Golden Spends Busy District Work Period with Small Businesses in Franklin, Penobscot, Androscoggin Counties

Press Release

Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) used his district work period last week to meet with constituents in Bangor, Lisbon Falls, and Rangeley, holding roundtables with local small businesses, hearing from Mainers helping their fellow community members recover from substance use disorder, and celebrating the opening of a new small business in Lisbon Falls.

Golden met with two Bangor organizations providing recovery services and support to people suffering from substance misuse and mental health issues. At the Together Place, Golden met with staff and volunteers to learn more about their work to provide a safe and welcoming peer-run recovery center. Later in the day, he visited the Bangor Area Recovery Network (BARN). Golden spoke with members of BARN's leadership to discuss their initiatives to make recovery more visible in the community.

Golden also hosted a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) roundtable at the Eastern Maine Development Corporation in Bangor. Joined by more than a dozen local small businesses, the group discussed resources available through Maine SBDCs, how to bring their services to more small businesses in the state, and other ways to improve the program. The congressman also heard from the attendees about the challenges of contracting with the federal government, and ways to ensure that small businesses aren't unfairly excluded from contracts.

Golden also joined Lisbon Falls community members to celebrate the grand opening of Brewer's Barber Co. on Wednesday evening. The congressman congratulated the owners of the new small business and talked with them about their plans for the operation.

Later in the week, Golden visited Rangeley to meet with local officials, small business owners, and other community leaders and discuss solutions for economic and workforce development, improving health care and wellness in the area, and preparations for the reopening of Saddleback Mountain.

The congressman started his day in Rangeley with a tour of Saddleback Mountain, which will reopen in 2020 under new ownership. Golden met with Saddleback employees to learn more about their plans for improvements to the mountain, potential expansion and development opportunities, and the economic impact of reopening the ski resort. The group also discussed the importance of businesses like Saddleback being good members of the broader Rangeley community.

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