Maine State Chamber showcases innovation in farming, fishing, and forestry industries in second edition of OneVoice Maine magazine

This week, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce released the second edition of its magazine, OneVoice Maine. This edition explores the specific role that innovation has played in Maine’s heritage industries – farming, fishing, and forestry. Stemming from the state’s rich natural resources, farming, fishing, and forestry have contributed significantly to Maine’s history, and these economic foundations continue to play a significant role in today’s economy as well.

“We are very pleased to present this edition to the people of Maine and beyond,” said Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “This edition illustrates our pride in these heritage industries. From blueberries and potatoes, to lumber and wood pulp, to lobster and aquaculture, the success 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.’”

Maine is fortunate to have many companies rooted in farming, fishing, and forestry that have been in operation for 100 or more years. Achieving such a prestigious milestone in business would not be possible without innovation in processes, products, and practices. Within the pages of the second OneVoice Maine magazine, readers will learn more about the innovative legacies of Oakhurst Dairy, Seven Islands Land Company, Puritan Medical Supply, Sappi North America, and S.W. Collins Company, among others. A feature article on the Rock Row commercial development in Westbrook takes a look forward to the future.

In the magazine’s message from the Maine State Chamber’s leadership, Board Chair 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.”

Woven within these stories of innovation are many examples of research and development efforts by the University of Maine. The link between research and innovation is undeniable and has provided countless opportunities here. The same holds true when exploring the international connection between Maine and Canada with relation to international trade and the movement of workers skilled in farming, fishing, and forestry.

As U.S. Senator Angus S. King Jr. reminds us in his message, “Innovation is a process, and to survive, it can never stop.” With that in mind, the Maine State Chamber hopes you enjoy OneVoice Maine’s snapshots that illustrate and honor the ongoing process of innovation, highlighted by the pandemic’s economic recovery.

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 or to access the magazine online, please visit www.mainechamber.org/onevoice.html.