MEREDA’s Morning Menu Breakfast Event – MEREDA Welcomes Heather Johnson, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development

June 19, 2019 – 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.

Holiday Inn by the Bay
88 Spring Street
Portland, ME

Download the Event Brochure

About the Event:

Buffet Breakfast: 7:30-8:00 am
Program: 8:00-9:00 am

The Department of Economic & Community Development’s broad mission is to help communities and businesses prosper through a variety of programs providing everything from targeted tax relief to community block grants to tourism marketing. DECD and its partners show companies how to benefit from millions of dollars in tax credits, reimbursements, R & D credits, capital loans, even direct investment.

Join us on June 19th at the Holiday Inn By the Bay to hear about the Commissioner’s first few months in office, and learn about what she sees as opportunities and threats for Maine’s economy, and what may come out of the legislative session to advance the economy.  We’ll also learn what Maine is doing to be competitive and what programs DECD uses to assist development together with specific success stories.

Following her formal remarks, Commissioner Johnson will welcome questions from the audience.

Our Presenter:

Heather Johnson grew up in Skowhegan and graduated from the University of Maine. She began her career by building a diverse background in the private technology sector including sales, operations and general management roles at Nokia, Gateway and Toshiba. With continually expanding roles she created startup operations inside large companies, developed new products for new markets, and ran a $1.2 billion retail business.

After leaving the private sector, Heather had the opportunity to concentrate on rural economic development at Somerset Economic Development Corporation. During her time as the Executive Director she focused on key economic drivers such as; connectivity, workforce participation, and potential growth markets.

While serving as the Director of ConnectME Heather was responsible for managing a small grant program, mapping key assets, working with communities and businesses to help them identify needs and opportunities to utilize connectivity to enable their goals. Heather was able to able to make changes that positions the ConnectME to move forward into the connectivity space.

As Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development Heather continues to dedicate her career to fostering economic development, both in private companies and in rural
communities across Maine.

Registering for this Event:

Your RSVP is requested by June 12, 2019. Payment is expected at the time of registration. No refunds will be granted  to anyone who registers, but fails to attend or who cancels after June 12, 2019.

Ticket Prices:

Members: $45 each | Non-Members: $55 ea
Prices increase by $10 after June 12, 2019