Four Maine employers received state grants totaling $1.6 million to support shared transportation and transit options for their employees.
The funding is administered by the Maine Department of Transportation and is provided through the Workforce Transportation Pilot Program, which is an initiative within Gov. Janet Mills’ Jobs & Recovery Plan. The Jobs Plan provides the Workforce Transportation Pilot Program $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The pilot program is designed to connect workers from rural areas to more urban areas or centers of employment through the use of shared mobility.
“With the workforce shortage hurting businesses across Maine, my administration is committed to advancing innovative solutions that will knock down barriers preventing people from being able to take and stay in jobs,” said Gov. Mills.
Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note added, “These awards support several unique approaches to addressing the specific workforce transportation challenges seen by these employers.”
The four recipients include:
- $750,000 for Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine
- $750,000 for TimberHP in Madison, Maine
- $59,840 for Gagne Foods in Bath, Maine
- $41,600 for Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, Maine
The competitive grant program caps awards at $750,000, with projects selected based on merit and funding availability.
Robbins Lumber, which describes itself as a “high-tech lumber manufacturer”, will use its state grant to offset the costs of an existing program that provides transportation for employees from a nearby correctional institute.
“This grant provides a transportation solution to help employees re-entering the workforce to learn a trade and the chance to have a stable, long-term career,” said Co-Owner of Robbins Lumber Catherine Robbins-Halsted.
Gagne Foods, a family-run company that produces frozen baked goods, will help support transportation options for employees in inclement weather and make several electric bicycles available for employees to take to and from work.
Michael Gagne, president and CEO of Gagne Foods, expressed gratitude toward state leaders “for recognizing the opportunity for change.”
“The funds Gagne Foods received will help ensure those employees who are challenged by transportation options in the Bath area have a way to get to/from their jobs via an e-Bike program and inclement weather project. These programs will make a difference,” said Gagne.
TimberHP is a company that turns wood fiber into energy-efficient building materials. Its grant will support the construction of an electric vehicle transportation hub and the purchase of electric vehicles for an employee rideshare system at the company’s wood-fiber insulation plant.
“At TimberHP, sustainability is a core component of our mission as a company and is at the center of the work we do every day,” said Joshua Henry, co-founder and president of TimberHP. “The creation of an electrical vehicle and transportation hub in Madison and the benefits it will bring to the community, our business partners, TimberHP and our employees, has been a longstanding priority for us.”
Bath Iron Works, a full-service shipyard that is part of General Dynamics Marine Systems, will use its $750,000 award to support carpools and vanpools for employees, public transportation options in the region and multi-mode parking amenities.
Chuck Krugh, president of Bath Iron Works, explains more than half of the company’s 7,000 shipbuilders travel more than 70 miles each day.
“These resources enhance our ability to provide shared transportation for our workforce that can benefit both them and the environment while creating transportation options that make it possible for Mainers from across the state to contribute to the work we do at Bath Iron Works,” said Krugh.
The four projects join a fifth on a list of Workforce Transportation Pilot Program grant recipients. The first project to receive a grant through the program was Sunday River, a ski resort in Newry, which received $387,200 in funding to purchase four all-wheel-drive vans to offer free transportation for workers from nearby towns to the ski resort. Further, in partnership with the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, these vans will also offer transportation to workers at other area businesses in addition to Sunday River. A fifth electric van will help transport Sunday River workers residing in employer-provided housing.
“With two open jobs for every unemployed job seeker in Maine, employers are working with state agencies and others to develop innovative ways to support and expand their workforce,” said Laura Fortman, commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor. “These grants are a strategic effort to help employers reduce barriers to employment, such as a lack of reliable transportation, that prevent qualified individuals from connecting with quality jobs.”
