Labor law is out, Patrick Dempsey is in.

The Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce announced Wednesday afternoon that actor Patrick Dempsey would be the guest speaker at the monthly chamber breakfast next week at Lost Valley in Auburn.

“We’re really excited,” chamber President Matt Leonard said. “It’s the right time. The community is very proud of the Dempsey Center and what the Dempsey Center does for the community, (and) with what’s going to happen in Bates Mill, and then the opportunities to talk about prevention and corporate wellness — we couldn’t think of a better speaker.”

Dempsey, who grew up in Buckfield and Turner, helped found The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing in 2008, after being touched by his mother’s cancer experience. The center is a free local resource for cancer patients and their families.

A satellite office for the Dempsey Center has been proposed as part of the massive Bates Mill No. 5 remodel with Central Maine Medical Center and the YMCA of Auburn-Lewiston as anchors.

Leonard said he expects Dempsey to talk about the center and how businesses can be active in disease prevention. The chamber’s been trying to line up the actor for a year. His last-minute availability pre-empted a talk about the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime rule.

There were still 70 tickets left at 2 p.m. for the breakfast Thursday, July 14.

Capacity is 250 and the chamber expects to sell out.

kskelton@sunjournal.com