Mainebiz

V O L . X X I V N O. V I M A R C H 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 26 W hen Brunswick Landing fi rst emerged out of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station in 2011, the projection wa s that it would create 00 to 00 jobs by 201. At last count, the 3,200-acre technology and business campus has created 1,620 and counting from 10 diff erent business entities. e evolution of the campus from Navy air base to a humming business community represents $350 million in private investment, says Steve Levesque, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which oversees the complex. ere are nine real estate development fi rms doing work on the former base. "A lot of renters have acquired their property," he adds. "Several leases have turned into purchase options." No one could have predicted it when the base closed in 2011, with the country still climbing out of recession and the Brunswick area reeling from the loss of thousands of Navy person- nel and employees. Levesque says much of that transformation comes from the focus on innovation. " ere was a very good reuse plan," he says as he sits in his offi ce on the second fl oor of the terminal at the Brunswick Executive Airport. "It made a lot of sense and created something that's not your average industrial park." He also cites community input and support, the focus on sustainability, the location and the "amazing team" that makes up the MRRA staff . A commitment deeper than a job description As he drives around the complex, pointing out businesses, what they do, how they came to be there, who owns them and what their future may be, it's obvious that his commitment to Brunswick Landing is deeper than the job description. e Association of Defense Communities, which serves as a knowl- edge base for active defense communi- ties and those that have closed and are being redeveloped, presented Levesque with its Leadership Award in 2015. Tim Ford, CEO of the organization, told Mainebiz last year that comparing development projects isn't easy — each one is has its own characteristics. " at said, since the announcement was made to close Brunswick NAS, it has been one of the most successful reuse eff orts in terms of the speed of redevelopment and its overall success," he told Mainebiz. Aside from the region, state and congressional delegation support of the project, MRRA has a "great team on the ground." "Brunswick has made it work," he said. Brunswick Landing's success has had a ripple eff ect on the local economy. The face of the place Under Steve Levesque, Brunswick Landing delivers on a promise B Y M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N NONPROFIT Steve Levesque Executive director, Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 8 » Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority 15 Terminal Road, Brunswick Landing, Brunswick Founded: 2006 (established by Maine State Legislature) Executive Director: Steve Levesque Employees: 9 Significant stats: 1,620 jobs; 105 businesses; $160 million in taxable property developed; $350 million in capital investment in redevelopment; $2.93 million in 2017 property taxes paid to Brunswick and Topsham Contact: 207-798-6512 / mrra.us Steve Levesque, executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, has helped tranform a former Navy base into the 3,200-acre Brunswick Landing, a technology and business campus that has 1,620 jobs at 108 businesses.

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