"There is something so special in the early leaves drifting from the trees-- as if we are all to be allowed a chance to peel, to refresh, to start again." | | Most of you all know and love the Portland-based company, Sea Bags, but did you know their manufacturing facility is right here in South Portland? What started off as one store has since grown to over 35, and every single bag in each of those stores was made in their manufacturing facility in SoPo. They moved into their current warehouse on Cash St. roughly seven years ago and have since found space for every single step of the bag making process, from sail cutting and design, to bag sewing and quality control. In the busy months around the holidays, their facility ships out over 1,000 pieces per day! We love having their facility in SoPo not only because of their sustainable practices and cool bags, but because they employ roughly 75 full and part-time employees. So this holiday season when thinking of what to gift someone, consider a locally-made, sustainable bag! | | |
Address: 174 Cash St. South Portland, ME 04106
| | Congrats New, Expanded or Relocated Businesses! | | | | |
29 Western Ave STE 4
Mullon Essentials is a place that combines organic, natural skin and personal care products for men and women as well as popular Korean skincare products. They also have organic foods and drinks and eco-friendly and sustainable home essentials. Their mission is to inspire healthier lifestyles through thoughtfully curated organic, natural, and sustainable products.
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Rudder Industries
501 Madison St.
Rudder Industries builds autonomous marine hardware for contested littoral and harbor environments. Their goal is to be a best in class next-gen defense contractor with a vertically integrated team of marine engineers, captains, Marine Corps veterans, and production engineers operating out of Portland, Maine. Theirr technology portfolio is designed to be built at commercial speed and cost, hardened to defense standards, and MOSA-aligned from day one.
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Uncharted
517 Maine Mall Rd.
Uncharted, formerly the paper store, opened their new storefront at 517 Maine Mall Rd. on September 26. You'll find much of what you loved about The Paper Store: The same familiar faces, the same neighborhood, and all your favorite brands (plus some new ones!). But now they have more space! Head over to the mall now to check them out, or join them for their grand opening event on October 24.
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100 Westbrook St.
Ready Set Grow is an early childhood center where child-led exploration and outdoor learning meet. Their philosophy is rooted in the belief that children learn best through meaningful experiences, hands-on exploration, and strong relationships with the world around them. Their program serves kids from 6 wees old to elementary age.
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9 Donald B Dean Dr.
Skills For Life, a special education preschool, is slated to open this fall. Founders and Educators, Nicole Heal and Ashley St. John, have leased 10,000 square feet in the John Roberts Road Office Park. The school will have the space to serve 36 children ages three-five. The program will be year round and will aim to teach children the essential communication, social, adaptive, and school readiness skills that they will need in kindergarten and beyond.
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Il Forno
333 Clarks Pond Pkwy
Sai Guntaka, owner of Taj Indian Cuisine and Cobblestone Coffee is opening an Italian restaurant in the same plaza with business partner, Jim Baldi. The menu will offer handmade pasta dishes, brick-oven pizzas, and classic entrees. They aim to be open for both lunch and dinner starting mid-October.
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581 Broadway
At Back in Motion, you can expect evidence-based physical therapy in a welcoming, community-centered environment. We combine traditional therapy with advanced technology for customized treatment plans. Each visit offers hands-on care, active rehabilitation, and measurable progress toward your goals.
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Pop Mart
364 Maine Mall
Pop Mart plans to open its first Maine location in the Maine Mall within the next few weeks. They are known for their designer toys and pop culture collectibles.
| | | Business Energy Management Session 1 Recap | |
Last month we held the first of our three-part series on energy management for South Portland businesses.
This session was facilitated by Economic Development Committee member, Ryan Hamilton, and had a panel comprised of Geoff Sparrow of Sparrow Consulting, Sam Milton from Climate Resources Group, and Emily Wood from Coastal Enterprises Inc. The audience goal was to gain a better understanding of drivers of energy costs and discover funding opportunities and incentives to reduce bills.
The next session will take place virtually on October 21 from 12:00-1:30 pm. The audience goal of this session will be to learn about developing an energy management plan, how to identify the best opportunities for savings and the best approaches for deployment. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the financial and non-energy benefits of energy efficiency upgrades and how to leverage strategies such as; behavioral approaches, decarbonization, load flexibility, on-site generation and energy storage for businesses. Presenters will demystify the process by sharing actual case studies at different stages from just starting to in-progress to completed with outcomes.
