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V O L . X X X I N O. X I I I J U N E 1 6 , 2 0 2 5 18 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 B uilding on its strategic location in the middle of prime ski and trail country, numerous busi- nesses have been opening, expanding or transi- tioning in the Oxford County town of Bethel. Some businesses closed during the pandemic. But the local economy is stable today, thanks to increasing tourism including downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, biking, river activities, golfing and fishing, says Bobbi Vandenbulcke, executive director of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce. In addition to proximity to the Sunday River and Mt. Abram ski areas, White Mountain National Forest and Grafton Notch State Park, Bethel's recreation industry benefited in recent years with expansion of the Bethel Community Forest to over 1,500 acres, resulting in the creation of more mountain biking and hiking trails. e conversion of a 19th-century home called the Gehring House into nine year-round rental apartments, a project of an investment group called the Northern Forest Center, has helped build workforce housing. ose activities and a downtown where all of the storefronts are full mean business is good, says Vandenbulcke. In addition to networking and cross-promoting businesses, the chamber is deploying a $93,000 tourism marketing and development recovery grant, administered by Maine Office of Tourism and U.S. Economic Development Administration, to create branding and marketing assets, including a new website, tagline and logo. Video and photography products are expected to be available to chamber members and partners by late August for a marketing campaign across the state and New England. "It's very exciting," she says. Snowboarding to hospitality Some entrepreneurs find their own outdoor enthusi- asms make for a tidy intersection with commerce. Josh Gangi, an engineer who lives in Boston, is a snowboarding enthusiast who discovered the Bethel area was great for the sport, then discovered opportunities for real estate investment. He owns vacation-rental houses in the area. In 2023, he bought the year-round Inn at Rostay and invested a six-figure sum in improvements. Last July — when it was operating during peak season — Gangi bought the 32-acre Pleasant River Campground, at 800 West Bethel Road, and has been investing in upgrades. "It was fun," he says. "We hit the ground running." e site is on the Pleasant River and has access to canoeing, fishing, hiking and biking, with canoes, kayaks and trailers, dozens of campsites, a camp store, RV sites with full hookups, an in-ground pool and outdoor activities such as barbecues, horseshoes, vol- leyball and a playground. Geodomes, campers e original campground dates back to 1970 and was in great shape from the get-go. But Gangi viewed it as an upgrade and expansion opportunity with the addition of options such as glamping domes, catering to the area's lodging market activity as a four-season tourism destination. "Over the past year, we added six luxury cabins, added wifi to the whole campground and finished our second phase of room renovations at the Inn at Rostay," Gangi says. BETTING ON BETHEL From glamping to paddleboarding, outdoor firms find niches in the local economy B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r P H O T O S / T I M G R E E N WAY Josh Gangi is a Boston engineer and snowboard enthusiast who discovered the Bethel area through the sport and found it was also great for real estate investment. Pleasant River Campground upgrades include new cabins, glamping domes and hot tubs.

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