Campaigning across the state of Maine last year, I visited a lot of towns like Madison, and Millinocket, Old Town, Bucksport – towns that have lost paper mills over the last decade.
While some of these mills, most of them are still idle, some towns are actually finding new life and I’m pleased that, just this week, our Administration welcomed a new business to Bucksport, where one company is moving forward with a $250 million salmon farm near the site of the old mill.
Good morning. I am Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
Our heritage industries – farming, and fishing, and forestry – are adapting and diversifying with a changing economy. Our small businesses, from Kittery to Fort Kent, are innovating and engaging in exciting new work.
One business I visited was reclaiming some sunken logs out of the Penobscot County lakes, some of which had been there since the Civil War, and turning those logs into beautiful furniture you can’t find anywhere else in this country.
Hey that business is just one example of how Maine people are using their skills, and resources, and ingenuity to succeed in regions all across our state.
Well I think it is time for state government to do its part developing a diverse and sustainable economy that supports these new ideas and makes it possible for every person to live and work at a good-paying job in the state they love.
You know, ten years ago, who would have thought that Maine would be the craft brewery capital of the country? Who would have thought that Portland, Maine would become the foodie central of the northeast or that two of the 40 best restaurants in the nation are located in Biddeford.
That may not strike you as economic development – but it really is.
In every region of Maine, from salmon farms and flourishing kelp and oyster industries, to young families moving here to take over the family farm, there is economic development happening every day in our state.
But some of that economic development has been piecemeal, fragmented, a little short term.
Businesses need stability and certainty to invest here.
It is high time to develop a long-term economic development strategy that involves both private and public sectors and creates the stability that businesses need while addressing the needs of the entire state and move our economy forward.
That’s why this week I directed the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, led by Commissioner Heather Johnson, to work with other government agencies, and business leaders and private organizations to develop a real ten-year strategic economic development plan for the state of Maine.
Over the summer, the Department will host a series of regional meetings to get the input of business and municipal leaders and members of the public, including some of you listening.
Together we will craft a ten-year plan that drives economic growth, and that addresses our workforce challenges and results in a strong, sustainable and diverse economy.
You know, I want to see real action, not just talk. I expect the economic development plan on my desk by fall so that we all can get to work with the Legislature and implement it.
It is time to expand the economic development vision and what’s happening here in Maine right now, and identify ways that we can do a better job to strengthen our economy, mobilize our state to work together and achieve those goals.
I hope that you will be a part of those efforts and that you’ll share your ideas in the months ahead so that we can create a diverse and sustainable economy and a brighter future for our state.
I am Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening.