` Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council - The Business Picture
 


Video Testimonial to the growing business picture in Lewiston-Auburn, press play to watch.

      

Largest Employers
Company Testimonials
Press Clips
Employment Statistics
Map of the Business Picture
Transportation
Workforce

Lewiston-Auburn is centrally located in the heart of Southern Maine along the banks of the Androscoggin River. In fact, nearly 50 percent of the state's population is located within a 30-mile radius of Lewiston-Auburn. The area is home to some of the state's most successful companies, including Tambrands (a Procter & Gamble company), L.L. Bean's Telemarketing Center, General Electric, Formed Fiber Technologies, Elmet Technologies, TD Banknorth Operations Center, VIP Parts, Tires, & Service, Geiger, and a Wal-Mart Food Distribution Center.

Lewiston-Auburn has earned national recognition for its business climate. A recent international study conducted by KPMG International ranks the cost of doing business in Lewiston-Auburn more than two percentage points below the U.S. benchmark. In the study, Lewiston was compared alongside cities such as Boston, Chicago, Houston and Montreal. Out of 44 U.S. cities analyzed, L-A finished among the top eight cities with the best economic score.

Health care is the largest industry in Lewiston-Auburn, carrying the majority of Androscoggin County's 8,000 plus health care related jobs. Aside from health care, Lewiston-Auburn's other key industries are printing & graphics, high-precision manufacturing, financial services, distribution & logistics, and telemarketing/developing technologies.

L-A offers direct turnpike access via two exits, and is less than 40 minutes away from Portland International Jetport. Auburn is now the site of a Foreign Trade Zone, allowing companies that conduct international trade the potential to eliminate, defer, or reduce tariffs. Bangor International Airport, a gateway to Europe, is about 90 minutes away, and Portland Harbor is less than an hour's drive. With its own municipal airport, a railroad that has earned national recognition as "Short Line of the Year," and a double-stack rail-to-truck intermodal facility that is among the most efficient in the Northeast, L-A offers unparalleled convenience in reaching regional, national, and global markets.

The Twin Cities, as the area is called by residents, is rich in business resources. L-A is home to the national office of the Forum Francophone des Affaires, an international trade group of French-speaking nations, as well as a regional office of the Maine International Trade Center and Coastal Enterprises, Inc., a statewide community development organization. Maine's second largest and most active chamber of commerce operates in L-A, and offers numerous workshops, networking functions, and special programs.

Other business assets in Lewiston-Auburn:
  • Four colleges
  • A Maine Department of Labor Career Center (an employment resource and recruiting help center)
  • Business Information Center (offering free business support, counseling, and other resources to small businesses and entrepreneurs)
  • Active SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Chapter
  • Economic development support, financing, and business advocacy from numerous organizations including: the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, the Lewiston Development Corporation, the Auburn Business Development Corporation, Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Community Concepts, and a number of financial institutions
  • The state offers various incentives, including the Governor's Pine Tree Zone Initiative, Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement Program, Governor's Training Initiative, and Tax Increment Financing, a property tax reimbursement plan

The Bottom Line:

  • Strategic location, with nearly 50 percent of the state's population within a 30-mile radius
  • Incentives to help you get down to business
  • Exceptional labor force
  • Transportation options including rail, air and highway
  • Skilled labor
  • Diverse industry including health care, high-precision manufacturing, telecommunications, distribution & logistics
  • Home to four colleges, including Bates College
  • Foreign Trade Zone designation
  • Pine Tree Zone status

 

If you would like to veiw video testimony to the business picture click here

 

 


L.A.E.G.C., 415 Lisbon Street, Suite 400 | P. O. Box 1188 | Lewiston, Maine USA | 04243-1188
Tel: (207) 784-0161 | Fax: (207) 786-4412
E-mail: laegc@economicgrowth.org

©2000 Lewiston Auburn Economic Growth Council. All Rights Reserved.