LePage Administration Celebrates Small Business Week: Commissioner Whitcomb's Visits for June 20

June 19, 2013

For more information contact: John Bott at: (207) 287-3156, Cell: 207-485-8354

LePage Administration Celebrates Small Business Week; Commissioners to Visit Small Businesses Across State

Commissioner Whitcomb?s Schedule for Thursday, June 20

AUGUSTA ? Governor Paul R. LePage has signed a proclamation celebrating Small Business Week in Maine the week of June 17. To recognize the week-long celebration of the important role small businesses play in Maine?s economy and employment, commissioners from several state departments will take time out of their schedules to visit with several small businesses across the state.

?Capital goes where it is welcome and stays where it is appreciated,? said Governor LePage. ?Maine appreciates its small businesses. Thank you for creating and keeping your business in Maine.?

According to the latest figures provided by the Small Business Administration, 97 percent of businesses in Maine have fewer than 500 employees, which classifies them as a small business. According to the Maine Department of Labor, 95 percent of all Maine business in 2012 employed 50 or fewer employees.

Commissioners taking part in the Small Business Week celebration include Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner George Gervais, Department of Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette, Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher, and Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Walt Whitcomb.

Commissioner Whitcomb?s Schedule for Thursday, June 20:

9:30 AM - Royal Rose, Biddeford Royal Rose is a syrup business that started in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Maine in order to expand their small business.

11:00 AM ? Acorn Kitchen, Kittery Acorn Kitchen multipurpose, fully-licensed community culinary rental facility for creating and packaging food products for sale, conducting hands-on cooking classes, recipe development and testing, food styling photography, webcast and television production. This visit highlights Department support of small business startups.

12:45 PM ? Cape Seafood, Saco Cape Seafood plans to process over 4 million pounds of Maine seafood in 2013. The company was founded to support Luke?s Lobster, restaurants that earned the title "Best Maine Ambassador Outside of Maine" from DownEast Magazine. Cape Seafood uses innovative technologies to promote food safety by shipping directly to the restaurants, shortening the supply chain and enhancing freshness and traceability

2:00 PM - Cozy Acres Greenhouses, North Yarmouth, ME Cozy Acres Greenhouses is a wholesale greenhouse leader in innovative gardening that celebrates independence through effective biocontrols and lowering energy costs through geothermal heating. With 21,000 square feet of greenhouse space, Cozy Acres is in the top 25 largest greenhouses in the State of Maine.