LEWISTON — The Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is one of 16 organizations receiving federal economic development funding announced Wednesday by Maine Gov. Janet Mills, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and the Northern Border Regional Commission.

According to chamber officials, the award of $440,378 will be used to boost several of its ongoing programs, including career training, transportation solutions, recruitment and hiring and retention best practices for a culturally diverse workforce.

“We are excited to receive this support from the very competitive NRBC Catalyst Program,” said Chamber President Shanna Cox. “These funds will help us expand our work and impact in talent attraction, workforce development, and business starts.”

Cox said some of the funding will be used to add another “employment opportunity coach” position within the Strengthen LA program, doubling the capacity of a program that connects people to higher wage jobs through career training. She said so far, the program has placed 17 people in jobs following training, and that the new position is slated to connect 55 additional people.

The funds will also help the chamber expand “the reach and depth of our regional promotion and talent attraction activities — in Maine and beyond — with targeted marketing” as well as support “the creation of new businesses by supporting entrepreneurs.”

Another focus will be on transportation, which Cox said continues to be a challenge for employers. She said there is a considerable amount of the workforce coming from areas outside the Citylink bus service area, and the funding will allow the chamber to “test and pilot private sector solutions.”

The chamber’s initial ask in its grant application was just over $1 million, which means the scale of the projects may be shifted accordingly, Cox said.

“This grant program requires matching funds, and the investments of our members into the chamber and the relationships we have with our community partners and businesses are crucial to this grant’s ability to expand our impact on the local economy and workforce,” she said.

A news release from Gov. Mills’ office Wednesday said the federal funding is aimed at strengthening economic opportunity in rural Maine communities. The awards are part of the NBRC’s Catalyst Program, funded by the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the commission’s federal appropriation. According to the release, Maine awardees were selected by the NBRC after receiving a recommendation for funding by Gov. Mills.

The University of Maine, receiving $1 million, will use the funds to create a manufacturing center called the “GEM Gateway,” which is described as a “transformational mass timber facility” consisting of “flexible manufacturing space with a focus on sustainable, bio-based materials.”

Other Maine projects selected for funding include a new terminal at the Presque Isle International Airport, infrastructure improvements in Greenville, the redevelopment of the former East Millinocket mill site, climate resiliency enhancements in Stonington, and the purchase of a manufacturing facility to construct energy efficient tiny homes at the Houlton Industrial Park.

“These historic investments will strengthen Maine’s heritage industries, enhance our outdoor economy, increase our resiliency to climate change, and create good-paying jobs in our rural communities,” said Gov. Mills. “I thank the Northern Border Regional Commission for its continued support of rural Maine and the Maine Congressional Delegation for their work to secure the funding that made these projects possible.”

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