CEO Melissa Smith says the company is positioned to ride market cycles in part by investing in technology, including AI.
Kelley Bouchard
Staff Writer
Kelley writes about some of the most critical aspects of Maineโs economy and future growth, including transportation, immigration, retail and small business, commercial development and tourism, with emphasis on consumer issues, sustainability and minority ownership. Her wider experience includes municipal and state government, education, history, human rights, health and elder care, the environment and the housing crisis. A Maine native and University of Maine graduate, she was a college intern for two summers at the former Lewiston Evening Journal. She previously worked at the Ipswich Chronicle, Beverly Times and Salem Evening News in Massachusetts. Favorite pastimes include gardening, cooking for family and friends, streaming foreign TV series and kayaking at camp.
Maine Turnpike Authority has 35% of Gorham Connector land in hand
The proposed regional toll road’s route, announced this week, would extend from Maine Turnpike Exit 45 in South Portland to the Gorham Bypass at Route 114 in Gorham, but opponents say it’s a faulty fix for traffic congestion.
Wymanโs installs 35-acre solar farm to power Down East operations
It’s one of the largest, if not the largest, solar farms in Maine hosted by a business to power its own facilities.
Scarborough retirement community went 10 days without postal service, residents say
More than 300 residences went without mail, delaying the receipt of prescription medications, tax documents and more. A Postal Service spokesperson disputed the length of the delay.
Maine’s highest court vacates termination of mother’s parental rights
The justices found that the state failed to provide critical nursing services that the child was legally entitled to receive and could have made a difference in the case.
MDOT to start pilot commuter bus service between Portland and Lewiston-Auburn
The goal is to begin the service by June and attract some of the hundreds of workers who are traveling that route daily.
Breeze Airways adds new services from Portland to North Carolina and Florida
New offerings include a seasonal route to Raleigh-Durham and one-stop, no-plane-change service to Jacksonville.
Acadia National Park numbers were down in 2023 for second year in a row
But the Bar Harbor area is still benefiting from a post-pandemic tourism boom and working to address visitor congestion during peak season.
Over 95,000 Maine households may soon lose internet subsidy
Supporters of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program are fighting to extend funding that’s set to end April 30.
Gov. Mills honors 4 Maine businesses for excellence
The 2023 Governor’s Awards for Business Excellence went to firms committed to their communities and their employees.