August 2014 - Northern Maine Development Commission

Community Bridge:
NMDC News
www.nmdc.org
Inside
BFD News
ACT News
Summit Success
Coop Purchase
pg. 2
pg. 2
pg. 3
pg. 4
Business
workshop set
for Sept. 18
at NMDC in
Caribou
Northern Maine Development
Commission’s Business Finance
Division and Small Business
Development Center will be
presenting a workshop entitled
“Understanding Your Business
Financial Statements” Thursday,
Sept. 18, at 9 a.m. in Caribou.
This workshop will examine
three
important
financial
statements that are crucial to
understanding how your business
is performing, useful when
making management decisions
and when communicating with
your accountant.
During the training, the
attendees will explore the Income
Statement, The Balance Sheet
and the Cash Flow Statement.
Learning what each statement
tells you about your business and
what each does not tell you and
why they must be considered as a
whole to gain a complete picture
of where your business stands.
The workshop will be held
at the NMDC boardroom in
Caribou from 9 a.m. to about
11:30 a.m.
Please pre-register with an
RSVP to Mary Dahlgren 4988736 or m d a h l g r e n @ n m d c .
org. August 22, 2014
Development Commission
community/county dues assessment
remains flat for 11 years
CARIBOU — For the 11th consecutive year the
Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC)
Community/County Dues Assessment has remained
the same.
The board approved the appointment of Gary
Marquis to the Aroostook County Tourism Board
and the Community Guided Planning and Zoning
Committee. Marquis was selected to replace
The NMDC Executive Board at its monthly meeting Kathy Mazzuchelli, the former Caribou Parks and
Thursday, Aug. 14, approved the assessment for Recreation Superintendent, who recently retired.
municipalities at $150,962, with $24,695 from
Aroostook County and $585 from Washington
County.
“We understand there are some financial challenges
and as NMDC has done for more than 10 years, we
have elected to freeze the assessment,” said Bob Clark,
NMDC Executive Director.
Staff recognized for
years of service
Also at the August meeting, Larry Duchette of
Portage Lake was appointed to the Executive Board.
NMDC awarded SBA
technical assistance
funds
CARIBOU — Current and potential Small Business
Administration (SBA) Microloan borrowers at
Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC)
have access to a wide range of services to help their
business succeed thanks to nearly $78,000 in technical
assistance funds awarded to the Business Finance Bob Clark, Executive Director of NMDC, presents a gift
of appreciation to Julie Corey for her 20 years of service
Division from the SBA.
to NMDC. Below, Clark presents a rocking chair to Ken
The SBA Microloan program offers small business Murchison for his 30 years at the Commission. Other staff
loans up to $50,000 for a maximum of six years. The who reached milestones this year include Jay Kamm (20
current rate of NMDC’s microloans is fixed at years), Ruby Bradbury and Rod Thompson (25 years).
5 percent. These funds are for working capital,
inventory, supplies, furniture, fixtures, machinery and
equipment. The recently awarded technical assistance funds are
used to assist both pre and post loan clients. “SBA feels that a strong technical assistance program
will help ensure the success of microloan borrowers,”
said Duane Walton, Director of Business Finance. Technical assistance may be offered in the form
of individual counseling, classroom style training or
See SBA
continued on pg. 2
www.nmdc.org
News from the NMDC
Business Finance Division
Loans closed thus far in August:
Stacy Frost and Jessica Parady each
received a $5,000 SBA Microloan for
working capital. They will use these
funds for a new partnership called
Pathways Wellness Group, LLP, which
they have formed with Carolyn Dorsey.
This partnership has been established
to provide an entity for referrals
and to share the costs of office space
and certain other expenses for each
individual’s mental health counseling
business. The business will be located
on Main Street in Caribou. Frost is a
licensed clinical social worker who
has been in the industry since 1996.
Parady is also a licensed clinical social
worker who has been in the industry
since 2005. They will provide mental
health assessments, therapy, substance
abuse treatment and DEEP Evaluations
(Driver Education and Evaluation
Program) to Aroostook County
residents. This will be a client-centered
practice to foster growth and change
for individuals with mental health and
substance abuse needs. Frost is also a
licensed clinical social worker who
has been in the industry since 1996.
Parady is also a licensed clinical social
worker who has been in the industry
since 2005.
