Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I I N O. X I I J U N E 1 3 , 2 0 2 2 20 L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E F O C U S "I designed it from scratch. ere was no turnkey plan. It was all custom," she says. "I'd have an electri- cian come in and shake his head. I'd have to say, "We're gonna have to think outside the box on this one.'" Fit-out took over a year. But now the space has the production area and a tiny, but attractive storefront, where custom- ers can buy the original smoked ricotta but also a range of artisan cheeses. She evolved from want- ing to be in supermarkets to being happy having a cheese shop. "I'm known as the Cheese Lady," she says. When she was growing up in the area the prevail- ing thought among young people was "Get out." Now, with Skowhegan's revival, Rowbottom says, "I'm surrounded by motivated people." Pizza dough Another natural fit with the grain-and-flour mak- ing business is pizza dough. Amber Lambke's twin sister, Heather Kerner, has been making pizza dough now since September 2020. e Good Crust, her business, has continued to grow. e dough is sold frozen in Rosemont Market and other shops. e company claims to have "the only commercially-available pizza dough consisting 100% of Maine-sourced, freshly-milled grains." In May, Good Crust moved into a 1,200 space on Main Street in Canaan, about 6 miles from Skowhegan. Kerner bought a building that once housed a restaurant and spent a couple months fitting it out with a kitchen and heavy duty Univex Silverline Spiral Mixer, a mid-five figures investment that can process 350 pounds of dough at a time. "We use 100% Maine Grains," says production man- ager Shawn Duffy, an Oklahoma native who worked at Maine Grains before joining the Good Crust. With a team of a dozen part-time employees, the dough is shaped into dough balls, each of which is enough for one pizza. e dough is bagged and frozen, then distributed to 45 health food and farm stores, breweries, restaurants and caterers in New England e Good Crust could still be considered a side hustle for Heather Kerner. She still has her day job as an occupational therapist with the area school system. Like many people in Skowhegan and Maine itself, she wears several hats. e signature on her emails describes her role as "Occupational erapist, Dough Shaper, Ambassador of Regional Grains." Her workforce includes employees who have what she characterizes as unique circumstances, including brain injury, cerebral palsy, autism and addiction recovery. e Good Crust "allows me to use my unique skill set, as an occupational therapist in special edu- cation, to grow jobs for underserved populations," she said at the time of the move to the Canaan site. "e Good Crust is a great example of the type of mission driven work CEI is excited and honored to support," says Sarah Guerette, director of the CEI Women's Business Center. "Heather's commitment to supporting Maine's local grain economy, providing good jobs for individuals with unique needs, and investing in her local com- munity in Somerset County are all values that deeply resonate with the work that we are doing at Coastal Enterprises." Wood-fired ovens About 2 miles from downtown Skowhegan, in a small industrial park, Maine Wood Heat Co. is pro- ducing a range of custom wood stoves. It may be best known for its wood-fired pizza ovens — which can be 5 feet around with copper domes, capable of cooking pizzas at high temperatures. e ovens can be seen at the Miller's Table at Maine Grains, at Maine Beer Co. in Freeport, at Oxbow Brewing, at Cushnoc Brewing, at Flight Deck Brewing on Brunswick Landing, among other places. e ovens can sell for $50,000 to $55,000. Maine Wood Heat was founded in 1976 by Albie Barden and Cheryl Barden Kemper. Albie, who left the company in 2020, was known for building Skowhegan is a town on the move. S kowhegan has a range of initiatives going on in its downtown and along the Kennebec River waterfront, according to Kristina Cannon, director of Main Street Skowhegan. Village Partnership Initiative Skowhegan is working with the Maine Department of Transportation to finalize a Village Partnership Initiative agreement that will solidify a collaboration between the municipality and DOT to work together to make Skowhegan's village area more welcoming for com- munity members and safer for bikes and pedestrians. Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship Main Street Skowhegan, as part of our entrepreneurial ecosystem work, just opened the Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship on April 11. Located on the second floor of 181 Water St., the Center for Entrepreneurship fulfills a number of needs, from co-working and meeting space to providing a central location for entrepreneurial support, training and education. Working with the Central Maine Growth Council and its Dirigo Labs program, as well as the Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce, the program offers educational programming, mentoring, startup support and tools to help accelerate business growth and job creation. Technical assistance grants Skowhegan businesses and entrepreneurs can apply for $5,000 in training assistance grants from Main Street Skowhegan. Grants will be awarded in incre- ments of $500 to $2,000. Local financial institutions have pitched in each year to make this program, which is now in its third year, possible. Skowhegan River Park Main Street Skowhegan received a $2 million in fund- ing for riverfront development. It signed a contract with Principle Group to develop design concepts for the riverfront (from the Old Mill Pub to the municipal building) via community engagement and a three- day design charrette to be held in the riverfront greenspace. Franklin Savings Bank recently com- mitted $30,000 to the project as the first corporate sponsor. The organization has applied for a $4.98 million EDA grant for in-river construction. P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D The Good Crust is a great example of the type of mission driven work CEI is excited and honored to support. — Sarah Guerette CEI Women's Business » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Kristina Cannon, executive director of Main Street Skowhegan, has a range of initiatives underway.

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