Steve deCastro

Finalists in the 12th edition of the annual LaunchPad contest include mainelove, a Westbrook-based brand of canned water sourced from Sebago Lake, and CarHop, a Portland-based restaurant delivery service.

Applications for the 12th edition of the annual contest are due by Aug. 14, and finalists will be notified in late September.

The enlarged bank, now known as Maine Community Bank, employs more than 370 people, and has branches in Cumberland, Androscoggin and York counties. 

Alivo, winner of the 2024 small business pitch contest, is an AI-powered sales assistant for home services providers.

Five finalists will be selected to compete for a $50,000 grant at a live event on Oct. 22 in Portland.

Trust and security are at the core of services provided by banks, write guest authors Steve deCastro and Jim Roche. In the old days, that meant bank vaults. Today, most bank robberies happen online.

Prospective homebuyers are frustrated by higher rates and tight inventory; Great Falls Construction moves ahead on Berwick development; Avesta Housing gets grant from Gorham Savings.

The merged entity would have nearly $2.7 billion in assets and become Maine's second-largest mutual savings bank.

Applications for this year's edition of the annual business-pitch contest are due by Thursday, Aug. 24.

Katie Harris serves as chief government affairs officer for MaineHealth. In this role, she has led all government and regulatory efforts at the local, state and federal levels.