Robert St. Peter and Juliane Perry
d/b/a Ginger Care received a $4,000
loan for working capital. Ginger Care
is a medical marijuana caregiver
business. They are expanding to
include a broader range of products
and services: complementary plantbased therapies like herbal teas and
fresh vegetables; teaching patients to
produce their own medicine, reducing
costs for patients and adding health
benefits that come from gardening;
SBA
peer group training. It includes assistance
in marketing, management, business
counseling and training. Counseling
can include giving advice, guidance or
instruction specifically tailored to an
individual or a group of individuals
2
and helping people become licensed,
professional caregivers and skilled
producers of high-quality medical
marijuana products. They recently
purchased property in New Sweden
and will be using this property to grow
some of their plants and herbs.
Loans closed in July:
Keith Boucher received a $45,900
SBA Microloan. This loan leveraged
an additional $15,300 and assisted in
creating one new job. Boucher used
these funds to purchase a new truck
and dump body trailer, which will
be used to facilitate the start up of a
construction/rehabilitation business.
Crane Family Investments, Inc.
received a $100,000 loan. This loan
leveraged an additional $750,000 and
assisted in retaining eight jobs. They
have purchased Aroostook Milling
Company located in Houlton since
1948. This business produces its own
brand of livestock feed for cattle, sheep,
poultry, goat, swine, deer and alpaca.
They also operate a retail shop, which
sells this feed, other feeds, dog and cat
food, Harmon Stoves, wood pellets,
coal and a variety of farm supplies.
They also operate a greenhouse, which
carries products for landscaping and
gardening.
MMB Boutot, LLC purchased Coffins
General Store in Portage Lake by
assuming the current $320,137 loan
of Portage Agora, LLC. They also
received an additional $50,000 loan
for inventory and working capital.
These funds assisted in retaining three
jobs. Coffins General Store has been
operating since the early 1900’s. It is
the only store in the community.
Cont. from pg. 1
associated with a single business.
For more information on the SBA
Microloan or other lending options at
NMDC, contact the business finance
division at 498-8736 or by email at
[email protected].
NMDC’s Alain Ouellette poses with his daughter
Sophie in front of the Aroostook County Tourism display
at the Acadian Festival/World Acadian Congress. Sophie
staffed the booth for ACT for two days handing out
visitor guides and keychains. ACT will next display at
the NH Grass Snowmobile Drags in October.
Visitor guides out just
in time for the World
Acadian Congress
AROOSTOOK COUNTY — Just in time for
World Acadian Congress tourists to enjoy, the new
Aroostook County Tourism (ACT) Visitors Guide
is hot of the press and out for distribution in The
County.
Usually the tourism guides are printed in early
October, but this year tourism officials moved up
the timeline so the publication will be ready in
advance of the big event.
This is the third year of a three-year contract with
Direct Display Publishing, based in Bath, to publish
the guide.
“The Visitor’s Guide contains information on
all the wonderful things Aroostook County has
to offer with topics including, but not limited
to, cultural, historical, recreational, hunting,
fishing, motorized and non-motorized activities,
lodging, dining and events,” said Jon Gulliver,
regional tourism developer for Northern Maine
Development Commission (NMDC). “There is also
some beautiful photography, courtesy of Paul Cyr
and other talented photographers in the region.”
The guide provides free general listings including
the name, location, phone number and website of
tourism related businesses. However, the guide also
provides advertising opportunities for businesses
who would like to capture the attention of a guide
user who just might be flipping through the book.
Guides are available at NMDC in Caribou and
are being delivered to chambers of commerce,
hospitality businesses and advertisers over the next
few weeks.
3 www.nmdc.org
APP “Education to Industry” Summit
highlights internships and more
PRESQUE ISLE — More than 60 educators,
business people, economic development
officials and workforce specialists gathered
at the University of Maine at Presque Isle
Campus Center Thursday, Aug. 7 to discuss
outmigration and how to better connect
students with emerging jobs.
Aroostook Partnership for Progress
President and CEO Bob Dorsey said the
first summit last summer brought awareness
about the growing need for skilled workers in
Aroostook, especially in the 18- to 44-yearold demographic, and the second summit
expanded on ongoing efforts and highlighted
best practices.
“The summit is part of a larger APP
“Education to Industry” initiative, which
looks to promote more job shadowing and/or
internships to show middle, high school and
college students there are good jobs available
in the region with the right skills,” said Dorsey.
The first hour of the morning long event
highlighted some of the successes of the past
year. April Flagg, executive director of the
Aroostook Aspirations Initiative briefed the
attendees on how the Initiative has evolved
over the past 12 months and stressed the need
to bond youngsters to the region in hopes of
retaining them after graduation.
