WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded a total of $3,369,200 in grant funding for new construction developments in Presque Isle and Ellsworth. The City of Presque Isle will receive $1,549,200 to support the consolidation of a business from multiple locations and expansion into one industrial building that will allow medical device manufacturing company Acme Monaco to not only retain but expand jobs in the area. The Jackson Laboratory, based in Bar Harbor, will receive $1,820,00 to support the construction of a state-of-the-art biomedical research facility in Ellsworth.

“Investing in our communities is a boon to Maine’s economy and encourages growth that will provide a foothold for future generations,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “This grant funding will not only support jobs and encourage private investment in Maine, but it also will bolster the medical community as it works to advance research.”

This funding is allocated through the EDA’s Public Works and Economic Adjustment program. According to the EDA, it is expected that Jackson Laboratory project will create approximately 365 jobs and leverage $119 million in private investment. The funding for Presque Isle is expected to create approximately 23 jobs, save 72 jobs, and leverage $611,800 in private investment.

Acme Monaco specializes in the manufacturing of orthodontic archwires, medical guidewires and other medical equipment and has two factories in Presque Isle. The EDA grant will allow the consolidation of their two locations, potentially opening space in the existing buildings for new businesses in the area.  

Jackson Laboratory is an independent non-profit research institution that works to better understand genetics and genomics and advance medical discoveries to improve human health.

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