GPCOG announces new leader of economic development
Courtesy / Greater Portland Council of Governments
Paul Johnson is building relationships with municipal leaders to help GPCOG understand the area's economic development needs.
Paul Johnson, who was hired as manager of the Greater Portland Council of Governments in May 2022, has now been promoted to director of economic development.
Johnson is credited with advancing the agency's revolving loan programs and he launched a program that provides technical assistance to regional development projects and member municipalities.
His appointment as economic development director of GPCOG was announced Wednesday. The Portland-based nonprofit is a regional planning agency funded by grants and 25 dues-paying member municipalities. Its mission is to help the region adapt and thrive in a changing world.
Johnson will now help member communities plan development projects that are deemed to have a regional impact. He will also oversee the agency's brownfields program, which has leveraged $27 million in federal funding to clean up 25 sites in the region.
“This is a unique time, with new economic opportunities emerging at the same time that many cities and towns are facing the challenge of meeting the needs of the housing crisis,” said Johnson, who served on the Scarborough Town Council for over three years, two as chair.
"Paul's experience as an elected municipal leader has given him insight into what municipalities need so they can succeed," said the council’s executive director, Kristina Egan. "In his work on the town council advancing the Scarborough Downs development — Maine's largest mixed-use project — Paul found ways to bring municipal and business needs together. And as a longtime small business owner, Paul has the knowledge and experience required to support small employers across our region." Johnson is building relationships with municipal leaders to help the agency understand local and subregional economic development needs and aspirations.
Johnson has been a local business owner for two decades. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the University of Southern Maine, he started his first business, the Study Hall, which today offers tutoring, college counseling and test preparation programs in several Maine locations. He also founded Tulu Salon and Spa in downtown Biddeford.
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