Maine For Keeps

How do you fix a government system that punishes truth-tellers, hides behind confidentiality laws, and fails the very people it’s supposed to protect?

In this episode, former Maine Secretary of State and longtime legislator Bill Diamond joins Jonathan Bush for a sobering look at what’s really happening inside Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) — the agency responsible for child protection.

Bill shares the heartbreaking case that changed the course of his life, the culture of fear that’s silencing frontline workers, and why so many foster parents are walking away from a system that’s supposed to support them.

This episode covers:

• How 148 children have died under DHHS involvement in just 5 years

• Why foster families are quitting—and what it’s costing Maine

• The massive failures of OCFS, Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services

• What Bill learned from attending child homicide trials across the state

• Common-sense reforms that every future Maine governor must act on

• Why Walk a Mile in Their Shoes is fighting to bring transparency to DHHS

• The broken technology system (Katahdin) wasting time and jeopardizing safety

• And why simply admitting there’s a problem could be the first step toward fixing it

It’s one of the most important and revealing conversations we’ve had on Maine For Keeps.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sarah Lemonick is a U.S. Navy veteran and now a product manager at Atomic Canyon, where she’s helping shape the future of nuclear energy with AI. In this episode, she joins Jonathan Bush to talk about what Maine — and the country — can learn from her experience operating nuclear reactors aboard U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.

Together, they explore:

– What small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) actually are

– How nuclear stacks up against solar, wind, coal, and natural gas

– The safety lessons we’ve learned since Three Mile Island and Fukushima

– Why nuclear waste is more compact (and less terrifying) than people think

– How AI can help cut costs and regulatory bloat across the nuclear sector

– The surprising role tech giants like Microsoft and Google are playing in nuclear’s comeback

– What it would really take to bring small-scale nuclear to Maine—and why it’s worth considering

Sarah also shares how a background in literature led to a career in nuclear ops, how the Navy shaped her leadership style, and why she believes the biggest energy opportunity for Maine isn’t wind or solar — but fission.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about energy independence, climate policy, and the real future of clean power.

When athenahealth opened a small office in Belfast, Maine, no one expected it to become one of the state’s largest private employers. But under the leadership of Jonathan McDevitt, that office grew from a couple hundred people to nearly 1,000—creating real career paths in a rural community that had long been overlooked.

In this episode, Jonathan Bush sits down with Jonathan McDevitt, former Senior VP at athenahealth, to talk about:

• What it really takes to scale a high-growth company in small-town Maine

• Why word-of-mouth—not headhunters—was their most powerful recruiting tool

• How Maine’s “hidden talent” could become its greatest economic asset

• The workforce challenge no one can solve: 9% of young men not working, not in school, not even looking

• Why the next economic boom may come from the people already here—if we know how to activate them

If you care about innovation, rural revitalization, or building companies in Maine that actually last, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about Maine’s future.

What happens when a seasoned CPG operator and Liquid Death investor comes home to launch her own brand in Maine?

Jen Millard is no stranger to growth. She helped take Bed Bath & Beyond public. She sold startups to Mastercard and DoorDash. And after decades of success, she returned to her home state to launch mainelove — a fast-growing canned water company that taps into Maine’s most undervalued natural asset: its water.

In this episode, Jen joins Jonathan Bush to talk about:

• What makes Maine’s water the best in the country

• Why our 20-year economic plan doesn’t mention water once

• What it’s like to scale a consumer brand in a state with no startup infrastructure

• How we can build a real entrepreneurial ecosystem in Maine

• Why most of our natural resources still leave the state unprocessed

This is a conversation about optimism, frustration, and the untapped economic potential right under our feet.

Listen in, and then ask yourself: why hasn’t Maine built the water economy yet?

What happens when the boats disappear, the buyers retire, and the next generation doesn’t come back?

In this raw and revealing conversation, Jonathan Bush sits down with Martin Molloy—a Navy vet turned legendary lobster buyer—to unpack what’s really happening to Maine’s working waterfront.

They talk about the hard truths behind the decline in young lobstermen, the quiet collapse of Matinicus and North Haven’s fleets, and why labor shortages, pricing pressure from Canadian seasons, and outdated state policies are making survival harder than ever.

But they also spotlight what’s still working—and what might save the fishery.

Key themes include:

• How Matinicus went from 20 boats to 10—and what that says about the future

• Why Maine lobstermen are struggling to find crew (and how “Probation Point” became a labor pool)

• The market dynamics driving lobster prices from $9.50 to $5 in weeks

• The cultural tension between stewardship, competition, and survival

• What aquaculture and bait diversification are teaching us about adaptation

This isn’t just a story about lobster.

It’s a story about rural economies, generational handoffs, and whether Maine can hold onto the soul of its coastal identity.

⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 – Matinicus memories and how they met

04:00 – What a lobster buyer really does

06:00 – The Navy, the transition, and family legacy

13:00 – The decline of the island fleets

16:00 – The labor shortage no one’s solving

22:00 – Why Canadian supply crushes Maine’s lobster price

27:00 – The lost opportunity in processing and exports

32:00 – The case for diversification (bait, mussels, aquaculture)

35:00 – Reflections on stewardship, policy, and the fight to stay in business

Subscribe for weekly conversations on the real challenges and future of Maine’s economy.

🎧 Search Maine For Keeps wherever you get your podcasts.

Melissa LaCasse left public radio in New York to build Tanbark, a Maine-based startup replacing single-use plastic with sustainable molded fiber. The catch? She’s doing it in a state with almost no growth capital, aging manufacturing infrastructure, and endless red tape.

