Maine

  • Freeport Village Station Outlets - Freeport, ME

  • LL Bean Flagship Store - Freeport, ME

  • Kennebunkport, ME

  • Old Orchard Beach Pier - Old Orchard Beach, ME

  • Portland, ME

  • Palace Playland - Old Orchard Beach, ME

  • World Famous Goldenrod Taffy - York, ME

The Retail Market

Maine’s two enclosed regional malls are Maine Mall in South Portland and Bangor Mall in Bangor. The areas surrounding both of these malls have significant big box and mid-size box activity. These two areas have the greatest concentration of retail in the state of Maine. Augusta is the area with the next largest concentration of retail. Although Augusta does not have an enclosed regional mall, almost every major big and mid-size box retailer is located in this market making it a very strong regional corridor. The fourth Maine regional retail market is found in the adjacent towns of Topsham and Brunswick. Between these two towns there is a significant concentration of boxes that make the trade area regional in nature.

Other than the markets of Portland and to a lesser degree Bangor and Augusta, the trade areas for most of Maine’s retail corridors are rural in nature and have a very low population density. This results in very large trade areas where the customer is accustomed to driving long distances to shop. Auburn, Biddeford, Windham, Waterville, Bath and Rockland are each community markets with varying degrees of strength and a scattering of big and / or mid-size boxes that meet this description.

Along the Maine coast, tourist towns such as Kennebunkport, Old Orchard Beach, Seal Harbor and Bar Harbor all have villages thriving with local retail and restaurants, particularly during the summer and fall. Also focusing on the tourist business are the two major outlet destinations of Kittery and Freeport. L. L. Bean is headquartered in Freeport and has served as the anchor tenant for the town’s expansion of its’ organic core main street real estate to accommodate all shapes and sizes of outlet retailers with a very real New England village feel.

Grocery stores operating in Maine include Shaw’s, Hannaford, Market Basket, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Walmart Supercenter, and Save-A-Lot.

Home Depot - Topsham Fair Mall - Topsham, ME

Michaels Art and Crafts - Christmas Tree Shop Plaza - Scarborough, ME

The Economy

Maine’s economy has been historically based on industries that are associated with Maine’s abundance of natural resources. The most obvious economic impact of Maine’s natural resources is tourism. Driven by Maine’s 3,400 miles of ocean shoreline and over 3,100 coastal islands;  boating and fishing on Moosehead or Sebago Lake; whitewater rafting on the Kennebec, Dead or Penobscot Rivers; skiing and snowboarding at Sugarloaf or Sunday River;  snowmobiling on the 4,000 mile Interconnected Trail System which accesses an additional 10,000 miles of groomed trails; or hiking the coastline and mountains of Acadia National Park; these natural resources have created a tourist industry that has existed and flourished for over 100 years in the state of Maine.  It is no wonder it says “Vacationland” on the bottom of Maine’s license plates.

Also tied to Maine’s wealth of natural resources, the forestry, dairy  and potato industries have been a major employment base in Maine since the 1700’s. Not only is the  growing these products significant but so is their subsequent conversion to consumer products via the manufacturing process. Ninety percent of Maine is covered by forest, the highest percentage of any state, including over 12 million acres in the northern portion of the state where few people live.  Ninety five percent of this forest is privately owned, thirty three percent by family forestland owners and sixty one percent by private companies. The federal government owns only one percent. Approximately 500,000 acres of forested land is harvested each year. Although the paper industry has suffered a downturn due to the digital age, many of Maine’s remaining paper mills have retooled and brought in advanced manufacturing systems to be competitive in today’s world. Maine’s paper mills convert these harvested forest products to everything from building and finished lumber to all varieties of standard and specialized papers; cardboard boxes, containers and specialty packaging; paper bags; and paper cups for hot and cold beverages.

Potatoes are Maine’s largest agricultural crop. The potatoes are harvested and converted to consumer products such as french fries, potato chips or ready to cook mashed potatoes by companies such as  McCain Foods or Pineland Farms. Dairy products, aquaculture and fruit crops are next in order of importance to Maine’s agribusiness. Maine is the leading producer of brown eggs in the United States and also produces 99% of the blueberries in the nation. Aquaculture is led by the lobster industry with 90% of the country’s lobster supply being caught off the coast of Maine. Maine is also the second largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S.

