East Millinocket, ME (March 3, 2015) – The Maine Community Foundation has awarded a grant of $10,000 to support Our Katahdin in the launch of a leadership incubator for the Katahdin Region.  The incubator will be implemented in collaboration with the Katahdin Region Higher Education Center, a higher education facility that has served the region since 1987. 

The goal of the leadership incubator will be to support small business entrepreneurs and community leaders in an effort to strengthen the culture of entrepreneurship and optimism in the Katahdin region.  This grant from the Maine Community Foundation will support the design and initial launch of the incubator, which will include leadership training, mentoring and a tailored package of support services for each individual based on their unique needs. 

The incubator aims to have two tracks, one for small business entrepreneurs and another for community leaders.  The program will accept applications from existing and new businesses and community based initiatives.  Applicants from towns across the region will be encouraged to apply.

 “This opportunity allows us to expand our work beyond community development to include entrepreneurship, a key pillar in the regrowth of our region.  We believe that the best businesses are those owned and operated by entrepreneurs who call the region home” said Mike Faloon, Vice President of Our Katahdin, former resident of Medway and Director of an asset management firm.  Debora Rountree, Associate Academic Dean at Eastern Maine Community College added “we are excited to partner with Our Katahdin to build this leadership incubator that will leverage our existing infrastructure and address the needs of people in our region who are trying to make a difference”.

The incubator is expected to launch in the fall of 2015.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Our Katahdin is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to promote economic and community development in the Katahdin region.  Our Katahdin employs crowdsourcing models to solicit new ideas and to fund projects.  Additional information on the organization and their latest projects is available on their website at www.ourkatahdin.com.

The Katahdin Regional Higher Education Center is a partnership with Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine system that currently offers 30 degree and certificate programs and 500+ courses.  The Center, based in East Millinocket, has provided higher learning opportunities for the Katahdin region since 1987.  Additional information is available on their website at http://learn.maine.edu/east_millinocket/.