What was, what will be
When you work for a small company, it's all about mobilizing resources. That was on my mind recently as I started filling in my 2013 calendar and thought a bit about the loss of two important resources we rely on here at Mainebiz.
The first is the loss of Sen. Olympia Snowe from our congressional delegation. She has been a strong and savvy advocate for small business around the country. A gracious and tenacious voice in Washington, she will be missed for her ability to keep the little guy in the U.S. Senate's eye as it debates issues that set the regulatory environment for the private sector. And as a journalist, I've often tapped her staff's expertise to understand complicated federal issues like free trade agreements, foreign trade zone designations and federal health care reform. They have been as knowledgeable and accessible as their boss, and we are grateful.
We are also bidding adieu to Mal Leary, who leaves his eight-year stint as a columnist with us to direct coverage for an emerging CSPAN-like public service show from Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Mal routinely dissected complex legislative issues for our readers, and has the surest understanding of State House players, procedures and politics of any journalist in Maine. We will miss Capitol Update, but are glad that Mal's journalistic influence will still be felt in Maine.
Resources aren't the only things we've been reflecting on here at Mainebiz. As 2012 comes to a close, our staff gathered to assess the most important Maine-based business stories to present in a year-end wrap-up. Of course there were the big issues — elections, Affordable Care Act, the European debt crisis — but we wanted to focus on where significant changes happened in Maine's economy. Our selections are presented in “Measured progress,” starting on the cover.
We also take a look at some initiatives in the realm of safety and security, the focus of this issue. The Cote Corp. in Auburn could be the poster child for integrating safety in the workplace, as Senior Writer Jim McCarthy tells us in his piece, “Safety first,” starting on page 20. We also learn how enhanced security and information control is propelling more businesses to consider cloud-based IT services and how some Maine companies are preparing for that influx of business. Online Editor Darren Fishell's piece, “Gathering clouds,” starts on page 18. And rounding out the focus section, we have some advice from Perkins|Thompson attorney Joe Talbot on the essential steps a company should take now to protect itself from data breaches, in “Preparing for a breach,” on page 22.
We hope you enjoy our last issue of 2012. And that all your hard work and preparations will allow you the chance to take some time off and enjoy the season.
Because it's easier to mobilize resources when you've had a chance to relax, rejuvenate and reflect on what lies ahead. Happy holidays.
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