Spring has been dragging its heels this year, but it appears we have finally turned the corner. For most of us, it can’t come soon enough.

Aside from the physical discomfort, winter is a low-income season for many in Mid-coast Maine.

Members of Main Street Bath’s Economic Restructuring committee recently reviewed a month-to-month graph of annual sales tax figures for the region, tracked over the past 10 years. The graph clearly depicted what we already intuitively knew: Sales go up in spring, peak in summer, drop in the fall, see a second peak in December, then plummet in January, February and March.

While in the depths of winter, it was at least heartening to see proof in the recurring pattern that business can be expected to pick up in the spring, when it finally arrives.

The pattern also clearly demonstrates the significant role tourism plays in our local economy, and the importance of maintaining the assets of natural beauty and quality of place that not only enrich our lives, but also our pocketbooks as they draw visitors to the region.

Still, there is no question it would be more comfortable for everyone if the peaks and valleys of the Mid-coast economic calendar could be leveled out a bit.

The Midcoast Economic Development District has the task of finding ways to improve the overall economy of the Midcoast. To this end, in 2012 it assembled a team of business and community leaders from our area as participants in a new statewide initiative to “Mobilize Maine” through assetbased economic development.

The theory behind Mobilize Maine: The fastest way to improve Maine’s economy is to develop existing assets as opportunities for growth; and that the diversity of our state discourages a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development, which is better done regionally as components of a comprehensive statewide strategy.

Phase I of Mobilize Maine was an asset-mapping process to identify regional resources and opportunities for growth, and to develop immediate goals for the Mid-coast area.

Identified as key goals: the growth of Maine’s young adult population to maintain workforce vitality; an increase in jobs and salaries; growth in entrepreneurship and economic innovation; reduced vacancies in downtown districts; and strong growth in tourism and business investment.

Improvements in each of these sectors would support the others as, for example, studies show it’s not only good jobs — but also amenities such as walkable downtowns and access to a healthy lifestyle — that attract the young families so critical to the health of a community.

Existing assets identified as opportunities to help reach these goals were distilled into four categories: food, farming and fishing resources; a talent pool of highly skilled workers and retirees; natural and cultural assets; manufacturing and technology centers.

As I participated in this process, I compared Bath’s assets to those identified for the region, to see how we well we are taking advantage of our opportunities.

It’s been approximately 35 years since the city of Bath formally identified its historic downtown district and heritage as key assets. So, in some respects, we have a head start on the Mobilize process. In the past few decades, Bath has leveraged its historic architecture to reinvigorate the downtown as a commercial district.

Bath’s shipbuilding heritage has been the foundation for the Maine Maritime Museum’s expansion into a world-class facility that attracts thousands of visitors to the City of Ships each year. Establishment of a visitors center adjacent to the downtown has helped many discover the charm of Bath’s downtown district.

Bath Iron Works has built on its reputation for excellence and efficiency to remain competitive, and continues to be a major provider of high-quality jobs for the region.

In recent years, the Bath Farmers Market has grown in size and committed to a yearround presence on the downtown waterfront, adding to the district’s draw as a shopping destination.

So while Bath still suffers from that seasonal swing, we appear to be in a good position to build on our strengths.

It is also good news for Bath and the region to have a new Main Street community in Brunswick joining Bath, Rockland and Belfast in support of downtown revitalization.

It is exciting to read about projects such as the food hub planned for the Topsham annex and the focus on bringing and expanding technology companies at Brunswick Landing, and interesting to consider the potential for an alternative energy cluster in Wiscasset.

Of course, potential is nothing without direction.

The Mobilize Maine process has provided a process for identifying opportunities for economic growth that also contributes to quality of life.

Phase II of the project, scheduled for 2013, will develop an achievable and measurable action plan for the region. I look forward to seeing where it leads.

JENNIFER GEIGER is executive director of Main Street Bath.