At the 2020 Katahdin Summit in Millinocket, Maine, from left to right: Matthew Polstein, CEO of New England Outdoor Center, Lee Khan, founder and Renewable Energy Permitting Strategist for Permitting Partners, and Marina Bowie, Executive Director of Biobased Maine.

Biobased Maine has been busy throughout the winter months promoting Maine’s bioeconomy to investors close to home and nationwide, and we plan to ramp up our promotion to a national and international audience as winter turns to spring.

In December, Biobased Maine took part in the Rural Maine Opportunity Zones Convening in Bangor.

Hosted by the Maine Development Foundation, Coastal Enterprises Institute (CEI), and the Rural Opportunity Initiative at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, the gathering invited Maine’s directors of economic development, investors, bankers, officials from state and federal government, and University of Maine representatives to address the investment opportunity in developing Maine’s forest products industry through innovative forest products, especially in utilizing the unique assets in Maine’s 32 Opportunity Zones.

Biobased Maine participated in a robust panel discussion promoting opportunities for Maine’s large and diverse biomass feedstock, alongside representatives from the Maine Governor’s Energy Office, the Office of Outdoor Recreation, and the University of Maine.

And just last month, Biobased Maine attended the 2020 Katahdin Summit, a “unique gathering of critical thinkers and ‘doers’ who have the ability to create a new model of vitality for rural Maine,” at the New England Outdoor Center in Millinocket, Maine. There, we snowshoed our way into networking discussions, and heard from Katahdin leaders, industry stakeholders, and technology developers about their hopes for the region, and shared insight into opportunities to create jobs and innovative, climate-friendly products with the region’s existing infrastructure.

Next month, Biobased Maine will travel with state officials and the University of Maine to the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference in D.C, the not-to-be-missed national annual gathering of biobased industry investors and innovators, and we’ll also attend the World Bio Markets Conference in Amsterdam later this year, where we’ll market Maine’s assets for investment to international leaders in the growing global bioeconomy.

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