Letter from Executive Director Jim Nimon - November 2017
We hope you had an opportunity to share the Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends. We traveled Thursday for a small family gathering in central Maine (see photo) and hosted some of our children on Friday. I’ve spoken with a few of you who said you were hosting 10, 20, 30 people! There is so much to be grateful for.
In our news and events column at left, we share news this month of York County Community College's now-permanent presence in Sanford, as indicated by the purchase of the college's current instructional site in South Sanford and the adjacent parcel. Given the importance of this announcement to our regional economy I feel the need to provide some background. The growth council board has encouraged staff to highlight the role that the growth council plays behind the scenes in making projects happen. A permanent home for YCCC in Sanford is an example of how we work to “attract” an entity that is not presently here. The key takeaway in this tale, as you will see, is that attraction takes time.
You may recall that I started with the growth council in March 2011, and within days began to hear grumbling about the lack of a community college presence in Sanford, Maine’s seventh largest municipality, especially given the cluster of world-class manufacturers we had operating here. By June 2011, I was sitting in the office of John Fitzsimmons, then-President of the Maine Community College System (MCCS) which oversees and manages the seven community colleges in Maine. We discussed how to develop a YCCC presence in Sanford (the college had a Wells-based campus).
On June 21, 2011, on behalf of my board, I sent a letter to President Fitzsimmons restating the growth council’s role and recapping our conversation and agreement. It said in part: “As you know from our discussions with you, your college presidents and staff, a critical piece for us to enhancing workforce development is the establishment of a permanent community college presence in Sanford. It is our understanding that you and three of your campus presidents have made this issue a priority in recent weeks. You are personally working with your college foundation to secure funding. We have a tremendous opportunity ... to support the future growth of manufacturing in our region. It is not overstating the case that done right, the Sanford region could become a hub for educating and training high-tech manufacturing workers. Machinists, welders, even engineers and other related positions, would be important to the growth of Maine’s economy.”
So, ten weeks after my arrival at the growth council, we planted a seed to secure a community college presence in Sanford. With the incredible help of my board and countless private and public sector officials since then, we evolved from a plea in June 2011, to the pledge of funding and equipment, to the establishment of a small precision machining technology program in Sanford in 2013, to the announcement of the program's expansion into a larger leased facility with doors open in September 2016, and finally to MCCS's purchase of that facility and the adjacent parcel at the end of October 2017.
Given that the growth council was there when this journey began, it seemed only fitting that we held the closing for the sale of the property here at the growth council office. Current MCCS President Derek Langhauser and current YCCC President Barbara Finkelstein have kept the pledges made by their predecessors. Finkelstein, in fact, has from day one of her tenure made it clear she wants all YCCC technical programs to be offered in Sanford, and Langhauser while in Sanford spoke of the importance of maintaining a close working relationship with the private sector. Is it safe to believe we have evolved out of an "instructional facility" and are now positioned to officially become (or have already become) YCCC’s “Sanford Campus”? Stay tuned.
Also in this issue as November ends, we highlight another important initiative, the Sanford Airport Solar Project, that we continue to work on. We celebrate an award with one of our newest Springvale manufacturers; and applaud the many partners who together made it possible to re-open the “old” St. Ignatius building as a brand new apartment complex for our seniors. Finally, for those of you looking for more holiday fun, please review the article at left for a list of “Holly Daze” events planned in Sanford over two days, December 1-2, to kick off the holiday season. We’ll have lots to recap next month and we’ll provide a couple teasers for the New Year. Despite what Lewiston-Auburn may claim, it will really all be happening in Sanford in 2018!
Sanford Airport Solar Project Hosts Informational Sessions
Sanford's Airport Manager, Allison Rogers, at a visit to an airport solar project in Indianapolis this spring.
We have been sharing information with our readers for quite some time about the Sanford Airport Solar Project. This month, NextEra Energy, the private company that is leasing land from Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport and constructing the solar project here, held several informational events at the airport for pilots, local businesses and other members of the public. Attendees had an opportunity to learn more about NextEra, about how the Airport Solar Project will work, where it will be located, and how it will benefit the community.
NextEra Energy is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and is ranked in the top 10 worldwide for innovativeness and community responsibility as part of Fortune magazine's 2017 list of "The World's Most Admired Companies".
The Airport Solar Project, which is targeting 2018 for phase I of construction, will produce enough energy to power 8,000 homes and will interconnect with the existing electrical grid. It will employ up to 94 workers during construction and will use up to 10 full-time employees once it is operational. The project will create a new revenue stream for the airport through the lease of the land that it will sit upon, and will also generate tax revenues for the city. The project will represent about $69 million in new investment in Sanford.
"We saw many people participating the night we attended," said growth council director Jim Nimon. "They were asking very good questions as they viewed the informational panels and met with NextEra staff." For those unable to attend but interested in knowing more about the project, we have provided a link to the information on display, including details on how the solar panels work, the environmental permitting process and a map of the project location. Please check out this
PDF of the informational panels from the events.
Springvale Company Wins Big at York County Business Awards
York County Community College held its 13th Annual York County Business Awards Dinner on November 16.
Springvale-based NEXGEN Tooling was the winner of the Rookie of the Year Award, for businesses that have been actively conducting business for 24 months or fewer.
Growth Council Director Jim Nimon was at the awards dinner and, as always, quietly rooting for Sanford and Springvale companies. He was pleased to witness the win for NEXGEN but was not really surprised. "I initially met with Kevin Sevigny in December 2015," said Nimon. "It was evident at the very first session that Kevin had extensive knowledge of the industry, with critical relationships established; and he understood the key products he should manufacture to enhance his company's chances for success." Ed Sevigny met with Kevin and the growth council in early 2016 to review plans to start up the new manufacturing facility.
Kevin and Ed Sevigny from NEXGEN Tooling with YCCC President Barbara Finkelstein at the York County Business Awards.
NEXGEN Tooling is a family-owned business located in Springvale, Maine, specializing in the manufacture of high performance solid carbide cutting tools for customers nationwide within a variety of industries. Started in late 2016 with only two people, they have grown to a five person facility. The company's precision cutting tools are used by the likes of Pratt & Whitney and other manufacturing facilities. NEXGEN continues to outpace monthly projections and has had to purchase a number of new machines to keep up with customer orders. They reconfigured the manufacturing floor to accommodate the new equipment, and are discussing expansion of their current facility to continue to meet demand.
Our congratulations to NEXGEN on this well-deserved award!
Another Perspective
As we head into the often-hectic holiday season, it is worth remembering that we sometimes need to take time off from the hustle and bustle to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family. Director Jim Nimon's three canine companions were happy to demonstrate:
