Thank you to all who attended our Annual Meeting on February 5th. Pictured: Heart of Ellsworth's Board of Directors during Annual Meeting.
L to R: Mike Sealander, Noah DiDonato, Eliza Worrick, Beth Fendl, Colleen Ross, Peter Lione, Eric Columber, Tabatha White, Phyllis Young, Hailee Carter, Janice Buckingham, and Karin Otto. Not Present: Maggie Iannuzzi.
If you’re a business owner in Downtown Ellsworth, you probably already know the person we are featuring today: Maeve B., Ellsworth’s paper girl. Maeve has been delivering the Ellsworth American for the past four years with her dog, Oak, by her side. At just 14 years old, Maeve is mature beyond her years and proficient at juggling her responsibilities as a paper girl with her passion for horseback riding and history. Maeve is also a Junior Board Member of the Ellsworth Historical Society.
Maeve began her paper route for the Ellsworth American when she was 10. The paper route is a long-standing tradition – over 60 years – passed paper carrier to paper carrier. In Maeve’s case, the opportunity arose when a neighbor, Heather, passed the torch. Maeve shadowed Heather to learn the ropes before taking over the route herself. The role has become an important part of Maeve’s life, providing her with not only a source of income but also a chance to connect with the local community.
Her favorite part of the job is meeting and talking with all the people she delivers to. “There are a couple people that always have a joke each week… one guy will always say, is it warm enough for you outside? When it's freezing out.”
Maeve’s route starts at the Ellsworth American office, where she collects her stack of papers—typically 25 during the off-season and up to 30 in the summer.
Heart of Ellsworth is excited to announce that applications have opened for our Downtown Grants Program in Winter 2025! This program connects downtown Ellsworth entrepreneurs, small businesses, innovators, and start ups to funding, resources and opportunities to advance their growth. We have three awards available: one for $5000, one for $3000, and one for $500.
The deadline to apply is February 24th, 11:59pm.
This program is a foundational component of Heart of Ellsworth's entrepreneurial ecosystem work. By investing in our Main Street community we are supporting the future of small businesses.
This City of Ellsworth is accepting applications for the Downtown Facade Improvement Program - deadline MARCH 14TH, 2025.
This program is intended to assist with projects that improve or rehabilitate commercial building exteriors to their original character or make ADA improvements in conjunction with entrance improvements.
The program is available to property owners and/or tenants (with the property owner’s permission) in the grant area for buildings that are at least 50 years old. All proposed projects undergo consultation review by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and are required to follow the City’s building ordinance.
Business Advisor Expands Service Area to Include Ellsworth
Ali Lane is a Certified Business Advisor and the Central/Northern Maine Center Director for the Maine Small Business Development Center (SBDC) hosted at the University of Southern Maine. The SBDC provides no-cost, confidential business advising to individuals starting or managing small businesses in Maine.
Ali's work includes assisting with business plans, marketing, financial analysis, loan packages, business transactions, and more. She primarily serves clients in the Bangor, Ellsworth, and Belfast regions while also managing the other business advisors in Central and Northern Maine.
Ali has been an SBDC Business Advisor since May 2019, and recently expanded her service area to include Belfast and Ellsworth. She can be reached via email at alison.lane@maine.edu or by phone at (207) 780-4982.
Exciting Initiatives Coming to
the Union River Center for Innovation
The Union River Center of Innovation (URCI) is gearing up to launch its first series of Entrepreneurial Exploration workshops under the guidance of consultant Tracy Scheckel. In the coming weeks, URCI will announce workshop topics,
instructors, and schedules, offering valuable resources for aspiring and established business owners.
Additionally, as part of the City of Ellsworth’s Business Attraction Plan, URCI is conducting a survey to engage business owners and entrepreneurs in two key industry sectors: specialty food and beverage, and building design, construction, and maintenance trades. The insights gathered will help form focus groups aimed at supporting existing businesses and attracting new ones. Whether you already run a business or dream of starting one, URCI wants to hear from you! Take the survey here.
The Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce and the Ellsworth Area Chamber of Commerce are pleased to be able to offer a joint seminar presented by Anne-Marie Storey, Esq. of Rudman Winchell on Wednesday, February 26th from 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM at the Ellsworth Public Library.
The seminar will be focused on the new Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave law including a variety of PFMLA topics including eligibility requirements, how employees apply for leave, qualifying reasons for using the leave, what the program requires from employers, potential benefit offsets, and how the PFMLA may interact with existing state and federal leave law requirements.
With the Maine Department of Labor recently announcing the adoption of the final rules governing the Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Program, there will be much to talk about and questions are encouraged.
SCORE Maine hosts affordable small business workshops -- both online webinars and live, in-person. You can find everything you need to know to start a business or discover tools to help your small business grow.
The CEI Women’s Business Center is a home for women who want to start or grow their own business in Maine. They offer courses, cohorts, workshops, and events which encourage peer-to-peer learning and community building, as well as 1:1 business advising support.
Spokeswomen: a facilitated peer group designed to help female entrepreneurs become more persuasive and effective communicators for a wide range of situations.
Startup Studio: This program is designed to help problem-solving women build a strong foundation for tech-enabled businesses that are both innovative and sustainable.
The CEI Women's Business Center has more cohorts and workshops in early March! Check out their website for a full list of events
The Maine SBDC program helps build and strengthen small businesses through business advising, training and educational resources.
Mass MoCa's Assets for Artists is a program by artists for artists. They provide professional development workshops, coaching, capacity-building cohorts, community building, artist residencies and more.
New Ventures Maine has opened applications for the statewide Winter/Spring 2025 Marketing Mini-Grant Competition!
The NVME mini-grant program aims to strengthen access to markets for small businesses by supporting the development of marketing tools, materials, and activities. NVME will award cash mini-grants—up to $1,000 per region—to microenterprises for marketing projects through a competitive application process.
Maine companies have the opportunity to host a summer intern at no cost through the University of Maine's Innovate for Maine Fellows Program, provided they meet the following qualifications: they are a for-profit business with fewer than 250 employees, have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, and can offer a meaningful intern project. Interns can assist with a variety of tasks, including programming, prototyping, marketing, and data analysis.
The Maine Craft Association's Workshop Series connects Maine Craft Artists with one another and with other resources within the art community. The series offers opportunities to learn something new, engage with other artists and in some workshops, spend time in a peer’s workspace.
MCA members and non-members are invited to offer workshops in their studios, places of business, or in MCA facilities. Workshops can take the form of lectures, seminars, hands on skill building, make-and-takes or other structures and concepts.
Workshop tuition and instructor compensation change with each workshop and include member and non-member rates. Each instructor works with our staff to set these amounts.
The Maine Entrepreneur Summit is happening on May 16th at the USM Abromson Center in Portland, Maine. This one-day event is your ticket to dive deep into entrepreneurship and boost your business. Join the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs for workshops, networking opportunities, and the Top Gun Showcase Pitch Competition. See you there!
Thank you for reading this edition of the Ellsworth Business Pulse!
Check out our Business Benefits page for more information on how we can support your business!
