Most local residents already know that the Biddeford-Saco area is quickly becoming a destination for innovative dining, entertainment and cultural opportunities.
People continue to flock to our region for our diverse and award-winning restaurants; our inviting microbreweries and distilleries; our thriving theater, entertainment and arts scene; and our energetic and entrepreneurial community spirit, especially embodied in our growing downtown districts. Not to mention the world-class beaches nearby.
But not everyone is aware that the Biddeford-Saco area is also a hub for world-class business innovation in Maine. We have a local company that makes advanced components for NASA, while another recently won a prestigious national award for fashion design, to cite just two examples.
More generally, numerous companies in Biddeford and Saco are leveraging innovation to compete successfully on both a national and international basis.
To compete effectively in our economy, companies have to give their customers what they want. Needs and tastes change over time, so businesses need to continuously evaluate what they are doing and how they are doing it to stay relevant.
A company culture that embraces innovation, be it in product development, new processes, new technologies and techniques or even just evolutions in communications or organizational structure – is crucial for a business to grow and prosper over time.
In Biddeford and Saco, here are five specific examples of companies and organizations that are on the cutting edge of innovation, which has helped make them national leaders in their specific fields and industries.
Ready Seafood is building a new facility in Saco to keep up with the growing demand for their lobster products. Investments in advanced high-pressure processing equipment have yielded significant yield increases in processing lobster meat compared to traditional picking methods. The company also has an innovative approach for building and developing their workforce which helps them compete effectively.
Sterling Rope in Biddeford is a world-class manufacturer of ropes for performance and safety, for applications such as mountain climbing and firefighting. Their engineers are constantly fine-tuning and expanding their product line through advanced design work, testing, and feedback from their customers.
Ocean’s Balance is a recent start-up based in the Mill in Biddeford, on a mission to create delicious and sustainable food products from Maine-grown seaweed. They are innovative in areas such as product development, marketing and business strategy. But innovation is not just a must for product-based companies; service and people-oriented businesses need to think and act creatively as well.
Saco Sport & Fitness started as a racquetball club 25 years ago, and they have continuously evolved over the years to keep delivering world-class fitness solutions for their members.
Non-profit organizations also benefit when they innovate; for example, Engine, the local arts-based non-profit in Biddeford, constantly fine-tunes their offerings and experiments with their programming to propel the local arts community forward.
Lots of great things are happening in Biddeford and Saco lately – including commercial and industrial innovation that is helping to drive our regional economy to new heights.
On April 8, representatives from these five companies and organizations noted above will be speaking about their focus on innovation, and how it helps drive ongoing success for their business. The Business Innovation Get-Together (B.I.G.) Event & Business Expo starts at 4 p.m. at the City Theater.
If you are interested to learn more about these world-class innovators who live and work in our region, please plan to attend. More information can be found at www.biddefordsacochamber.org.
Jim LaBelle is the Executive Director of the Biddeford & Saco Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
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