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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 S E P T E M B E R 7 , 2 0 1 5 in the state in Gardiner in July of 2014. Wright reached out to the owners with a $25,000 forgivable loan and grant package from the Gardiner Growth Initiative, a collaboration between Gardiner Main Street, the Bank of Maine, the Gardiner Board of Trade and the city. "We are looking for businesses that have been successful in other parts of the state like Frosty's," he says, as opposed to inexperienced startups that are more likely to fail. Gardiner's incentive programs attracted its new- est store, a franchise of Craft Beer Cellars, which has 16 locations existing or in the works, including one in Portland. John Callinan, who still is fi nishing the insides of the store, which is a few shops down from Frosty's, said the fi ve-year Gardiner Growth Initiative for- givable loan of $35,000 and the $10,000 grant from the Gardiner Board of Trade were key to his deci- sion to invest in Gardiner. "However, not to be underestimated was the welcoming attitude extended by the local business community as well as by the elected and appointed offi cials of the city," says Callinan, who formerly worked in the health care industry. " ese qualities convinced me that Gardiner as a whole is very seri- ous about making it a community where people of all age groups will fi nd to be a desirable place to live and to visit." e building cost $115,000 and will take another $65,000 to $75,000 to renovate, not including initial inventory or other start-up costs, nor the cost to renovate the second story into an aff ordable living space, he says. e only drawback is that like other cities along the Kennebec River that are in Federal Emergency Management Agency fl ood plains, fl ood insurance is pricey on top of regular business insurance. To try to decrease his $4,000 annual fl ood insur- ance fee, Callinan has hired a surveyor to get a certifi cate of elevation. Eric Dyer, general manager of the Gardiner Food Co-op & Café, had a similar positive reac- tion to Gardiner as Callinan. A former municipal government worker on the Cranberry Isles and Chebeague Island, he found the career change he wanted in Gardiner, where the new co-op opened on May 31. In April, the co-op was awarded a $90,000 Commu- nity Development Block Grant to create new jobs when it opened its storefront. CDBGs are run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. Hosted PBX Phone Systems | Hosted File Sharing, Backup , Backup , and Recovery | Access to New Fiber Ne r Ne r tw tw t orks an and more… Leverage your broadband. Imagine the possibilities. Broadband is just the beginning. Save time, save money and say goodbye to costly capital investment by leveraging the broadband you already have. We'll show you how. toll free: 866 494 2020 | www.gwi.net C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Local organic produce at the Gardiner Food Co-op, which aims to become a hub in downtown Gardiner.

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