November 12, 2007
Touring 415 Lisbon St. | An inside look at Lewiston's new business service center
By Mindy Favreau
Built in 1911 as an automobile garage, the building on 415 Lisbon St. once housed Lavasseur Pontiac Sales and Service, L-A United Grocers and the Good Shepherd Food Bank. It sat vacant for five years before the city in 2006 renovated the building as part of its project to revitalize the dilapidated section of downtown.
The idea of a business service center had been floating around the Lewiston-Auburn area for a few years, and the building that once housed a Pontiac dealership was a prime candidate. The Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce, the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council and its sister organizations ˆ the Lewiston Development Corp., the Auburn Business Development Corp. and the Lewiston-Auburn Railroad Co. ˆ pooled their resources and put up the $2.5 million to renovate the building. Renovations by Platz and Associates began last year, and the first occupants moved in at the end of January 2007. "We had a vision of making it a one-stop shop for business service providers," says Paul Badeau, LAEGC's marketing director.
Here's what you'll find at 415 Lisbon St.:
First floor:
1. Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce
Number of employees: Five
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 179 Lisbon St., Lewiston
Services: The Chamber's membership has doubled in the past 12 years to nearly 1,300 members in the county's 14 communities. Since the chamber relocated to the service center, its members have booked more than 225 meetings and events in the 1,100 square-foot community conference room.
Contact: 783-2249; www.androscoggincounty.com
2. JK Harris
Number of employees: One
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 179 Lisbon St., Lewiston
Services: JK Harris, based in Charleston, S.C., assists individuals and businesses with resolving problems with the IRS. The company's Lewiston location is a tenant of the chamber of commerce and is staffed part-time.
Contact: 783-2249; www.jkharris.com
3. SCORE
Number of employees: 25
Relocated in: Oct. 2007
Relocated from: 5 Mollison Way, Lewiston
Services: The office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays for anyone interested in small-business advice from SCORE's roster of business counselors, all but one of whom are retired business people. Some local celebrities that make an appearance are former Maine state senator Carroll Minkowsky; Richard Kendall, former owner of Veribest Business Systems in Auburn and SCORE chairman; and former Liberty Mutual executive Ralph Tuttle.
Contact: 782-3708; www.lascore.org
Second floor:
1. Watterson Prime LLC
Number of employees: Eight
Relocated in: September 2007
Relocated from: 37 Park St., Lewiston
Services: Watterson Prime, a division of FIS Capital Markets, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., is a national corporation that provides due diligence underwriting services for clients looking to invest in pools of mortgages. The company ensures that the first mortgage underwriter followed all regulations. Their clients are Wall Street investment firms and large financial institutions.
Contact: 333-6907; www.wprime.com
Third floor:
Vacant as of press time
Fourth floor:
1. Coastal Enterprises Inc.
Employees: Two
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: Coastal Enterprises Inc. participates in economic and community development projects in Lewiston-Auburn, including Empower Lewiston, a project that works with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in poor areas, according to CEI's website. The Lewiston office is staffed sporadically, according to CEI.
Contact: 777-5060; www.ceimaine.org
2. Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council
Number of employees: Six
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: The growth council, established in 1981, has assisted nearly 400 clients in the past five years. Most recently, the council has helped to secure a $94 million Wal-Mart food distribution center in Lewiston and to create the Auburn Industrial Park. Currently, the growth council is working on re-use plans for Bates Mill #5.
Contact: 784-0161; www.economicgrowth.org
3. Citizens Commission on Lewiston-Auburn Cooperation
Employees: One
Located in: March 2007
Relocated from: This is a new office
Services: The commission is made up of 10 people ˆ five from each city, appointed by each city's mayor and city council ˆ and oversees the feasibility of merging the cities' municipal services. Stephen Eldridge acts as the joint services coordinator.
Contact: 784-0161 ext. 208;
www.ci.lewiston.me.us/jointservices
4. Androscoggin Land Trust
Number of employees: Two
Located in: November 2007
Relocated from: This is a new office
Services: Founded in 1991, this organization's conservation efforts currently include more than 3,100 acres of land, including eight miles of riverfront, in 19 municipalities that surround the Androscoggin River corridor, which runs from Jay to Durham.
Contact: 782-2302; www.androscogginlandtrust.org
5. Maine International Trade Center
Number of employees: One
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: The MITC office here is home to the Greater China Desk, which was launched in Sept. 2005 in response to business owners' growing interest in Chinese markets. Currently, this office is working to develop a market for Maine-made recreational boats in China. The director of the China Desk is Stephen Franck, who previously worked in Taipei as an attorney in international trade law and foreign direct investment.
Contact: 753-0574; www.mitc.com
6. Maine Procurement Technical Assistance Center
Employees: One
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: The PTAC office, open five days a week, helps small-business owners negotiate all aspects of government contracting. Currently PTAC has 166 active clients in central and western Maine. Business owners can register their businesses as qualified government contractors, set up a bid match search profile so they can be notified of bidding opportunities and get help preparing bid proposals. The office is staffed by Subcenter Director Arthur Stolpestad.
