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 D E C E M B E R 1 1 , 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 From the Editor I n the past year, we have seen some companies soar and others grind to a halt. What separates them is not always clear. Maine's economy fi nally seemed freed from the shackles of the recession, but it wasn't freed from its own demographics — an aging workforce or the chronic need for qualifi ed employees. Still, compa- nies showed a resilience in fi nding a way. "Find a way or make one," as Admiral Robert Peary said. From where I sit, here were the top business stories of 2017: WEX Inc., Maine's second-largest publicly traded company, broke ground on a headquarters on Portland's eastern waterfront. e site will have 450 employees and, as a bonus, WEX will continue to have a presence in South Portland. At a time when cities are clamoring for Amazon HQ2, having WEX reinvest in Maine is a vote of confi dence. Portland's eastern waterfront became Maine's hot- test real estate market. East of Franklin Street, every block seemed to have some kind of construc- tion. ere's the planned addition of corporate headquarters of WEX (see above) and the recent move of Tilson Technology to 16 Middle St. ere are at least three hotels planned, including the AC Hotel by Marriott (due to open in coming months), a 150-room hotel planned by West Elm Hotels at 58 Fore St. and then hotel planned for the surface lot east of the Hampton Inn. As evidence of the hotel market's strength, the Residence Inn by Marriott, smack in the middle of all this, sold for $55.8 million. Add to that planned development at 58 Fore St., the Luminati condos and 20 ames St. condos and you have a bona fi de building boom. at's not even all of it. Growth and growing pains in coastal destinations. In October, Mainebiz featured stories that looked at Belfast, Damariscotta and Wiscasset. Each place has grappled with growth — both the need for it and the need for year-round jobs — but also the inherent challenges that go with devel- opment, including traffi c, higher real estate costs and demand on services. at was our most-read issue of the year, at least based on the feedback we received, both positive and negative. Add to that list the battles going on in Bar Harbor over the cruise ship terminal and in Boothbay over expan- sion at the Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens and the infl ux of investment by Paul Coulombe, who sold White Rock Distilleries for $600 million. ere are doubtless other stories as well, many of which involve far less money, are farther from Portland, with less media coverage and possibly more vision and persistence. And those are the sto- ries we'll be chasing in 2018. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz It's a wrap: Thoughts as we head into 2018 FCHN endorses MaineHealth unification plan Franklin Community Health Network's board of trustees adopted a proposal for the organization to join with other members of the MaineHealth system in forming a single financial and operating model of governance. Under MaineHealth's unifi- cation proposal, pending further approvals, FCHN and nine other members of MaineHealth would be governed by a single board of trustees beginning in January 2019. mainebiz.biz/MaineHealthplan Goodwill's Job Connection program expanding Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has expanded its Job Connection program, which pro- vides both workforce and social support for job seekers, to Augusta. The program matches coun- selors with job seekers, helping them with life skills, finding work and supporting them even after they've found a job. mainebiz.biz/jobconnection Red light for MDOT's demolition A Maine Business and Consumer Court judge has temporar- ily blocked the planned demolition of the former CEI headquarters, acquired by the Maine Department of Transportation to create a public parking area as part of its $5 million plan to ease traffic congestion in downtown Wiscasset. The court has scheduled a Feb. 2 hearing in the case initiated by the Town of Wiscasset. Find out more at mainebiz.biz/MDOThalted bernsteinshur.com Be smart. BE SHUR. When you need a lawyer who thinks like an executive and speaks like a human. There are doubtless other There are doubtless other There are doubtless other There are doubtless other There are doubtless other There are doubtless other There are doubtless other There are doubtless other There are doubtless other stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of stories as well, many of which involve far less money, are farther from Portland, with less media coverage and possibly more vision and persistence. And those are the stories we'll be chasing in 2018.

• Cover