Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. X X I V O C T O B E R 1 9 , 2 0 2 6 20 M A N U FA C T U R I N G / I N T E R N AT I O N A L T R A D E F O C U S Pineland Farms Dairy Co. was established in 2017 by the Portland- based Libra Foundation. Building relationships Tropical intends to continue building on the facility's longstanding relation- ships with Maine's dairy community as production grows and to increase its Bangor workforce over time as investment and production at the facility increase. Carollynn Lear, Bangor's city man- ager, says the Queen City is ideal for Tropical, thanks to area universities, skilled workforce, an international air- port and a culture, arts and entertain- ment scene. Ashley Pringle, senior vice presi- dent of operations for Maine & Co., says the organization would sup- port Tropical's expansion as part of a broader vision for building and grow- ing Maine's food businesses. "Having this well-known brand be in a position to source Maine dairy and to help grow our existing small agricultural businesses is truly a win-win," says Mike Duguay, com- missioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. e acquisition was perfect tim- ing as Tropical pursues an aggressive growth strategy, says Mehren: "We're close to realizing capacity constraints in New Jersey." With the acquisition, "Job One is continuity," Mehren says. Over the com- ing months, Tropical will introduce its own cheese-making process in phases, including a significant investment into infrastructure needed to produce Hispanic cheeses, which are typically softer than aged hard cheeses. Hispanic varieties are growing in popularity, along with Latino foods in general, he says: "A lot of consumers are looking for Hispanic foods on a more consistent basis — not just Hispanic consumers but general-market consumers. Cheese is one of those ingredients." Mehren credits Maine & Co. with facilitating the expansion. "As an out-of-state company, we didn't have the relationships needed to navigate establishing and growing a new business in Maine," he says. "ey con- nected us with the city of Bangor, state and local agencies, consultants and ser- vice providers. It made things a lot easier and more efficient." Drone intel A defense technology company headquar- tered in Chantilly, Va., opened a manufac- turing facility, called T1 MachineWorks, at 18 Wing Drive in Old Town earlier this year, with the expectation of creating over 20 jobs in the next five years. Engineers will develop defense tech- nology with a focus on artificial intel- ligence and autonomy software along with 3D manufacturing, rapid prototyp- ing and testing for aerial platforms and other frontline defense technology. "We will collaborate with local manu- facturing partners to iterate quickly," says Ian Kalin, the company's CEO. Founded in 2021, TurbineOne selected Old Town for its proxim- ity to the University of Maine and the region's growing defense technology and advanced manufacturing ecosystem, along with access to aerial and maritime envi- ronments for real-world testing. We offer discounted group subscriptions starting at 5 users. Ensure your team has all access to Mainebiz REACH OUT TO US AT CIRCULATION@MAINEBIZ.BIZ FOR A QUOTE » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E We will collaborate with local manufacturing partners to iterate quickly. — Ian Kalin TurbineOne P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F T U R B I N E O N E P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F T U R B I N E O N E Virginia defense technology company TurbineOne opened T1 MachineWorks in Old Town earlier this year to develop defense technology. Matt Amacker, TurbineOne's cofounder and chief technology officer, has 25 years of experience in AI, robotics and software.

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