Staff Writer
When the Loring Air Force Base closed in 1994, almost 1,100 civilian jobs were lost. Under the watchful eyes and guided by the nurturing hands of the Loring Development Authority, the Loring Commerce Centre rose like a multifaceted phoenix from the ashes; currently there are about 1,400 individuals employed at the Centre, and thanks to the tireless efforts of the LDA, that number will continue to grow in diverse fields.
From 196 employees at the call center Sitel to 380 employees working to refurbish vehicles at the Maine Military Authority, multiple businesses in a wide range of avenues have taken root at the former base, their success stories drawing in prospective businesses and proving that northern Maine has one of the best industrial parks in the state. There were, however, more than few things that the Loring Commerce Centre had to offer which separated it from other industrial centers.
"One of the things we discovered early on was that in dealing with site locators and site location consultants, one of the most important criteria that they look at in making a decision to move [a business] to a certain space isn't necessarily the available facilities, but the workforce demographics — what do you have for workforce, what are they skilled in, what are they trainable in, what are the training opportunities in your area, things like that,” explained LDA President and CEO Carl Flora. “We began trying to quantify what we have for the people-resource in the area, and we've always stacked up pretty well.”
LDA Manager of Marketing and Public Information Diane Martin agreed with Flora.
“That demographic was boosted by the fact that we were able to inform companies that there are universities located nearby that are willing to talk with us about creating training programs specific to a company's needs, and companies loved hearing that,” she said.
When the Air Force pulled out of the base at Loring 15 years ago, it created what Flora described as vacuum, leaving many people either unemployed or underemployed.
Business by business, the LDA started building the Commerce Centre back up; many companies found the idea of moving into an existing structure appealing rather that starting out at a site from scratch; thanks to the quick thinking and quick acting of original board members, the LDA physically had what they needed to make the commerce centre attractive to prospective businesses as well as an intangible built into the area that not all industrial centers can claim.
“Northern Maine has a very strong reputation for a good work ethic, and people know that,” Flora said. “[When people from northern Maine] go to work for a company, they really produce. We hear that a lot from our employers who have people working at other parts of the country; there's just nothing to match the productivity of the workers in this location,” he added, stating that having existing facilities, a dedicated workforce and a strong communities are the selling points the LDA has been able to use in drawing new businesses to the region, as larger areas of employment at the commerce centre draw individuals from all over Aroostook County.
Having such strong selling points is, in retrospect, a bit coincidental to Martin.
"They closed Loring on the basis that the quality of life was not up to what people supposedly desired, and quality of life has been our biggest selling point,” she described. “Low crime rate, great place to raise your kids, good schools — just everything about these communities speaks to people. When a company has to sell [a move to Loring] to their employees based in Arizona, they can say 'you're going to love this place,'” Martin added.
While having made tremendous strides in development since the closure of the base, the LDA is still working towards their ‘end’ goal.
“Our goal at this time is to become sustainable, and once we're sustainable, future growth [of the Centre] is an obvious possibility,” Flora explained. Until the LDA reaches a point of self-sustainability, things will always be a bit shaky as they still depend on state and government funding to supplement revenues from Centre businesses.
“Our objective would be to have enough development that pays rental fees to generate enough revenue from business activities that we're involved in that we don't need to look much elsewhere for funding,” Flora added.
"It's important to note that the LDA is not looking to grow at all,” stated Martin, explaining that the LDA has gotten smaller over the years and will continue to get smaller as more of the base is purchased and occupied by new businesses.
"We've gotten smaller over the years and we'll continue to get smaller," Flora agreed.
While obviously new businesses are not settling into the Centre on a daily basis, the LDA has more than a few projects in the works that may potentially result in more businesses and more jobs.
“Not everything that we've ever entertained out here has come to fruition; we've had some things that have completely fallen through; we have some things that have gone on the back burner, such as the potato processing project,” Flora explained, citing that the creation of a potato processing plant still has a life, as the companies who were interested in creating the plant are still interested. He also mentioned a similar situation with Ming Energy/JAC Group, a wind energy technology firm.
“We may start to see something in six months to a year and it may be slower to evolve,” he said. “We’re going to work with the companies and whatever timeline is good for them is good for us.”
While economic development takes time, over 1,400 individuals go to work each day at the Centre as the LDA continues striving to raise that number through dedication and persistence.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natlie Bazinet
Loring Development Authority (LDA) President and CEO Carl Flora and LDA Board of Trustees Chair Kay Rand unveil the monument dedicated to the founding Board of Trustees after their meeting on Sept. 9.
