By Carol Coultas,Business Writer

LEWISTON – Rick Anstey didn’t have to look any farther than across Longley bridge to find a living example of Maine’s creative economy at work.

The CEO of Oxford Networks addressed a crowd at Bates Mill No. 6, assembled to hear Gov. John Baldacci talk about the next step in promoting the state’s creative economy.

The concept – that investment in the arts, heritage, technology and other creative enterprises is an economic driver in its own right – brought nearly 700 people to a conference at the Bates Mill two years ago. A task force created in its wake presented a plan to launch the creative economy Thursday.

Anstey offered Rinck Advertising as a case study. Formed five years ago by husband-and-wife team Peter Rinck and Laura Davis, the company now has clients from Dallas to Baltimore, connected electronically to their downtown Auburn office. Their fiberoptic network allows 20 million to 30 million bytes of data to be sent instantaneously, versus mailing a video or cassette as in years past.

“Five years ago, it would have taken days to accomplish what they can do now in a matter of minutes,” said Anstey. “They’re expanding their business, hiring more people, all because of the creative economy.”

Baldacci wants more success stories. To that end, he unveiled a handbook for communities that want to cultivate their creative potential. The handbook lays out the 10 building blocks for a creative economy, with a self-assessment questionnaire for each.

It also recommends resources in three critical areas: affordable housing, downtown revitalization and entrepreneurship.

“These are key in developing creative economies,” said Jeff Sosnaud, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development and one of the authors of the handbook. “We tried to bring together all these resources and make it user friendly so that communities will have a practical tool bag when they’re looking for direction and assistance.”

An accompanying report highlighted some statistics. Counted in the creative economy are artists, craftspeople, performers, architects, engineers, entrepreneurs, researchers and financiers, comprising 8.3 percent of Maine’s workforce. They earn an average of $48,557, which is 33 percent higher than the state average of $32,661. The task force set a goal of a 20 percent increase in Maine’s creative workforce by 2015.

Baldacci commended the work of Lewiston-Auburn, where the Bates Mill provided a visible symbol of an old, obsolete industry transformed with new vitality and commerce. He said the revitalization of the two downtowns and the growth of its cultural sector through organizations like L/A Arts and the Franco American Heritage Center continue to impress him.

But some of the changes haven’t been so visible. Since the creative economy conference, the area has grown by 300 jobs and unemployment is down 10 percent, he said.

“Retail sales have grown by $40 million in one year,” he noted. “It’s exciting. It is happening here.”

Todd McIntosh of McIntosh & Tuttle Cabinetmakers had a feeling it would. When he and his partner decided to locate their high-end woodworking operation in Lewiston four years ago, several people told them they were crazy.

“I wanted to prove them wrong,” he said. “I could see what was happening and we got in at the ground level.”

Four years ago, he hoped for $100,000 in sales; now they earn about $1 million. He cites the creative economy initiative as an influence in three ways:

“It’s given us a newfound enthusiasm for what we do, an appreciation of what we do, and a renewed sense of pride.”