Loring, which is on a former Air Force base, is Maine’s largest business park by size, with 8,700 acres, and is a key piece of Aroostook County’s place in the region’s larger economy.
The economic outlook for 2026 looks promising for Aroostook County, according to Jonathan Judkins, the President and CEO of the Loring Commerce Center in Limestone.
Loring, which is on a former Air Force base, is Maine’s largest business park, with 8,700 acres, and is a key piece of Aroostook County’s place in the region’s larger economy.
“You’re able to bridge the gap between rural Maine and access to the internet and the highway,” says Judkins.
Jonathan Judkins is president and CEO of the Loring Commerce Center in Limestone. PHOTO / COURTESY OF LORING COMMERCE CENTER
“Never before have we been able to bridge the gap between traditional businesses and science and technology,” he says.
Now, logging, long a mainstay of the Aroostook economy, might involve computers to harvest the wood. Farming employs GPS to maximize efficiency in the fields. Judkins places Loring Commerce Center firmly in the realm of ground-breaking technology.
Judkins is in his second year as president of Loring Commerce Center.
“My first official act was to get that potato chip factory in,” he says, referring to Taste of Maine, a potato chip facility that will employ a local work force but will also use robotic technology and is scheduled to open in 2026.
An event featuring miliary aircraft, Operation Northern Phoenix, is coming together at Loring, slated for June 7-12, 2026.
Loring Commerce Center also works with Aero Intelligence, a Kansas company that repairs large aircraft.
“Those are the kinds of companies we want to move mountains for,” says Judkins.
