Courtesy / The Boulos Co.
A 9.1-acre parcel at Brunswick Landing, outlined in yellow, was marketed as a development site.
August 27, 2021
Tom Yale secures Brunswick Landing site to build 50,000-square-foot facility
Photo / Tim Greenway
Tom Yale recently added 9.1 acres at Brunswick Landing to his real estate holdings. He’s seen here at his Mill Brook Business Center facility, where he runs a startup called Resin Fiber.
The buyer of 9.1 acres at Brunswick Landing has committed to putting up a building in the 50,000-square-foot range as part of the deal.
“It’s somewhat speculative on my part,” said Tom Yale, former owner of Yale Cordage Inc. in Saco.
Yale bought 10 Allagash Drive from the Midcoast Regional Development Authority for $825,000.
Nick Lucas of the Boulos Co. and Debrah Yale of Benchmark Real Estate brokered the transaction.
Development site
The acreage includes a 3,200-square-foot light industrial building built in 2005. The property was marketed as a development site for uses such as light manufacturing and professional office space.
Over the past year, the Yales have made a series of acquisitions, including:
• A 40,000-square-foot military training center at 580 Washington St. in Bath;
• 46 First Park Drive, one of the largest office buildings at Oakland business park First Park;
• A 2,000-square-foot commercial condo at the Mill Brook Business Center at 10 Mill Brook Road in Saco;
• In May, they finalized the purchase of 33 Spring Hill Road in Saco, a 20,400-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility constructed in 2000 for Scholastic Book Fairs.
At the Mill Brook location Yale runs a new company called Resin Fiber, which makes a thermoplastic tape-ribbon called Forj that has won state and national innovation awards.
Critical mass
Yale said he has some thoughts of eventually moving Resin Fiber to occupy part of the Brunswick property. But that’s up in the air for now.
Courtesy / The Boulos Co.
The parcel included a 3,200-square-foot light industrial building.
He said he’s had his eye on Brunswick Landing for quite some time.
“Although it’s taken 10 years, it’s reached a point of critical mass and I like what’s going on there in terms of a business campus and the housing going in there,” including over 130 diverse business entities, he said. “There’s infrastructure that supports business and there are a number of state and federal incentives to encourage the transition from a military base to a civilian complex.”
Add to that the airport facility and Federal Aviation Administration-approved air spaces for unmanned aircraft and recreational elements.
“That makes it attractive for someone to live and work in that particular area,” he continued. “All of those things together interested me. When we came across that piece of property, I said, ‘I think we ought to buy that.’”
The deal included his commitment to build a facility in the 50,000-square-foot range within five years. The commitment doesn’t specify what type of facility.
“It will house something that is a fit for everything that’s there,” he said.
Yale has identified a designer for the project.
Resin Fiber
In the meantime, Yale is running Resin Fiber.
The operation has been somewhat hampered this year by difficulty getting components needed to boost electrical power performance at his Mill Brook facility.
Photo / Tim Greenway
A complex series of spindles is used to produce a thermoplastic tape-ribbon called Forj.
“Right now I have a temporary generator that’s providing the necessary power, but it’s not a long-term solution,” he said.
Still, it’s enough to accommodate production for two new customers.
A Miami-based maker of leather holsters is using a 3-inch-wide version of Forj to make custom-fit holsters for gun enthusiasts who participate in quick-draw contests.
Another company, also in Florida, is developing a custom-fit facemask that has a high protection rating but provides more breathing area than a typical N95 mask. Forj can be used to shape the mask to individual face contours, he said.
Yale said it’s likely the companies found his product through trade shows he’s participated in.
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