In this episode, Jonathan Bush sits down with Melissa to talk about:

• Why Maine’s forests are our best climate asset

• What it actually takes to build a manufacturing startup in this state

• Why “stewardship” doesn’t mean “don’t touch anything”

• And the frustrating lack of funding that keeps Maine businesses small

Melissa doesn’t just talk sustainability—she lives it. And this episode is a masterclass in what’s possible when a big idea meets the right place… and still has to fight like hell to survive.

📍 Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro + how Jonathan and Melissa met

01:15 – What is Tanbark and why does it matter?

05:30 – Why Melissa built this company in Maine

07:00 – How molded fiber is made (and why it’s so hard)

12:30 – What makes Maine a great place to start—but a tough place to grow

16:00 – The “valley of death” no one talks about

23:00 – What Maine’s environmentalists get wrong

27:00 – Melissa’s big vision: a new molded fiber mill in Maine

35:00 – Final thoughts on stewardship, stagnation, and economic hope

📢 Subscribe for more conversations about building a stronger, freer Maine.

Full episodes drop weekly.

Maine is a state built on small businesses—so why did Forbes rank us 45th out of 50 for small business friendliness?

In this episode of Maine For Keeps, Jonathan Bush sits down with Nate Cloutier, government affairs director for Hospitality Maine, to unpack the absurd barriers holding back Maine’s restaurant, hotel, and tourism industries—from soda fountain laws still on the books, to family leave mandates that punish seasonal businesses.

They discuss:

⛔ Why running a coffee shop in Maine could get you fined for not having a soda fountain

💸 How well-intentioned policies push employers underground

🍽️ The surprising apprenticeship programs fueling Maine’s food scene

🏠 Why lack of workforce housing is Maine tourism’s #2 bottleneck

📉 And how regulatory red tape is stifling growth in one of Maine’s most essential sectors

This episode is a must-watch for anyone who wants to see Maine actually support the small businesses it claims to champion.

🔔 Subscribe to Maine For Keeps and never miss an episode: www.maineforkeepspodcast.com

📌 Timestamps:

00:00 – Nate’s backstory: from French teacher to policy advocate

03:20 – The economic footprint of tourism in Maine

06:30 – How Maine became a food destination

08:30 – Why young people aren’t staying in Maine

11:00 – Family leave and seasonal work don’t mix

14:00 – Maine’s “whiteboard of shame” for small business laws

21:00 – Can we make it easier to start a restaurant?

27:00 – Why workforce housing is the key to Maine’s future

33:00 – The mindset shift Maine desperately needs

Andrew Bonarrigo isn’t a venture-backed CEO. He didn’t get a grant. He didn’t inherit a business. He started out cleaning antique bricks from the Rockland Jail, selling them for 35 cents apiece—and used the proceeds to build his own masonry company from scratch.

Today, he runs one of the most respected construction crews on the coast of Maine. Year-round work. Eight full-time employees. On time. On budget. Every time.

In this episode, we go deep on what it really takes to run a small business in Maine:

⛏️ How he bootstrapped from a salvage yard to a 401K-equipped team

📈 Why going legit almost bankrupted him

💸 His take on Maine’s new paid family leave policy

🏡 The hidden pitfalls of “affordable” housing initiatives

🏗️ And why closing Dragon Cement might be the most backwards policy decision in decades

This isn’t just a story about bricks and mortar. It’s a story about grit, pride, and what it means to bet on yourself—especially in a state that makes it harder than it should be.

Timestamps:

0:00 – From bootlegging bricks to building a business

5:00 – Going legit: The moment he formed a corporation

11:00 – The impact of Maine’s paid family leave law

19:00 – Building his own home after work, in the dark

23:00 – North Haven housing and the fairness dilemma

25:00 – The Dragon Cement shutdown

27:30 – What needs to change for Maine builders

Subscribe for more conversations with the real Mainers building the future of this state.

Everyone agrees Maine needs more housing. So why isn’t it getting built?

In this episode of Maine For Keeps, Jonathan Bush sits down with Matt Marks, a lifelong Mainer and construction industry veteran, to pull back the curtain on the real reasons development in Maine is so painfully slow—and what we can do to change it.

They cover:

🛠️ Why developers are walking away from projects before they start

🌲 When environmental policy turns into performance art (Christmas tree seawalls?)

📈 The bright spot: trade school apprenticeships and a booming construction workforce

📉 The dark spot: permit backlogs, regulatory death-by-a-thousand-cuts, and “not in my backyard” politics

🚧 How to fix the system without sacrificing Maine’s environmental values

If you care about Maine’s housing crisis, workforce future, or economic development, this episode will both frustrate you and fire you up.

Subscribe for honest conversations with the people who are fighting to make Maine a place we can all build and belong.

Maine isn’t just losing opportunities. We’re driving them away—with energy policies, regulatory gridlock, and a learned helplessness that’s sinking our economy.

In this episode of Maine For Keeps, Jonathan Bush sits down with Matt Jacobson, Director of Sales & Marketing at Summit Natural Gas of Maine (and former CEO of Maine & Company), to have a brutally honest conversation about:

• How Maine’s energy costs got so out of control

• Why we’re importing natural gas from Trinidad instead of Pennsylvania

• The real math behind solar and wind (and why it’s not adding up)

• How rigid ideology crushed projects like Dragon Cement — and what it’s costing all of us

• What “learned helplessness” looks like at the state level—and how we break free

• Why nuclear and pragmatic energy investments could be Maine’s ticket to a real future

• And how the American dream shouldn’t require leaving Maine to achieve it

If you’re tired of seeing Maine fall behind while politicians pat themselves on the back, this is the episode you don’t want to miss.

We’re not here to complain—we’re here to rebuild.

🔔 Subscribe and join the conversation about Maine’s economic future.