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V O L . X X V I N O. X X A U G U S T 2 4 , 2 0 2 0 16 G R E A T E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E M ike Elliott says the Katahdin Region is on the verge of a growth explosion. But ask him what one thing is needed to spark the fuse, and he's stuck. "I guess I don't think that way," says Elliott, who is the Katahdin Region's economic development director. e focus, he says, is on "micro-transforma- tions," partnerships and small-business development. It's not that there haven't been big sparks recently, including major steps toward developing the former mill sites in Millinocket and East Millinocket. And it's not that some big ones aren't still needed. But economic growth for the eight-town region that straddles Penobscot and Aroostook coun- ties will come from organic growth, including energetic entrepreneurs lured by access to a spectacular out- doors landscape. One of the results of the COVID- 19 pandemic is that the number of people curious about startup opportu- nities is rising. "We were already hearing from individuals with inquiries about starting a business, but we've got- ten more in the past four months than in the entire preceding year," Elliott says. Entrepreneurial energy Elliott stepped into the just-cre- ated Katahdin Region role in May 2019. e charge was to help bol- ster the economy in the Penobscot County towns of Millinocket, East Millinocket, Medway, Patten, Stacyville, Sherman and Mount Chase, as well as Island Falls,which is in Aroostook County. e goal was to make up for the downturn in the traditional for- estry and mill operations. Creation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in 2016, as well as a strong push to jumpstart the Millinocket-area economy, spurred new energy. A lot of that energy, Elliott says, comes from younger people who like the outdoors lifestyle, as well as boomers who are looking for a change. He says that includes both people moving to the area, as well as those who have lived there all their lives. "e Katahdin Region is so primed for growth," he says. "We need people with an entrepreneurial mindset." e pandemic-driven interest is from that type of thinker, people who've lost their jobs or business, or just want a change — "people who see opportu- nities," Elliott says. "I see more people charging ahead." Opportunities abound Going back before the pandemic, one young couple that saw the potential was Lindsay and Mike Downing, owners of the Mt. Chase Lodge, in Mount Chase, the northernmost town in the region. "I'm experiencing the life I was always sort of meant for, but didn't know it," says Lindsay Downing. Her par- ents owned the lodge on Upper Shin Pond for 40 years, but the Downings never intended to move there or buy it. Until they did, in 2016. With two young children and a shared love of the outdoors (their relationship was forged by hiking the Appalachian Trail together), the Downings say the region was made for them. "It helps to be from here to run a business, but you don't have to be to suc- ceed," Lindsay Downing says. She says business opportunities abound — things that lodge guests ask for all the time but no one in the area provides. Such as moose tours. e Downings tried to set up a service themselves, and it was hugely popular, but they didn't have time to run it. Rental outfits offering mountain bikes, skis and snowshoes are also in demand. "If someone were to come up here and start a business doing something like that, it would take off," she says. Challenges and opportunities Increased access to broadband is the biggest issue the area faces. "We need to get serious about making that connection," Elliott says. A move is on for fiber connection in Millinocket, East Millinocket and Medway, but the upper towns in the region are sparsely populated and farther apart, so broadband is more elusive. Broadband access is not only important to attract business and new residents, but to help the businesses that are already there thrive. "It's about more than streaming Netflix," he says. "It's about the ability to run an online business, the ability to attract customers." Other steps are towns coming up with zoning and infrastructure strate- gies, and the region as a whole nailing down a marketing focus. Big steps toward boosting Katahdin Region's economy… F O C U S We were already hearing from individuals with inquiries about starting a business, but we've gotten more in the past four months than in the year preceding them. — Mike Elliott Katahdin Region Economic Development Mike Elliott, executive director of Katahdin Region, is tasked with building a foundation for economic growth in the region's eight towns. P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N …but it's the smaller ones that may make the difference B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n

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