Mayor Marty Grohman poses with Biddeford’s new director of economic and community development, George Gervais Courtesy photo/City of Biddeford
BIDDEFORD — George Gervais was confirmed as Biddeford’s new director of community and economic development by City Council on Jan. 16. He will assume his duties on Feb. 12.
Gervais was nominated by City Manager James Bennett, who called Gervais a strong fit for the city, citing his experience working for the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and in the private sector. “I don’t think we could have done much better in terms of the hiring process,” said Bennett.
Gervais told the Biddeford Courier on Jan. 18 that it was actually he who reached out to Bennett about the role when he learned the city was hiring.
Gervais is replacing Gegory Mitchell, who served as the city’s director of planning and development between June 2022 and August 2023, but continued working with the city into fall 2023 on a contract basis to finish up some projects. Gervais is assuming a role with a slightly different title, but will serve the city in essentially the same capacity, according to Assistant to the City Manager Danica Lamontagne.
Gervais began his professional career as a business owner and entrepreneur in the 1990s. Starting in 2008, Gervais spent a decade working for the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, first as business development and legislative director, and eventually becoming the agency’s commissioner in 2011. He was appointed to the position by then-Governor Paul LePage and was the longest-serving commissioner in the state’s history. He left the role in 2018.
Republican Governor LePage, a fiscal conservative and foe of organized labor, made improving the business climate in Maine a key plank of his governorship. As head of DECD, Gervais oversaw programs like the Red Tape Hotline, a resource for business people trying to navigate state bureaucracy, and worked to lower the tax rate for businesses. Gervais was also a defender of the Pine Tree Development Zone program, a controversial tax-break scheme for businesses that was started under former Governor John Elias Baldacci, but continued and expanded under LePage.
In February 2018, LePage nominated Gervais to serve as the head of MaineHousing, the agency that helps low income Mainers access housing through state and federal subsidy programs.
Then-State House Representative Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford, who was also the chair of the Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research, and Economic Development at the time, was one of many Democrats who opposed Gervais’ appointment to the position. Senate Democrats blocked his nomination in March 2018.
Gervais left the DECD in June 2018, and since then, he has been the president of Focus On It, LLC, a consulting firm for other businesses.
“Biddeford’s dynamic community and significant progress are what drew me to this position,” said Gervais, according to a press release sent out by the city. “I’m looking forward to being a part of this team, and part of a city with a rich history and a bright future. I look forward to collaborating with local businesses and community leaders and contributing to the next chapter in Biddeford’s success story.”
When asked on Jan. 18 about what he’s hoping to achieve in the role, he said that he’s looking to be a part of plans to develop the “substantial” and “yet to be put in play” developable land in Biddeford.
He added that Biddeford has done “a lot of really great planning that needs to be guided forward” though declined to name specific projects.
Biddeford has become a hub for commercial and residential development in the last decade — even winning the prestigious Great American Main Street award in 2022 for preservation-based commercial revitalization. In November, entrepreneur and business professional Marty Grohman was elected mayor, after serving as a member of City Council and the State Legislature. He’s widely expected to continue former Mayor Alan Casavant’s focus on business development and growth.
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