October 25, 2004
A regional approach | Alan Hinsey and a partner launch an economic development firm that focuses on the midcoast
By Michaela Cavallaro
According to Alan Hinsey, midcoast Maine is too often overlooked in statewide economic development efforts. Though the region is served by government agencies and nonprofits including the Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Coastal Enterprises Inc. and the Department of Economic and Community Development, Hinsey says the organizations tend not to have "a high-level focus" on the midcoast. "Our theory was that when people think about this area, they think, 'They're on the coast, they're fine.' The answer is yes and no," he says. "The 'yes' part is that if we do nothing, if we don't have an organized and coordinated economic development strategy for the region, economic development will happen anyway ˆ but it may not happen in a way that's best for the communities involved."
In the hope of helping manage the midcoast's growth, Hinsey, a former director of the state Bureau of Labor Standards, and his partner in a Rockland management consulting firm, Mike Roberts, recently spun off a new firm, The Breakwater Group, that will focus on what Hinsey calls "knowledge-based economic development strategy." The end goal is raising the income and education levels in Waldo, Knox and Lincoln counties.
While Hinsey says the statistics for the region typically match state averages ˆ 23% of people 25 and older have bachelor's degrees statewide, for example, while in Knox County the figure is 26% ˆ he adds that the numbers are skewed by the region's more affluent communities. When it comes to bachelor's degrees, he says, "If you took Camden and Rockport out of the mix, we would be well below the state's average. There's one part [of the region] that's driving the whole area. That's fine, but it's not showing what's happening in Washington, Union, Warren or Appleton."
To bolster the region's prospects, Hinsey and Roberts have come up with a bold list of potential projects, including formation of a community college campus in the region, development of a technology incubator in the Rockland industrial park facility vacated by clothing maker Nautica and creation of a public market on the harbor in Rockland, which Hinsey says is poised to undergo a transition. "It's going to become more of a high-end recreational waterfront," he says, "but we also want to build in some of the anchors that will help sustain it. We think a public market could be one of those anchors." Breakwater is hoping to begin a formal feasibility study on the market concept within the next six months.
In addition, Hinsey, who calls himself and Roberts "Richard Florida groupies," has become a devotee of the George Mason University professor's ideas about the promise of the creative economy. Hinsey's interest in Florida's principles about the importance of attracting the right "human capital" to bolster a region's economy led Breakwater to sponsor what it's calling the Midcoast Magnet project, a group of young professionals ˆ Hinsey, 50, calls himself the "designated geezer" ˆ who are working on strategies to attract and retain young entrepreneurs.
The model for Breakwater is unusual; as far as Hinsey knows, there are no other for-profit firms in the state focusing on regional economic development. Along with the unique model, though, comes a funding challenge: Since many local economic development efforts are funded by grants to nonprofits, The Breakwater Group hasn't had much luck getting paid for its work. For the moment, Hinsey and Roberts' consulting firm, Management Intervention Services, foots the bill for Breakwater's projects, but Hinsey is hopeful that the duo can help local nonprofit groups apply for grants, using some of the proceeds to pay for Breakwater's services. "There's a group here in the midcoast ˆ visionaries, leaders, private citizens, community activists ˆ and they want to take control and manage the future of this area; not restrain it, but manage it," he says. "Eventually, all those things boil down into work, and we want to position ourselves to do that work."
In the hope of helping manage the midcoast's growth, Hinsey, a former director of the state Bureau of Labor Standards, and his partner in a Rockland management consulting firm, Mike Roberts, recently spun off a new firm, The Breakwater Group, that will focus on what Hinsey calls "knowledge-based economic development strategy." The end goal is raising the income and education levels in Waldo, Knox and Lincoln counties.
While Hinsey says the statistics for the region typically match state averages ˆ 23% of people 25 and older have bachelor's degrees statewide, for example, while in Knox County the figure is 26% ˆ he adds that the numbers are skewed by the region's more affluent communities. When it comes to bachelor's degrees, he says, "If you took Camden and Rockport out of the mix, we would be well below the state's average. There's one part [of the region] that's driving the whole area. That's fine, but it's not showing what's happening in Washington, Union, Warren or Appleton."
To bolster the region's prospects, Hinsey and Roberts have come up with a bold list of potential projects, including formation of a community college campus in the region, development of a technology incubator in the Rockland industrial park facility vacated by clothing maker Nautica and creation of a public market on the harbor in Rockland, which Hinsey says is poised to undergo a transition. "It's going to become more of a high-end recreational waterfront," he says, "but we also want to build in some of the anchors that will help sustain it. We think a public market could be one of those anchors." Breakwater is hoping to begin a formal feasibility study on the market concept within the next six months.
In addition, Hinsey, who calls himself and Roberts "Richard Florida groupies," has become a devotee of the George Mason University professor's ideas about the promise of the creative economy. Hinsey's interest in Florida's principles about the importance of attracting the right "human capital" to bolster a region's economy led Breakwater to sponsor what it's calling the Midcoast Magnet project, a group of young professionals ˆ Hinsey, 50, calls himself the "designated geezer" ˆ who are working on strategies to attract and retain young entrepreneurs.
The model for Breakwater is unusual; as far as Hinsey knows, there are no other for-profit firms in the state focusing on regional economic development. Along with the unique model, though, comes a funding challenge: Since many local economic development efforts are funded by grants to nonprofits, The Breakwater Group hasn't had much luck getting paid for its work. For the moment, Hinsey and Roberts' consulting firm, Management Intervention Services, foots the bill for Breakwater's projects, but Hinsey is hopeful that the duo can help local nonprofit groups apply for grants, using some of the proceeds to pay for Breakwater's services. "There's a group here in the midcoast ˆ visionaries, leaders, private citizens, community activists ˆ and they want to take control and manage the future of this area; not restrain it, but manage it," he says. "Eventually, all those things boil down into work, and we want to position ourselves to do that work."
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