Quincy Hentzel

The in-person event, scheduled for May 21 in Portland, will provide hands-on instruction for independently owned businesses with three or fewer locations.

Newcomers to Congress Street include a collectibles and trading card store, two coffee shops and a vendor of magazine titles from around the globe.

What’s driving Maine's housing shortage and what approaches are helping to turn the tide were highlighted at a forum in Portland last week.

Greater Portland enters 2026 with a strong economic foundation and a vibrant business community, yet employers face very real pressures, according to Quincy Hentzel, president and CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

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.

Breaking down the financial toll of severe weather events, the head of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute noted that repairing disabled critical infrastructure is “very expensive."

Mainebiz asked more than a dozen movers and shakers what they are most grateful for this year. Their answers were as varied as Chef Snoopy’s whimsical dishes in “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”

“This project fuels regional growth by paving the way for expanded service that will benefit businesses, commuters, visitors and our communities across Greater Portland,” said one observer.

A software program that tracks shopper activity shows that Maine's only Costco brought more traffic to nearly 1,000 area businesses during its first year in operation.