McConnon, Calder speak with BDN about rise of home-based businesses
Jim McConnon, a professor of economics at the University of Maine and with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension; and Beth Calder, a UMaine Extension food science specialist and associate professor of food science, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “Inside Maine’s growing cottage industry.” “Home-based businesses are on the rise in Maine, especially in the cultural [and] food sector,” said McConnon, who estimates that 69,000 businesses are home-based, which equates to just over 5 percent of the state’s population. The state’s food revolution also is propelling a range of domestic businesses, according to the article. “It’s an easy process,” Calder said about the rules for launching an edible cottage business.