5 Qs with Luke Thomas
Founder, Friday.app
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1. What differentiates Friday.app from other workforce management platforms?
Friday is like an operating system that makes it effortless to work from anywhere. There’s plenty of tools that make it easier to jump on video calls or chat with coworkers. Friday is about helping you create a better process to support the way that you work.
Most of the forward-thinking remote companies have all hand-built their own internal tool to try to solve this problem. Friday is a solution that any team or company can roll out in a few minutes. You don’t need to hire a team of engineers to build it.
2. As remote work becomes the new normal for many, how does Friday aim to improve communication and workflow for users? Similarly, what challenges do remote workers currently face, and how will Friday.app assist in mitigating those challenges?
The biggest challenge for individuals is staying productive and reducing burnout. When you work remotely, everything flows together, and there’s not a lot of definition to your day. That’s why we’ve built a digital daily planner to help you roadmap your day and better spend your time.
For teams, the #1 challenge is that they are spending more time in meetings. While meetings aren’t a bad thing, too many meetings is a huge pain. That’s why we’ve built a way to streamline and automate routine updates. It helps everyone understand what’s going on. Teams who use Friday share updates before they meet. Oftentimes, they find that they don’t need the meeting at all!
3. What is a feature of Friday.app that you enjoy and feel has personally improved your workflow?
I’m a big fan of the daily planner as it helps me better allocate my time and finish my work with a feeling of accomplishment. As a CEO, I love getting updates from the team about what they are working on without having a meeting. It gives me a lot more time to focus.
4. What resources, partners, and companies have been helpful to Friday.app as it has continued to grow?
Maine Technology Institute has helped since the early days. I enjoy syncing up with fellow founders, advisors, and investors. It’s fun to be surrounded by really smart people that force you to level-up your thinking and execution.
5. After closing on $2.1 million in seed funding, how does Friday.app plan to grow in the future?
These days, we’re spending quite a bit of time on product development, but we’ll be ramping up sales and marketing in the future. The goal is to get Friday in as many organizations as possible!
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April Tech Night:
Friday.app: Do your best work from anywhere
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Listen in to hear how Friday.app is providing teams and executives with the tools to stay in sync and do their best work from anywhere.
About Friday.app: Friday.app is a Portland, Maine based tech startup that builds communication software for distributed teams and promises a better way for teams to share their work and stay connected.
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Virtual Central Maine Tech Night (CMTN) Recordings |
By moving to the virtual Zoom platform to comply with social distancing recommendations, Central Maine Tech Night (CMTN) has made its presentations available for viewing anytime. You can watch recordings of past CMTNs on the
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How Telework is Becoming Essential to Small Businesses
Article by People's United Bank
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Long before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, resulting in the shutdown of the U.S. economy, the workforce trend of telework or remote work was well underway. According to a 2019 Global Workplace Analytics study, the number of people working remotely has increased by 91% over the last twelve years. However, the vast majority of that growth has occurred within larger companies. Due primarily to a lack of resources, management, or trust, small businesses have lagged behind the remote work trend.
For more information regarding telework, click here.
For more important tips to help maintain operational continuity during the COVID-19 crisis, click here.
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Top Stories of March 2021 |
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Throughout the remainder of 2021 work will be completed on Main Street with workers doing one side of the street at a time, from Bridge Street to Temple Street. Work on Main Street, from Temple Street to College Avenue, is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022. The realignment of Front Street and College Avenue also will be done in 2022. In the fall of that year, the final two-way traffic flow will be in place.
A Winslow native and 2017 graduate of the town’s high school, Curtis took an interest in the Herbalife Nutrition products, sugar-free energy teas and meal replacement shakes she sells while working at 207 Nutrition Waterville on Kennedy Memorial Drive.
"We welcomed all 21 employees to the Kennebec Savings Bank family and now we stand ready to assist all the [Kennebec Federal Savings] customers with the transition as one institution," Silsby added. "We have also extended our customer care team hours to help anyone who needs assistance."
