Q&A: MDF's new leader renews state's workforce focus

photo/Amber Waterman Ed Cervone is the new president and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation

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By Morgan Palmer

Ed Cervone first joined the Maine Development Foundation in 2007 as program director for the Maine Economic Growth Council. Just five years later, he was selected the new president and CEO after former MDF head Laurie Lachance accepted the presidency at Thomas College.

Mainebiz recently talked to Cervone about his new position leading the statewide economic development organization; the following is an edited transcript.

Mainebiz: What are your top priorities as the new president of MDF?

Cervone: To continue the good work that she [Lachance] started. We have a number of projects across the state, so a top priority is to make sure that we continue those services to our customers and members. We think we can best help grow the Maine economy if we focus our work on helping to build a bigger and better work force.

Do you expect any challenges as you settle into your new position?

They are the everyday challenges of a nonprofit in Maine, which [are] resources, opportunities and capacity to deliver a quality product. We're fortunate: MDF has been doing it for over 34 years. We have a long track record and a great group of members, clients and partners.

What are some new projects you're working on?

We have a new program called Education Leader's Experience for K-12 school administrators. [There are] 30 from the state in a nine-month program where they meet business leaders and form bonds with them so they have a better understanding of the economy. An exciting new program called Healthy Maine Streets launches this month. We were awarded a [community transformation] grant by the federal government for $1.6 million and along with our partner Medical Care Development, [we will] deliver wellness programs, opportunities and tools to 20 communities around the state. The objective is to improve the health of communities, [make them] more productive and maintain costs.

A large part of what MDF does is generate ideas and create leaders; can you name a leader you think has been helped by MDF?

Susan Corbett, the CEO of Axiom Technologies in Machias, [is] a wonderful leader in the state. She's tackling the issue of broadband and technology connectivity in rural Maine and she's led the charge in Washington County to bring the residents and businesses high-speed Internet, to give them opportunities to compete in the economy. She's one of the great leaders of this state and those are the types of leaders we hope to be working with in years to come.

What do you believe are the top challenges facing Maine's economy?

On everyone's mind is growth — how do we grow this economy? How do we get more opportunities, how do we generate more business opportunities for the businesses in the state and the businesses we want to come here? If we address those, we can address our other challenges, which are job opportunities and income. The key is investment in our work force and that talks to our education system. We need to give Maine people an opportunity to gather the skills they need to succeed in today's economy. n