RUMFORD – Sixteen area business representatives attended the first Business Lunch and Learn seminar recently, River Valley Technology Center board members were told Tuesday.

Center Director Norm MacIntyre said the event was successful.

The seminars are sponsored by the center, the River Valley Growth Council and the River Valley Chamber of Commerce to facilitate networking among businesses and to provide information and resources for long-term success.

The center is a public/private partnership dedicated to nurturing small technology and precision manufacturing businesses during the start-up stage. The center provides a variety of business development assistance, according to its Web site, www.rivervalleycenter.com.

The next lunch and learn seminar is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 18. The topic will be an introduction to the Small Business Administration with SBA staffers and U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe. Preregistration is required by calling 369-0396.

MacIntyre said the board is trying to become the 111th member of the Maine Alliance for Clean Energy.

He also said that a partnership is developing with the center, the University of Maine and other organizations for the Fractionation Development Center, a research lab in support of biomass-to-energy and related technologies. The center will be a statewide resource for such technologies, he added.

MacIntyre said it is in support of the River Valley Growth Council’s efforts to obtain funding for a pilot plant to produce hydrogen from wood products.

The center expects the 1,600-square-foot development center to be ready by the third week in June. Directors expect the project to be a magnet for the area and will generate many jobs.

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