Maine’s Strategic Economic Development Business Breakfast Hosted by Thomas College and Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce on January 9 in Waterville MacKenzie Riley Young | December 16, 2019

WATERVILLE, Maine, December 2019 – Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Heather Johnson will speak about moving Maine forward and creating a sustainable economy for all at Thomas College and Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s December Business Breakfast. The breakfast will be held on Thursday, January 9, from 7:15 to 9:00 a.m. in the Spann Student Commons Summit Room on Thomas College’s campus at 180 West River Road in Waterville.

Johnson grew up in Skowhegan and graduated from the University of Maine. She began her career by building a diverse background in the private technology sector including sales, operations and general management roles at Nokia, Gateway and Toshiba. With continually expanding roles she created startup operations inside large companies, developed new products for new markets, and ran a $1.2 billion retail business.

After leaving the private sector, Heather had the opportunity to concentrate on rural economic development at Somerset Economic Development Corporation. During her time as the Executive Director she focused on key economic drivers such as; connectivity, workforce participation, and potential growth markets.

While serving as the Director of ConnectME Heather was responsible for managing a small grant program, mapping key assets, working with communities and businesses to help them identify needs and opportunities to utilize connectivity to enable their goals. Heather was able to make changes that position ConnectME to move forward into the connectivity space.

As Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Heather continues to dedicate her career to fostering economic development, both in private companies and in rural communities across Maine.

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce holds monthly informative presentations on a variety of educational business topics at Thomas College’s Spann Student Commons. The cost of the Business Breakfast is $20 for members, $27 at the door and for non-members. Breakfast is included with the reservation.

To register, e-mail [email protected] or call 873-3315.

The major sponsors for the Business Breakfast are: AT&T; Cross Employee Benefits; New Dimensions Federal Credit Union, Nicholson, Michaud & Company; O’Donnell, Lee, McCowan & Phillips, LLC; Sheridan Corporation. The print media sponsor is Morning Sentinel, a division of MaineToday Media, Inc.; radio sponsor MIX107.9; video sponsor Kennebec Savings Bank.

Chamber Business Spotlighters include Bricks Coworking & Innovation Space, Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and The Robin’s Nest.

About Thomas College: Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Thomas College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in programs ranging from business, entrepreneurship, and technology, to education, criminal justice, and psychology. Its Guaranteed Job Program, the first of its kind in the nation, is built on students’ academic, career, and leadership preparation. Thomas is also home to the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation and the Center for Innovation in Education. In 2017, Money Magazine ranked Thomas 23rd of all colleges and universities in the country for adding the most value to their degrees, and data reported by the New York Times ranks Thomas in the top 15 percent of all higher education institutions in the U.S. for upward mobility of its graduates. For more information, visit wwwold.thomas.edu or MacKenzie Riley Young at [email protected] or (207) 859-1313. 

About Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce: is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and advocating for business prosperity and regional economic improvement.  Its region includes the towns of Albion, Belgrade, Benton, Branch Mills, Burnham, China, Clinton, Fairfield, Hinckley, Oakland, Rome, Shawmut, Sidney, South China, Thorndike, Unity, Vassalboro, Waterville, Weeks Mills and Winslow.  For more information on the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, including how to become a member, call (207) 873-3315 or visit www.midmainechamber.com.