Reckoning with the past
I confess, these days I take off my mantle of objectivity when it comes to the Bates Mill. I have reported on the redevelopment of that complex since the early '90s when I worked at the Sun Journal and have watched it survive contentious referenda, property disputes, questionable tenants and even a nearby gas explosion in 2004 that barely cracked a window in the century-old mill.
Slated for the wrecking ball (again) this fall, the mill's last undeveloped parcel — Mill No. 5 — got a last-minute reprieve from a grassroots group of young people who have banded together with developer Tom Platz to ignite commercial interest in redeveloping the 250,000-square-foot building. It's the subject of Senior Writer Jim McCarthy's cover piece, “To the rescue,” which kicks off this issue's focus on Lewiston-Auburn.
I have a lot of respect for Tom Platz and his team, who have systematically redeveloped each of the mill's other eight buildings in concert with the city. Once the birthplace of Bates bedspreads (a highly coveted bridal shower gift in my day, by the way), the Bates Mill Complex is now home to TD Bank's back-office operation, mixed-use apartments, terrific restaurants, medical offices and other job and tax generators.
The Bates Mill was once the largest employer in Maine; today, it provides employment for 2,000. That's a 20-fold leap from 1992, when the last mill tenant dropped the keys on then-City Administrator Bob Mulready's desk and said good bye, putting 100 people out of work. I can't help but root for its success.
There's another redevelopment effort worthy of note in L-A. The former McCrory's department store, one of those great five-and-dime stores you could find in the downtown of every New England town, has been crumbling for the past 10 years or so. Sporadic redevelopment efforts led nowhere, but the building is now under renovation to become a state-of-the-art customer service/call center courtesy of Jason Levesque, owner of Argo Marketing Group. Jason talks to us about the reasons for his $2.6 million investment, in “At your service."
We also check in with Maine Bucket, a company that is seeing sales spike as more businesses in the spirits and distilling industry use its products for marketing and display. Staff Writer Lori Valigra talks to owner Mike Morin about strategy and how his company competes with China, in “Maine Bucket barrels into new markets."
Lori also has some fun talking to entrepreneurs who are bringing gourmet nuts to Maine's specialty food products scene. Her story, “Health nuts,” will leave you craving those specialty concoctions. And, in the unlikely event it doesn't, read Lori's interview with Jill Strauss, owner of Jillyanna's Woodfired Cooking School. Jill is trying to capture a piece of Maine's growing culinary tourism market by teaching people how to make extraordinary pizzas in her custom wood-fired oven. (I edited these stories back-to-back and couldn't wait to grab a beer.)
Speaking of beer (isn't that an eye-catching transition?), Maine brewers were in fine form at the pavilion in the fourth annual Mainebiz Momentum Convention. People were lined up four deep for free samples from Baxter and Shipyard brewing companies, and the lines were equally long at the Sweetgrass Winery and New England Distilling booths. Of course, there was a lot of terrific food to accompany the libations, so really, what else do you need to cap off a day of learning and networking?
Next year's Momentum Convention is set for Oct. 16. Mark it on your calendars. And if you crave some insight from executives who attended and how they're feeling about Maine's business climate, check out our video at mainebiz.biz/mocopulse.
Like the backers of a revived Bates Mill No. 5, they see a brighter future.
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