In addition to the manufacturing of products related to Maine’s natural resources, there are numerous companies of all sizes whose focus is on manufacturing in the areas of  specialty metal products, mechanical components, aerospace and plastics. These companies have upgraded their facilities to modern technologies and advance manufacturing techniques to insure a strong future not only for Maine’s skilled manufacturing workforce but for the engineering and design professionals that are needed for these advanced manufacturing concerns. Nowhere is this more evident than at Bath Iron Works (General Dynamics) which is one of the largest employers in Maine and produces the next class of U.S. Navy destroyers and warships. This type of high end manufacturing is prevalent throughout the state and is indicative of Maine’s expansion from a natural resource based economy to one that is more reflective of today’s knowledge based industries. Consistent with this theme are Maine employers such as The Jackson Laboratory (Biomed), UNUM (Financial Services), Tyler Technologies (Software) and IDEXX Laboratories (Veterinary Biomed), that are taking advantage of Maine’s quality of life, educated workforce and low cost of doing business.

Bates College - Lewiston, ME

Area colleges and enrollment

University of Maine Orno 11,200
University of New England Biddeford 9,200
University of Southern Maine Portland 5,700
Husson University Bangor 3,500
St. Joseph’s College Standish 2,500
University of New England Portland 2,100
Bowdoin College Brunswick 2,000
Bates College Lewiston 2,000
Colby College Waterville 1,800
University of Maine – Farmington Farmington 1,700
University of Maine – Ft. Kent Fort Kent 1,300
University of Maine – Presque Isle Presque Isle 1,300
Maine Maritime Academy Castine 1,000
Thomas College Waterville 1,000
University of Maine – Machais Machais 800
Unity College Unity 700
Maine College of Art Portland 500
College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor 350
     
Total   48,650

Bath Ironworks - Bath, ME

Major Employers

General Dynamics – Bath Iron Works Shipbuilding – Military Vessels Bath
Athena Health Operations Center – Medical Billing – Payment Processing Belfast
L.L. Bean  HQ – Retailer – Multi-Channel Freeport/Portland/Bangor/Brunswick
Jackson Laboratory HQ – Biomed – Genomic Research Bar Harbor
UNUM Financial Services Portland
Twin Rivers Paper Company Paper Mill Madawaska
New Balance Athletic Footwear Skowhegan, Norridgework, Norway
Barber Foods Frozen Chicken Breast Products Portland
IDEXX Laboratories HQ – Biomed – Vertinary Westbrook
ON Semiconductor Semiconductors South Portland
Tyler Technologies Software – Public Sector Yarmouth
Catalyst Paper Paper Mill – Coated Papers for Food &  Beverage Rumford
Pioneer Plastics (Panolam) Plastic Laminates Auburn
Nestle Water Bottled Water Hollis Center/Poland Spring
Core-Mark Distribution Center – Consumer Gardiner
McCain Foods Frozen Potato Products Easton
Parker-Hannifin Motor Vehicle Parts Portland
GE Power Turbine Components Bangor
ConForm Automotive Fabrics and Fibers for Auto Industry Auburn
Geiger HQ – Distribution Center – Promotional Products Lewiston
Sappi – Westbrook Mill and Technology Center Paper Mill Westbrook
Puritan Medical Products Biomed – Single Use Medical Products Guilford
Pine State Beverage, Spirits and Vending HQ – Distribution Center – Food and Beverage Gardiner / Augusta / Greene
Pratt & Whitney Jet Enginer Parts North Berwick
Tambrands (Proctor & Gamble) Feminine Hygeine Products Auburn
Wex HQ – Payment Processing and Information Management for Fleet, Travel and Healthcare South Portland
Verso Paper – Androscoggin Mill Paper Mill – Coated, Uncoated and Specialty Papers Jay
Woodland Pulp/St. Croix Tissue Paper Mill – Pulp and Tissue Paper Baileyville
Nichols Portland Gerotors and Gerotor Pumps Portland
Disability RMS Disability Insurance and Reinsurance South Portland
Hillandale Farms Chicken Eggs Turner
Labree’s Bakery Baked Goods Old Town
Huhtamaki Paper Products – Food Packaging and Disposable Tableware Waterville
Tom’s of Maine Personal Care Products Sanford, Kennebunk
Sitel Corporation Call Center Caribou
Emery Waterhouse Distribution and Reatil Services – Hardwater Stores Portland
GE – Industrial Solutions Power Circuit Breakers Auburn
Hussey Seating Spectator Seating North Berwick
Evonik – Cyro Acrylic Sheet Products Sanford
Columbia Forest Products Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Presque Isle
Hunting Dearborn Precision Metal Tubular Components Fryeburg
Fisher Engineering  Snow Removal Equipment Rockland
The Hinckley Company Shipard – Luxury Yachts Southwest Harbor
Sitel Call Center – Contract / 3rd Party Caribou
Sappi – Spmeerset Mill Paper Mill Skowhegan
Newell Brands Plastic Cutlery East Wilton
Elmet Technologies Specialty Metal Products Lewiston
Pineland Farms Potato Co. REfridgerated Potato Products Mars Hill
KBS Building Systems Modular Homes South Parts
Sigco Glass and Architectural Metal Fabricator Westbrooke
Irwin Tools Hand and Power Tools Gorham
Dielectric Antenna and Signal Distribution Raymond
Nappi Distributors Beer and Wine Wholesaler Gorham
Back Cove Yachts Shipyard – Luxury Yachts Rockland
JSI Store Fixtures HQ – Wood Merchandising Displays for Supermarkets Milo
Tex Tech High Performance Textiles Portland/North Monmouth/Winthrop
Nautel Radio Broadcast Transmitters Bangor
Fiber Materials High Temperature Composite Material Components- Aerospace, Industrial, Commercial Biddeford
Midstate Machine Precision Metal Machining Winslow
Valmet Technology, Systems and Services for the Pulp and Paper Industry Biddeford
Johnny’s Selected Seeds Seeds for Growing Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers and Herbs Windslow
Sabre Yachts Shipyard – Luxury Yachts Rockland and Raymond
Philips Lifeline Personal Medical Alert Systems Lewiston
Acadia Insurance HQ – Insurance – Commercial Property an Casualty Westbrook
Hodgon Shipbuilding Shipyard – Sailing Yachts, Motor Yachts, Military Vessels East Boothbay
The Baker Company Biomed – Laboratory Contamination Control Sanford
Cives Steel Structural Steel Fabricator Augusta
Paradigm Windows New and Replacement Vinyl Windows Portland
Ducktrap River of Maine Smoked Seafood Belfast
Senior Flexonics Pathway Metroplex Industrial Flow Control Lewiston
FMC Health and Nutrition Food Additives – Carrageenan from Seaweed Rockland

