Selected by Lewiston and Auburn city councils, the following honorees received Economic Achievement Awards for their dedication and service to the community:

Auburn

• Family Health Care Associates

Started in 1978, this practice has provided comprehensive, quality medical care for families.

Family Health Care Associates grew from a support staff of three to employing a staff of 21, four of whom have been with the practice for more than 20 years. In August 2003, an office complex was constructed at 190 Stetson Road. The facility is 12,000 square feet and contains 21 exam rooms, a comprehensive laboratory, and the ability to perform bone density scans.

• Housing developer Frank Goss

After getting his start on the family dairy farm, Frank Goss began developing residential homes in 1968, first on Boulder Drive. His business soon grew, developing homes along Brentwood Drive, Hardscrabble Road and Beech Hill. Once the family farm stopped operating, Goss erected homes and the Old Carriage Estates condominiums there. Later, another farm, Merrill Haven, was transformed into homes. Goss also spent years serving on city boards and councils.

• Shaw’s of Auburn

The supermarket, part of a chain that has served New England for 146 years, has strong community involvement. Originally built in 1965, Shaw’s was located at the opposite end of the shopping center where it’s now located, and upgraded to a SuperShaw’s in 1985. In February 2002 the Auburn store re-opened after an extensive remodeling. This remodeling led to the creation of 20 new jobs giving the store a total of 180 employees. Last year Shaw’s Auburn associates contributed more than 1,800 hours of volunteer time to organizations and special events within the community and state.

Lewiston

• Northeast Bank

Northeast Bank was recognized for its pioneering role in revitalizing Lewiston’s downtown with its new Southern Gateway facility. Despite 20 years of disinvestment and decline, Northeast saw opportunity in this corridor, when it built a new 27,800-square-foot corporate headquarters building between Lisbon and Canal streets in 2005. Nearly 100 employees who had been scattered across three facilities come to work in the building daily, providing heightened efficiency for bank operations and improved access to Northeast’s family of financial services.

• Tom Platz and Pat Maiorino for development of the Bates Mill Complex

While many saw the dilapidated, empty Bates Mill complex as an eyesore, Tom Platz and Pat Maiorino saw an opportunity. The dream was to take this once proud landmark of Lewiston and return it to its former glory. From a partnership formed in 1996, the Bates Mill Master Plan was developed and the revitalization of the mill complex began in earnest. The partners renovated 48,000 square feet in Mill No. 7 and leased the space to Peoples Heritage Bank in 1998. Since 2001, Bates Mill LLC has taken ownership of all but one of the mill buildings and has been steadily rehabilitating and occupying space. Today, mills No. 3 and No. 7 are fully occupied, mill No. 6 is filling rapidly, and major renovations are under way in the mill No. 2 wing and storehouse. The mill complex houses more than 2,000 jobs in a mix of restaurant, retail and office uses.

• Pediatric Associates

Pediatric Associates has been a provider of health care to Lewiston’s children for more than 50 years and during that time has grown to be one of the largest privately owned pediatric practices in New England. In 2005, Pediatric Associates reaffirmed its commitment to the area by opening a 23,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in the Fairgrounds Business Park.

Joint award

• Paul and Kate Landry, owners, Mac’s Grill and Fish Bones

The Landrys’ entrepreneurial spirit was cited as helping to define L-A as a premiere destination for dining while providing nearly 90 jobs to the local economy. In 1994, the couple, along with their partners, Scott and Robin McFarren, opened Mac’s Grill on the outskirts of Auburn, to offer the region a quality steakhouse. From 14 employees, they have steadily grown; today Mac’s provides 55 jobs to the community. The Landrys recently expanded their cuisine across the river into Lewiston. Fish Bones American Grill, the area’s newest upscale seafood restaurant, opened in Bates Mill No. 6 in November 2005.

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