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V O L . X X V N O. X X I V O C T O B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 9 14 M I D C O A S T & D OW N E A S T W hen he was a child in the 1970s, Larry Barker's family moved to Machias from Bangor. His mother worked at Helen's Restaurant, an institution in town. She washed dishes, then waitressed and ultimately bought the res- taurant, which is still in the Barker family. Young Larry earned money raking blueber- ries, detailing cars, washing dishes — anything and everything. "You see people juggling a lot of balls, trying to piece together a living," Barker says. "So it came natu- rally that I would do a bunch of things." In the summer of 1990, he raked blueberries for Edward Hennessey, then-president of Machias Savings Bank. at connection started Barker on his career path. A year later, he started working in the bank's collection department. Today, Barker himself leads the bank and is dedicated to cultivating similar prosperity through- out this town of 2,200 residents. Under his watch, the bank has partnered on ini- tiatives that have included the donation of a vacant Main Street property and $200,000 to the Sunrise County Economic Council to create the Machias Valley Center for Entrepreneurship, to encourage small business creation and growth. In May, the bank kicked off the Machias Valley Airport Capital Campaign with a commitment of $50,000, part of an effort by the town to raise $200,000 toward $5 million in airport improvements. Recently, the bank broke ground on a new $5 million facility on Main Street that will allow it to build workforce and add meeting space, a fitness center and a cafeteria. e activities are part of a positive outlook that's been unfolding throughout town in the last couple of years. "e bank is doubling down on its investment in Machias," says Barker. "You come into town and see an improved airport, new stores and a big crane and a bunch of steel going up. ere's a lot going on. at creates a different mindset. It creates optimism." Incremental change e words optimism and hope are commonly used these days to describe the Machias outlook. Local observers tell of the town coming to a tipping point, of gradual but incremental improvements, of new energy from town leaders. "Twenty-four months ago, a number of key stake- holders and business and municipal leaders openly said P H O T O / L E S L I E BOW M A N F O C U S You come into town and see an improved airport, new stores and a big crane and a bunch of steel going up. There's a lot going on. That creates a different mindset. It creates optimism. — Larry Barker Machias Savings Bank With Larry Barker at the helm, Machias Savings Bank has been investing in the local community, including projects like a new $5 million facility on Main Street that aims to provide more jobs. Entrepreneurial spirit M achias Saving Bank and Sunrise County Economic Council are working to expand entre- preneurship in Washington County with construction of the Machias Valley Center for Entrepreneurship at 19 Main St.,with co-working space, meeting facilities, high-speed broadband, video-conferencing, technical assistance, and business incubator and training ser- vices. A goal is to foster business creation and growth as a strategy to attract and retain young people and create wealth and opportunity in the region. University of Maine at Machias programs com- port with those goals. Two years ago, UMM revised its business curriculum to better serve small busi- nesses, entrepreneurship and nonprofit manage- ment, says UMM Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurial Studies Rebecca Bragg. After decades of decline, the community has reinvested in the downtown and infrastructure B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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