Whether you attended Session One or not, we would love to have you attend Sessions Two and Three! Register for Session Two and head to our YouTube to see the recording of Session One!
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A huge thank you to Streetwich for catering session one of the Business Energy Management Series! They are located at 145 Ocean St. in Knightville.
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Oct 7, 7:30-10:30 AM, 200 Sable Oaks Dr.
Six of Maine’s top leaders will share their personal stories and 10 ideas that have helped them succeed. This moderated conversation will cover a full range of ideas from managing teams and building your business culture to creating balance.
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Oct 7, 5-7 PM, UNE- Harold Alfond Forum 283, Biddeford ME
The Business of the Blue Economy will feature a panel of four professionals in the field of marine innovation to discuss the intersections of science, education, and entrepreneurship.
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Oct 13, 4:30-6:30 PM, 121 Center St. Portland ME
Join the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce for the debut of Leaders on Tap, a new event series featuring candid conversations with the people shaping Greater Portland’s business community.
Our first guest is Jim Brady, President and Founder of Fathom Companies. Jim has led transformative hospitality, mixed-use, and historic rehabilitation projects throughout New England and beyond.
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Free Energy Management Seminar for SoPo Biz's
The City is hosting the second of a three-part series for South Portland businesses and commercial property owners. Join a panel of energy consulting experts to discuss energy cost management, strategies for improving building and operational performance, and financing options to help with the bottom line for our local business community.
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Registration is required. The seminars will be recorded and made available for those who cannot attend.
Location: Virtual
Time: 12:00 pm-1:30 pm
Dates: October 21
Register here for October 21!
Did you miss the first session? Do you want to catch up before attending Session Two? Here is the link to the Session One recording
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Join the South Portland Chapter of TBD Creations! The goal is to create a welcoming, relationship-focused networking group where local business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs can connect, support one another, and grow meaningful business relationships.
This is a free networking organization with no seat limitations, designed to foster authentic local connections rather than transactional networking.
The South Portland Economic Development Department will be presenting an overview about what our office does and how our work can benefit local businesses at the October 26th meeting, so don't miss it!
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Oct 21, 8:00 AM-5:30 PM, DoubleTree by Portland
This one-day conference brings together over 350+ women looking to solve real-world challenges by offering insights from thought-provoking speakers, expert panels, interactive breakout sessions, peer networking, and collaborative discussions. This year’s theme, Power, Purpose, Possibility, encompasses how our community is made up of women with unique stories, perspectives, and paths — each bringing her own wisdom to the table.
| | | Financial Assistance Programs | | |
Loan Program Spotlight
Kim Nappi, Physical Therapist and owner of Move Forward PT located in Knightville, recently utilized the Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund program to purchase an expensive piece of equipment meant for shockwave therapy. This investment allows her practice to offer an advanced service that enhances client treatment and reaches a wider range of people. With the help of this loan, she is now the only physical therapy office in South Portland to use this shock wave equipment.
This was the first loan from the revamped RLF program. The program supports local economic growth by offering affordable financing to South Portland businesses expanding in key commercial and mixed-use areas.
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Established through a $1,000,000 grant in 2025 and an additional $500,000 in 2026, this program provides low-interest loans or subgrants to our community's property owners to assist with contamination cleanup, helping to redevelop and transform these sites.
To learn more about the program and apply for funding, please reach out to our team directly for information and personal assistance determining your site's eligibility.
** Website ** Email ** Phone: 207.347.4125 **
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The City of South Portland is offering a new tool to help you weigh in on local issues that matter to you! 1 minute a month is all it takes with FlashVote. Sign up in seconds here.
How it works: You'll get mini-surveys throughout the year on a variety of topics. Your feedback is always anonymous, and you can see how you and your neighbors responded in 48 hours. We invite residents, those who work in South Portland, students, and anyone who is part of our community to participate.
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Please reach out to our team at bizsupport@southportland.gov
with any questions or news you'd like to highlight!
| | The content presented in this Newsletter is gathered from a variety of sources and is presented for the information of our readers. The appearance of information in this Newsletter about any item or event should not be interpreted as support or endorsement by the City of South Portland (hereinafter, referred to as the “City”), the elected or appointed officials of the City, City Staff, or any Agents of the City. | | | | |
