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V O L . X X I V N O. V I M A R C H 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 30 ere are campuses of the University of Maine Augusta and Southern Maine Community College. Aviation-related businesses use much of the former airport area. e Wayfair call center and SaviLinx contact center both employ hundreds. But there are also businesses like Avita Memory Care, Black Diamond Whiskey distillery, Blue Dog Daycare and the FlightDeck Brewery and tast- ing room. e goal of achieving energy sus- tainability is at about 75%, with the addition of a 1.5 megawatt solar farm, which began operating in December. An anaerobic biogas generator also pro- vides energy on site, and the MRRA is looking to add solar or wind energy. Levesque believes the site will equal the Navy's contribution to the local economy 10 to 12 years after closure. When there was last an active Navy presence at the base, 200 and 200, the payroll was about $130 million a year, Levesque says. e payroll at Brunswick landing is close to $100 million a year, with the average pay $50,000 a year. e goal is to get as much tax rev- enue from Brunswick Landing and the Topsham annex as possible. Nearly $160 million in valuation has been added to the tax rolls in Brunswick and Topsham, and nearly $3 million is being paid annually in real estate taxes, according to the MRRA 2017 annual report. " e taxpayers paid for this place, and if there's a fi nancial windfall, it should go back to them," Levesque says. When Levesque fi rst took the job of executive director in 200, after the MRRA was formed by the Legislature, he thought he'd end up "embroiled in a lot more political strife." e level of cooperation that's paved the way for what's happened over the past six-plus years has sur- prised him. " ere was a lot of pre-planning, transparency, a lot of time educating the public," he says. It was all about building partner- ships. "It works better if everyone can take credit." Out of that grew promises to the community about what would happen. " en we delivered, and deliv- ering on the promise was pretty important, but it was all about that collaboration." Maureen Milliken, Mainebiz staff writer, can be reached at mmilliken @ mainebiz.biz Meet the 2018 Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year For more information and to register, visit www.mainebiz.biz/BLOY Tickets are $45 per person Portland Country Club 11 Foreside Road, Falmouth Thursday, May 3 5:00–7:00 pm FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #MBBLOY18 SP ONSORED BY LEFT TO RIGHT: Joshua Broder, CEO of Tilson; Kathie Leonard, President and CEO of Auburn Manufacturing Inc.; Steve Levesque, Executive director of Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y B R U N S W I C K L A N D I N G Steve Levesque Age: 62 Leadership icons: Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Angus King, former GE CEO Jack Welch, Lt. Gen. Chesty Puller. Maine's biggest challenge: Available skilled workforce to meet business needs. Maine's biggest opportunity: Value added natural resource products (agriculture, forestry, fishing), aerospace, biotech, IT, clean tech industries and nature tourism. Best business advice: Work hard, pay attention to the books, treat everyone with respect and be honest. Brunswick Landing, a former Navy base, has created 1.620 jobs at 108 businesses. It spans 3,200 acres. 5 QUESTIONS

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