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Sponsored by: City of Bangor
July 24, 2019 2019 Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine

City of Bangor

Photo from City of Bangor Undergoing a quiet renaissance, Bangor has become an economic leader for an entrepreneurial ecosystem now known for its diversity and innovation.
Photo from City of Bangor Bangor’s economic development office measures success by the strength of relationships between local government and local entrepreneurs like Higgins Fabrication, a custom manufacturer of high-quality, handmade steel and wood furniture, located at the Bangor Innovation Center.

The Queen City

In 2019, Bangor is no longer a best-kept secret, no longer the little-city-that-might, no longer the urban underdog on the come-up.

In 2019, Bangor is the Maine city that makes good on the promises of years past and gets things done.

Bangor is here and now.

As little as five or ten years ago, the Queen City was still in the midst of a quiet renaissance, poised to come into its own. Few may have imagined that it would become an economic leader for manufacturing, technology, agriculture and healthcare. Bangor’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is now known for its diversity and its innovation, including a call center for online home furnishings retailer Wayfair; the headquarters of C&L Aviation Group, a global aviation services firm and provider of regional and corporate aircraft; a breathtaking new 117,000-square-foot operations center along the waterfront for Bangor Savings Bank; and Pineland Farms Dairy Company’s new cheesemaking facility, housed in the former Grant’s Dairy plant.

“Growing up, I never imagined I’d be here now,” says Tanya Emery, a native of nearby Hampden and the City of Bangor’s director of economic development. Emery attended Trinity College in Connecticut, then worked for an information services company based in New York. But she returned to Bangor in 2001. “I chose to come back for reasons a lot of people in Bangor are here – the quality of life, the affordability, all the factors that make it a great place for a family, and for a career.”

When it comes to businesses reaching their moments of economic Zen, Emery and her team offer one-on-one support for each stage of growth. From the first steps of identifying business goals for a comprehensive site location process, the City’s economic development office measures Bangor’s success by the strength of the relationship between local government and local entrepreneurs.

Case in point: the Bangor Innovation Center, a business incubator designed to support small businesses during their start-up and early growth stages. The Bangor Innovation Center is currently the home of Higgins Fabrication, a custom manufacturer of high-quality, handmade steel and wood furniture; Cerahelix Inc., a research and development company that manufactures ceramic membrane filters; and Cobbler Technologies, a start-up commercializing 3D printing technology for production of shoes.

Bangor’s historic downtown and waterfront districts continue to be major draws for shoppers, diners, and concert-goers. The downtown district’s historic properties have been converted into chic apartments, restaurants, and retail space.

“Bangor’s downtown and waterfront combine with walkable neighborhoods to create a wonderfully affordable live/work experience,” says Emery. “You can dine out at night, see a show or catch a concert, enjoy a nightcap, and then walk to work the next morning – without breaking your budget.”

For employers, Bangor’s labor pool is also an attraction. Bangor workers today are younger, more diverse, and better educated than the city’s labor pool of years past, according to Emery. That may have something to do with the growth of nearby academic institutions, which include Husson University, Eastern Maine Community College, Beal College and the University of Maine. The UMaine campus in Orono, less than ten miles from downtown Bangor, is home to 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

“People here are experienced, skilled and motivated,” Emery says. While the evolution of the city’s economy has sometimes meant difficult adjustments for its workforce, it’s also made them “extremely versatile and eager to take on new roles.”

Whether an international researcher or a returning native like her, Emery says the city’s new residents discover that “there’s access to everything here in Bangor.” As for the lure of the big city, she notes that Bangor International Airport is only three miles from downtown, and says, “I can easily fly to New York, but I’m always glad to be back home.”

City of Bangor

73 Harlow St., Bangor, ME 04401

Municipal Government
Tanya Emery, Director of Community & E conomic Development
Founded: 1834

www.bangormaine.gov