Follow us to our destination: Innovation

Welcome back! The Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council and our network of affiliates and partners are delighted to once again host Maine’s premier one-day business event.

For one very special day, the notion that “It’s Happening Here” applies most specifically to the festivities, productivity, networking and generally upbeat business climate concentrated in the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, venue for the 16th annual Androscoggin Business to Business Trade Show, the epicenter of business vitality in the state of Maine. Beginning with the kickoff Chamber breakfast at the Bates College Commons and continuing through the After Hours party in the evening, this event promises, as usual, to harness enormous energy toward the common objectives of renewed prosperity – for the community, for exhibitors, and for those in attendance.

The theme for this year’s gathering is Destination: Innovation, recognition that those who are emerging most successfully from the depths of the recent recession are doing so by having devised new ways of doing business, new ways of controlling costs, new ways of accessing markets; and renewed emphasis on networking, of connecting with friends, colleagues, prospects and customers. The impact of innovation in all areas of commerce is exemplified by the work of the keynote breakfast speaker, Michael Austermeier, currently overseeing efforts by Lufthansa Technic to renovate the historic Starliner Superstar aircraft now based at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport. The creativity with which this project is being undertaken reflects the unprecedented dimensions of creativity being demonstrated by local businesses, and the B2B is a celebration of economic creativity.

The Lewiston-Auburn community has been a significant driver of business evolution and 21st century innovation for years, and the collaboration between LAEGC (and its subsidiary organizations: Lewiston Development Corp. and Auburn Business Development Corp.), the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, municipal leadership in both Lewiston and Auburn, and a host of other civic, business, educational, healthcare and nonprofit enterprises have energized those efforts. And in many respects, the B2B energizes the collaboration, reaffirming the community commitment to prosperity for 16 consecutive years.

Most of all, the B2B is about connections: strengthening long-term alliances, forming new ones. The show has been called the greatest assembly of business talent, energy, commitment, and optimism in one place at one time, anywhere in Maine. Many exhibitors – and, notably, most sponsors – are returning after many successful years of affiliation with the show, a true testimony to the effectiveness of the possibilities the show provides, as well as to the liveliness of our community.

While it’s difficult to measure the true extent of economic recovery as yet, the impact of the B2B has been evaluated, quantified and validated by exhibitors and visitors alike for years, and at no time has this unique opportunity to form meaningful connections been more important than it is right now. The show is a microcosm of LAEGC’s overarching mission.

Having just commemorated our 30th anniversary, the Growth Council has been devoted to improving the business climate of Lewiston-Auburn by attracting new and expanding businesses and helping reinforce the prosperity of those already here. LAEGC provides technical assistance, site location assistance, gap financing and marketing support. Perhaps most importantly, the Growth Council has, in its 30 years, helped shorten the distance across the Androscoggin, creating a cooperative, integrated business community on the base of two vibrant cities. Businesses assisted by LAEGC have contributed more than $216 million to the tax base of Lewiston and Auburn in just the past decade, helping minimize the tax burden for existing businesses and homeowners. An average of 15,000 people have worked in Growth Council-assisted jobs in the past 10 years. Virtually everyone living or working in this community has been touched by LAEGC-assisted organizations, and nearly all of those organizations have been impacted by the tens of thousands who have passed through the B2B since its inception.

While the show is all about business, it is also a day-long party, with food, games, gifts; there is Wi-Fi access, a variety of free therapeutic massages and skin care attention. And, of course, it’s mostly about networking – both among the nearly 200 exhibitors and between exhibitors and some 2,500 expected visitors.

So, thank you to our sponsors, our planning committee, our wonderful staff and volunteers. Thanks to everyone who has renewed their confidence in the value of this unique occasion. And please plan to join us for one of the most exciting and productive days on the entire 2011 business calendar. See you at the show.

Lucien B. Gosselin