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Chamber Updates, Member News
& Tips for Business You Can Use
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BBRC News & Notes
(4 Minute Read)
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In this issue:
✅ Brunswick in Bloom Garden Tour: 7/15
✅ 12 @ 12 at the BBRC office: 7/19
✅ MCHPP Ribbon Cutting: 7/17
✅ New Member Spotlight: Sherman's Book Stores
✅ Governor signs historic budget into law
...and more!
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Dear Members,
Well, we've run out of jokes about the weather so it seems we're just going to have to make the best of what is shaping up to be a very soggy summer of 2023. Maybe it will change, maybe it won't, but Mainers will be Mainers and there are lots of ways to get out and enjoy the warmer temps regardless of a little rain!
Bath's Summer Concert Series kicked off last weekend and they're back at it tomorrow night down on the waterfront with Indie Rock Trio, Love by Numb3rs. These concerts are free and very family-friendly - grab a chair and settle in for live music starting at 5pm. The full schedule of performances over the next seven weeks can be found on Maine Street Bath's website.
Tonight is the second installment of Brunswick's 2nd Friday Art Walk and tomorrow is Brunswick in Bloom, a garden tour benefitting Oasis Free Clinics. There are a couple of opportunities left to see Buddy Holly at MSMT (we've heard it's spectacular!), and the Bowdoin International Music Festival continues on with some family programming starting this weekend. Details on all of these events can be found below.
Closer to the bottom of this newsletter you'll find a request from Bowdoin student Caleb Adams-Hull. Some of you may have met him at our June After Hours - he's doing work on corporate responsibility and is looking to speak with local small business owners.
Last but not least, we had a fantastic evening last night at the Chamber After Hours. Big thanks to Curtis Library for hosting and to new member Sherman's Book Store for co-hosting! More to come on the festivities in next Friday's newsletter.
Have a safe and wonderful weekend,
The BBRC Team
PS. Last week we promised a list of local events - we found a few errors and decided to take the extra time to make sure it is 100% accurate before distribution. Look for it next week!
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Events, News & Notes
July 14, 2023
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12@12: BBRC Office
Wednesday, July 19th, 12pm - 1:30pm
8 Venture Ave, Brunswick Landing
Our next 12 @ 12 lunchtime networking event will be on Wednesday, July 19th at the BBRC office, co-hosted with Wild Oats. The 12@12 is a smaller setting where attendees get lunch (provided by Wild Oats!) and the opportunity to introduce their business to the group. If you've been curious to see our office, now is the perfect time! Registration is required as we only have space for 12 people - email Anthony to secure your spot.
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2nd Friday Brunswick!
ArtWalk, Music, Theater
TONIGHT! 4pm - 7pm
Downtown Brunswick
Join the BDA as they host a variety of artists, musicians, and entertainers, for the second of four 2nd Friday ArtWalks. Event festivities include an ArtWalk with artist displays on sidewalks and in several downtown galleries, retail shops, and restaurants. Each month highlights a different area of downtown with tonight featuring a Lincoln Street Block party.
Artists interested in participating in 2nd Friday Brunswick can register for a small fee.
Head over to the BDA's website for more information on artist registration, hosting businesses, entertainment schedule, and a list of participating artists.
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Saturday, July 15th, 10am
Oasis Free Clinics, 66 Baribeau Dr, Brunswick
Join Oasis Free Clinics on a tour through 12 of Brunswick's most beautiful gardens. This annual event is a fundraiser for Oasis' free medical and dental services and is a wonderful way to explore Brunswick in a different way while raising money for an important local organization.
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Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program Ribbon Cutting
Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program is re-opening their downtown Brunswick food pantry! After months of hard work and renovations, they are excited to unveil the expanded space that will allow them to better meet the diverse needs of the mid coast community.
To commemorate the occasion, they are hosting a brief Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at MCHPP’s Food Access Center at 12 Tenney Way in Brunswick on Monday, July 17th at 4pm. Tours of the space to follow.
