We sent three reporters to Bangor for our annual focus section on the Queen City and they came back with some interesting stories. Bangor is proving again its determination to revitalize the downtown and stay apace with the economy.Laurie Schreiber checked in with the general manager of the Bangor Mall, a regional mall owned by […]
We sent three reporters to Bangor for our annual focus section on the Queen City and they came back with some interesting stories. Bangor is proving again its determination to revitalize the downtown and stay apace with the economy.
Laurie Schreiber checked in with the general manager of the Bangor Mall, a regional mall owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, about the rapidly changing world of retail. People are still going to shopping centers, she reports, but mall owners have to be increasingly savvy about using technology and keeping shoppers engaged. See cover story, which starts on page 14.
Lori Valigra visited a milk-production plant being fitted out by Pineland Farms Inc. and its backer, the Libra Foundation. After Pineland Farms Potato Co. was sold to Bob Evans Farms Inc., Pineland Farms and Libra started looking at growing segments of the food industry. The partnership is investing in a Bangor facility that will make milk blends that can be sold to brands like Dunkin' Donuts, Cheesecake Factory, Sara Lee and possibly even Bob Evans. See page 18.
Renee Cordes met with Bob Montgomery-Rice, president and CEO of Bangor Savings Bank, about the institution's new headquarters on the Bangor waterfront. The project, now under construction, demonstrates the bank's commitment to the city even as an increasing share of its business comes from southern Maine. The commitment is not just the dollars invested, but the number of well-paying jobs the site will host. As Montgomery-Rice points out, the new headquarters will be able to accommodate 500 people — certainly demonstrating the bank's commitment to the city. See page 22.
Heard on Main Street
Cumberland County Federal Credit Union may be the latest such institution to expand. As reported recently by Laurie Schreiber in the Real Estate Insider, the credit union acquired a one-acre parcel in front of the Hannaford supermarket in Yarmouth, at 808 U.S. Route One. It paid $275,000 for the site, which had been owned by Hannaford Bros. Co. Elsewhere on Route One in Yarmouth, Five County Federal Credit Union has a new branch it built from the ground up … In Brunswick, Waltz Long-Term Care Pharmacy in Brunswick, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is also rebranding itself as Guardian Pharmacy of Maine. Over a decade, the pharmacy has twice moved into larger facilities, made tech upgrades and hired 60 full-time employees. Most recently, it has entered into a partnership with Guardian Pharmacy Services, a group of 29 long-term pharmacies with customer support based in Atlanta. This is the only Maine location.