Goodwill’s sale of Portland space paves way for new neuro rehab clinic in Scarborough

Courtesy / Malone Commercial Brokers Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has sold its 30,000-square-foot condominium space, at 75 Washington Ave. in Portland.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Goodwill Industries of Northern New England has sold its 30,000-square-foot condominium space on the third floor of 75 Washington Ave. in Portland.

The space was occupied by part of the nonprofit organization’s administrative staff and also by one of its neuro rehabilitation clinics.

The sale allows Goodwill to consolidate its administrative staff at its Gorham headquarters and to custom-design leased space in Scarborough for its neuro rehab program.

Goodwill sold the third-floor condominium space to Dayton 59 LLC for $4.6 million. The deal closed April 12. Andrew Ingalls of Malone Commercial Brokers represented the seller and Drew Sigfridson of The Boulos Co. represented the buyer.

Former Nissen bakery

The building is the former John J. Nissen Baking Co. bakery. According to the blog Strange Maine, Nissen’s operations ceased in 1999, after the century-old company was purchased by national firm Interstate Bakeries Inc. The property was subsequently sold and renovated for studios, offices and stores.

Ingalls, who grew up in South Portland, recalled the aroma of baking bread that wafted from the bakery.

“All of Munjoy Hill smelled like bread,” he said, adding, “Not a bad thing.”

While most of the building has been refinished, a small unfinished space offers evidence of Nissen’s existence, in the form of an old, handwritten sign on an original door that demands, “Please keep this door closed!! It is effecting [sic] the heat on the English muffin grill.”

Courtesy / Malone Commercial Brokers

An old sign from the Nissen days remains in an out-of-the way spot.

Reduced sales price

Goodwill’s space on the third floor features exposed beams, contemporary décor and skyline views from many vantage points, according to the listing.

The building’s lower floors are occupied by professional offices for companies like Wright-Pierce Engineering, Rock Coast Personnel, and Mitchell Institute.

The sale price was lower than the original listing price of $5.495 million.

“Potential buyers were unfamiliar with the condominium competent, which would have put them in as minority owners,” Ingalls said. “There’s no question that aspect had an impact on value.”

Courtesy / Malone Commercial Brokers

Features of the third-floor condominium include exposed beams and ceilings, and brick walls.

The buyer of Goodwill’s space also owns the rest of the building, he explained.

Goodwill has occupied the 75 Washington Ave. space since 2014.

Half of the space has been occupied by as many as 30 administrative employees, and half by Goodwill NeuroRehab Services, established in 1991 for individuals with acquired brain injury. A culture shift in the organization allowed many of the administrative employees to be embedded in its programs; most recently there were 10 administrative employees at the site, making the move to the Gorham campus easy, said Heather Steeves, Goodwill’s external communications manager.

Washington Avenue transformation

“We bought the space at 75 Washington Ave. at a great time,” said Steeves.

Since then, the once-rundown neighborhood has become much more vibrant, said Steeves.

That includes Washington Avenue’s evolution as a food and drink destination and its location between two neighborhoods that are hot properties.

“Little did we know Washington Avenue would boom,” she continued. “It made that space really valuable. So it didn’t make sense to continue operations there, especially when we could custom-build our neuro rehab space to our exact needs and be on the bus line and be in a safer place with more parking. So we’re able to move that money into our programs in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.”

The moves allow Goodwill to save on occupancy costs, like utilities and maintenance, that were incurred at 75 Washington Ave., Steeves noted.

Neuro rehab renovations

In February, Goodwill NNE moved its 10 administrative staffers to its headquarters at 34 Hutcherson Dr. in the Gorham Industrial Park, said Steeves.

Work is now underway to renovate leased space at 8 Science Park Road in Scarborough for the neuro rehab program. Investment to renovate the new neuro rehab space is being borne by the building’s owner, Steeves said.

8 Science Park Road is the former home of the Foundation for Blood Research. The foundation closed in 2016.

Courtesy / NAI The Dunham Group

Goodwill will move its neuro rehabilitation program to 8 Science Park Road in Scarborough once renovations are complete, expected to be in August.

The move is expected to take place this August. Goodwill holds a leaseback on the 75 Washington Ave. space until construction is completed.

The move works out well because Goodwill gets to customize construction to better meet client needs, Steeves said. For example, an elevated track is being installed to provide for safe walking.

“We don’t have a lot of space for walking on Washington Avenue,” Steeves explained. "It's a very busy street, and people with traumatic injuries often have balance issues as a symptom."

“It’s a very busy street, and people with traumatic brain injuries tend not to have great balance.”

The layout includes custom kitchens designed to help people relearn how to cook for themselves; as well as Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility features, art rooms, meeting rooms, resting space, and yoga and therapy spaces.

Goodwill opened its NeuroRehabilitation Services in Portland in 1991. It opened a companion program, in Lewiston, in 1996.

The program offers comprehensive brain injury services and treatment options for people with acquired brain injuries.

“Our services help people increase their independence within their home and community environments,” Steeves wrote by email. “We provide community-based therapies that help people with cognitive, emotional and physical needs.

The professional team includes case managers, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, neuropsychologists, speech pathologists, and others to treat the cognitive, emotional and physical needs of patients.

“Our team believes in teaching the skills needed for daily living, such as physical mobility, memory and communication,” she wrote. “Much of our treatment occurs in both our centers and in real-world scenarios. We may take patients to the supermarket to shop, to where they work, or visit them at home to relearn valuable life skills. Additionally, we work with caregivers, doctors, funding sources, advocacy organizations and other community agencies to develop and deliver care that is designed to help patients reach stability.”

The program has served about 9,000 people.

Goodwill Northern New England is a nonprofit social enterprise that creates jobs, delivers services for people with diverse challenges, and offers workforce services in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Goodwill NNE operates retail stores, health care and cleaning services which help fund its workforce programs.

Its own workforce in the three states numbers about 2,000.

Goodwill continues to maintain its Workforce Services Center on Lancaster Street in Portland.

In May, Goodwill expanded its Job Connection program with the hire of a full-time “life navigator” for employees. Job Connection began in Portland in 2015 and has helped hundreds of job seekers with social and workforce connection challenges.