TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Digital conversion for Spectrum customers underway

A year from now, some Spectrum customers in Maine will see their annual bill increase by $90 or more in the wake of the cable giant’s conversion to an all-digital system, which is rolling out in Greater Portland this week. All TVs will require cable boxes to receive Spectrum channels after it begins sending signals digitally. Customers who had been connecting a cable line directly to their TVs will have to get cable boxes, which will be free at first. But after a year, the company will start charging rent for the boxes, which will range from $7.50 to $11.75 a month. Spectrum has sent letters and emails and has run ads on its cable system to alert customers to the change. The conversion will begin Tuesday in Portland and Nov. 13 in South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, with all changeovers completed by the end November, according to a company spokesman. Read the story.

RETAIL

L.L. Bean beefing up presence in Canada

L.L. Bean is looking to sell more parkas, sweaters, flannel and mittens in Canada as part of its strategy for a return to sales growth. The 106-year-old retailer’s iconic boot and other products will be sold in 30 stores in Canada this holiday season, and in L.L. Bean-branded stores opening over the next decade. The company also has launched a dedicated website for Canadian customers that incorporates duties and smooths out currency fluctuations. The deal, inked last week, makes sense because L.L. Bean has a strong customer base in Canada and its cold-weather gear and outdoor focus are a good fit, CEO Steve Smith said. Read the story.

MANUFACTURING

Maine-made footwear headed to military recruits

The first shipment of athletic shoes made by New Balance for the U.S. Department of Defense was sent this month as part of a new contract that fulfills a federal law requiring the military to outfit new recruits with American-made apparel. About 206,000 pairs of a new model of shoe – the 950v2 – made by New Balance will be shipped in total, officials said Tuesday during a tour and visit from members of Maine’s congressional delegation. The shoe is 100 percent American-made and will be used to fulfill a $17.3 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide athletic shoes for military personnel entering basic training. The contract was announced in March after years of back-and-forth between the company, lawmakers and the U.S. military, which had not been following a federal law requiring it to outfit recruits, when possible, with American-made apparel. Read the story.

Sanford rug maker wins federal designation expected to save jobs

Flemish Master Weavers, a major rug manufacturer in Sanford that employs about 130 workers, has prevailed in its effort to receive a special foreign trade zone designation that will allow it to avoid paying steep tariffs on imported yarn used in its manufacturing process. The company has said that it might have to cease manufacturing and order fully made rugs from overseas if it did not receive the trade zone designation, which will allow it to forgo a tariff of nearly 9 percent on rug fibers imported from Turkey. The company was caught between U.S. competitors that pay no tariffs because they produce their own yarn, and increasingly large overseas competitors that can undercut prices with lower labor costs. It won the designation despite objections from within the U.S. textile industry. Read the story.

MARIJUANA

Questions prompt delay in state cannabis consulting bids

Maine is delaying the opening of its marijuana consulting proposals until Nov. 8, giving applicants an extra week to respond to new information from the state. Would-be consultants hit the state with almost two dozen questions about its consulting solicitation, ranging from technical queries about things as minor as how to number the pages of an application and whether the consultant would be working with nongovernmental groups to develop Maine’s cannabis regulations, to more complex questions about how the state would handle potential conflicts of interest. The state publishes interested parties’ questions, as well as its answers, in advance of the opening so applicants can incorporate them into their submissions. Read the story.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Apprenticeship program launches for hospitality workers

Two businesses have registered to host apprentices from a new pilot program sponsored by HospitalityMaine, a trade group representing the state’s hotels and restaurants. The idea is to prepare a new generation of skilled workers for careers in the growing industry. Two years ago, the Maine Department of Labor estimated there were about 3,700 vacant jobs in accommodation and food service. Of those, 81 percent were “difficult to fill.” The apprenticeship program, developed with Southern Maine Community College, is designed to encourage employees to consider careers as head chefs, hotel managers or to start their own businesses. Read the story.

EDUCATION

USM launches institute to enhance ties among Arctic countries

The University of Southern Maine plans to create a hub to house and enhance the diverse partnerships between Maine’s academic institutions and counterparts in Iceland and Norway. Through the Maine North Atlantic Institute, USM plans to strengthen economic, educational and cultural ties between Maine and Scandinavia, university President Glenn Cummings said Thursday. In the past three years, USM has approved partnerships with Reykjavik University and the University of Akureyri in Iceland and the University of Tromsø, in northern Norway. Through the institute, USM wants to grow existing collaborations with economic benefits, such as sustainable tourism, aquaculture, waterfront development, innovation and entrepreneurship, and coastal law and regulations. Read the story.

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT

Landlords get aid in lead abatement battle

Maine housing advocates announced on Thursday the rollout of a $4 million state lead abatement program that is designed to fill the gaps for landlords in need of funding to remove lead poisoning threats from buildings. Greg Payne, director of the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, introduced the program Thursday, saying the funds should benefit some 200 homes across the state. Childhood lead poisoning rates from the past year, compiled by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, indicate that 322 children were identified as lead poisoned, and were provided with “intervention measures.” Payne said 297 of the children would not have been considered lead poisoned under Maine’s previous standards, which shifted to more stringent guidelines in 2016. Read the story.

GENERAL BUSINESS

SaviLinx expanding in Mississippi

A call center is expanding in south Mississippi, with plans to hire 231 people. SaviLinx of Brunswick announced its plans Tuesday. The company, which already has 260 work-at-home agents in the Hattiesburg area, is leasing 43,000 square feet at a former mall. SaviLinx is also hiring for its Brunswick facility, where road signs advertising wages of $17.15 are posted. Read the story.

Wex posts big gains in third quarter

South Portland-based payment technology firm Wex Inc. reported strong growth in the third quarter, with revenue up 18 percent from a year earlier and net income up 53 percent. Increased fuel prices contributed to the payment processor’s growth, along with increases in customer transactions across its three major business units: fuel, travel and corporate services, and health and employee benefits, according to a quarterly earnings statement issued Wednesday. Healthy volumes, strong international growth and higher fuel prices, as well as new agreements with major fuel producers Shell and Chevron, contributed to the company’s performance. Read the story.

Services and products for pets drives Idexx earnings

Idexx Laboratories Inc. reported strong third quarter financial results Thursday, including an 11 percent increase in revenue and a 33 percent boost in net income compared with a year earlier. The Westbrook-based maker of veterinary diagnostic testing equipment and processes reported quarterly revenue of $545.4 million, up 11 percent from $492 million in the third quarter of 2017. According to the investor website Seeking Alpha, Idexx’s net income beat analyst expectations by 8 cents per share, and its revenue was right in line with expectations. The company said its financial performance was driven largely by sales growth in its unit that encompasses diagnostic testing products and services for pets. Read the story.

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