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Mainebiz is proud to present the 2024 Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year. We think you'll be fascinated to learn about these 12 remarkable individuals. As you'll see, they span the state and come from a diverse range of industries, including the nonprofit sector. From entrepreneurs to educators, from people who are beginning their careers to people who are retired, this year's class is an impressive bunch.
A 2024 Business Leader of the Year, Melissa LaCasse, secured $3.2 million in pre-seed funding and used her skills in distribution, business development and strategic planning to position Tanbark for success.
Under the direction of this 2024 Business Leader of the Year, the food business incubator and shared manufacturing and processing facility, moved to a large facility and is on track to enroll 100 members by June.
The Breaking Barriers Award goes to a 2024 Business Leader of the Year who helped grow the Somali Bantu Community Association from a seedling group to a thriving collaboration of New American farmers.
Among the 2024 Business Leaders of the Year is the leader of the Ecology School, a nonprofit environmental living and learning center in Saco. Drew Dumsch has been directing the school through a transformation mode.
The first-ever Mainebiz Volunteer of the Year, one of the 2024 Business Leaders of the Year, is a shining light to fellow survivors of domestic abuse through her work with Finding Our Voices, a grassroots nonprofit based in Camden.
For over 20 years, Anne Heros — the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient among the 2024 Business Leaders of the Year — was the center’s executive director, guiding local and national grief services.
Leigh Saufley, dean of the University of Maine School of Law, offers an update on enrollment at the state's only law school, this year's graduating class and the school's Rural Practice Clinic in Fort Kent that opened in early 2023.
Employee Stock Ownership Plans have become increasingly popular among Maine businesses. Now ACE columnist Priscilla Hansen Mahoney offers some suggestions about how ESOPs can maximize returns for shareholders.
For its 30th anniversary, Mainebiz looks back at the business climate in 1994, including some businesses that have grown since then.
Some of the best quotes from the 2024 Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year.
A roundup of new hires, promotions and achievements at Maine's businesses, nonprofits, professional services firms and health care institutions.
With the election of Donald Trump to a second term as president, it seems likely that the United States will impose significant tariffs on imported goods and materials.
A tariff is a tax, of course — though not truly a sales tax, as it's been called. For American businesses and consumers, however, the effect could be the same.
Under Trump's plan, businesses would have to pay a tariff of 10% to 20% on anything they import, and as much as 60% on imports from China. Typically, such extra costs get passed along to customers in the form of higher prices.
When other countries retaliate with tariffs of their own on U.S. exports, the effect is compounded.
The Peterson Institute for International Economics, a nonpartisan think tank, issued an analysis in September of what all this could mean.
Among the findings: "Assuming other governments respond in kind, Trump’s 10 percentage point increase results in U.S. real GDP that is 0.9 percent lower than otherwise by 2026, and U.S. inflation rises 1.3 percentage points above baseline in 2025."
The Giving Guide helps nonprofits have the opportunity to showcase and differentiate their organizations so that businesses better understand how they can contribute to a nonprofit’s mission and work.
Learn MoreWork for ME is a workforce development tool to help Maine’s employers target Maine’s emerging workforce. Work for ME highlights each industry, its impact on Maine’s economy, the jobs available to entry-level workers, the training and education needed to get a career started.
Learn MoreFew people are adequately prepared for all the tasks involved in planning and providing care for aging family members. SeniorSmart provides an essential road map for navigating the process. This resource guide explores the myriad of care options and offers essential information on topics ranging from self-care to legal and financial preparedness.
Learn moreThe Giving Guide helps nonprofits have the opportunity to showcase and differentiate their organizations so that businesses better understand how they can contribute to a nonprofit’s mission and work.
Work for ME is a workforce development tool to help Maine’s employers target Maine’s emerging workforce. Work for ME highlights each industry, its impact on Maine’s economy, the jobs available to entry-level workers, the training and education needed to get a career started.
Few people are adequately prepared for all the tasks involved in planning and providing care for aging family members. SeniorSmart provides an essential road map for navigating the process. This resource guide explores the myriad of care options and offers essential information on topics ranging from self-care to legal and financial preparedness.
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