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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 M AY 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 Sea Bags opens Rockland store Sea Bags, designers and manufactur- ers of handmade items from recycled sails, opened a store in Rockland that will feature regionally specifi c products in addition to its standard designs, totes and bags. e year- round store will be at 371 Main St. and is Sea Bags' 1th store. Founded in 1, Sea Bags is based in Portland at 25 Custom House Wharf. Its founder and COO Beth Shissler and CEO Don Oakes were honored as U.S. Small Business Administration's 2018 Maine Small Business Persons of the Year. In addition to Rockland and Portland, Sea Bags has retail stores in Freeport and Camden; Portsmouth, N.H.; Newburyport, Rockport, Chatham, Mashpee, Oak Bluff s and Boston, Mass.; Mystic, Conn.; Newport, R.I.; Greenport, N.Y.; Cape May, N.J.; and Annapolis, Md. Front Street Shipyard begins long-awaited expansion Front Street Shipyard in Belfast will start work on its long-planned Building , which will be tall enough to allow the shipyard's 85-ton mobile hoist — the largest hoist in northern New England — to drive boats inside. Front Street purchased a city-owned parking lot and secured a loan to construct a 22,500-square foot build- ing. e . million facility, which should be completed by this fall, will accommodate large yacht refi ts and commercial vessel construction projects while adding 0 full-time jobs. e city of Belfast fi nanced the shipyard's purchase of the property and Androscoggin Bank will fi nance the construction. Once completed, 207-784-3159 888-593-6328 www.northeastchartertour.com info@northeastchartertour.com Crown Limousine & Towne Car Service 207-783-8799 www.crownlimomaine.com info@crownlimomaine.com Motorcoach x School Bus x Limousine x Town Car x Trolley Trolley & Transportation Co. 235 Goddard Road • Lewiston, ME 04240 northeastchartertour.com Providing Transportation and Charter services for groups of all sizes since 1999 207-594-9300 www.meetthefleet.com info@northeastchartertour.com UNE launches Institute for North Atlantic Studies B y M a i n e b i z S t a f f B I D D E F O R D — The University of New England launched a program to develop research, industry and community partnerships to meet shared challenges and opportunities throughout the North Atlantic region. UNE President James Herbert was joined by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and other stakeholders in announcing the launch of UNE North: The Institute for North Atlantic Studies, which will be based at 1075 Forest Ave. in Portland. "With a changing climate and myriad international inter- ests in the region, the Arctic presents both great challenges and great potential for our collective future," King said in news release. "That's why it's so important we teach the next generation of leaders about the High North, so we can foster cooperation among nations, protect the environment, defend our national security interests, and ensure economic development is responsible and sustainable. With the launch of UNE North, we are harnessing the innovative potential of students and researchers in Maine and further establishing our state as leader in the Arctic region." Herbert pointed to the demographic, geographic, climatic and cultural similarities between Maine and North Atlantic Nordic countries such as Iceland. "Recognizing shared environmental and public health challenges and common business and education opportu- nities, Maine is poised to take a leading role in developing innovative partnerships that support thriving environments, economies, and communities," he said. "Through UNE North, the University of New England will convene stakeholders from across the North Atlantic region to bring their combined curi- osity and creativity to bear on health, social, environmental and economic challenges." One of UNE North's inaugural academic programs, a pro- fessional science master's degree in ocean food systems, will partner with two Icelandic universities, University of Akureyi and with Holar University College, to train leaders for Maine's seafood economy. Other undergraduate, graduate and professional educa- tional programs will be designed to address specifi c shared challenges and opportunities in the region. UNE North will also develop collaborative research and policy initiatives with other universities, governments, non-governmental organizations and businesses. "The potential for collaboration in the North Atlantic region is endless," UNE North Executive Director Barry Costa-Pierce said. "UNE's broad research and education strengths, com- bined with our entrepreneurial spirit and ability to execute, make us uniquely suited to shepherd partnerships needed to develop sustainable solutions to the region's problems." An advisory council comprised of leaders from across Maine will help guide UNE North's development. "The UNE North initiative is an important one for Maine and the region," said advisory council member Dana Eidsness, director of the Maine North Atlantic Development Offi ce. "UNE's innovative culture and history of building strong rela- tionships with businesses and communities will serve UNE North well as it develops the partnerships and programs needed to help Maine and the region grow and thrive." UNE North's headquarters and classrooms on Forest Avenue are within walking distance to convention spaces at UNE's Innovation Hall. The initiative also will have access to UNE's state-of-the-art marine and health sciences research facilities, and will utilize global classroom technology to network with students, researchers, industry, indigenous peoples and policy and government leaders across the region. "UNE North — its students, researchers, business, and community partners — is an invitation to collaborate and create the sustainable solutions to help Maine and its neigh- bors thrive," Herbert said. B R I E F P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y U N I V E R S I T Y O F N E W E N G L A N D UNE President James Herbert was joined by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, and other stakeholders in announcing the launch of UNE North: The Institute for North Atlantic Studies. M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T

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