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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 A U G U S T 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 F O C U S G R E AT E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E South Portland | Augusta Enjoy the personal service of a regional firm with the depth of experience of a national firm. With Wipfli, you gain the valuable insights and support you need to achieve your goals. Go Beyond the Ordinary at wipfli.com/maine LOCAL ROOTS. GLOBAL REACH. • Tax, audit and accounting • Cybersecurity and risk advisory • Business advisory solutions • Technology software solutions Pleasant River Lumber, of Dover-Foxcroft is undergoing a $20 million expansion across its site and in Moose River, Somerset County. The work includes $12 million at the Route 6 site in Dover-Foxcroft that will add 70 jobs to the 90 already there. The uppgrade will allow the company to process small logs and balsam fir, and was supported by a $4.2 million grant from the Maine Technology Institute. Central Maine and Quebec railroad, based in Milo, put $7 million into upgrading the former Montreal, Maine and Atlantic machine shop in nearby Derby and added back jobs that were lost when the MMA shut down after the 2013 Lac Megantic fire. Appalachian Mountain Club has invested more than $50 million in the county, conserving 100,000 acres, building lodges, 130 miles of trails and providing an environmental education program for schools and a sustainable forestry operation. According to its website, AMC supports 6% of the Piscataquis County economy, including 56 jobs, and gener- ates $1.7 million in annual spending. Libra Foundation, which is based in Portland, has contributed $15 million to an arts community in Monson, a new ice arena in Dover-Foxcroft and a fieldhouse at Foxcroft Academy. ur cover story about manufac- turers in Piscataquis County highlights an area that is the size of Delaware and Rhode Island com- bined, but has just 17,000 residents. Despite being sparsely populated, the area has developed some mighty manufacturing operations (the cover story about Puritan Medical Products and JSI Store Fixtures starts on Page 14). "Manufacturing is ver y much alive in Piscataquis County," says Chris Winstead, executive director of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council. He provides related evidence of the county's economic strength, estimating that $100 million in private money has been invested in the county in the past 10 years, including expansions at JSI and Puritan. F O C U S S TA R T S O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » O RECENT INVESTMENT IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY P H O T O / O U T D O O R S. O R G R E N D E R I N G / F O X C RO F TA C A D E M Y. O R G P H O T O / P L E A S A N T R I V E R L U M B E R . C O M Gorman Chairback Lodge & Cabins maintained by AMC Foxcroft Academy fieldhouse funded by Libra Foundation Pleasant River Lumber's Dover- Foxcroft mill

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