Hallowell, Me – March 17, 2020 – MDF’s Maine Downtown Center (MDC) is pleased to welcome Heart of Ellsworth as the newest member of our Maine Downtown Center Affiliate Program. They join 17 other community organizations from across the state who are in the early stages of downtown revitalization and who are benefitting from the Program’s training by state and national downtown development experts, sharing of best practices in the field, and access to a network of peers from around the state.

“Ellsworth has many downtown assets including significant historic buildings, a vibrant theater and downtown business community, and most importantly a community that is proud of their downtown and committed to preserving it,” says Anne Ball, Program Director, Maine Downtown Center. “I am so excited to have them be part of the Main Street family“

Heart of Ellsworth demonstrated their readiness to join the Program throughout an extensive assessment process that included an online application, a site visit, a written commitment to the program and an interview conducted by professional downtown revitalization experts that serve on the MDC Advisory Council.

“More than 30 Ellsworth area residents and businesses were involved in the application process,” says Cara Romano, Executive Director, Heart of Ellsworth. “Our community is proud of this accomplishment and excited to continue our work to support current revitalization efforts downtown with a forward focus on Water Street and the Union River.” 

MDF has already begun working with the Heart of Ellsworth to develop organizational structure, train local leaders, and pursue the four-pronged approach laid out by the National Main Street Center. 

 “It is very exciting to be part of a nonprofit from its inception. As a lifelong resident of Ellsworth and President of Heart of Ellsworth, I’m excited for the future of our city,” says Phyllis Young, President, Heart of Ellsworth. “It will be great to partner with the Maine Downtown Center for guidance on best practices and creative ways to get work done in our community.”

HALLOWELL, Maine – February 13, 2020 – Maine Development Foundation (MDF) is thrilled to announce that that Joanna Crispe has joined our team as a Program Coordinator. In this role, Crispe will support the various functions of MDF’s Economic and Community Development team, which includes MDF’s Maine Downtown Center and helping staff the FOR/Maine (Forest Opportunity Roadmap) coalition, of which MDF is a key partner.

“Joanna’s experience with systems, logistics and communications will serve our communities, our programs and MDF well,” says Rosie Vanadestine, MDF’s Senior Team Leader of Economic and Community Development. “Joanna’s professional and personable style will fit well within our team and provide top notch customer service to internal and external stakeholders. We are excited to have her onboard.”

Crispe brings to MDF extensive experience with project and program design, community engagement, coalition building, and organizational capacity building. She has managed projects and programs for a variety of nonprofit organizations including the United Way of Greater Portland, the Maine Association of Nonprofits, the Municipal Art Society of New York, and the South Portland Land Trust.

“I am excited to be joining the talented team at MDF,” says Crispe. “I look forward to working with our cross-sector partners toward shared goals of equitable and sustainable prosperity for the state of Maine.” Joanna Crispe began her work with MDF on January 27th and can be reached at jcrispe@mdf.org.

MDF CEO Yellow Light Breen featured on Newscenter Maine’s “207” newsmagazine program. The segment focused on innovative approaches to overcoming Maine’s workforce gap.

Watch the segment .

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MDF CEO Yellow Light Breen talks with Fast Forward Maine podcast hosts Rich Brooks, President of Flyte New Media, and Yury Nabokov, Omnichannel Experience Manager and Marketing Strategist, Machias Savings Bank about MDF’s wide-ranging work to drive economic improvement in Maine and help grow the workforce of the future.

Fast Forward Maine  is about creating, curating, and sharing the resources that all growing Maine businesses need. Through weekly podcasts and bi-monthly in person workshops , FFME offers practical advice that you can put into effect to increase you profitability and grow your company here in Maine.

Listen to the full episode, WHAT OWNERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MAINE’S CHANGING ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE SITUATION – YELLOW BREEN

HALLOWELL, Maine – December 3, 2019 –  Maine Development Foundation (MDF) is thrilled to announce that Adam Burk has joined our team as a Program Director. In this role, Burk will help design and execute the various functions of MDF’s Economic and Community Development team, which encompasses the Maine Downtown Center and the FOR/Maine (Forest Opportunity Roadmap) programs.

