Maine For Keeps

Maine is full of hardworking entrepreneurs, but too often, they have to leave the state to build something big. Luke Holden is one of them.

He grew up in Cape Elizabeth, a third-generation lobsterman with Maine roots as deep as they come. But when it came time to start Luke’s Lobster, he didn’t do it in Portland. Or Rockland. Or Bar Harbor.

He went to New York City.

Why? Because Maine made it impossible.

In this episode of Maine For Keeps, Jonathan Bush sits down with Luke to break down:

🔥 Why Maine businesses struggle to scale—and what has to change

🔥 The red tape, taxes, and regulations that keep entrepreneurs out

🔥 How Maine’s housing crisis is blocking economic growth

🔥 Why Luke eventually came back—and what it’ll take to keep the next generation from leaving

If we want to restore the Maine dream, we need to fix the structural issues that push our best and brightest elsewhere.

Can we actually make Maine a place where entrepreneurs thrive? Let’s talk about it.

Maine has the *location*, the *workforce*, and the *quality of life*—so how can we get more businesses to choose Maine??In this episode of *Maine For Keeps*, Jonathan Bush sits down with Peter DelGreco, CEO of Maine & Company, to unpack the hard truths about why economic development is so damn hard. From regional energy policy to regulatory gridlock, to anonymous lawsuits that try to kill projects even after they’ve been approved, Peter breaks down Maine's competitive landscape—and where we go from here.They also revisit the inside story of how Peter helped Jonathan relocate Athena Health to Belfast, ME—creating nearly 1,000 jobs and proving what’s possible in Maine when everything aligns.If you care about Maine’s economic future, this is the episode to watch.🔧 Topics include:- The spaghetti handshake of New England energy policy- Why Maine wins on workforce—and loses on litigation- How outside money is blocking our towns from building.- What industries could *thrive* here with the right infrastructure- Why Maine should be the “Plan B” factory for America