Nicole Ouellette
October 26, 2020

Commercial Currents: Getting Your Small Business Ready for Online Marketing this Holiday Season

It might feel early, but right now is a great time to lay the groundwork for the holidays. Here’s how to make your online marketing painless but profitable so you can enjoy all the new Hallmark movies (or whatever your holiday traditions are): Concentrate on free channels and create a series of offers now. Between the election lead-up and the fourth quarter being most expensive for online ads in a normal year, you’ll want to spend a bulk of your efforts on reaching your customers ‘organically’ (unpaid) or be prepared…
Nicole Ouelette, Guest Contributor
Cliff Island Community Hall broadband
September 11, 2020

Spark! grant helps communities tackle energy efficiency projects

During the summer of 2019, I took the Casco Bay Lines ferry to Cliff Island. Upon arrival, I noticed small trenches dug up on the sides of roads and properties,…
Robin Chernow
Deer Isle - Kayak
August 28, 2020

If something is important to you, you should care for it

If something is important to you, you should care for it. As I sit down to write about the Island Institute and the Maine Island Trail Association, this is the statement that comes to mind. In many ways, this idea embodies both organizations and Maine’s coast more broadly.
Nick Battista
Maine 200
August 25, 2020

What you need to know about Maine's $200 million Economic Recovery Program

Last Friday, Governor Janet Mills announced a $200 million program that will provide grants to Maine businesses with less than 50 employees that have been deeply impacted by the ongoing pandemic. There is a tight window for applications, so we wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit more about the grant. 
Craig Olson
Podcast
August 14, 2020

Our Favorite Podcasts: August 2020

Last August we shared our first Business Podcast round-up, so it felt like a good time to update the list. First of all, a lot has changed in the world and the business landscape, and there are some great podcasts to help you make sense of the current climate. And second, we are about to re-launch our own Commercial Currents podcast, and our series "Business in Uncertain Times."
Craig Olson; Claire Donnelly
Sea Level
August 12, 2020

Sea level rise affects everyone on the Maine coast

The Maine Climate Council needs your help! Whether you’re a municipal official, a volunteer on a local sea level rise committee, or a resident concerned about sea level rise in your own town, your feedback is valued, and we invite you to have your voices heard.
Susie Arnold, Ph. D.
Lobster
July 30, 2020

Lobsters and apples: Preserving freshness and quality through the supply chain

About 20 years ago, a family friend from California told me while she was visiting northern Michigan that she didn't bother to eat seafood in the Midwest, because being able to enjoy the freshness and taste of seafood in her home state—a state that sits on the ocean—meant her palate didn't appreciate the lesser quality that us land-locked citizens were forced to accept. At the time, I thought her comment was rude and pretentious, but then I started thinking about the fresh food I had access to. 
Meghan Grabill, Ph.D.
Social Network
July 24, 2020

Commercial Currents: Making Connections

For the past 37 years, the Island Institute has worked in, and become a part of, Maine's island and coastal communities. Once you’ve lived in a small community for a period of time, the interconnectedness of everything and everyone begins to be revealed. If you grew up there, it’s simply in your DNA. If you move there from “away” like many of us, it takes some time to begin to understand. I’m a firm believer in the theory that those who understand it stay, and those who don’t leave.
Craig Olson
Voting
July 10, 2020

Maine Primary Election: Please vote on July 14th!

The Maine Primary Election for several state and local offices is now on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. This election—originally scheduled for June 9, but delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis—is about choosing nominees for U.S. Senate and U.S. House seats, as well as seats in the Maine state legislature and local offices. If you don’t vote, you are leaving it up to others to make these choices for you.
Nick Battista
Senator Angus King congratulates the Outer Islands Teaching & Learning Collaborative on its 10th anniversary in a special video message shown during a virtual celebration held May 21
June 29, 2020

Outer island schools celebrate 10 years in virtual birthday bash

The trajectory for this school year has been so unexpected, and in many ways so hard, which makes long-standing, successful collaborations even more valuable. On May 21, 2020, students, alumni, teachers, and families gathered together for a virtual celebration marking the 10-year anniversary of the Outer Islands Teaching and Learning Collaborative, or TLC. Even though the pre-planned party couldn't take place in person, the TLC is very good at making virtual celebrations fun and funny, and this one was no exception.
Yvonne Thomas