By Tiffany Williams –
Amazon has planted its flag in Maine.
Governor Janet Mills on Thursday cut the ribbon on a new delivery warehouse in Caribou — the company’s first official facility in the state — touting it as a game-changer for northern Maine’s economy.
The site will handle last-mile deliveries within a four-hour drive, reaching as far as Bangor, and promises to speed up shipping while creating new jobs in Aroostook County.
“Aroostook County is close to my heart,” Mills said, recalling her grandparents’ potato farm in Ashland. “I am thrilled to welcome Amazon’s investment into our state. They have picked a great place.”
Patrick Woodcock, head of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, called the project “a signal of confidence in Caribou and a signal of the potential of Maine’s rural economy.”
Mills used the warehouse opening to underscore her administration’s focus on rural development. She spent the day touring the Saint John Valley, meeting with local leaders in Van Buren, Madawaska, and Fort Kent, where she dropped in on businesses, farms, and the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
Stops included Twin Rivers Paper Company — celebrating 100 years of papermaking — and Bouchard Family Farms, a ploye flour producer battling spruce budworm infestations. Mills pointed to budget funding aimed at protecting forests from the pest.
The Caribou visit came a day after Mills broke ground on a $135 million expansion at medical products giant Mölnlycke in Brunswick, part of her new Dirigo Business Incentive Program. State officials say more than 90 businesses have been approved for the program this year, with an estimated $800 million in capital investments planned over the next five years.