Women to Watch: Kristine Logan is piloting Brunswick Landing toward new destinations
Photo / Tim Greenway
Kristine Logan is executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, succeeding its original leader, Steve Levesque. Logan oversees a business campus of 3,300 acres with 150 companies.
In January, Kristine Logan began work as executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, a municipal corporation that’s guiding transformation of the former Naval Air Station Brunswick into a thriving community of businesses and homes, Brunswick Landing. But Logan’s commitment to that mission goes deeper than her new job.
For eight years, Logan served as director of TechPlace, a business incubator on Brunswick Landing’s campus. There, she oversaw the $5 million conversion of a Navy building into a shared manufacturing site that now houses 38 startups and has helped launch 20 others.
Previously, she led the transition center that helped civilians at the air station begin new careers as it ramped down until closing in 2011. Altogether, Logan brings more than 15 years’ experience in economic development, workforce development and education to her leadership of MRRA.
Mainebiz: You’re relatively new to the role of executive director at Brunswick Landing, but you’ve been part of its growth for years. What’s been the biggest change there?
Kristine Logan: When the closure of NAS Brunswick was announced back in 2005, there was disbelief, anger, sadness and lots of fear. Soon afterward came a recession. But despite the challenges, there was also great opportunity to be had. And that is where we put our effort. There’s a lot you can do with hundreds of buildings and 3,300 acres.
The success has been about developing the former Naval Air Station property not just as another parcel of land, but as a community that people and businesses want to be a part of. Brunswick Landing is where new ideas are being conceived, innovation is driving new technologies, and hundreds of people are living on campus, enjoying recreation and calling the Landing home.
MB: Early on, did you ever think the base grounds would evolve into what Brunswick Landing is today? Did you ever think you’d be leading it?
KL: I never imagined that I would be leading the redevelopment effort, but I’m thrilled to be doing so!
MB: How are lessons from TechPlace’s growth useful in guiding the future of Brunswick Landing as a whole?
KL: Creating TechPlace taught me that you don’t build the whole village in one day. You start with a great idea that you believe in, you focus your energy on what can be done to make an impact, and you start small. You take the first few steps and become great at them.
MB: You worked with Steve Levesque, who’s now helping to transform the former Loring Air Force Base in a way that’s similar to Brunswick’s path. What do you think the future holds for the Loring project?
KL: The Loring project is a challenging one, but it too has great opportunity. I sit on the Loring Development Authority’s board and Steve has been awarded a contract to provide business development and marketing services for the former base, now called the Loring Commerce Centre. Steve is a creative thinker and is well connected to resources. I know his involvement with the redevelopment of the Loring Commerce Centre will be critical to its success.
MB: What was the most important lesson you learned from Steve?
KL: The best lesson I learned was not to be afraid to take some risks. Steve used to say that if we truly want to be innovative, we need to try things that have not been done before.
MB: What’s ahead for Brunswick Landing in the next five years?
KL: A lot! There will be hundreds of housing units built at the Landing over the next several years. Businesses are purchasing lots, and new facilities and office buildings will go up. We will construct a few new roads. We will build R&D, manufacturing and education facilities to support the Maine Space Complex. Together with the University of Maine at Augusta, we will create an aviation maintenance technician school. We will build a life science center to promote and support the growth of biotech companies in Maine.
And there’s more. The future is bright.
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