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V O L . X X V I I I N O. I I JA N UA R Y 2 4 , 2 0 2 2 16 S O U T H E R N M A I N E the production of shoes and textiles that were distributed nationally and internationally. By 1910, one mill making "mohair plush" — ideal for carriage robes and upholstering in the burgeoning auto and Pullman rail car industries — employed 3,000 people, a third of Sanford's population. Other textile producers followed. e industry brought workers from many countries. By the 1950s, textile and shoe factories were waning. A number of electronic component and assembly firms located at the industrial parks on Sanford's south side as branch facilities of national and international firms. Today, companies of varying sizes manufacture goods as diverse as indus- trial pumps, furniture, plastic injection molding and building products. Nimon cites employers like personal- care product maker Tom's of Maine, now part of Colgate-Palmolive; GVS North America, part of the GVS Group in Italy; and acrylic sheet product maker Roehm America, a subsidiary of Roehm GmbH, which operates one of the world's largest acrylic plastics businesses. In 2019, Hussey Seating Co., a North Berwick-based manufacturer of arena and stadium seating, expanded into Sanford. ere's also the Baker Co., an air containment technology manufacturer, and Flemish Master Weavers, a rug manufacturer occupy- ing over 300,000 square. Rubb Buildings Systems has expanded from 6,000 square feet to nearly 90,000 square feet since the Norwegian company established its Sanford factory in 1983. e company is a global supplier of permanent and relo- catable buildings as well as large, custom- engineered structures for commercial and military aviation, marine fabrication, warehousing, and other applications says its president, David Nickerson. Sanford's proximity to Boston's transportation options, with the abil- ity to easily access European markets, is an important benefit, he says. "We have a great workforce, many folks from Sanford but really from all over York County and some from Cumberland County and even New Hampshire," he adds. "Also, Maine has a reputation as being a place where you can find people who know how to fabricate steel and who have a positive, can-do work ethic." He adds, "Companies are busy. We're all competing for new employees, so I feel very fortunate to have a strong team here in Sanford." Like Nimon, Nickerson has been involved in the development of the city's industrial parks. "e citizens were very active bring- ing in new business," he says. "In the last 10 to 15 years there's been a lot of change here, especially with regard to develop- ment in south Sanford. A lot of compa- nies have come in and there's been a lot of construction. And a lot of important infrastructure has been developed in recent years." at infrastructure includes notable projects developed since 2018 to boost the city's business and residential profile: Construction of Sanford Net Fiber, a municipally-owned 45-mile high- speed fiber optic network connected to key employers, the largest municipal broadband network operating in Maine. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E THREE SANFORD INDUSTRIAL PARKS AND THE 1,500 ACRES ZONED INDUSTRIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT Sanford Industrial Development Park (Cyro) Airport Business Park Sanford Industrial Estates (Eagle) "1500 Acres" SANFORD INDUSTRIAL PARKS (3) AND THE 1500 ACRES ZONED INDUSTRIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT Three industrial parks in Sanford consist of 70 lots, nearly all of them occupied. No. 62 is Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport. S O U R C E : City of Sanford P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S James Nimon, executive director of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council, says Sanford has diversified from shoe and textile industries to diverse cutting-edge companies. The citizens were very active bringing in new business. — David Nickerson Rubb Buildings Systems

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