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V O L . X X V I I I N O. X I I J U N E 1 3 , 2 0 2 2 16 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 Franchise feeding frenzy While Target hasn't yet set a date for its Auburn store opening, Five Guys was scheduled to open June 5 at 223 Center St., where the Varney Agency, an insurer, used to be. "It was a very expensive process to get a bank safe out," says Jody Goehring, co-founder and managing partner of Five Guys franchise Hyde Park Ventures, of Natick, Mass. "We shut traffic down for half an hour, and it was quite a process." Five Guys has other locations in Bangor, Waterville, Augusta, Brunswick, South Portland and Biddeford. "Maine is a tremendous market for us, it's a great customer for the brand, and we've opened all across the state from Bangor to South Portland and done really well," says Goehring. "Over the last 18 months we've been spending a lot of time in the Auburn and Lewiston communities and found a tremendous amount of demand for a Five Guys." rough friends of friends, Hyde Park Ventures connected with landlord Paul Rancourt, owner of the property at 223 Center St., where Five Guys added a mobile pickup window. He says the Lewiston-Auburn area had been on the company's radar for some time. "It's the biggest dual community in the state of Maine that we didn't have a presence in," Goehring says. Of the Center Street property in particular, he says his company liked the easy ingress and egress, the fact that it was a single occupancy building with good street vis- ibility and had stone and other architec- tural attributes that Five Guys wanted to preserve. "Close proximity to the mall and other national retailers on Center Street was a huge plus as well," he says. Ahead of its early June grand open- ing, Five Guys had already hired 40 people for the new location, including a general manager and three shift supervi- sors, with plans to hire another 10. "Surprisingly, there's a lot of excite- ment to work there, better than any other market than we have in Maine for hiring right now," Goehring says. He also says the company is looking at a few other markets in the state, with a "keen eye" on Westbrook. Retail space grab Elsewhere in Auburn, South Portland- based Aroma Joe's recently opened a 2,000-square foot coffee shop and drive- thru in Auburn, in a former Dunkin' Donuts at 791 Kittyhawk Ave. along the Interstate 95 north-south highway cor- ridor. Similarly, a Subway sandwich shop is moving into the Minot Avenue space vacated by the Holy Donut earlier this year. At the time, Holy Donut CEO Jeff Buckwalter called the decision to leave after only a year "gut-wrenching." Commercial spaces in the region don't stay vacant for long, notes Noah Stebbins, an associate broker with the Boulos Co. in Portland. "In Auburn, retail spaces along Center Street and around the Auburn Mall area, especially standalone spaces that can support a drive-thru, tend to get snapped up quickly," he says, "and we're starting to see an uptick in retail activity along Lisbon Street in Auburn." Comparing the two cities, he adds, "I wouldn't say Lewiston isn't being proac- tive, but all in all, I'd say Auburn is one of the more proactive cities in the state." Specifically, he says Auburn has been a model in terms of working with devel- opers and businesses through incen- tives and flexible zoning regulations to encourage new development and growth, as reflected in a record number of construction permits. "Furthermore, there are now roughly 800 housing units in the pipeline, while several businesses are in the process of expanding their existing operations or » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY CMCC meets changing demand T o give Central Maine Community College students a pathway to owning a business or running a nonprofit, the Auburn school is adding programs this fall in business and finance; entrepreneurship and small business; human resources; and nonprofit business administration. Business department chair Mike Henry says the programs were prompted by interest from students, many of whom stay in the area after graduating. "Instead of saying we're going to give you a bunch of business classes, we're really gearing it towards getting you where you want to be," he says. Part of the Maine Community College System, CMCC offers more than 40 degree and certificate programs, plus non-credit courses with the Center for Workforce and Professional Development, which also provides free training for employers through the Harold Alfond Center. Workforce development dean Dwayne Conway says demand for training has risen during the pandemic, noting, "What folks want the most is shorter-term trainings tied to their current jobs." P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F C E N T R A L M A I N E C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E Central Maine Community College, with 3,000 students, offers 40 degrees and certificate programs, plus non-credit courses for workforce and professional development. Auburn's new Five Guys fast-casual restaurant, photographed a few days before its June 6 grand opening, plans to employ 50 people. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F A RO M A J O E ' S Aroma Joe's new Auburn coffee shop at 791 Kittyhawk Ave. is the 34th location in Maine for the South Portland-based franchiser. F O C U S

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