Blog Archive: June 1, 2020 - June 30, 2020

Social distancing and the choice of wearing a mask in public has become a hotly debated and divisive topic recently.  As the State of Maine looks to re-open our economy, one key aspect not being addressed is consumer confidence.  Through reading social media posts, conversations with friends and discussions with colleagues, the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber discovered this was an issue for the Maine consumer.  If we want to return to any sense of normalcy we need to address concerns the consumers may have so they can feel confident to patronize Maine businesses.  Anecdotally, we knew there was uneasiness from some consumers, but we had no way to gauge how much uneasiness there was, and if it was wide spread or regional.    On the afternoon of June 4, 2020 we released a 20-question online survey created through Survey Planet, to gather consumer attitudes on social distancing in Maine businesses.  Partner agencies statewide also sent the survey out to their contact lists.  Our hope was to get 500 responses in a week to make it a statistically significant survey.  When the survey closed June 12, we had 2,939 responses.   Read more...

Amtrak Downeaster Resumes Limited Service June 15Enters Phase 1 Service Restoration Plan PORTLAND, MAINE – The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) announced yesterday that the Amtrak Downeaster will begin Phase 1 of Service Restoration beginning June 15, 2020. Service will resume with one round trip on weekdays only between Brunswick, ME and Boston, MA: southbound Train 680 and northbound Train 685. Downeaster service has been suspended since April 13, 2020. A number of protocols and procedures have been implemented to protect the health and safety of passengers and crews. Read more...

Bar Harbor Bank & Trust Makes Donation to MaineStream Finance to Support Entrepreneurial Classes for Small Business Owners Bar Harbor, Maine – Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has made a donation to MaineStream Finance to help the nonprofit organization expand their entrepreneurial classes for small business owners. The gift will also be used for microbusiness technical assistance and succession planning in support of successful entrepreneurial growth in Central and Downeast Maine. Read more...

Our Wayfair Brunswick facility has an immediate need for 18 full time Customer Service Consultants at our customer contact center to start in June and July…. In order to protect our employees and keep them safe and healthy, employees will start with Wayfair in a work-from-home capacity, eventually transitioning to our physical sites when we reopen… Starting Wage: $16/hour, plus opportunity to earn up to $18/hour with additional training in the first year, bonuses and overtime opportunities Medical, Dental and Vision insurance programs. We have multiple medical plans to choose from and Wayfair covers ~65% of premiums for medical insurance, and 100% of vision and dental insurances. 401k with matching Life Insurance Disability Coverage Wellness & Employee Assistance Programs Read more...

Maine Maritime Museum is excited to announce that we will be reopening to the public on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Museum staff have been preparing the 20-acre campus in accordance with all guidelines from the state of Maine and developing fun new ways for guests to experience Maine’s maritime culture. “We know people have been missing the museum, and we have been missing you too! We are grateful for the support we’ve received from friends near and far, and we’re so excited to open our doors and welcome everyone back. We are fortunate to have acres of outdoor space for our visitors to explore, and with 2020 being Maine’s bicentennial, it’s the perfect time to come discover our state’s maritime history,” said Katie Spiridakis, marketing and communications manager.   To accommodate physical distancing guidelines Read more...