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The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council's Quarterly Newsletter is e-mailed to you four times a year within a week of our Quarterly Meetings. Should you have any thoughts as to content or wish to unsubscribe, please feel free to email our Executive Director, Mark Scarano. |
PCEDC Receives Business Attraction Funds
Thanks to the generosity of our State Department of Economic and Community Development, the PCEDC was able to financially support a business attraction trip to Quebec City. By all accounts, this was one of the most promising trips we have made. The PCEDC coordinated this effort with the Eastern Maine Development Corporation, which has focused its business attraction efforts on Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. If you are interested in hearing more about this effort, plan on attending our upcoming Quarterly Meeting (see "Open Invitation" below). |
Open Invitation
Everyone is invited to our first Quarterly meeting of 2003 to be held on March 10th at the Alumni Building, Brownville Junction. This event will feature an expert panel discussion on business attraction that will answer the following questions:
"Why would businesses come to Maine?"
"What sort of strategies are our State officials using to attract businesses?"
"How can Piscataquis County benefit from these efforts?"
Confirmed panelists include:
Les Stevens, Executive Director
The Maine Partnership at the
Eastern Maine Development Corporation
Todd Alexander, Director of Client Services
Maine and Company
Richard Coyle, President
Maine International Trade Center
This meeting starts at 4pm and includes a dinner
A $12 donation is suggested.
To RSVP, e-mail or call Angela at 1-800-539-0332 by March 5th |
Some Good News...
- Guilford based Pride Manufacturing announced the purchase of equipment from the Houlton International Company. This will create over a dozen jobs, most of which will be in Guilford.
- Based on their successful 2002 premier season, Acadian Railway will again be offering high-end passenger travel through Piscataquis County. Municipal officials in Greenville have been exemplary in supporting this company.
- Both the Southern Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and the Moosehead Region Chamber of Commerce are part of a regional effort to promote north-central Maine. This effort, known as the "Maine Highlands" is off to a strong start. Check out the Highland's website here.
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PCEDC Executive Committee Recommends Community College Concept
The Executive Committee of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council recently voted to wholeheartedly support a proposal to alter the State's Technical College System into a modern, functioning Community College System. For more information on this change, click here. |
Wood Composite Incubator Receives Funding
Thanks to the efforts of our Congressional Delegation, the Greenville wood composite incubator has received $225,000 for construction costs. This will go along way in our efforts to make Piscataquis County the commercial center in Maine for wood composite manufacturing. Want more information on the wood composite incubator? Click here to find out more. |
Penquis Higher Education Center Exceeds Expectations (Again!)
Thanks to a strong collaborative effort, the Penquis Higher Education Center in Dover-Foxcroft will be offering nursing courses. Health care is a growing sector and this development will provide solid training for good jobs in the future. |
Ames Replacement update
As mentioned in the last Quarterly Newsletter, the PCEDC has been pulling out all the stops to find a replacement for the former Ames department store in Dover-Foxcroft. We have contacted a handful of potential replacements and have supplied them detailed information on Ames' retail sales. Needless to say, the sales in that one location were spectacular. We are continuing to contact these prospects, put them in touch with regional and State incentive providers, and do just about anything to get them to commit.
A special thanks to Governor John Baldacci for making a personal call to a prospective retailer. |
County Commissioners Support Economic Development
On February 4th, the Piscataquis County Commissioners voted unanimously to ask the Maine Legislature to grant the County borrowing authority for economic development projects. This move is supported by the PCEDC and numerous municipal official. Because of the County's small population (17, 235) our municipalities are unable to borrow effective amounts. This further reinforces the fact that the County sustains one economy and that a job created in one community benefits all. |
Some Bad News...
- Parallel Transportation in Guilford announced that they were laying off 15 of their 23 employees.
- It's been widely known that cheap imports have been hurting Maine's wood product firms. This Bangor Daily article neatly sums up the problems Piscataquis County firms face.
- The Town of Shirley is investigating the de-organization process.
- Piscataquis County's December '02 unemployment rate: 8.3%. In December '01: 6.4%.
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Do you want more information on the PCEDC?
Check out the PCEDC Website
Sign up for the PCEDC listserv |
Piscataquis County Economic Development Council
50 Mayo Street
Dover-Foxcroft, Maine 04426
1-800-539-0332
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