LEWISTON — In a room that buzzed with energy, the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce on Thursday introduced its new Explore + Discover guide to local business leaders.

“For us, this Explore + Discover guide — the accompanying Discover LA name, what today’s breakfast is about — is all linked to a clear economic growth strategy,” President and CEO Shanna Cox said. “Our regional round table put together the blueprint for economic growth, and the first strategy is to attract populations, specifically to support our workforce needs, and our future economic growth needs, to the region.”

The guide was developed to attract new visitors and residents to the area in conjunction with the revamp of the DiscoverLAMaine.com website, a site that was recently redesigned to digitally resemble the Explore + Discover guide.

“Today is one piece of a puzzle, making sure that those of you who are owners of companies, operators, or in HR are able to recruit people here, and talk about why this is a great place to not just work, but live,” Cox said. “One piece we recognized is that we spend a lot of effort recruiting people to work here in the region in Androscoggin County, but we don’t take the same great pains to say, we’d love for you to buy a home here. We’d love for you to live here. We’d love for you to join our communities here.”

The breakfast meeting was hosted by Ramada by Wyndham Lewiston Hotel & Conference Center. Attendees had the option to watch virtually or attend in person.

The chamber welcomed several new business members into the community: Michelle Gosselin and Dave Foster from the Fontaine Family, a real estate company; Cameron Shorey from the Breakwater Group at Morgan Stanley; Peter Ouellette from Oldcastle APG; and Ralf Andersson from Transcendia Inc.

Former chamber members Katy Sperl and RJ Gagnon were invited to speak about what attracted them to relocate to the area.

Gagnon said when he moved to the Lewiston-Auburn area in 2007, he noticed “there’s something here that’s really special. It’s family focused and there’s a lot of economic growth that’s happening. That was very exciting for me — being part of something that is looking to grow. It became clear to me, as my two boys started to grow up and we started to do things in the area, that there’s so much to do here.

“You see it with the sponsors that are here,” he said. “There are so many breweries. The theater scene is rich. You don’t have to drive an hour to go to the theater. You can go to a theater nearby and find quality work. I could see my kids growing up here, just like my wife and her family did.”

He emphasized focusing on the positives of a place, rather than the negatives. For example: the Great Falls Balloon Festival and local wine tastings.

“I also really love going out and walking and just trying out new trails around here,” Gagnon said.

Sperl described her personal journey. Coming to Lewiston and Auburn, she started her career at Central Maine Medical Center. There was a point where she was working at the medical center and at Bridgton Hospital at the same time, which was not an easy task.

“I drove both ways,” Sperl said. “I was never in the right place at the right time.”

She left Bridgton Hospital and worked at Health Affiliates Maine in Auburn. Things started to change for her, she said, because she was now part of the community.

“I could be part of the community and I wasn’t having to leave in the middle of the day to go to a board meeting or race after work to get to an activity because I was right there,” she said.

“I can go to lunch anywhere in the community and it just feels right,” Sperl said. “I don’t feel like I have a foot in two buckets, so to speak. It just feels like everything has come together, since I have been able to live and work here.”

Sperl said she enjoys being able to make a difference in a smaller community, having more interaction with the women that live there.

In an email, Meredith Carson, chamber marketing and communications director, and Cox wrote that the best part about Thursday’s meeting was reconnecting in-person with members and having an open dialogue about the beauty of the region.

“We hope that everyone is as excited about the new guide as we are, and hope our community shares the guide with their friends and family, near and far, and utilize the guide as a recruiting resource for attracting new talent to our area,” they wrote.

All upcoming events involving the LA Metro Chamber, including the Jumpstart ME Information and Session on July 19 and the 2021 RiverRace on July 25, can be found on the chamber website.

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