Area businesses converge to network and pitch services
LEWISTON – Mark Adams and Greg Mitchell know the routine.
The city officials from opposite sides of the river take turns at the podium, talking about the economic renaissance in the Twin Cities.
Problem was, until the past few years they didn’t have much to show.
“We had a lot of renderings and plans,” said Adams, assistant city manager for Auburn. He regularly teams up with Mitchell, Lewiston’s development director, to attract investors and educate residents.
“Now we have photos of actual projects, and the dollars invested,” Adams said, noting a long list of new businesses and recent expansions. “There’s an excitement here that we want to maintain and build on.”
That sense of momentum was highlighted Thursday at the eighth annual Androscoggin Business to Business trade show. The show drew businesspeople from central, western and southern Maine, as well as local and state public officials.
About 2,500 attendees walked through the doors of Bates College’s Gray Athletic Building, said an event organizer.
“We’ve had a steady line at the door since 9:30,” said Paul Badeau, marketing director for the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, which presented the show. “It’s probably the busiest we’ve had in at least five years.”
Space for the show sold out earlier this week, with 185 exhibitors setting up booths on the open floor of the athletic complex. Companies and organizations ranged across all economic sectors, from Pineland Lumber to Bob Nixon Magic and Comedy.
Popular topics of conversation included the Maineiacs – Lewiston’s new semipro hockey team – the region’s growing summer festivals, and economic development such as Auburn’s Hilton Garden Inn and Lewiston’s upcoming $20 million southern gateway project, which will overhaul lower Lisbon Street.
“We all have a feeling of pride in the community,” Badeau said. “Now it’s just getting the word out about the changes, and the trade show does that.”
One component of the public image drive is the “It’s Happening Here” theme, which provides a new slogan and logo for the Twin Cities and surrounding towns. That theme is the centerpiece of a $1.4 million campaign led by the growth council. Planners of the campaign want to put to rest some lingering negative perceptions about the area, and highlight changes. Volunteers at the trade show wore “It’s Happening Here” T-shirts.
Mitchell, Adams and Chip Morrison, president of the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, each presented one of three seminars held at nearby Chase Hall during the day. Mitchell said the city will encourage local businesses to use the new slogan and logo in promotional materials.
“It’s a way to promote our communities, clearly,” Mitchell said. “We thought we’d have a good opportunity to roll it out here.”
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