UMaine, biobased manufacturing research cited in Mainebiz 2016 NEXT profile
Mainebiz profiled Charlotte Mace, executive director of Biobased Maine, as part of its 2016 NEXT series on the 10 people changing Maine’s economy for the better. Mace is passionate about the emerging biobased manufacturing sector and its potential to create new opportunities for adding value to Maine’s forest resources, according to the article. “Virtually any biobased products you can think of — chemicals, bioplastics, advanced biofuels — they have double-digit annual growth,” Mace said. “Maine deserves some of that market. We have a workforce with a strong work ethic. We have unique transportation assets, including three deep water ports. We have world-class research and development capabilities at the University of Maine and our other colleges. We have an amazing forest asset with the highest percentage of trees that are sustainably harvested in the United States.” Mace’s efforts got a boost this summer when the U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded a $519,930 grant to Biobased Maine as part of a three-year $856,549 project in partnership with UMaine to develop a “road map” to advance biobased manufacturing in the state, according to the article.