John Holden will take over as president of the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council on Jan. 1, succeeding Lucien Gosselin, who stepped down in June after 18 years. Holden has spent his career working in both rural and urban areas throughout Maine, from Dover-Foxcroft to Millinocket to, most recently, Rockland, where he spent two years as […]
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John Holden will take over as president of the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council on Jan. 1, succeeding Lucien Gosselin, who stepped down in June after 18 years. Holden has spent his career working in both rural and urban areas throughout Maine, from Dover-Foxcroft to Millinocket to, most recently, Rockland, where he spent two years as economic development director.
Holden, 50, a native of Columbus, Ohio, lives in Belfast but plans to relocate to L/A. Two weeks before his first official day on the job, Holden was meeting with his new staff at the council's Lisbon Street offices. He took a break from those meetings to talk with Mainebiz about the move.
Mainebiz: What attracted you to the job?
John Holden: I was impressed with the collaboration between the cities, and the growth council's accomplishments. I traveled here a lot in the past six years and I've seen some positive signs, in all the private investment here. Both cities have recently updated their comprehensive plans. The cities and the growth council have a successful partnership. And now they're looking to take the next step. So it's a good time to be here. The opportunity to reach out and look for collaborative ways to grow the L/A economy is exciting.
MB: What's first on your to-do list?
JH: Task one will be to get input from all corners of L/A, then create a new growth strategy. We want to look at the immediate and long-term opportunities to build on the assets of the communities, and see how the growth council can support and foster that. In my first 90 days, I want to meet people. Then I want to meet more people. And meet more people, in the cities, neighborhoods, business developments and arts groups to find out how the growth council can help. I want to understand more about the manufacturers here, and how we can create relationships between companies. There may be particular markets where we can help businesses grow, or find new companies who might want to do business here. If we can know enough about them to make connections and open another door to another market or supplier, at the end of the day, that's the value added that the growth council can have.
MB: What are Lewiston-Auburn's competitive advantages that you will use to market it to other areas?
JH: L/A's transportation assets are incredible, and it has tons of available space for larger businesses at very good market rates. We're a hub of rail, vehicle and air access. We have the foreign trade zone. And all of those things are key to manufacturing. Plus, there's a tradition of the service and manufacturing industries here. We have a lot of great stories to highlight, as companies with brand names like Walmart, TD Bank and Tambrands having expanded here and proven that this is a good place to do business. And that's very attractive to other companies looking to grow.
MB: Will the ongoing discussions about a formal merger between Lewiston and Auburn have any impact on your work?
JH: No. From an economic development standpoint, it's one market. I want to take the 'slash and dash' out. It's L/A.
MB: How do you plan to build on the momentum that's been created by restaurants like Fuel to create more vibrant downtowns?
JH: Both downtowns and the riverfronts are key. And if people want to live in an urban setting in a rural area, this is a great place to do that. Part of it is about getting to know the investors, owners and developers, finding out what their interests are, and learning about their companies. Often, it's about helping business owners and investors find capital. We have a great network of people who can connect business owners with lenders. Those connections and networks are critical in today's world.
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