connecticut. Jen Fullmer of Boots2Roots drove her dad to the event, also from Connecticut. e four Buck Brothers gathered an entou- rage of loved ones from Aroostook County and Portland. Jessica Masse and John Haff ord of designlab brought friends with common Millinocket interests. Alas, Dan Kleban of Maine Beer Co. was not able to bring his brother, David, who was also being honored but had another commitment. But at least he's with him every day at work. In Maine, where so many people are related by blood, hometown, school, volunteer work, town committees, boards or summer camp, it should be acknowledged that we all have a hand in the for- tunes of businesses large and small. You could say the defi nition of family business may be broader here, but it's also farther reaching. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz I have been reading Mainebiz for many years. Lately, I have been disappointed by not only the focus on southern Maine, but your general ignorance about "northern" Maine. (FYI, the geographic centroid of the state is Millinocket.) What fi nally caused me to write was the recent story on Belfast. Somehow a shoe store was the lead — very strange, followed by long departed MBNA. e capper was the scant coverage of athena- health, which you described as a "provider of internet business services for Massachusetts physicians" and later a "call center." While perhaps technically correct, those descriptions are highly misleading. For starters athena's Belfast campus supports 900 jobs. I think it is fair to say it is these jobs that have revitalized Belfast — certainly more so than the shoe store or Front Street! Last I knew athena Belfast was the single largest "post offi ce" in Maine — larger than L.L.Bean — pro- cessing over 4,000 pounds of mail daily. e company has eight offi ces including two in India. ey provide an array of services to over 100,000 providers nation- wide, including a few, I am sure, in Massachusetts! Randall Poulton Winterport To the Editor Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people Where so many people are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be are related, it should be acknowledged that we all have a hand in the fortunes of businesses large and small.

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