 

 

Acadia National Park

To say that Acadia National Park is a beautiful place is somewhat of a misnomer. The park is actually a series of beautiful places, all housed on different parts of Acadia.  The park is made up of three main areas: Most of Mt Desert Island, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula and the remote Isle au Haut. It is here that all the elements of Maine’s varied natural beauty – rocky coasts and granite mountains, forest and lakes, waves and wildlife – come together in one spectacular package. If you make it to the top of Cadillac Mountain before dawn you will be able to be the first in the United States to see the sunrise that day.

Designated as a National Park in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson, Acadia became the first national park east of the Mississippi River, and the first national park to be comprised of totally donated lands.  Its’ 47,000 acres accommodate 3,000,000 visitors annually, encompassing some of the most beautifully preserved land in the United States. In 1910 John D. Rockefeller, Jr. bought a summer home in nearby Seal Harbor. He quickly began to appreciate the beauty of what would become Acadia National Park. He was concerned that with the advent of the automobile the beauty of the park could be permanently scarred. From 1915 to 1933 Rockefeller designed and constructed, at his own expense, a road system for visitors to the park. He personally donated 10,000 acres of land for this purpose. Known to this day as the Carriage Roads, there are 57 miles of crushed stone roads for use by hikers, bikers, horse riders and horse drawn carriages that are free from automobile traffic.

Whether it is Eagle Lake or Echo Lake; the Ocean Path walking trail: Thunder Hole where waves kick up 40 feet high with the sound of thunder; hiking up The Beehive, The Bubbles or Penobscot Mountain for incredible views of Sand Beach, Great Head and Jordan Pond; sailing through “the Narrows” of Somes Sound; or just enjoying the quaint villages of Seal Harbor and Bar Harbor where in the summer months you will find the sailboats and yachts of the rich and famous anchored next to working lobster boats; Acadia National Park is one of a kind.

The Geography

Population

Maine Population 1,328,000
Portland MSA
514,000
Cumberland County 282,000
York County 197,000
Sagadahoc County 35,000
Lewiston – Auburn MSA
107,000
Androscoggin County 107,000
Bangor MSA 154,000
Penobscot County 154,000
Augusta – Waterville MSA 122,000
Kennebec County 122,000
Rockland MSA 40,000
Knox County 40,000
Unaffiliated Counties 391,000
Aroostook County 72,000
Oxford County 58,000
Hancock County 54,000
Somerset County 52,000
Waldo County 39,000
Lincoln County 34,000
Washington County 33,000
Franklin County 31,000
Piscataquis County 18,000