Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I N O. X V 30 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E B U S I N E S S R E S O U R C E S S outhwest Harbor is a small, coastal town of 1,800 residents. But it's big on initiatives to at- tract and serve businesses. "In the past fi ve to seven years, we've improved our planning board proce- dures to be more effi cient," said Town Manager Don LaGrange. "Someone applying to start a business might think they have to go through a lot of hoops, but nearly all applications are pre-screened for completeness, which reduces review time, and we get most applications through in one meeting. Our land-use ordinance is designed to facilitate more uses in all zones, which also simplifi es applications." e town also modifi ed lot-size requirements, simplifi ed change-of- uses based on certain standards, and minimized fees. And it has a robust chamber of commerce and strong public and private anchors, such as its school, library and banks. e result? A more vibrant com- mercial atmosphere that, three years ago, earned the town certifi cation as a Business-Friendly Community through the state Department of Economic and Community Development. e certifi cation gives Southwest Harbor — and three dozen other communities across the state — rec- ognition on the DECD website and two Department of Transportation Business-Friendly Community road signs, and makes them part of Maine's business attraction strategy. e DECD is strategy-central for business attraction. Business-Friendly Community certifi cation is just one of its many programs. As part of the state's eff orts to encourage new, expanding, or relocating businesses of all kinds and siz- es, Maine off ers a wide variety of fi nan- cial and technical assistance. And they can all be found through the DECD website (maine.gov/decd). Programs guide the way to everything from target- ed tax relief to community block grants, tourism marketing to international trade. DECD and its partners show companies how to benefi t from millions of dollars in tax credits, reimbursements, research and development credits, capital loans, and direct investment — all aimed at generating and providing new private investment and new career opportuni- ties for Maine people. Working with communities, DECD helps them attract jobs and grow their infrastructure with various fi nancing mechanisms. DECD communications man- ager Douglas Ray suggests starting with the Gov. Paul LePage's account executives (maine.gov/decd/start- grow/govs-account-execs), a team of business-development experts, each responsible for one area of the state. e team has worked with hundreds of com- panies — new, expanding, or relocating — helping with issues from high-speed Internet access, to fi nding facilities to house employees, to helping communi- ties and companies benefi t from the cre- ation of special Pine Tree Development Zones and Tax Increment Financing districts to ease the tax burdens on new and growing businesses. e state considers them liaisons for the resources available, says Ray. e liaisons know who to call and can get answers for businesses. e goal is to make it possible for Maine to compete in the global market, while growing and attracting private investment. Another resource is Maine Technology Institute, which was founded in 1999 and is publicly funded. It has invested $180 million in 2,000 projects. It has generated $900 million in private sec- tor matching investment. For in- stance, MTI has worked with MTI is Eldertide LLC and its partner company Maine Medicinals, which cultivates elderberries for nutraceuticals. e com- panies leveraged MTI's bootstrapping opportunities and technical assistance, funding programs and networking to develop organic growing methods and manufacturing processes. e Maine International Trade Center — a public-private partnership provid- ing technical assistance, trade counsel- ing and workshops, import and export leads and international credit reports — organizes international trade shows and missions abroad. It also helped Portland-based Ready Seafood, a lobster exporter founded in 2004 by brothers John and Brendan Ready. Ready Seafood was named MITC's "2015 Exporter of the Year." In 12 years, the company has grown to 50 em- ployees and the multi-million-dollar operation is now one of the state's leading seafood exporters, shipping live lobsters around the world. MITC was instrumental in introducing the broth- ers to foreign markets, beginning in Europe then, as a frequent participant in MITC's overseas trade trips, moving into the Far East and Middle East. A popular incentive is the Pine Tree Development Zone. It off ers businesses in certain sectors — biotechnology, Open for business Maine offers businesses one-stop assistance B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r M aine's business community is considered especially friendly to small businesses and start-ups. Part of the nature of Mainers is being thrifty, resourceful and adept at piecing things together in dramatically different seasons. The state has a high percentage of small businesses — typically, with fewer than 25 employees. It might seem to run counter to that Yankee spirit to see that there are actually a great number of resources available to Maine businesses of all sizes. In the pages ahead we outline local, state and federal programs designed to jumpstart growing businesses. While an entrepreneur by na- ture may prize his or her indepen- dence in bootstrapping a company, there is a wide range of programs that can provide mentoring, edu- cation, seed money, a grant or a low-interest loan. In the following pages we out- line programs that are unique to Maine, including the state Depart- ment of Economic & Community Development block grants and Pine Tree Development Zones, as well as state offshoots that have taken the lead in aiding business- es, including the Maine Technology Institute and Maine International Trade Center. For companies that are expanding, Tax Increment Financing districts can provide a key incentive. Maine may have a culture of in- dependence, but there is no need for entrepreneurs or expanding businesses to go it alone. 30 One-stop assistance for Maine businesses Small Business Administration resources 33 Contacting the SBA 34 SBA's resource partners 36 SBA business loans 40 Contracting 42 SBA participating lenders I N T H I S S E C T I O N Entrepreneurs, execs: No need to go it alone P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Tandem Coffee Roasters co-owners Kathleen and Will Pratt in the production area at their Anderson Street location in Portland

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