MTI's second head in a row exits suddenly; Blackstone appears safe

TIM GREENWAY Robert Martin in happier times at the Maine Technology Institute's headquarters in Brunswick.

Write a Comment

By Lori Valigra

For the second time in as many years, the Maine Technology Institute’s head has exited abruptly.

Robert A. Martin, president of MTI, was fired on Thursday, Gov. Paul LePage confirmed in a statement.

Despite Martin’s departure, there are no indications that the MTI program is in jeopardy, nor the Blackstone Accelerates Growth initiative operating within MTI.

MTI’s signature event, TechWalk 2014, is expected to go on as planned on Oct. 2 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. And Gov. LePage has indicated his continued support for and the importance of MTI.

“The work of the organization [Blackstone] will continue,” Martha Bentley, operations director for Blackstone Accelerates Growth, among other programs within MTI, told Mainebiz. “Blackstone Accelerates Growth will celebrate its third anniversary in October in conjunction with the MTI TechWalk in Bangor,” Bentley said.

The governor said in his statement that Martin’s departure would not “impair the critical work of the organization.” MTI is a state-funded organization that issues grants and loans for early-stage companies in Maine to conduct research and build their businesses.

LePage’s commitment to MTI may come as a relief to young companies needing money to get started or expand, though it is not clear how the leadership change might impact how fast applications are reviewed. Hastening the review process was one of Martin’s focuses.

Blackstone Accelerates Growth is the $3 million, three-year pilot initiative to establish innovation hubs in Maine that was launched in October 2011.

It still isn’t clear whether Blackstone will pump in more money after the three years are up. Partners in the initiative are MTI, the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development and the University of Maine.

Bentley also said she has “no idea of when there will be a replacement” for Martin.

In confirming Martin’s removal, LePage provided little explanation, saying simply that it was a “personnel matter,” according to his statement released to the press via the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. That department will work with MTI’s staff during the transition, the statement said. Brian Whitney, DECD’s director of business development and innovation, did not return a call for comment to Mainebiz by press time.

Martin replaced Betsy Biemann, who resigned suddenly in 2012. While the official reason for her departure also was not given, Biemann was an outspoken critic of the governor’s decision to veto a $20 million research and development bond.

In an interview with Mainebiz just after he became head of MTI in the fall of 2012, Martin said he had a goal to improve the commercialization rate of the for-companies MTI invested in to 50% from the 37% when he took over MTI.

He also said he wanted to get the organization more well known.

Whitney nominated to lead MTI