Maine State Chamber showcases innovation in farming, fishing and forestry industries in OneVoice Maine magazine
The Maine State Chamber of Commerce has released the second edition of OneVoice Maine magazine. The spring 2021 issue showcases the critical role innovation has played in the success of Maine’s heritage industries — farming, fishing and forestry — and how these foundational industries continue to play a significant role in Maine’s economy.
“We are very pleased to present this edition of OneVoice Maine,” said Dana Connors, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “This issue illustrates our pride in Maine’s heritage industries — farming, fishing and forestry. From blueberries and potatoes, to lumber and wood pulp, and lobster and aquaculture, the success and sustainability these natural resource-based industries have experienced in every corner of Maine, and well beyond, has been amplified through innovation – what our forefathers called ‘Yankee ingenuity.’”
Articles in the second edition of OneVoice Maine highlight the historical role of innovation in the continual success of several Maine businesses rooted in farming, fishing, and forestry that have been in operation for 100 or more years. Featured companies include Oakhurst Dairy, Seven Islands Land Company, Puritan Medical Supply, Sappi North America and S.W. Collins Company.
Contributed pieces by the University of Maine outline the inextricable link between research and development efforts by the university and innovation in farming, fishing, and forestry; the resourcefulness of these industries; and the historical interconnectedness of Maine’s economic relationship with Canada. A Q&A article with University of Maine faculty explores turning points over the last 100 years in the farming, fishing and forestry sectors, centering on innovation.
Other magazine highlights include histories of the potato, blueberry, and fishing industries in Maine and their ties to innovation and sustainability. A feature article on the Rock Row commercial development in Westbrook takes a look forward to the future.
A message from U.S. Sen. Angus S. King, Jr., I-Maine focuses on innovation as an imperative. In it, he writes, “Innovation is a process, and to survive, it can never stop.”
In the magazine’s message from the Maine State Chamber’s leadership, Board Chairman Clif Greim and President and CEO Dana Connors write, “Innovation reaches to every corner of our great state. Mainers have certainly learned to innovate this year. Many of those innovations have provided a lifeline and will ultimately serve as the foundation for future business models as our economy recovers from the impacts of the pandemic.”
OneVoice Maine launched in October 2020 to recognize and honor the contributions that Maine businesses and Maine business leaders make to Maine’s economy and workforce; to their communities, people, families and youth; and to preserving Maine’s natural beauty, abundant resources, and more. The inaugural edition recognized the extraordinary efforts and contributions of Maine’s business community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; paid tribute to the life and legacy of the late Woodrow Cross, founder of Cross Insurance; and shared inside perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic from contributors including Northern Light Health, Good Shepherd Food Bank, the University of Maine and more.
For more information and to access the magazine online, please visit www.mainechamber.org/onevoice.