Machias meeting offers development resources

MACHIAS – The Sunrise County Economic Council, in cooperation with the Maine Technology Institute, Small Enterprise Growth Board, Finance Authority of Maine and Coastal Enterprises Inc., will present a program Tuesday about growth capital for companies and about financing and support for research and development of a new product.

The program will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, at Carter’s Banquet Center in Machias. Light refreshments will follow. Space is limited, so call 255-0983 no later than Monday, May 6, or send an e-mail to: scec@sunrisecounty.org.

A panel of specialists will be on hand to describe programs and funds available to the region. Panelists will include: Janet Yancey-Wrona, director and president of the Maine Technology Institute; Mark Butterfield, senior loan officer at FAME; John Burns, fund manager for the Small Enterprise Growth Fund, an $8 million state-sponsored venture capital fund; Michael Gurau, president of the CEI Community Ventures fund; and Mark Kaplan, vice president of CEI Ventures Inc., manager of two socially responsible, community development venture capital funds of more than $20 million.