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MSMT's Theater for Young Audiences Series: Three Little Pigs
Pickard Theater, Bowdoin College
July 24th, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, & 6pm (sensory friendly)
Take three little superstar Piglets, their devoted single-parent Mum, a misunderstood Big Bad Wolf and you’ve got the perfect “Great Big Little Broadway Show” for young audiences. Filled with humor, this very curly, 50 minute musical tale will have you squealing with glee and howling with laughter as the Three Little Pigs set about defeating the Big Bad Wolf. Get Tickets Here
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Bowdoin International Music Festival Launches Family Series
This past weekend, the Bowdoin International Music Festival partnered with the Curtis Memorial Library to launch the first in a new installment of family-friendly concerts. Dozens of children and adults gathered at the library to hear works by Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, and Ibert. Between pieces, children in the audience responded to prompts such as “what animal did that piece sound like?” Of the many entertaining responses, one child demonstrated her Maine roots by exclaiming “like a moose arguing with a turtle!”
Remaining family concerts will take place Saturdays at 10 AM at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (July 15), Studzinski Recital Hall (July 22), and the Portland Children’s Museum and Theatre (July 29). Each concert is unique, individually curated to span various musical periods and instruments, introducing children to the rich tapestry of classical compositions.
Classical music offers a multitude of benefits for children's development. Studies show that exposure to classical music enhances cognitive abilities, including improved spatial-temporal skills, mathematical reasoning, and memory. Moreover, classical music is a powerful medium for emotional development. Through its expressive nature, classical compositions evoke a wide range of emotions, allowing children to explore and understand their own feelings and the feelings of others.
For more information about the Family Concert Series and the Bowdoin International Music Festival, please visit bowdoinfestival.org.
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New Member Spotlight
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shop
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops are located in nine great communities along the Coast of Maine...Bar Harbor, Damariscotta, Boothbay Harbor, Freeport, Rockland, Topsham, Windham, Falmouth and Portland. Their Damariscotta store also features the "Barn Door Baking Company Café" a great place to meet up with friends and discuss your favorite book. All nine stores are open year-round, seven days a week. They excel at customer service and their staff in each store will be more than happy to help you find the right book. Check out their website for location hours, book recommendations, their online store, and more!
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Calling All Business Owners...
Interested in corporate responsibility? Read on!
Caleb Adams-Hull is an economics student at Bowdoin College conducting research this summer on the Corporate Social Responsibility movement in Maine under the guidance of faculty member Dan Stone. He is hoping to interview owners and managers of businesses (including sole proprietors) in southern Maine to assess their beliefs about Corporate Social Responsibility. He is aiming for a large sample size, so anyone willing to chat with him would be a big help. The interviews will last roughly 20 minutes and can be scheduled at your convenience. Please use this calendar link to schedule a time slot to chat with Caleb if you are interested in participating in his research. Feel free to forward this message to any other business owners that you think may be interested in participating in the research. You can contact him at cadamshu@bowdoin.edu if you have any other questions about his research.
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Governor Mills Signs Historic Budget Into Law
On Tuesday, Governor Mills signed a new budget into law. It creates a paid family and medical leave program, modernizes the business incentive program, and makes transformational investments to support housing, child care, health care, and education.
The budget is balanced and maintains Maine’s record high Budget Stabilization, or “Rainy Day” Fund.
“This historic budget delivers on my guiding belief that the way to build a stronger, more prosperous state is to invest in the infrastructure that Maine people need to succeed,” said Governor Janet Mills. “From establishing a paid family and medical leave program to strengthening education, housing, child care, our workforce, and delivering tax relief for seniors, this budget makes transformative investments in Maine people. And it does so while living within our means – this budget is balanced while our Rainy Day Fund remains at a record-high.”
