WILTON – The boards of directors of local nonprofit social services agencies Western Maine Community Action and Community Concepts announced Friday the two will not merge.
A merger study committee, made up of employees and board members from both agencies, met for the first time in May to investigate the possibility of a merger. According to Western Maine Community Action Executive Director Fenwick Fowler, “regionalization has been a big topic of conversation” for organizations statewide recently as “diminishing resources” have led companies to search out ways to increase efficiency and cut operating costs.
Because both Western Maine Community Action, which operates out of Wilton, and Community Concepts, which operates out of Paris, serve the tri-county area, executives thought bringing the two together might create “an overall win-win,” situation, said Community Concepts Chief Executive Officer Mike Burke.
After meeting monthly for six months straight, however, the Merger Study Committee determined “there was relatively little duplication” between the services the agencies provide, Fowler said. “WCMA does career centers, family planning,” he said, “and Community Concepts does transportation programs, Head Start and child care.”
“We don’t do each other’s work,” Fowler said.
Rather than merging, both Fowler and Burke said their respective companies plan to partner with one another strategically. “We’re both looking at doing a joint system,” he said, “around financial software systems” and “maybe doing some joint work around housing projects.”
“If we were running duplicate programs, we would have combined them and come up with a more streamlined program,” Burke added.
Burke and Fowler said their employees are taking the agencies’ decision not to merge well. “From a staff level I think there’s a mixed view,” of the decision, Burke said. “Some, maybe, are relieved because the word merger scares people. But some saw it as an opportunity.”
Fowler said the merger discussions were a positive experience for his staff. “The one thing so unique is everybody took a risk” as a merger could cost “either their own jobs” or create “massive change.” Fowler said he is, “really proud of the board. They had an opportunity to realize what the other organization did well, as well as realize their won strengths.”
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