Medical marijuana dispensary Urban Farms opens in Lewiston

There’s a new medical marijuana dispensary in town. Urban Farms opened its doors in what manager Quinton Stevens-Palmer described as a “soft opening” earlier in the month, with plans for a grand opening in July.

The new store at 426 Lisbon St. has a grow facility in Turner. Urban Farms flower product and concentrates are on display in the showroom. For now, Stevens-Palmer said they are sourcing their edibles from other makers and include gummies, chocolate, drinks and ice cream. Making their own edibles is something the company is looking into for the future.

Urban Farms is touting its pricing in an effort to draw new clients, as it notes the owner has been a caregiver for six years and has had the business in the works for some time. The property was purchased and renovated in the past year.

Store hours are Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Workers build framing in April for an 85,000-square-foot expansion at Procter & Gamble’s Tambrands production facility in Auburn. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

Employees at Tambrands on Hotel Road in Auburn were informed last week about the company’s plans to further expand manufacturing capacity.

According to parent company Procter & Gamble, the expansion complements work already underway, including the previously announced warehouse and direct-ship capacity, as well as maximizing current equipment and scaled-up staffing to produce record levels of tampons per day.

“This is great news for our facility and the Auburn community and recognizes the ‘can-do’ attitude of our employees,” plant manager John Fultz wrote in a note to employees.

Procter & Gamble said the expansion is the result of an assessment process that began last year and is part of the company’s broader supply chain strategy to more effectively and efficiently serve consumers and customers.

The plant is the only production facility for Tampax brand products in North America, but also supplies product for Europe and Asia. Procter & Gamble and other tampon manufacturers have been facing sporadic shortages in stores around the country in the past six months, news that has garnered national media attention. P&G has said the Tambrands plant is producing between nine and 11 million tampons a day, working around the clock to meet consumer demand. The company’s chief financial officer has also acknowledged supply chain problems and difficulty sourcing raw materials.

P&G has not released specifics on a time frame for the construction, scope of the work or issued any figures on projected costs. The city has not received any new permit applications from Tambrands as of last week. The company said the expansion will create dozens of new jobs for construction and production.

TD BANK WORKERS GO HYBRID

TD Bank is among employers nationally and locally who are embracing a hybrid approach to office life nearly two years after abandoning them during the height of COVID-19. That means, you could see more TD employees back at work and in downtown Lewiston in the coming weeks and months.

A company spokeswoman confirms the company is using a variety of working models for TD Bank employees in Maine based on their job type and customer needs. In a statement, TD Bank said the models apply to Bates Mill and Lewiston, including the 790 Lisbon St. office, where workers have remained on-site throughout the pandemic. In September 2020, TD announced that roughly 1,000 employees and contractors working at Bates Mill would work remotely.

TD Bank relinquished its lease at Bates Mill No. 7 and reduced its footprint at Mill No. 3. The spokeswoman said it cannot reveal the number of employees working at any one office or campus, citing safety reasons.

She did say the employees who work a primarily remote or hybrid schedule also will periodically attend on-campus events. She said TD Bank is committed to the Lewiston community and they look forward to seeing more of their customers, colleagues and community members in the coming months.

The Buzz offers quick hits about trending area business happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact business writer Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or cwheelock@sunjournal.com