The Queen City
Sometimes we have to really shake the bushes to come up with good story ideas for our focus sections, the section of each issue of Mainebiz that highlights a particular industry or geographic area. But that's never the case when the focus is the greater Bangor area.
It seems Bangor has really come into its own in the past few years. Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems continues to push innovation in the delivery of health care, especially in rural Maine. The Waterfront Concert series, Kahbang, Fusion, festivals, the casino and now the opening of the Cross Insurance Center and its inaugural lineup of performances brings the entertainment spotlight to Bangor. And there are impressive players in the business sector, such as C&L Aerospace, Qualey Granite & Quartz and Sargent Corp., all of whom we recently profiled.
So in Bangor's case, there's almost too much to choose from for a focus section.
This year, we were particularly taken with the Target Technology Center at the University of Maine in Orono. The incubator is home to about a half dozen evolving companies that are developing innovative products and services with the help of the center's administrative services, technical expertise and low rent. See what Staff Writer Lori Valigra discovered on a recent visit there in our cover story, “Hatching a future.”
We also drop in on Ryan Hatch, a Brewer native who returned to Maine with his family for a better quality of life, and who, with his wife, purchased a failing family amusement center in Bangor. Two years later, they are reporting revenues of just under $1 million and are ready to launch three franchises outside Maine. They tell Contributing Writer Craig Idlebrook about lessons learned in “Playing the bounce."
And Senior Writer Jim McCarthy spent some time with Scott Phillips, a member of the Penobscot Nation who has won eight national championships for whitewater canoeing and owns an outdoor sporting company in Old Town. Scott showed Jim some of the places along the Penobscot River that are newly opened for recreational activities thanks to the demolition of the Great Works Dam, and spoke of the potential for more recreational uses as the Veazie Dam comes down as well. Read the story, “Growing with the flow.”
Back in Portland, we chat with Tom Landry, a broker with Benchmark Real Estate,who is trying something different in the realty world. Tom has teamed with friends who run Portland Discovery Tours to offer tours of available properties that are integrated with stops at local businesses, eateries and cultural spots. The idea, says Tom, is that you're not selling a house, you're selling a community. See what he told Online Editor Darren Fishell in On the Record.
And finally, mark your calendars for Sept. 19, when we celebrate our five Women to Watch honorees. Sandra Stone, Claire Kiedrowski, Shannon Kinney, Beverly Neugebauer and Dr. Barbara Slager are doing remarkable things with their companies. (Need a refresher? Check out the Aug. 5 issue) Come to our reception at the Portland Club in Portland for an evening of inspiration. Registration details are at mainebiz.biz/womentowatch.
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