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V O L . X X X I N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 2 5 , 2 0 2 5 10 G R E AT E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E R unning a rural town in Maine's least populous county isn't a mere desk job for Mike Roy, a retired FedEx operations executive now work- ing as Greenville's jack-of-all-trades town manager. He often helps drive the snowplow, clearing snow from streets and parking lots. "I plowed for the last three winters because of the lack of staffing," Roy says. While there are also more routine tasks like defusing public arguments over traffic lights — blinking versus the standard red-yellow-green that some newcomers demand when the initial allure of small-town life wears off — workforce challenges remain top of mind for Roy. Along with child care and housing, Roy sees employment as one leg of a three-legged stool needed to support the local economy. Given housing shortages and falling enrollment at the Greenville Consolidated School — in a county whose median age of 51.4 in 2023 is the highest in a state that's already the nation's oldest — that stool is wobbly at best. "We've become a retirement com- munity," he says. at, plus fewer people looking for work as reflected in the county's 3.7% jobless rate along with ris- ing home prices, is prompting employers to kick up their hiring game. In some cases, the resourcefulness extends to bringing in temporary or seasonal workers from other states or countries, and cutting through red tape. e town's Public Works Department, for example, hired one employee who's "doing everything except drive a truck" as he works toward getting that certifi- cation in the next six months, Roy says. "We got creative." e same is true of private employ- ers across a region that's popular for outdoor recreation and second homes but without enough year-round hous- ing for locals. From hospitality to health care and manufacturing, busi- nesses are navigating the same pres- sures in different ways. Improvising at the inn Spread across 79 hilly acres overlook- ing Moosehead Lake like a Swiss Alpine paradise, the Blair Hill Inn is a 10-room luxury hotel with a gourmet restaurant called Slate. Owner Jenn Whitlow left a corpo- rate job with a large Minnesota-based health care company to buy both busi- nesses, which she initially operated year- round but now opens from mid-May through Nov. 1 because of winter staffing hardships and weather hassles. Other seasons are also tough, espe- cially in summer when many local staff- ers like to take vacations. To allow for more flexible schedules, Whitlow brings on temporary foreign workers in the U.S. on H-2B visas for non-agricultural workers. Out of 42 people on the payroll this year, nine are H-2Bs. ey include a bartender from Turkey, a server from Argentina, two cooks from Mexico, a pastry chef from Italy, and two cooks and three housekeepers from Jamaica. Piscataquis County in focus County seat: Dover-Foxcroft Estimated 2024 population:17,432 June 2025 unemployment rate: 3.7% 2023 median age: 51.4 Median home sales price: $255,000 (Up 5.81% over last year) We need young families to come with students to support the school, and we need workers. — Mike Roy Greenville town manager P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R F O C U S Along with child care and housing, Greenville Town Manager Mike Roy sees employment as one leg of a three-legged stool needed to support the local economy. HIRE GROUND Northern Maine employers hustle to attract – and keep – workers B y R e n e e C o r d e s

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