“It’s been a long road to get here and there’s been some delays over the last year due to COVID-19, so it really feels good,” Lockwood Hotel General Manager Jordan Rowan said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of excitement amongst the team here, and it feels like there is in Waterville, too.”
Provided by the Central Maine Growth Council with support from local businesses, the open internet access has connected more than 500,000 users since it launched in August 2018, according to a news release Wednesday.
"In February, Maine Crisp was one of six Maine businesses awarded a $20,000 Tastemakers Initiative Grant through CEI and FocusMaine. The initiative invests directly into Maine businesses that contribute to the growth of the state’s food economy. Maine Crisp will use the money to help with the design and development of its new plant."
The FireFly is a zero-emission lightweight utility vehicle designed to help provide essential services, such as sanitation, parking management and food delivery, especially in urban areas. The vehicle is something of a departure for DuraMag, whose all-aluminum bodies and accessories typically equip larger, more traditional trucks.
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Contact: Don Plourde
207-660-4000 dplourde@cbplourde.com
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Central Maine Real Estate Spotlight
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Featured Commercial Property:
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Building Size: 3,718 sq.ft.
Sale Price: $375,000
Property Features:
- Commercial use
- Off-street parking
- Metal Roofing
Context:
- Multi-use building
- Spacious interior
- Proximity to I-95
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Workforce Training & Professional Development:
Summer and Fall professional development classes are open for registration
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Workforce training has not stopped at Kennebec Valley Community College.
Kennebec Valley Community College’s Workforce Training & Professional Development has opened registration for Summer and Fall professional development classes! We welcome you to visit our website at www.kvcc.me.edu/workforce to check out our upcoming schedule and register online or call to register at 207.453.5083.
We are offering training in Basic EMT, High Pressure Boiler, Heavy Equipment Operator, CPR, 3D print design, heat pump installation, EPA 608 certifications and more. Our customized training programs have included topics such as leadership, supervisory skills, software training, conflict management or more technical trainings such as aluminum welding, precision machining or carpentry.
KVCC provides non-credit and customized training programs to individuals and businesses throughout Kennebec, Somerset and Knox counties. In response to COVID-19 we have adapted our delivery model to ensure the health and safety of staff, instructors, and trainees. Many of our classes have moved to hybrid or fully online training.
Customized training programs for your incumbent or new hire workforce may qualify for a Maine Quality Center grant to reduce training costs. To learn how you can train your team using a Maine Quality Center grant, call Elizabeth at 207.453.5858 or visit us online at www.kvcc.me.edu/workforce.
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Do you have orthopaedic needs but don’t want to go to the Emergency Department or Express Care because of COVID-19? MaineGeneral Orthopaedics offers a walk-in clinic for your sprains, strains and broken bones. The walk-in clinic has no-appointment, walk-in access for patients Monday through Friday.
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Stay connected with CMGC: |
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If you are an investor in CMGC and would like to submit content to
CMGC Intelligence, simply reply to this email.
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Board of Directors:
Chris Gaunce, chair – Central Maine Motors Auto Group
Beth Gibbs, treasurer – Thomas College
Jennifer Seekins – Bar Harbor Bank and Trust
Terri Vieira – Northern Light Health - Inland Hospital
Erica Lacroix - Town of Winslow
Ryan Poulin - New Dimensions FCU
Dave Roy - Kennebec Savings Bank
Elizabeth Fortin – Kennebec Valley Community College
Paul Stein – MaineGeneral Health
Steve Daly – City of Waterville
Gary Bowman – Town of Oakland
Michelle Flewelling – Town of Fairfield
Brian Clark – Colby College
Michael Runser – Valley Beverage
Donald Plourde – Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate
Tom Meucci - Huhtamaki
Liz Menard - Bill and Joan Alfond Foundation
Ex-Officio Board Members:
James Dinkle – Kennebec Regional Dev. Authority/ FirstPark
Ole Amundsen - Kennebec Valley Council of Governments
Christian Savage - Somerset Economic Development Corporation
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