Biz Beat
DEANS OF BUSINESS
Is your business Internet savvy?
By Tom Hutchison on Oct. 21, 2011, at 2:35 p.m.
We have all witnessed the impact of the Internet on commerce: Blockbuster yields to NetFlix, Amazon pushes out Barnes & Noble and Borders and iTunes surpasses Walmart to become the top music retailer. The Pew Center for Research reports that 79 percent of U.S. adults use the Internet, two-thirds of ...
WOMEN@WORK
Self-employment can provide a path from welfare to self-support
By Wendy Rose on Sept. 29, 2011, at 5:52 p.m.
People who need public assistance to get through rough financial times are desperately searching for ways to support their families and move out of poverty. Often their circumstances are very challenging: Their partner has left (along with that income); they have run out of unemployment benefits; they have health problems ...
Looking for growth in Maine’s agricultural economy
By Stephanie Welcomer on Sept. 23, 2011, at 5:45 p.m.
Maine’s agricultural sector has played a prominent role in the state’s economy, culture and environment for more than a century. Of Maine’s approximately 20 million acres, about 1.35 million are devoted to some aspect of farming. Figures from the 2007 United States Department of Agriculture Census indicate Maine’s 8,100 farms ...
Cooperation brings Maine manufacturing success
By Michael W. Aube on Sept. 22, 2011, at 4:23 p.m.
This week hundreds of former millworkers in northern Penobscot County learned they will have jobs this October. Resurrecting the mill had, many times, seemed like an impossible task. But through the collaborative effort of government, organized labor and business, an operation that will have a significant positive impact on Penobscot ...
DEANS OF BUSINESS
The entrepreneur in all of us
By Nancy Forster-Holt on Sept. 16, 2011, at 1:37 p.m.
Most U.S. companies are small. Ninety percent employ fewer than 20 employees, and 99 percent employ 500 or fewer. I tell my entrepreneurship students that, odds are, many of them will not work for a large employer. In fact, the chances are very good that they will work for a ...
WOMEN @ WORK
Take this job and love it — The island business
By Jenn Dobransky on Sept. 15, 2011, at 5:41 p.m.
Every time I sit with my grandmother in her island home in midcoast Maine, she tells me stories: stories of dramatic weather, and of fishing and of her father, my great-grandfather, an island fisherman. Her memories are steeped in island traditions and history where the land, water and weather all ...
DEANS OF BUSINESS
Cut out-of-state tuition to spur economic growth
By Joseph McDonnell on Sept. 09, 2011, at 9:14 p.m.
North Dakota recognized that half-empty classrooms were like vacancies in hotel rooms.
DEANS OF BUSINESS
Play the cards you’re dealt or up the ante, with higher ed
By John F. Mahon on Sept. 02, 2011, at 9:17 p.m.
September is a time of hope and promise. The arrival of late summer and fall usually sees thousands of students at all levels returning to school. In the primary education area (elementary through high school) the focus is on preparing students, essentially, with skills needed for life no matter what ...
WOMEN@WORK
Breaking new ground: Women in construction
By Eloise Vitelli on Sept. 01, 2011, at 5:31 p.m.
Looking for an unusual business opportunity? A recent report suggests more women are turning to the construction industry for their livelihood. Between 1997 and 2011, the number of women-owned construction companies increased faster than all but two other industries, according to the American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses Report ...
DEANS OF BUSINESS
If a crisis comes, is your business ready?
By Ronald A. Nykiel on Aug. 26, 2011, at 5:21 p.m.
Are you prepared for a crisis? Every individual, business, and yes, even the state of Maine, should and can be prepared. Crisis management should be high on the list of management and leadership responsibilities. A crisis can cause any organization to suffer revenue declines, loss of consumer and investment community ...
Plan for the unexpected with the right legal documents
By Brent R. Slater on Aug. 22, 2011, at 5:30 p.m.
Most of us are aware that we are mortal. Most of us know that we could someday become unable to attend to our affairs for any number of reasons. We think and talk freely about buying a home, taking an expensive vacation or about when and where to retire, but ...
DEANS OF BUSINESS
Is Maine developing a work force for its future?
By Joseph McDonnell on Aug. 12, 2011, at 1:33 p.m.
Last week, Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce released “The College Payoff,” a report that answers the question “what is a college degree worth?” Of course, a college degree cannot be measured solely by its earning power because developing the mind is its own reward. But looked at ...
DEANS OF BUSINESS
Tourism: The motor of diversity and prosperity
By Ronald A. Nykiel on July 22, 2011, at 5:38 p.m.
On Father’s Day my wife treated me to lunch in Bar Harbor. I had been coming to Maine for more than 30 years as a tourist and then just could not stand it any longer and permanently moved to the beautiful Pine Tree State. As we were enjoying lunch while ...
Where ‘running government like a business’ works — and doesn’t
By James Shaffer on July 15, 2011, at 6:07 p.m.
In my last column on June 11, I wrote about the three main socioeconomic sectors in our economy: private, public and non-profit. Each serves a different role. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. And each contributes in different ways to our quality of life. I posed the question: What happens ...
Passing on your assets can be matter of trust
By Brent R. Slater on July 11, 2011, at 8:29 p.m.
When thoughts turn to determining who gets what after one dies, most people tend to think of a will. But there are also advantages to establishing a “living trust” — though there has been plenty of false information put out about their supposed benefits. When assets are transferred to a ...
DEANS OF BUSINESS
Sowing the seeds of Maine’s economy
By John F. Mahon on July 01, 2011, at 5:45 p.m.
It is summer in Maine, and driving around the state we can see farmers working in their fields, planting their crops. American author George Woodbury once observed: “No farmer ever plowed a field by turning it over in his mind.” In one short sentence Woodbury drew the precise, clear line ...
Energy efficiency for your business: it’s the lease you can do
By Steven Gagnon on June 24, 2011, at 5:30 p.m.
With rising heating and energy prices combined with a growing appreciation for the environment and the need to conserve, many business and building owners are looking for ways to increase energy efficiency without going broke in the process. While outright purchasing and installing energy-saving equipment such as HVAC, heat-pumps, or solar ...
One approach to estate planning
By Brent R. Slater on June 20, 2011, at 6:50 p.m.
In my experience, most people want the disposition of their property at their death to be quite simple. They may have a favorite charity or two, or a special nephew, niece or grandchild to provide for, but by and large they want to leave their estate to their surviving spouse, ...
DEANS OF BUSINESS
Government, private enterprise, nonprofit — what’s the difference?
By James Shaffer on June 10, 2011, at 3:19 p.m.
In an effort to find solutions for the painful, ongoing recession, Maine’s governor and some national politicians are seeking to run government by the methods of for-profit businesses. This raises an interesting issue, because the values and purposes inherent in government and the private sector are different, yet both entities contribute ...
Higher-education institutions can play key role in economic growth
By Michael W. Aube on June 02, 2011, at 7:21 p.m.
Addressing an enthusiastic crowd at the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, Carbonite CEO David Friend announced that the company is investing in the Lewiston-Auburn area with an immediate objective of hiring up to 50 people by summer’s end. The company plans to add an additional 250 “help desk” positions by ...
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Maple syrup producers concerned about mild winter
Maine inspires chefs and foodies nationwide
Photos of Mainers who served in Vietnam War needed for national center
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