Beyond Pessimism: The Great Maine Worker explores the myths and realities of M

Beyond Pessimism: The Great Maine Worker explores the myths and realities of Mainers\u27 dedication and innovation in the workplace. Maine\u27s work ethic impresses company leaders like Jonathan McDevitt of NotifyMD Inc. in Farmington, who says the high quality of workers there will make the company lean toward rural towns like the ones in Maine in the future. John Dorrer, director of Maine\u27s Center for Workforce Research and Information says he uses the longstanding claim that the Maine workforce is more productive and hardworking to attract firms to the state. Matt Jacobson, president and CEO of Maine & Co., agrees. With comments by Ken Peters, owner and president of Trans-Tech in Brewer; Wendy Estabrook, Human Resources Director at L.L. Bean; and Andy Fitzpatrick, plant manager at Brewer Automotive Components. With a table comparing Maine to other states in terms of value added per production hour in manufacturing. Part one of a three-part series