Contact: 653-8625; www.maineptac.org
The idea of a business service center had been floating around the Lewiston-Auburn area for a few years, and the building that once housed a Pontiac dealership was a prime candidate. The Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce, the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council and its sister organizations ˆ the Lewiston Development Corp., the Auburn Business Development Corp. and the Lewiston-Auburn Railroad Co. ˆ pooled their resources and put up the $2.5 million to renovate the building. Renovations by Platz and Associates began last year, and the first occupants moved in at the end of January 2007. "We had a vision of making it a one-stop shop for business service providers," says Paul Badeau, LAEGC's marketing director.
Here's what you'll find at 415 Lisbon St.:
First floor:
1. Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce
Number of employees: Five
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 179 Lisbon St., Lewiston
Services: The Chamber's membership has doubled in the past 12 years to nearly 1,300 members in the county's 14 communities. Since the chamber relocated to the service center, its members have booked more than 225 meetings and events in the 1,100 square-foot community conference room.
Contact: 783-2249; www.androscoggincounty.com
2. JK Harris
Number of employees: One
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 179 Lisbon St., Lewiston
Services: JK Harris, based in Charleston, S.C., assists individuals and businesses with resolving problems with the IRS. The company's Lewiston location is a tenant of the chamber of commerce and is staffed part-time.
Contact: 783-2249; www.jkharris.com
3. SCORE
Number of employees: 25
Relocated in: Oct. 2007
Relocated from: 5 Mollison Way, Lewiston
Services: The office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays for anyone interested in small-business advice from SCORE's roster of business counselors, all but one of whom are retired business people. Some local celebrities that make an appearance are former Maine state senator Carroll Minkowsky; Richard Kendall, former owner of Veribest Business Systems in Auburn and SCORE chairman; and former Liberty Mutual executive Ralph Tuttle.
Contact: 782-3708; www.lascore.org
Second floor:
1. Watterson Prime LLC
Number of employees: Eight
Relocated in: September 2007
Relocated from: 37 Park St., Lewiston
Services: Watterson Prime, a division of FIS Capital Markets, headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., is a national corporation that provides due diligence underwriting services for clients looking to invest in pools of mortgages. The company ensures that the first mortgage underwriter followed all regulations. Their clients are Wall Street investment firms and large financial institutions.
Contact: 333-6907; www.wprime.com
Third floor:
Vacant as of press time
Fourth floor:
1. Coastal Enterprises Inc.
Employees: Two
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: Coastal Enterprises Inc. participates in economic and community development projects in Lewiston-Auburn, including Empower Lewiston, a project that works with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in poor areas, according to CEI's website. The Lewiston office is staffed sporadically, according to CEI.
Contact: 777-5060; www.ceimaine.org
2. Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council
Number of employees: Six
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: The growth council, established in 1981, has assisted nearly 400 clients in the past five years. Most recently, the council has helped to secure a $94 million Wal-Mart food distribution center in Lewiston and to create the Auburn Industrial Park. Currently, the growth council is working on re-use plans for Bates Mill #5.
Contact: 784-0161; www.economicgrowth.org
3. Citizens Commission on Lewiston-Auburn Cooperation
Employees: One
Located in: March 2007
Relocated from: This is a new office
Services: The commission is made up of 10 people ˆ five from each city, appointed by each city's mayor and city council ˆ and oversees the feasibility of merging the cities' municipal services. Stephen Eldridge acts as the joint services coordinator.
Contact: 784-0161 ext. 208;
www.ci.lewiston.me.us/jointservices
4. Androscoggin Land Trust
Number of employees: Two
Located in: November 2007
Relocated from: This is a new office
Services: Founded in 1991, this organization's conservation efforts currently include more than 3,100 acres of land, including eight miles of riverfront, in 19 municipalities that surround the Androscoggin River corridor, which runs from Jay to Durham.
Contact: 782-2302; www.androscogginlandtrust.org
5. Maine International Trade Center
Number of employees: One
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: The MITC office here is home to the Greater China Desk, which was launched in Sept. 2005 in response to business owners' growing interest in Chinese markets. Currently, this office is working to develop a market for Maine-made recreational boats in China. The director of the China Desk is Stephen Franck, who previously worked in Taipei as an attorney in international trade law and foreign direct investment.
Contact: 753-0574; www.mitc.com
6. Maine Procurement Technical Assistance Center
Employees: One
Relocated in: January 2007
Relocated from: 95 Park St., Lewiston
Services: The PTAC office, open five days a week, helps small-business owners negotiate all aspects of government contracting. Currently PTAC has 166 active clients in central and western Maine. Business owners can register their businesses as qualified government contractors, set up a bid match search profile so they can be notified of bidding opportunities and get help preparing bid proposals. The office is staffed by Subcenter Director Arthur Stolpestad.
Contact: 653-8625; www.maineptac.org
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