Mark Wilcox of the Junior Achievement
(JA) program in Aroostook said JA reached
846 students in the region, which marked
substantial growth from the previous year.
Wilcox added that the program has been
expanded to the St. John Valley and Houlton
areas and continues to grow.
SAD #27 Superintendent Tim Doak shared
some best practices from his district.
“Everything we do in our schools should be
to meet the demands
of Maine’s workforce,”
he said. “The most
important assets in
our schools are the
students.”
Doak’s
speech
segued nicely into
a keynote address
from former school
superintendent and
Maine Department
of Education official
Don Siviski. Currently
an
educational
consultant,
Siviski
is also an advocate
Participating in the APP Education to Industry Summit internship panel
for reforms to the
are, from left, Elizabeth Whittaker, MMG Insurance; Jacob Towle, TAMC;
educational system, Christian Sleeper, Cary Medical Center; and Riley Parady, Katahdin Trust
most
notably Company. Moderating the panel was LEAD Executive Director Ryan Pelletier.
the
adoption
of
the future of our organization,” she said.
proficiency-based standards.
Katahdin Trust Company is looking at 15
“We need learner centric schools,” said percent of its workforce being of retirement
Siviski. “You have to stop doing what doesn’t age in the next five years and 30 percent in the
work to pay for what does work.”
next decade.
Siviski said the traditional model of
“We got involved in internships and job
education is changing to allow for the shadowing because of need,” said Freeman.
different ways people learn and to create more
After the employer panel, it was a chance for
analytical thinkers and not students who can
the interns, Jacob Towle, Elizabeth Whittaker,
just regurgitate facts.
Riley Parady and Christian Sleeper, to speak.
Two elements from last year’s summit Just like last year, the majority of the interns
remained. An employer panel on internships were not aware of the opportunities in
and job recruitment, which featured Tim Aroostook County.
Freeman from Daigle Oil Company, Barb
“Without this internship I wouldn’t have
Turner of The Aroostook Medical Center and
been
aware of this career path at Katahdin
Bonnie Foster of Katahdin Trust Company.
Trust,
”
said Parady. “We need to do a better
The same theme was echoed by the panel
job
of
publicizing
what is available.
participants.
Sleeper, an intern at Cary Medical Center,
“We feel internships are very important for
had advice for other young adults curious as
to what the region has to offer.
“Students need to take initiative,” he said.
“Send out emails, network and work towards
what you want.
Towle is interning at TAMC and Whittaker
at MMG Insurance.
“I was very pleased with the additional
educators who attended,” said Dorsey. “Clearly,
we need education to be more participatory
and need more programs like those in Fort
Kent High School which mandates job
shadowing and senior projects in order to
graduate.”
Upcoming
Events
Sept. 18
8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
“Understanding Your
Business Financial
Statements” NMDC
Caribou boardroom.
Contact Mary
Dahlgren, 498-8736.
Sept. 25
10 a.m. - noon
Aroostook County
Tourism Board of
Directors meeting.
Location TBD.
Contact Jon Gulliver,
498-8736, for more
information.
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electronically, please send
your
email address to
[email protected]
Coop salt buy saves municipalities thousands
Northern Maine Development Commission recently
completed its 2014-15 Road Salt Purchase. Forty-two
(42) communities participated and estimated that
they will purchase 13,320 tons during the 2014 -15
winter season.
The winning vendor was Cargill Deicing
Technologies at $73.45 per ton delivered. The only
other bid came from Harcross Chemicals and was
$97.36. It is estimated that the towns participating
will save approximately $27,306
over the state price.
the participating municipality or at a time mutually
agreed to by the municipality and the vendor. Each
participating municipality shall be responsible for
payment.
Participating municipalities are encouraged to
contact Cargill as soon as possible to set up contact
information and delivery locations. Requests for salt
can be made directly to Cargil at 1-800-600-7258 or
fax 1-440-716-0763.
As in the past, salt must
meet the latest specifications
of the Maine Department
of Transportation. And the
vendor agrees that the bid
price is fixed from August 15,
2014 to May 1, 2015.
The
vendor must deliver additional
product within five (5) working
days of being contacted (either
by telephone, fax, email, or
letter) by the participating
municipality. A “working day”
is Monday through Friday.
Delivery is expected during
the normal business hours of
CHANGE SERVICE
REQUESTED
PO Box 779
Caribou, ME 04736
www.nmdc.org
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. Postage
PAID
CARIBOU, ME
PERMIT NO. 58