As FocusMaine nears the finish line on a 10-year goal to create jobs, boost sales of Maine goods outside Maine and attract investment to the state, the organization released a list of its accomplishments on Wednesday.
The organization, which has concentrated on Maine’s food and life sciences sectors, said it achieved the following goals:
- “Catalyzed” the creation of over 1,500 new direct, indirect and induced jobs;
- Created the Maine Life Sciences Innovation Center at the Maine Technology Institute, along with aquaculture apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs; and
- Enrolled nearly 3,700 interns working at 140 employers via the Maine Career Catalyst program.
Since 2017, FocusMaine has invested its resources into economic development organizations to mutually design and deliver programs aimed at the entrepreneurs, companies and public policies in those focus areas.
“It is clear by the achievements of our partners and program participants that the FocusMaine model is making a difference,” said Michael Dubyak, co-chair and co-founder of FocusMaine. “It takes coordinated leadership and patience to generate tangible economic impacts. With our partners now positioned to sustain long-term collaborative impacts, we are seeing Maine enter a new, stronger era of economic growth and opportunity, especially in the FocusMaine sectors.”
Economic development focus
FocusMaine’s Meconomic development model harnessed the strengths of existing organizations, aligning efforts across business development and workforce systems to improve efficiency and close critical gaps for emerging companies and entrepreneurs in Maine’s food and life sciences sectors.
The sectors were picked based on their potential for export-driven revenue growth and Maine’s competitive advantages related to those sectors. From the outset, FocusMaine was designed to spark growth through sustained investment and collaborations.
FocusMaine’s partner network includes Coastal Enterprises Inc., the Maine Aquaculture Association, Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, New England Ocean Cluster, Bioscience Association of Maine, the Maine Life Sciences Innovation Center, Northeastern University’s Roux Institute and Educate Maine.
Other collaborators include the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine & Co., Live + Work in Maine, the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, the Maine Development Foundation, the Maine Food Convergence and Seafood Economic Accelerator for Maine.
“We are deeply grateful to our partners, funders and friends who have believed in the unique approach of FocusMaine and helped make all this possible,” says Andrea Cianchette Maker, who came out of retirement to become president of the organization. She also served as the co-chair and was a co-founder of the organization.
“This year, as we approach the completion of our initiative, we are focusing on helping our valued partners maintain programmatic momentum in the years ahead. We are confident that our partners have the skills and relationships to carry the mission forward.”
