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Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine 2020

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V O L . X X V I N O. X V I 200 200 IDEAS FOR MAINE'S BICENTENNIAL 70 Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine In 1870, a small colony of Swedes settled land north of Caribou, naming it New Sweden. The colonists cleared land and built homes and roads. The success- ful colony soon recruited more Swedish immigrants, who arrived by the hundreds. Economic expansion came when Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was extended from Caribou to the colonies in 1899, allowing potatoes and wood products to be shipped to new markets. 1 In the 19th century, Maine's granite industry provided jobs, attracted immigrants and made islands like Vinalhaven centers of commerce. Maine granite was used in construction of courthouses, post offices and office buildings in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Granite from North Jay was used in Grant's Tomb, and Hallowell supplied granite for the Gettysburg Monument. In 1977, Ron Phillips, a civil rights activist and recent seminary graduate, founded Coastal Enterprises Inc. to help provide jobs and economic stability to Maine's rural areas, which were losing jobs and young people. In its first four decades, CEI financed more than $1.3 billion in proj- ects and created 37,700 jobs. 2 The Maine community college system, with seven schools around the state, plays a key role in turning students into workers, offering training in construction, mechanical systems, culinary arts and other fields. Towns named for immigrants' place of ori- gin, including Paris, New Sweden, Norway, Mexico, Peru, Denmark, China, Naples, Poland and Sweden. 3 Immigrant resource centers like ProsperityMe, the Somali Community Center of Maine, In Her Presence and the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center provide financial literacy, training and entrepre- neurship programs to assist immigrants with career and business development. A 2017 study shows small businesses founded by immigrants in Maine generated $48 million in annual revenue. Roughly 7,000 immigrants arrived in Maine between 2010 and 2015. The University of Maine System is the state's largest educational enterprise, serving about 30,000 learners a year. It is made up of seven universities, some of which have multiple campuses, and the state's only law school. 4 Students at the University of Maine School of Law can get practical experience during their studies through numerous clinical programs. They include the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic, the Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, the General Practice Clinic and the Rural Lawyer Project. Live + Work in Maine is a private-sector initiative that aims to boost awareness about career opportunities and promote the quality of life here. Its mission: "to show the world that in Maine, you can have it all when it comes to quality of life and quality of career." Its online job board lists current openings and internship opportunities at companies and sectors across the state. P H O T O / DA N I E L S C H W E N , W I K I P E D I A P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y P RO S P E R I T Y M E F I L E P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y S O U T H E R N M A I N E C O M M U I T Y C O L L E G E P H O T O / G O O G L E M A P S Grant's Tomb 2 Southern Maine Community College campus 1 A 2019 ProsperityME workforce development class University of Maine School of Law 3 4

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