FocusMaine

Similar to rock stars taking breaks from touring and college graduates spending a “gap year” to travel or volunteer, a growing number of business and nonprofit leaders are giving themselves time-outs of a year or more to reset.

Forecasts run the gamut from the specter of a recession to a dose of practical optimism from a coffee entrepreneur.

Business leaders from around the state have varying expectations for the coming year.

A new program at the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs aims to help emerging food and drink brands get off the ground.

The goal is to provide education around farmed seafood’s contributions to Maine and the regulations governing it.

Maine Career Catalyst has enrolled over 3,200 summer interns across over 140 Maine employers since the program’s start in 2017.

There was a smorgasbord of winners at the 2024 Golden Fork Awards, announced Friday during the Maine Food Producer Showcase in Portland.

From openings in Westbrook, Saco, and South Portland to a seafood event to a petition to save a bakery in Cape Elizabeth, Maine's food scene has been busy.

FocusMaine is now focused on ramping up its work to increase collaboration in each industry.

FocusMaine added Kristen Miale, the former president of the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, and Amanda Rector, the state economist for Maine, to its board.