MOBILIZE MIDCOAST MAINE – YEAR 2YEAR 2 PLAN

WHERE HAVE WE COME FROM?

WE’VE ENGAGED KEY STAKEHOLDERS

WE’VE SET BENCHMARKS

WE’VE IDENTIFIED ASSETS

WE’VE IDENTIFIED KEY GROWTH SECTORS

WE’VE CREATED STRATEGIES

WE’VE PRIORITIZED PROJECTS

Topsham Food Hub

Camden Snow Bowl

Brunswick Landing Tech Place

ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN ON THE HIGHEST PRIORITY PROJECTS

• Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority and Coastal Counties Workforce Inc. were awarded $2,050,000 in federal funding as part of the “Make it in America Challenge” for the TechPlace advanced manufacturing accelerator in the former Brunswick Naval Air Station

• Camden voters approved a $2 million bond to match $4.5 million in donations to upgrade the Snow Bowl

• The Maine Harvest Company and the Town of Topsham are currently waiting on a decision from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development on a CDBG Economic Development Program Grant to help fund the Topsham Food Hub

NOW THIS YEAR WE WILL…

• Start working on projects that will create economic growth…• Understand the impacts of the projects we choose

to focus on and how to measure them…• Work with the other Economic Development

Districts to develop a Statewide CEDS…

LEADERSHIP TEAM: YEAR 2 ROLE

• Guidance and direction to Action Teams. • Consistency with Mobilize Midcoast Maine Goals• Applying research and analysis

• Connecting the dots:• Who needs to be involved in which initiatives?• What resources are available?• What is currently being done that is similar or inter-

related?• What else needs to be done for our initiatives to be

successful?

ACTION TEAMS:YEAR 2 ROLE

• Developing projects that will generate economic activity:• Food, Fishing & Farming – Developing connections

between local food producers and local and regional buyers

• Manufacturing & Technology – Value chain mapping of manufacturing in the region

• Natural and Cultural Assets – Developing experiential tourism packages

• Talent – Events to introduce entrepreneurs to well connected retirees

EXAMPLES OF YEAR 2 PROJECTS IN OTHER REGIONS

• Mobilize Northern Maine: Renewable Energy Action Team • Implementing a strategy to convert residential and commercial

heating systems to biomass (wood pellets). • Will generate an annual economic impact of $23 million in

Aroostook County. • Already several businesses are converting from oil to wood

energy, saving money and jobs, and cultivating a local energy conversion industry in the process.

• Mobilize Southern Maine: Workforce Development Action Team • 10 week community college training program for manufacturing

workers. • Every member of the program’s 15 person inaugural class has

secured employment at one of York County’s manufacturing businesses.

FOOD, FISHING AND FARMING

• Goal – Link local farmers and fishermen with local food product developers, processors, institutions and restaurants• Relevant Assets – Strong fishing and agricultural

sector, community supported agriculture programs and fisheries, • Potential Project(s) (Example) – Assisting the

Topsham Food Hub to package produce in compliance with the purchasing guidelines of large local institutions (surveying large local institutions re: purchasing requirements and procedures)

CURRENT ACTION TEAM MEMBERS: FOOD, FISHING AND FARMING

• Chris Hamilton – MOFGA• Emily Reinholt – Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission• Jamien Richardson - CYON Business Solutions• Pam Hile - Sagadahoc County• John Shattuck - Town of Topsham• Tod Yankee - Maine Harvest Company• Genna Cherichello• Tim HarkinsPotential Leads:• Monique Coombs - CYON Seafood Industry and Marketing• Patrice McCarron - Executive Director, Maine Lobstermen's

Association • Patrick Wright - Gardiner Main Street Program

MANUFACTURING AND TECHNOLOGY

• Goal – To understand who is engaged in manufacturing in the Midcoast and what their challenges are• Relevant Assets – Cutting edge manufacturing

sectors: boatbuilding (Bath Iron Works), composites, food processing, medical components, Bigelow Laboratory, Brunswick Landing• Potential Project(s) – Surveys, focus groups and

interviews with local manufacturers to understand their challenges and design initiatives to respond to these challenges

CURRENT ACTION TEAM MEMBERS: MANUFACTURING AND TECHNOLOGY

• Bill Card - Small Business Administration• Chris Rector - Senator, District 22 - co-chair

LCRED. Small business owner. Knox county resident.• Dave Boucher - Town of Edgecomb• Jack Williams - Senior Vice President, Camden

