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Bangor economic development officer outlines Central Kitchen, foreign-trade client and workforce priorities
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Summary
Economic Development Officer Sabrina Smith updated councilors on business outreach, Foreign Trade Zone marketing and a near-term Central Kitchen construction recommendation; she flagged limited warehouse space, workforce and small-business finance as barriers to growth.
Sabrina Smith, the city’s economic development officer, briefed the Business & Economic Development Committee on the division’s priorities, including property and lease management, business outreach, workforce partnerships and progress on the Central Kitchen project.
Smith described the division’s role as the city’s first point of contact for businesses and said staff manage city-owned properties and certain airport parcels. She detailed partnerships with Husson University, the University of Maine and local colleges to build talent pipelines and noted the department recently facilitated a memorandum of understanding with Husson and an international partner to attract students.
On the Central Kitchen project, Smith said staff are reviewing construction bids and expect a recommendation to the finance committee soon; simultaneous work on the operating model is underway to ensure the building has a viable business plan. She also described preparing city-owned parcels to be “shovel ready” for marketing and evaluating a new tax-increment-financing (TIF) application to support development.
Smith outlined work on the city’s Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ), saying federal delays slowed the FTZ board but that staff have an applicant and expect momentum in the second quarter. “We have 1 really big international client that is going through that application process,” she said, and the FTZ benefit could save that company "upwards of a $100,000 a year."
Committee members pressed Smith on hurdles to converting outreach into new business: she and members identified limited warehouse space, small-business financial literacy and the need for more active follow-up and navigators to streamline government interactions. Councilors suggested recording in-person trainings and partnering with SCORE and the Small Business Development Center to scale finance and business-skills training.
Smith said the department will continue business retention, attraction and Downtown outreach; she requested further discussion next year on strategic vision and the airport enterprise fund, and flagged a workforce-development item for a future agenda.
