RETAIL: Cancer claims longtime L.L. Bean leader

Leon Gorman, famed visionary and leader of L.L. Bean, died Thursday at his Yarmouth home surrounded by family. The man who transformed the folksy Freeport outfitter into a global retail powerhouse died of cancer. He was 80.

His passing sparked an outpouring of tributes from Maine’s most notable businesspeople and leaders. They lauded Gorman for the business acumen that brought the company from under $5 million in sales in 1967 to more than $1.5 billion when he stepped down from the presidency in 2001, and for his deep philanthropy and commitment to the environment. During a memorial service on Sept. 13, the flagship store in Freeport will be closed in his honor – only the third time the store has been shuttered in more than 60 years. Read the story.

TOURISM: Saddleback exploring options to stay open

Saddleback Maine is exploring several options for remaining financially viable after a Facebook post Wednesday said the ski resort had “exhausted all reasonable financing options” to replace its aging chairlift. In July, Saddleback said it would not open for the 2015-16 season if it couldn’t raise $3 million within two weeks to replace the 51-year-old Rangeley Double Chair with a high-speed quad that could double the number of skiers moved up the mountain per hour. The post also outlined four scenarios the owners are considering: a potential buyer who would install a new lift this year; another who would keep the resort closed this winter and install a new lift later; two buyers looking to purchase the ski area and run it as is this winter; and a possible option for leasing the resort this winter. The resort’s general manager previously said it had two deals from potential investors on the table. Read the story.

Midcoast tourist train may soon have final run

Central Maine & Quebec Railway on Wednesday won the right to lease the state-owned rail line between Brunswick and Rockland and operate freight service on it. The decision by the Maine Department of Transportation could mean the end for a summer tourist train, which for 12 years has been operated by the Maine Eastern Railroad. Maine Eastern, which previously held the lease and operated freight trains on the line, was the only other bidder. Central Maine & Quebec will take over the rail line Jan. 1. The company has no plans to offer passenger service, said a spokesman for the transportation department. Maine Eastern’s summer excursion trains were subsidized by its more lucrative freight businesses. Read the story.

MANUFACTURING: Paper machines idled as demand plummets

Maine’s paper industry received more bad news last week. Lincoln Paper and Tissue is shutting down one of its three paper machines and laying off 25 people, and in Rumford, an idled paper machine at Catalyst Paper will not restart. The Maine Department of Labor confirmed Monday that the Lincoln mill and its union have contacted the state agency to activate its Rapid Response team, which assists workers facing job losses. The mill employs about 215 people in Lincoln, who make consumer paper products like napkins and towels, and specialty products for health care and industrial uses. The Rumford machine, which was shut down in May temporarily because of low demand for its glossy paper, will now be idled indefinitely, according to a company release. In May the company laid off 51 workers. Read the story.

Visa holding up potential rail project

Construction of a Chinese-owned rail car factory in Massachusetts won’t deter Maine officials from trying to attract a similar project to the former Loring Air Force Base, the head of the Loring Development Authority said Thursday. The redevelopment agency is continuing to work with NORINCO, which builds rail cars and other products in China, on locating a manufacturing facility in northern Maine, said Carl W. Flora, the authority’s president and chief executive officer. But the effort has been delayed because a top company official has been unable to get a visa to come to the United States and work on the project. China’s biggest rail manufacturing company, the China Railway Rolling Stock Corp., broke ground Thursday on a new plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the company has a $566 million contract to manufacture new cars for Boston’s subway system. NORINCO is looking for a place to manufacture freight stock, such as box cars and tanker cars, which would not overlap with the Massachusetts plant’s market, Flora said. NORINCO hasn’t committed to basing its U.S. plant at Loring, he said, but Flora and Sui have signed a preliminary agreement to work toward that end. Read the story.

SECURITY: Hotel reports possible data breach

The Brunswick Hotel & Tavern in Brunswick has notified roughly 2,600 former guests that a malicious program found on the hotel’s computer system may have allowed thieves to steal their payment information. Portland-based Olympia Hotel Management, part of The Olympia Cos., issued letters to former customers on Aug. 28 stating that it had “recently discovered malware on the hotel’s computer systems that may have resulted in unauthorized access to name and payment card information.” The 2,600 guests included about 320 Maine residents. The malware may have been unleashed by an employee unwittingly opening a malicious email attachment, said an Olympia official. The hotel operator said it has not been able to confirm that customer payment information was stolen, nor has it been able to rule out the possibility. It is offering affected guests a year of free credit monitoring service. Olympia has set up a customer incident line at 877-271-1388 for guests who believe they have been affected. Read the story.

TRANSPORTATION: Dairy farms looking for new way to get milk to market

Eight Maine dairy farms are scrambling to find a way to get their milk to market after a hauler told them he plans to drop them from his collection routes.The farmers were told by Jesse Haskell that the routes – one in southern Maine and the other in Waldo County – are no longer profitable and he will most likely drop the farmers at the end of this month. Haulers collect milk from dairy farms and take it to processors. Haskell said on the southern Maine run, his tanker is often only half-full. Oakhurst Dairy said Wednesday that the company is contacting the farmers involved to let them know the dairy is looking into alternatives to get their milk to the processing plant. Read the story.

Ferry service slide continues

Nova Star ferry’s passenger count for August was down 22 percent from the same month last year. The operator, Nova Star Cruises, reported on its website Tuesday that 15,974 passengers rode the ferry between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in August. During its inaugural season last year, 20,513 people traveled on the ferry in August. So far this year, the ferry has carried 37,800 passengers, a 6 percent decrease from the 40,347 the beleaguered ferry had carried at this point last year. The company had hoped for better numbers this summer to prove the ferry service’s viability. The Nova Scotia government, which subsidizes the service, said it will consider bids by other ferry operators and Nova Star for the 2016 season. Read the story.

Copy the Story Link