PARIS — Charles Melhus from Norway Brewing Co. shared his experiences in planning and financing a business at the Meet the Lenders series this week at the Western Maine University and Community Collete Center on Main Street.

Melhus, who is working toward an early 2016 opening for his family-run brewing company and restaurant, talked about working with business counseling services and local lenders in hopes to better prepare the group of 10 business owners and entrepreneurs on what to expect with the process.

“We are a small business,” Melhus said. “We are also a local business trying to source our ingredients from local producers. And our business philosophy could not be better represented than by working with local organizations like Norway Savings Bank and Community Concepts Finance Corp.”

Melhus described his work with the Oxford Hills SCORE chapter as arduous and long, but more than necessary in order to complete not just a fundable business plan, but an operational guide his family will use long after they open.

His presentation to a group of business owners, service providers and lenders was part of the series put on by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce and Oxford Hills chapter of SCORE.

Other organizations in attendance included the Maine Technology Institute, Androscoggin Valley Council of Government, Small Business Development Center, New Ventures of Maine, Finance Authority of Maine, Department of Economic and Community Development, Community Concepts Finance Corp., KeyBank, Androscoggin Bank, TD Bank, Franklin Savings Bank, Bangor Savings Bank and Norway Savings Bank.

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