These 13 Maine communities are receiving $2.7 million total to grow local businesses
File PHOTo / Tim greenway
Josh Davis, co-founder of Gelato Fiasco, in his Portland store.
Gelato Fiasco in Brunswick and Lost Orchard Brewing Co. in Gardiner are among 13 Maine businesses that will directly benefit from a total of $2.7 million in federal grants.
The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development said Tuesday that 13 municipalities are receiving Community Development Block Grant funding that will help businesses expand and create and retain jobs. The CDBG program is run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Funds are administered by the DECD.
“These grant awards will have a direct impact on the creation of new career opportunities for Maine people," DECD Commissioner George Gervais said in a statement. "The investments made in these communities not only benefit these particular businesses, but the entire state. The grants are another example of our commitment to becoming better partners with the private sector, leveraging new private investment to achieve greater prosperity across Maine.”
The DECD said out of those funds, $185,000 is being awarded to four communities and businesses in Eagle Lake, Otis, Piscataquis County and St. John through the program’s Micro-Enterprise Assistance Grant Program. It didn’t specify the names of those businesses.
Here are the nine recipients for CDBG’s Economic Development Program:
Brunswick: Gelato Fiasco
The town of Brunswick is receiving $350,000 to help Gelato Fiasco purchase equipment. The funds are being matched by $1.06 million from the company and will help create 15 jobs.
Co-founder Joshua Davis recently said he plans to use the grant to fund the company’s $1.4 million expansion in Brunswick, which is being done in response to consumer demand.
Caribou: Virtual Managed Solutions
The city of Caribou is receiving $150,000 to help Virtual Managed Solutions purchase equipment and acquire working capital. The funds are being matched by $367,833 from the company and will create five jobs.
C.B. Smith, the company’s CEO, previously said the grant would help the company prepare for a potential large contract that could create up to 100 jobs by next year.
Fort Kent: GB&D Farms
The town of Fort Kent is receiving $100,000 to help GB&D Farms purchase equipment. The funds are being matched by $100,000 from the company and will create four jobs.
Frenchville: Tardif Machine & Welding
The town of Frenchville is receiving $120,000 to help Tardif Machine & Welding purchase equipment and inventory. The funds are being matched by $150,000 from the company and will create four jobs.
Gardiner: Lost Orchard Brewing Co.
The city of Gardiner is receiving $300,000 to help Lost Orchard Brewing Co. purchase equipment and inventory and acquire working capital. The funds are being matched by $444,000 from the company and will create 10 jobs.
The hard cider company is opening a tasting room and small brewery operation in a former church, as previously reported by the Kennebec Journal. The company will run its main brewing operation out of a warehouse in South Gardiner.
Gardiner: Central Maine Meats LLC
The city of Gardiner is also receiving $540,000 to help Central Maine Meats LLC purchase equipment and inventory and acquire working capital. The funds are being matched by $960,000 from the company and will create 18 jobs.
Piscataquis County: Abol LLC
Piscataquis County is receiving $120,000 to help Abol LLC of Chesuncook Village purchase equipment and furnishings and acquire working capital. The funds are being matched by $120,000 from the company and will create four jobs.
Abol operates Chesuncook House, Abol Bridge Campgrounds and Rip Dam Sporting Camp in Chesuncook Village, which is an unorganized territory. The company’s owners previously said they plan to use the funds to add cabins and build a store at Rip Dam and add campsites and expand a restaurant at Abol Bridge, according to the Piscataquis Observer.
Presque Isle: Acme Monaco
The city of Presque Isle is receiving $690,000 to help Acme Monaco, one of the world’s largest makers of orthodontic appliances, purchase equipment. The funds are being matched by $2.3 million from the company and will create 23 jobs.
Larry Clark, executive director of the Presque Isle Industrial Council, previously said that the funds would help the company consolidate its two plants into a single, 16,000-square-foot facility that would allow for expansion in the future.
St. Agatha: Labrie Farms
The town of St. Agatha is receiving $60,000 to help Labrie Farms purchase equipment. The funds are being matched by $60,000 from the farm and will create two jobs.
Shirley: Dove Tail Bat Co.
The town of Shirley is receiving $75,000 to help Dove Tail Bat Co., a manufacturer of wooden baseball bats for Major League Baseball players, purchase equipment and acquire working capital. The funds are being matched by $75,000 from the company and will create three jobs.
Paul Lancisi, owner of Dove Tail Bat, previously told the Piscataquis Observer that the funds would help the company expand by adding a 36-by-80-foot building to its property.
Sidney: Snow Pond Center for the Arts
The town of Sidney is receiving $200,000 to help the Snow Pond Center for the Arts with infrastructure improvements. The funds are being matched by $378,000 from the company and will create nine jobs.
John Wiggin, music camp director at Snow Pond, previously said the funds would help the music camp cover costs for winterization, increased parking, storm water collection, among other improvements, according to the Kennebec Journal.
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