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V O L . X X V I N O. X V J U LY 1 3 , 2 0 2 0 12 A U G U S TA / WAT E R V I L L E / C E N T R A L M A I N E Central Maine economy powered by startups, downtown activity rom downtown development to robust home sales in the greater Augusta area, all signs point to a strong regional economy with good pros- pects to weather the current storm. Waterville alone has welcomed close to 20 new busi- nesses downtown in the past few years, including sev- eral retail stores, an IT provider, a craft brewer, a biotech firm and Bricks Coworking & Innovation Space. ey will soon be joined by a handful more, includ- ing two businesses in late-phase negotiations with the Central Maine Growth Council that are targeting a summer or early fall downtown opening, according to Garvan Donegan, the council's director of planning and economic development. He says a record $125 million invested down- town has been a catalyst for local growth, and he is cautiously optimistic about the near term as busi- nesses start to reopen. "Now it's about bringing back the workforce and thinking how we can be productive," he says. "We do believe Waterville, and the mid-Maine region as a whole, has good resilience." Donegan says a lot of that has to do with having a diversity of businesses including locally owned startups looking to grow, and attributes Waterville's watershed to a mix of funding, infrastructure, education and tech talent provided by partners including Colby and omas colleges, the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, Maine Technology Institute and Bricks. With all those put together, he says, "we are building a robust workforce and innovation corridor that attracts talent, utilizes Waterville's entrepre- neurs and upward population increases, and serves as a growth pad for business." F O C U S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F E A S Y E AT S P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F D E LTA A M B U L A N C E We do believe Waterville, and the mid-Maine region as a whole, has good resilience. — Garvan Donegan Central Maine Growth Council CENTRAL MAINE CENTRAL MAINE Roundup Regional resilience, Thomas College reopening, bank mergers and road redos B y R e n e e C o R d e s F Delta Ambulance serves the Augusta-Waterville area. Student entrepreneurs Christian Krohg and Katharine Doughertyof Easy Eats have big plans for their startup. Garvan Donegan, director of planning and economic development for the Central Maine Growth Council, says that a record $125 million-plus invested in downtown Waterville has catalyzed local economic growth. He sees the downtown boom continuing.

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