Forbes magazine recently issued its list of the 20 best franchises in the nation. So who made it in? Bangor franchise Coffee News ranked 18th with a worldwide circulation of 7 million readers.  

Coffee News has 725 franchises in the United States, including 29 in Maine from Kittery to Caribou, Buckley says. It claims a worldwide weekly readership of 7 million, and Buckley estimates about 200,000 per week in Maine. The operation charges $8,000 for the first franchise and $5,500 for subsequent franchises. With recent declines in home equity loans, home values and available credit, Coffee News is for the first time working with outside lenders to finance new franchises, including a local bank that may soon finance franchises nationwide, Buckley says.

Though recognized several times over the years by Entrepreneur magazine, Coffee News has earned its first-ever recognition from Forbes, a fact Buckley attributes to the glossy magazine's recent effort to attract franchisers to its ad base. "We're just flabbergasted," he told Mainebiz. "Not that we think we didn't deserve it. We didn't think people would notice. We're a niche publication; we're not The Wall Street Journal."

The Air National Guard base in Bangor is expected to construct a $28 million hangar as part of the President’s new budget. The hangar will provide space for crews to do scheduled maintenance checks on the bases 10 KC 135 aircraft. These aircraft perform aerial refueling with other planes.

Orono Spectral Solutions was incorporated in August 2004 for the purpose of advancing and commercializing chemical and biological agent detection research and they moved to an existing Stillwater building in Old Town in early 2008.  Dean Smith, Luke Doucette and Carl Tripp head up this innovative organization and have worked diligent to secure the company’s strategic plan.

According to their website, OSS is a small, high tech company that is supported through Department of Defense contracts.  They develop innovative, absorbant materials and sampling methods which enable trace level detection of chemical and biological agents in both air and water.

Most recently, OSS has developed an improved method for detecting petroleum hydrocarbons in industrial waste and produced water.  This company’s property is assessed at $298,600 into this facility and currently employs 8 people.

The City thanks OSS for expanding into Old Town. Their lead may pave the way for more technology based firms to locate in the City all within reach of the R & D offered at the University of Maine.

A local contractor is constructing the Maine Army National Guard’s new $18 million regional training center on Hildreth Street in Bangor. The 47,000 square foot facility will include a 144 seat auditorium, a maintenance training bay, gymnasium classrooms and multipurpose space.

The Telford Group Inc., a regional and national leader in airplane parts sales and maintenance has been sold.  The company which employs about 85 people at a facility on Odlin Road near Bangor International Airport was acquired by ACC Holdings LLC of Milwaukee on August 29th.

Volunteers of America Northern New England has broken ground on a 55-unit senior housing apartment complex downtown. The nearly $11 million project on Harlow Street is being paid for with federal funding, including federal stimulus money. The expected opening date is early 2011

The new $37 million Penobscot County Judicial Center at 78 Exchange St. has opened. The building was not expected to open until the end of December.  The 86,000-square-foot, 3½-story building will combine the Penobscot County Superior Court and 3rd District Court in Bangor.

Brewer Paper Mill Receives Environmental Award
Real estate developers, environmentalists and other public and private sector professionals honored 22 revitalization projects at The Phoenix Awards Ceremony during Brownfields 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana held November 16 - 18, 2009. 

Eastern Fine Paper Redevelopment was honored at the Phoenix Awards Ceremony during Brownfield’s 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 16. The award was given to them for their work in remediating and redeveloping the former paper mill site on the Penobscot River while retaining or creating over 17,000 jobs.

Created in 1997, this prestigious award honors individuals and groups working to solve critical environmental  or social challenges, transforming blighted and contaminated areas into productive new uses and developing sustainable green building projects. The Phoenix Awards are widely recognized as the outstanding award for achievement of excellence in Brownfield redevelopment, and often are called “the Brownfields equivalent of Hollywood’s Oscar.”  The Phoenix Award winners represent outstanding brownfield or environmental projects from each of the 10 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regions, including projects selected for special honors.

Eastern Fine Paper Redevelopment in Brewer, Maine was selected as the Region 1 winner for 2009 because the project is a model for other small communities to show that active community involvement and public-private partnership can bring new quality jobs to a small town.  More information about the project and award can be found at www.brewerme.org/cianbro_eastern_manufacturing_facility2.htm.

Old Town Fuel & Fiber Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
Governor John Baldacci and Patriarch Partners CEO Lynn Tilton celebrated the one-year anniversary of Old Town Fuel & Paper on October 22. Since its founding in October 2008, Old Town Fuel & Paper has restarted the former Georgia-Pacific mill’s pulp manufacturing operation and has focused its efforts on a unique design for producing energy and biofuels as part of the pulp manufacturing process.

This manufacturing campus provides cost effective steam and power, over 425,000 square feet of quality warehouse and manufacturing space with access to water, utilities-including natural gas, sewer and a variety of transportation links such as Interstate 95, railroad spurs onsite and air cargo.  Also, access to available workforce with transferable skills required for new industries.” 

The city values that this facility holds a key to future innovative projects and new industries locating in Old Town.  This firm has an entrepreneurial vision and seeks creative partnerships with others to bring the vision into reality.  For more information about the mill, visit  www.oldtownff.com

In 2006 the City of Old Town sold the former Helen Hunt School to Penobscot Community Health Care at a cost of $100,000 with $20,000 payments to be made to the City starting October 1, 2009 until paid in full (2013).  They purchased an additional lot for $25,000 at the time of sale.

This was the first “patient capital” project for the City in that the City sold the building and waited till October 1, 2009 for its first payment.  The merger of Dr. Chris Ritter’s medical practice to became part of PCHC created this opportunity for the City.  In 2007 PCHC invested $5.9 million in renovations to the Helen Hunt School.

The services offered at the Helen Hunt facility include, family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, mental health counseling, physical and occupational therapy, dental, lab, x-ray and pharmacy services.  They employ 55 at this facility.