National Bank• Joseph Paolillo - Boothbay Comprehensive

Planning Board• Ronn Orenstein - Damariscotta Selectman

NATURAL AND CULTURAL ASSETS

• Goal – Promoting the “authentic Maine” brand by bolstering existing assets to support and grow experiential tourism• Relevant Assets – A high concentration of arts,

cultural, historic and natural attractions• Potential Project – Engage fishermen and farmers,

museums and inns, boaters and guides and even private businesses like BIW to create imaginative experience opportunities (like wine trails, tool trails and historic trails)

CURRENT ACTION TEAM MEMBERS: NATURAL AND CULTURAL ASSETS

• Amy Lent - Maine Maritime Museum• Brian Hodges - Town of Camden• Carmine Pecorelli - Town of Belmont• Kris Folsom - CMBG• Linda Morkeski• Robert Peabody - Town of Rockport• Victoria Boundy - Town of RichmondPotential Leads:• Peggy Konitzky - Manager of 2 historic houses in

Wiscasset/ New England organization• Peter Simons - Bowdoin International Music Festival

TALENT

• Goal – Connect the old and young talent, native and newcomer talent, to foster and grow entrepreneurship • Relevant Assets – Creative young talent growing

up and older talent visiting and retiring in the region• Potential Project – Development of a business

mentoring program for emerging entrepreneurs

CURRENT ACTION TEAM MEMBERS: TALENT

• Bill Blodgett - Lincoln County Commissioner• Eric Waters - Representing the Healthcare/long

term care, senior housing sector• Jennifer Geiger - Maine Street Bath Director• John Gibbons - Town of Union• Matt Lutkus - Town of Damariscotta• Seth Walton - Youthlinks in Rockland• William Chapman - Town of Rockport

EXAMPLE: FOOD, FARMING & FISHING ACTION TEAM PLAN

Goals Relevant Assets Potential ProjectWho Else Needs to Be Involved? Actions Outcomes

Responsible Parties

Timeframes

Link local farmers and fishermen with local food product developers, processors and restaurants

Community supported agriculture programs

Mapping growers to outlets based on Coastal Farms Food Processing Model in Belfast as a model for the Topsham Food Hub

  Inventory of producers & markets they access

 

   Community supported fisheries

   

Inventory of regional/local processors and their suppliers

 

   Strong fishing and agricultural sector

 

Inventory of other potenital markets (i.e. restaurants, institutions, etc.)      

Local restaurants

   

Identifying opportunities to link local producers with processors and other markets      

Local producers           

UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS AND BENCHMARKING

• All EDD’s in Maine will be working with Charlie Colgan from USM to:• Understand the present state of

industry clusters• Understand recent trends in in

the development of clusters• Potential impacts of cluster

development activities

• As the Leadership Team you will use this data to guide your decision making around the value and potential of specific activities

HOW DO WE FIT IN WITH WHAT’S HAPPENING ACROSS THE STATE?

• All the EDDs will combine their CEDS to create a Statewide Economic Development Strategy• The EDDs have been working together to better

share resources and provide businesses across the State with access to capital through the Maine Capital Access Network (MECAN)

LEADERSHIP TEAM:YEAR 2 ACTION PLAN

Early February, 2014: Presentation of Cluster Analysis – clusters that have the greatest potential for growth in the Midcoast

Mid March, 2014: Mobilize Maine Summit – Action Teams to present activities being undertaken or planned to Leadership Team

April – December, 2014: Ongoing feedback to action teams and decision making on which activities should be prioritized

ACTION TEAMS:YEAR 2 PLAN

Late November, 2013

•Launch of Year 2: Each action team to identify priority initiatives and action plan to implement them

December to March, 2014

•Ongoing meetings to report on follow up actions taken to implement priority initiatives and refining action plans

Mid March, 2014

•Mobilize Midcoast Maine Summit: Presentation to Leadership Team on priority initiatives and their status

April –December, 2014

•Ongoing implementation of priority initiatives

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN YEAR 2?

• What are other projects/initiatives/actions that the Action Teams should consider?• Who else needs to be involved with the action

teams to make things happen?• Who is willing to serve as a chair to the Action

Teams?• What role would the Leadership Team like play in

relation to the action teams (if any) beyond support and guidance?

!

Thank you for your commitment to improving the economic opportunities

in Midcoast Maine!