By Dan Aceto

StaffWriter

  Once known as a “bedroom community” for the Portland area, Scarborough has since grown into a home for leading medical facilities and diversified businesses.

 “At the time in 1988 when I first started, there were about 400 businesses in Scarborough, most of which were very small. Now there are over 1,500, from people making cookies in their living rooms to biotech research,” said Harvey Rosenfeld, executive director of Scarborough Economic Development Corp., or SEDCO. 

The nonprofit has helped businesses in Scarborough acclimate to the community for the past quarter-century. 

This week the corporation will celebrate its 25^th anniversary with at the Landing at Pine Point with  Gov. Angus King as guest speaker.

The corporation, led by Rosenfeld for the past 21 years, offers a range of free services to new businesses, including information on the area’s demographics and growth, other businesses, land and financial assistance.

Rosenfeld said SEDCO has succeeded in part because it has been an intermediary between businesses and the town provided a level of confidentiality and trust not found in public forums. This year the town authorized $239,000 to support SEDCO’s services.

“I think what’s proven to be most valuable has been our ability to help people through the system,” Rosenfeld said. 

Stan Gawron, principal owner of Gawron Turgeon Architects in Scarborough, said he has worked with Rosenfeld for years and that he deserves more credit for the success of businesses in Scarborough.

Maura Ryan, marketing manager at Gawron Turgeon, said Rosenfeld, “really goes out of his way to help businesses and people. From the very small to the very large.”

Carolyn Brodsky, president of Sterling Rope, ran her business out of Scarborough for seven years until she moved to Biddeford in 2004.

“Harvey was instrumental in bringing our company to Scarborough. We had wanted to move to Maine to make a lifestyle change and were immediately referred to him. Harvey was different in that he took an interest in us and in what we were looking for and showed us all around town. He helped us find our property in the industrial park and even allowed me to use the SEDCO office to help interview people while our business was in transition,” Brodsky said.

Rosenfeld also credits the town for its role in helping shape the economic landscape of Scarborough. 

“The municipal side of Scarborough has always been good with planning,” Rosenfeld said. 

“The town and staff have been very cooperative and I like to think that SEDCO has worked to develop good benefits for the community without being a burden,” he said.

“One of the areas Scarborough has had a lot of success with has been in retail jobs. Cabela’s has done great and I’ve heard it’s one of the nation’s top-selling stores,” Rosenfeld said. 

Rosenfeld said the organization and town have seen many successes, but also have seen their fair share of setbacks.

“Most projects we work on don’t materialize and you can easily spend years working on something that doesn’t pan out. There are always disappointments,” Rosenfeld said.

National Semiconductor in South Portland was interested in the area of land opposite Cabela’s in 2009, however the deal ultimately fell through due to poor economic conditions. 

“The recession is a problem, but there is movement in things,” Rosenfeld said. “With the unemployment rate as high as it is and interest rates low, this is actually a great time for businesses to start projects.” 

Rosenfeld said he wants people to understand the risks associated with starting any business and doesn’t want to see anyone fail in Scarborough. He added endurance and stamina are valuable assets for anyone.

“If businesses have the wherewithal to stand an unknown amount of time, things could prove to be very profitable,” Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld said the town has promising plans for the future and that one of his hopes is attracting more “higher-end” jobs to the community. 

MaineHealth has proved to be an asset to the community and hopes to become even larger after it accomodates NorDx laboratories in the Orion buidling on Route 1. 

Rosenfeld said the 65,000 square-foot Konica building on Route 1, now known as Elevation Center, used to be a photo processing plant and is in the process of being rennovated into high-end office building. One of the first tenants is Coastal Women’s Health Care.

“One of the problems of economic development is not just bringing in tax revenue, but jobs as well. It’s important to keep a broad base of jobs and what we’re looking for are good, long-lasting jobs,” Rosenfeld said. 

Rosenfeld has worked to promote growth in Scarborough by advertising in various college alumni magazines throughout the state, including the University of Maine, Bowdoin and Maine Maritime Academy, in hopes of bringing graduates back to Maine to start businesses.

Although he has not heard any direct feedback yet, Rosenfeld said he plans to be persistent. He also has done work outside Maine with hopes of attracting existing businesses to move here.

But Rosenfeld isn’t just concerned about bringing new businesses to town – he also wants to make sure existing businesses stay in Scarborough. 

“SEDCO is as much about recruitment as it is retention in the community,” Rosenfeld said.

A recent addition to the SEDCO website is an online directory similar to the yellow pages that allows users to access information on local businesses within the area.

Businesses will be able to link directly to SEDCO via their own websites, but those without sites still will be able to list pertinent contact information.

Rosenfeld said he has been in contact with developers about land near Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and Running Hill Road, in addition to parcels of land surrounding Scarborough Downs. 

“There are lots of good areas for development. Scarborough has the lowest tax grade in the greater Portland area,” Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld said any change to the community must be done in a delicate and thoughtful manner. 

“Scarborough has changed and we want to make any change we do carefully. We don’t want to turn the community into something it doesn’t want to be,” he said.

Rosenfeld said he has been approached by other towns that want to start development corporations modeled after SEDCO.

“You know, 25 years is a good point to look ahead and recently I’ve begun to look at the structure of SEDCO and wonder what improvements could be made and how the concept could be applied elsewhere,” Rosenfeld said.

The 25^th anniversary gala will be 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday. SEDCO will honor various companies throughout the community with awards, including Project of the Year, Contributions to the Community, Legacy Business, New Business and Micro Business. 

Staff Writer Dan Aceto can be reach at 282-4337, ext. 237.