FARMINGTON – Greater Franklin Development Council is pleased to announce that the GFDC board of directors elected Robert L. Berry III as the new board chair. Berry, who is the president & CEO of Main-Land Development Consultants in Livermore Falls, succeeds Mary Howes, who had served as the board chair since 2016 and served on the GFDC board for 11 years.
Additionally, the GFDC board of directors elected Tom Hildreth as the new board vice chair and Robyn Raymond as the new board secretary. Hildreth is the former owner of Carrabassett Coffee, and Raymond is the director of Spruce Mountain Adult and Community Education. Tim Thompson, president & CEO of Franklin Savings Bank, was re-elected as board treasurer.
“I have enjoyed my time on the GFDC board,” Howes said. “I believe in the goal of improving the economic well-being of our community, as well as sharing our quality of life, which can attract new businesses and entrepreneurs to our region. GFDC is an important partner to everyone in the greater Franklin County region.”
“I’m honored to be the next Chairman of the Greater Franklin Development Council. My predecessors are wise, great leaders. I cannot possibly match their skill. But I’ll do my best, with help from our volunteer board and dedicated staff,” Berry said. “We strive to see our community thrive. We believe economic prosperity is the right tool. All of our efforts are focused on supporting a vibrant economy where opportunities abound.”
“Unlike many other areas of Maine, Franklin County and her towns have no economic development departments. The GFDC has long filled this crucial role, providing advocacy, promotion, and collaboration to existing businesses in our area and to attract entrepreneurs from away. We’re studying our community priorities so we can better help develop prosperity. And the GFDC provides a central organization to collaborate with the chambers and other organizations scattered throughout the Greater Franklin County area,” Berry said.
“These last three years have been a productive time for our economic and community development efforts in Franklin County. Our engagement throughout the county has resulted in undertaking what will become foundational initiatives around broadband access for our entire region, deliverables on workforce development that benefit both businesses and employees, marketing our region as a tourism destination, as well as our downtown revitalization work,” GFDC Executive Director Charlie Woodworth said. “These impactful initiatives would not get off the ground without the vision and support of our board. Our outgoing Chair Mary Howes has given us 11 years of service and has been instrumental in this work. We are grateful for her extraordinary commitment. As we transition to our new slate of officers we are very pleased to be led by Bob Berry as our chair, Tom Hildreth as vice chair, Tim Thompson as treasurer and Robyn Raymond as secretary. Rounding out our leadership team are fellow board members Rhonda Irish of Wilton, Kat Carlson of Avon and Edward Serna of Farmington. We are poised to effect positive results for our communities in the coming year.”
If the public wishes to learn more about GFDC’s work, they can visit the organization’s website at: www.greaterfranklin.com