“With Adam’s diverse background and breadth of knowledge, he will be a true asset to the Economic & Community Development team at MDF,” says Rosie Vanadestine, Senior Team Leader of Economic and Community Development.  “We are excited to have Adam join the MDF team and look forward to utilizing his knowledge to benefit Maine and our local communities.”

Burk brings to MDF extensive experience with public engagement, design thinking, community visioning, leadership development, project management and building relationships. He has served  as Executive Director of Treehouse Institute, Chief Experience Officer at Adam Burk + Co, and was the lead consultant for the Katahdin Gazetteer, a regional vision and action plan. He is the producer of TEDxDirigo, which recently celebrated 10 years of ideas a worth spreading, and a role he will continue.

“It’s an exciting time at MDF,” says Burk. “I look forward to working and learning with my new colleagues as we work with people and communities across Maine to design a future where the state thrives economically, ecologically, and socially.”

Adam Burk began his work with MDF on November 12th and can be reached at aburk@mdf.org.

How is Maine meeting the unique challenges students from diverse backgrounds? “These learners represent a tremendous opportunity to grow Maine’s economy and future workforce, and quite possibly attract more needed in-migration to Maine.” Excellent opinion piece in the Portland Press Herald from MDF partners Educate Maine and Maine State Chamber of Commerce.

The Town of Millinocket is one of three communities nationwide selected to take part in a multi-day design workshop put on by the Citizen’s Institute for Rural Design (CIRD).

Millinocket, September 10, 2019 — The Town of Millinocket is one of three communities nationwide selected to take part in a multi-day design workshop put on by the Citizen’s Institute for Rural Design (CIRD).  Millinocket will also participate in CIRD’s inaugural peer learning cohort for rural leaders from 23 communities. These designations are part of ongoing support of rural communities by the CIRD in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Housing Assistance Council and buildingcommunityWORKSHOP .

“It was inspiring to see overwhelming interest in the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design program this year,” said Arts Endowment Director of Design and Creative Placemaking Jen Hughes. “Rural and tribal communities across the country are putting forth ambitious visions for their future and view design and creative placemaking as a way to not only celebrate their cultural history, but also to drive economic development.”

Since 1991, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design has worked in communities with populations of 50,000 or less to enhance quality of life and economic viability through planning, design, and creative placemaking. To date, the Arts Endowment has convened more than 80 workshops in all regions of the country, bringing together local residents with teams of design, economic development, and creative placemaking professionals. Together, professionals and citizens leverage local and regional assets to guide the design of their communities.

“The Town of Millinocket is extremely honored to have been selected from this highly competitive national pool of applicants. We think it’s affirmation for the potential Millinocket has in its revitalization. The energy is high right now in the Katahdin region as we continue to work with our partners and community in redevelopment, and we’re ready to make some impactful change,” said Cody McEwen, chair of the Millinocket Town Council.

The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design workshop will bring architects, urban planners, and facilitators to Millinocket for a visioning session with local residents focusing on improvements and guidelines for downtown’s Penobscot Avenue and adjacent parks. Each year, an estimated 60,000 tourists drive past Penobscot Ave on their way to Baxter State Park. Millinocket’s downtown suffered from decades of vacancy and disinvestment following Great Northern Paper’s decline, but emerging signs of growth and potential in Maine’s forest economy have town leaders and business owners looking forward to investments in the downtown district. In addition to the Town of Millinocket, partners on the visioning project include Our Katahdin, Thrive Penobscot, Millinocket Memorial Library, Eastern Maine Development Corp, the Northern Forest Center, and Maine Development Foundation.

For more information on this program announcement, visit arts.gov/news or rural-design.org

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CONTACT:

Cody McEwen, Millinocket Town Council Chair, (207) 731-8023;

John Davis, Millinocket Town Manager, 207-723-7000*5;

Lucy Van Hook, Community Development Director, Our Katahdin 207-370-9456