Photo / Renee Cordes
Joe Edwards of the Maine Jobs Council
Updated: 3 hours ago
Maine manufacturers tackle workforce, economic hurdles at annual summit
Photo / Renee Cordes
Mike Roughton, executive director of the Manufacturers Association of Maine, addresses the group's annual summit in South Portland.
Maine’s aging population, lack of venture capital investment and continued labor shortages all came under the microscope at Friday's gathering of Maine manufacturers in South Portland.
“We’ve got to keep telling our story," Mike Roughton, executive director of the Manufacturers Association of Maine, said at the group's annual summit. "That’s why we’re here.”
He told Mainebiz afterwards that he estimates around 185 people had attended. The association saw a 12% increase in membership over the past year, with 15 of Maine's 16 counties now represented.
"Membership is tied to awareness, so it is incumbent we continue to get the word out," he explained. "When people see what we're working on and the impact we're making, we can get them involved pretty readily."
Wider economic picture
Maine’s educational and economic challenges were laid bare by Joe Edwards, a founding member of the Maine Jobs Council. He cited figures showing that Maine attracts well below the national average in venture capital funding.
Edwards also criticized Maine’s dependence on federal funds, saying that if Maine were not a state “we’d probably be a charity.”
Another slide listed dozens of Maine companies that have been acquired by buyers from out of state.
The list includes Covetrus, a Portland-based animal-health company scooped up by a private equity buyer in 2022, and H.A. Mapes, a third-generation Springvale-based fuel distributor and convenience-store operator acquired by Nouria Energy Retail Inc. in 2023.
Photo / Renee Cordes
Joe Edwards of the Maine Jobs Council presented this slide at Friday's event.
Even if the target keeps its name and a presence in Maine, Edwards said that corporate jobs go elsewhere under out-of-state ownership and so do career tracks in what is shaping to be a "steady trend."
In a separate presentation, Michael Saxl of Maine Street Solutions in Augusta offered a sobering picture of the inefficiencies of the state Legislature and called on politicians from both sides of the aisle to work together.
"We've got to reinvent compromise," he said.
Expressing optimism for improvement, Edwards said that "if we work together, we can make things a lot better in a hurry." He also noted that "democracy works, but it's a participatory work."
Workforce challenges
Workforce challenges in advanced manufacturing were highlighted in findings from a survey by Camoin Associates. Out of 275 people surveyed for the report, 11 were potential workers while 30 were current workers, 102 were company leaders and 46 were career advisers.
Around 36% of leaders surveyed said they were unaware of apprenticeship incentives and other state resources, while a third of potential workers view job opportunities as limited.
Angela Hallowell, a senior analyst for Camoin, called the results "slightly alarming," while Jim Damicis, a senior vice president, underscored the need for a strategic framework and practical solutions such as transportation for employees who have to travel to work.
“Mantras and opinions aren’t going to work," he said. “We’ve got to get beyond the talk and opinions, and we’ve got to get to the action."
Robotics in action
Outside the formal program in the auditorium, the expo hall was abuzz with networking and members of youth robotics teams giving demonstrations — and detailed explanations — of their mechanical creations.
“We are always thrilled to have the FIRST and VEX kids in attendance and had the Lego League kids this year as well,” Roughton told Mainebiz afterwards.
“Connecting young people to technology that supports their exploration and development of skills that are prized in manufacturing, especially the soft skills like team-building and situational leadership that contribute to their long-term success, is a core part of our advocacy mission,” he said. He said that holds true even if those young people do not ultimately end up in manufacturing.
Photo / Renee Cordes
Members of the Outliers robotics team with their robot "Mattie" on the exhibition hall floor.
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