Thu, 10/23/2014 - 2:00pm

ROCKLAND — The City of Rockland reports that it continues to see new and expanding business in its municipality this year.

“I am not sure when it is a ‘trend,’” said Community Development Director, John Holden, in an Oct. 23 news release. “But there has certainly been a noticeable number of inquiries looking for business space, announcements of existing companies expanding, and other positive news from our business community over the past six to nine months.”

The city cited a number of growing businesses:

1) Kate McAleer, owner of Bixby & Co., started her chocolate bar business in December 2011 and has increased its presence in Whole Foods Market from 28 stores to more than 200. By next year, Bixby chocolate bars will be in more than 500 stores across much of the country.

2) Shannon Kinney, client success officer of Dream Local Digital was on last year’s Mainebiz Women to Watch List and this July was named ‘Local Digital Innovator,’ by the Local Media Association, which recognizes the best and most innovative organizations and people in the local media industry, globally. Dream Local Digital recently announcing hiring Edward Gaug as a senior marketing strategist.

3) New stores on Main Street include Motifs, which is opening its second store in Maine and is branching out from its existing location on Exchange Street in Portland. It will be at 415 Main Street and offer a mix of gifts, home accessories, curiosities, cards, and women’s clothes.

4) Plans are still progressing for the opening of Main Street Markets, which will offer local meats, seafood, produce, dairy, jams, syrups and other Maine made food. Plans also include a salad, juice and smoothie bar & café. (See PenBayPilot.com’s story, A peak inside Main Street Markets.

5) Journey’s End Marina has begun work on building a new boat house on its property at the end of Tillson Ave., where it will expand its capacity to hold and finish off work on large boats. See Making way for a evolving maritime economy on Rockland’s waterfront.

6) Over this past year, Brio Promotions has consolidated its relocation and expansion by combining J & B Printers, a 30-year-old screen printing business, and Camden Custom Embroidery, an 18-year-old apparel embroidery business. Brio provides screen printing, embroidery, offset printing, and a wide range of promotional items. Brio is now in its own building in the Rockland Industrial Park, has created five new positions and has plans for an additional four in 2015.

7) Across the road from Brio, North End Composites, builder of Back Cove Yachts, continues to expand. North End Composites has hired more than 25 new employees in 2014 alone, and will be building the brand new Sabre 66 in its Rockland Industrial Park facility. This boat, the largest Sabre Yachts model, will be commissioned and launched at Journey’s End Marina in Rockland Harbor.

Holden said in his release that there are other stories of existing company expansions or investments happening almost weekly in Rockland. The City works with companies to identify investment opportunities, market the City as a place for new and expanding business, and lower impediments to business expansion.