Mainebiz

February 19, 2024

Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1515987

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 5 of 27

V O L . X X X N O. I V F E B R UA R Y 1 9 , 2 0 2 4 6 Airport upgrades will total $18 million ree Maine airports will share more than $18 million in federal funding for terminal upgrades, with funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. e Portland International Jetport will get $10.4 million to fund installation of new passenger boarding bridges and fixed bridge extensions from the terminal building, as well as a new concourse, public restroom, adult changing space and pet relief area. Presque Isle International Airport will receive $6.5 million to fund construc- tion of a new terminal superstruc- ture and building enclosure to bring the airport into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improve energy efficiency and expand safety features. Eastport Municipal Airport will get $1.12 million to fund construction of a new terminal to replace the existing building. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E UScellular said it invested $19 million, including network upgrades and 5G modernizations that enhanced con- nectivity across the state, and in 2023 donated $84,600 to nonprofits across Maine. Interstate spur planned for Gorham e Maine Turnpike Authority unveiled its plan for a 4.5-mile spur between the highway and Gorham, potentially whisking many commuters and other drivers off over-used local streets and back roads. e Gorham Connector would meet the turnpike at Exit 45, in South Portland. In the west, the connector would stretch to the junction of the Gorham Bypass with Route 114, south of Gorham Village. In between, the connector would follow an S-shaped path, designed to skirt environmentally sensitive areas and to avoid disruptions with homes and businesses, the MTA said in a news release. Details and the overall cost are still being finalized. B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N B R I E F Rock City Coffee plans to move roasting operations from Rockland to Rockport B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r R ock City Employee Cooperative, an employee-owned cooperative that owns a café and coffee roastery in Rockland, is planning to move the roastery from a leased space at 252 Main St. in Rockland to its own building in the neighboring Knox County town of Rockport. "It's a slightly larger space but, more importantly, it's more of a warehouse-industrial situation," said Jessie Northgraves, the cooperative's general manager. The Rock City Café, at 316 Main St. in Rockland, will stay put. It is 5.2 miles from the new Rockport roasting facility. Rock City Employee Cooperative bought 16 Rockport Park Center in Rockport from 86 Chestnut Street LLC for $500,000 in an off-market deal. Jessica Estes and Roy Donnelly of the Boulos Co. repre- sented the buyer and Brian Wickenden of Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty represented the seller. The Rockport property is a 2,250-square-foot warehouse building built in 1995 as part of a light industrial park, pri- marily for boat users, Donnelly told Mainebiz. The seller had been using the building for personal storage. Rock City Employee Cooperative runs a 25-worker café and roastery in Rockland. Long history Rock City Coffee was founded in 1992 at 316 Main St. in downtown Rockland and offers specialty coffee, fresh pastries, a full service espresso bar, a selection of roasted coffee beans and quick-service breakfast and lunch. Rock City Coffee Roasters opened in 1999, a block away at 252 Main St., to roast small batch coffee daily, using fair- trade, organic and small-lot conventional beans. In 2018, Susanne Ward, owner of the café and roastery, sold the business to her employees, who formed a coop- erative corporation. Ward remains a part-owner but is not involved in day-to-day operations, Northgraves said. The cooperative has nine employee-owners now, plus about 25 employees split between the café and the roastery. The roastery produces about 400 pounds per day dur- ing the winter and almost double that in the summer. The operation supplies the café and about 120 wholesale clients that range from Belfast to Portland, plus online retail sales. The Rockland location has about 1,200 square feet down- stairs for roasting operations plus upstairs office space. The Rockport location has 2,250 square feet, which provides enough room to expand operations if the time comes. Financing for the purchase came from a loan through the Watertown, Mass.-based Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, a community development financial institution that makes loans to cooperatives, employee-owned businesses and community based nonprofits. Rock City used Cooperative Fund of the Northeast to finance its purchase of the business in 2018 as well. Financing came from the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, a community development financial institution that makes loans to cooperatives, employee-owned businesses and community based nonprofits. P H O T O / RO C K C I T Y E M P L O Y E E C O O P E R AT I V E The Rock City Café, at 316 Main St. in Rockland, will stay put. Rock City Employee Cooperative will move its roastery from a leased space at 252 Main St. in Rockland (right) to its own building in the neighboring Knox County town of Rockport. P H O T O S / RO C K C I T Y E M P L O Y E E C O O P E R AT I V E

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Mainebiz - February 19, 2024