“This final budget delivers critical support and services to protect the health and wellbeing of the people of Maine,” said Kirsten Figueroa, Commissioner for the Department of Administrative and Financial Services. “Equally important, the State remains fiscally sound - keeping the Budget Stabilization Fund intact and at a record level, ensuring appropriations stay below current revenues, and looking ahead to future projections and long-term goals.”
Read more about highlights of the bill and the rest of the official press release over on our blog.
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Have a wonderful weekend! | |
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Brunswick Landing Neighborhood News
We’re thrilled to announce launch of Brunswick Landing Neighborhood News, a new publication of the BBRC focusing on Brunswick Landing events and business updates, news from MRRA, and infrastructure information. It is intended to both highlight things happening on Brunswick Landing, and to share information that is highly-impactful to Brunswick Landing businesses.
Please note that this is a separate newsletter from the weekly Chamber newsletter. If you would like to be included, you must sign up using this link.
Anyone is welcome to sign up however submissions will be limited to BL businesses and BL news with very few exceptions. Feel free to submit anything you think may be relevant but we will be the final arbiters of what is included. That said, your submission could very well end up in our regular Chamber newsletter.
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Host an After Hours, 12 @ 12 & Cornerstone Info | |
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Hosting Opportunities
Our 12 @ 12 series is a smaller gathering of local business professionals. Each participant gets lunch and five minutes to introduce themselves and their business to the group. We have lots of openings for the rest of the year, more information and application below.
| Chamber After Hours hosts get the chance to show off their space to 60-80 attendees and educated them on their organization. While we are fully booked for the remainder of 2023, we're always happy to secure hosts for 2024. More information and application can be found below. | |
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2023 Cornerstone Memberships Are Still Open!
Help Sponsor All the BBRC Does in 2023
The Cornerstone Membership Program is a tiered program of support that includes 12 months of annual dues*. Cornerstone Members are recognized supporters of all chamber events/activities in a year including: The BBRC Awards Dinner, Hacker's Ball, Midcoast Tree Festival, all Chamber After Hours and more. Cornerstone members also receive a tiered marketing package for the year.
Cornerstone Member $5000
The top tier makes you our Cornerstone Member for your industry, includes 12 months of your dues, and gets you primary recognition at chamber programs and activities. There is exclusivity as only six members can be at this level, and five are spoken for at this moment. 1 remaining.
Chamber Partner $2,000
The second level, called our Chamber Partner level, gets you 12 months of your dues, secondary recognition at chambers programs and activities and is open to all.
Chamber Supporter $1000
This tertiary level of support is ideal for smaller members as this includes $400 towards your annual dues payment along with recognition at chamber events and some marketing too.
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Join our membership
Our community is growing by the minute and we'd love to welcome you! Complete our member application to sign up.
And if you've been a member in the past and would like to rejoin, submit an application or reach out to Cory. It's that simple!
CLICK HERE for our 2022 Membership Application.
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Pay your invoice online
Thank you for being a part of the Chamber community! Your engagement and financial contributions make all our work possible!
CLICK HERE to pay your invoice online.
*Please include your invoice number in the payment processing form.
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Student Workforce Connections Job Board
Connect with high school job seekers using the Student Workforce Connections Job Board. Send your available job postings to careers@midcoastmaine.com.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the program and posting guidelines.
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Post your events to our calendar
We want our online calendar packed with your events! The process is simple: Submit your event details through our website and we will approve.
SUBMIT your events.
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Update your member info
An accurate listing in our directories ensures you stay connected - with us and prospective customers/clients. If you have changes to report, or haven't updated your information in a while, complete the form linked below and return to Cory.
CLICK HERE for the 2022 Member Information Update Form.
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The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by
Our 2023 Cornerstone Banking Member:
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The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by
Our 2023 Cornerstone Commercial Real Estate Member:
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The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by
Our 2023 Cornerstone Residential Real Estate Member:
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The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by
Our 2023 Cornerstone Healthcare Member:
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The BBRC News & Notes are generously sponsored by
Our 2023 Cornerstone Automotive Sales Member:
Darling's Brunswick Ford
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