A look back: Waterville loses jobs in shirt and paper manufacturing
With all the news coming out of Waterville regarding its downtown investment and expansion at Colby College, it's hard to fathom the upheaval seen in December 1994.
From the first issue of Mainebiz, in December 1994:
"The Waterville region is experiencing the impact of losing 280 jobs with the announcement of layoffs at Scott Paper and Warnaco Inc. Scott will be laying off 100 at its Winslow mill by the end of the year and Warnaco will drop 180 jobs at its Waterville shirt factory over the next few months.
“Overall, Scott expects to be down to 430 employees from the current 519 by the end of the year. These are in addition to the loss of 120 jobs with the closing of the LeVerdiere's Drug Store distribution center, also in Winslow. According to the Maine State Planning Office, the loss of these 400 jobs may affect the viability of an additional 250 jobs in the Waterville area through the lost income and spending in the region.”
Today, downtown Waterville is home to Colby students, who live in a new, $25 million dorm. Also underway are a hotel, office space, retail and other residential housing.
Fun fact: Gritty McDuff's, which was founded in 1988, expanded six years later at its site at 394 Fore St. in Portland, taking over the former Beal's Ice Cream store next door, at 394 Fore St. Both companies are still going strong in the Old Port, with Gritty's in the same spot and Beal's now at 12 Moulton St. Each has other locations as well.
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