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Auburn highlights manufacturing hub, workforce steps after year of industry outreach
Summary
Economic development staff told the council that 2024 efforts focused on manufacturing yielded increased employer engagement, a workforce pipeline for 'new Mainers,' transportation partnerships and a statewide Manufacturing Month promotion that drove web and media metrics.
Auburn Economic Development presented a year-in-review to the City Council on Jan. 21, saying a concerted 2023–24 push to strengthen manufacturing and workforce connections produced measurable results for local employers.
Jay Bremschick, Auburn’s economic development lead, said the city’s manufacturing group convened manufacturers, secured high-level guest speakers from state organizations and focused on workforce solutions tailored to new Mainers. “To date… I don't know of any community that's been, as highly involved and hired a 150 and retained a 150 new Mainers to the manufacturing sector,” Bremschick said, adding that about 100 placements were at one large employer.
Staff described several program elements aimed at recruitment and retention: workplace English classes run in partnership with Auburn Adult Education (scheduled to align with factory shifts), a curb-to-curb pilot transportation service run with Western Maine Transportation Services (WorkLinks) with subsidized fares, and facility tours for prospective workers.
The department also ran a manufacturing-month campaign in October with paid and native advertising, tours and a statewide event held at Central Maine Community College; Bremschick reported strong digital metrics — site sessions up 770% for the month on goauburn.me and increased social engagement — and credited the outreach with helping nominate a local employer for a governor’s business award.
He reported the city is aligning the manufacturing work with a new tech- and bioproducts overlay district and pursuing a tech-hub consortium opportunity at the state level. Bremschick said Auburn has been invited to participate in the governor’s task force on artificial intelligence and described planned coordination with the University of Maine, the Roux Institute and the Maine Technology Institute.
Councilors and staff discussed next steps including more Lewiston manufacturer participation in the group and use of Maine Community Energy Redevelopment Program resources to analyze sites and industrial properties. Bremschick said the program will produce an industrial-site dashboard and support permitting, housing-study dovetailing and site assessments planned for spring 2025.
