Representatives of McDonald’s, Lil’ Mart and First Federal Savings, as well as state legislators, Wiscasset officials and other leaders in local business and politics gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony at Wiscasset Plaza Aug. 6.
Several of those present spoke in a brief ceremony on the Plaza lawn, including Tony El Nemr, President and Founder of Nouria Energy, the parent company of Lil’ Mart and the Wiscasset Car Wash.
“This is our fourth largest project,” El Nemr said. Together, the businesses created nearly 50 new jobs for the town, he said.
Andrew Perry, President of First Federal Savings, said the opening of the Wiscasset branch “was really a natural progression for us.”
First Federal Savings already operates branches in Damariscotta, Boothbay Harbor and Bath, in addition to the main office, also in Bath. “We are unmatched for the service we’ll be able to provide for the financial community in the twin counties of Lincoln and Sagadahoc,” Perry said.
Perry thanked the town and the contractors who built the plaza. “In this economy, to get that work out and provide it to local people… it’s really exciting,” he said.
Wiscasset Town Manager Laurie Smith and Town Planner Jeffrey Hinderliter praised the project in their remarks. “Wiscasset welcomes businesses that do responsible development and this is a perfect example of that,” Smith said.
Hinderliter said he has traveled at length around the world and often thought of McDonald’s as “more of an American icon” than U.S. embassies.
After the ceremony, state legislators Sen. David Trahan (R-Waldoboro), Rep. Jon McKane (R-Newcastle) and Rep. Kerri Prescott (R-Topsham) expressed enthusiasm about the development.
“This is the very thing that we’re looking for,” Prescott said. “Hopefully we’ll see more of it.”
“This is a gem in the middle of a really bad economy,” Trahan said.
McKane, an electrician, touted the jobs created by the development, including the temporary jobs for local contractors. “It’s nice to see some new construction in this area,” he said.
Wiscasset Selectman Ed Polewarczyk, referencing the 2000 book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, said the plaza might be Wiscasset’s tipping point, “the beginning of an era of increased prosperity.”
The development sprang to life quickly after Topsham’s Priority Group, LLC bought the property in Dec. 2009.
In a brief interview before the ceremony, Priority Group President Jim Howard said the design of the plaza – customers can walk from McDonald’s into Lil’ Mart without leaving the building, or stroll just a few feet outside to enter the adjoining bank – makes for “more efficient” land use.
“It’s more convenient,” Howard said. “They complement each other well.” Priority Group has plans for eight similar projects in Rockland, Sanford, Winslow, Hollis and Bellingham, Mass.
Howard declined to name the other three locations as negotiations are ongoing to purchase the properties. Not all of the plazas will appear exactly the same. At some, Tim Horton’s or Dunkin’ Donuts will replace McDonald’s, and sometimes the banks will stand separately from the stores.
According to a statement from Howard, “[Priority Group wants] to build our relationship with successful international, national and Maine-based businesses… Private investment by businesses small and large will contribute to turning the economy around.”
According to the statement, the company is “excited about our partnership with Wiscasset and the opportunity to create new jobs in the region.”
In a July 22 interview with The Lincoln County News, Joe Breisacher, the owner of the McDonald’s franchise, said his newest location benefits from the setup. The relentless summertime traffic along Rt. 1 helps, too, but many customers stop in “just because it’s McDonald’s,” he said.
Breisacher, with his wife, Joan, also owns franchises in Bath and at Cook’s Corner in Brunswick. The arrangement in Wiscasset, which Breisacher calls an “oil alliance,” is only the second of its kind in the state, he said.
Business is good, Breisacher said. “People are excited that we’re here,” he said. In 1991, when the Breisachers bought their first franchise, “people were telling us they’d like to see us in Wiscasset,” he said.
The Wiscasset McDonald’s, the chain’s 61st location in the state, employs 30-35 people for about 850 man hours each week, Breisacher said. Although Breisacher brought some managers from his other restaurants, “all the crew people are from [Wiscasset],” he said.
“We were getting applications as soon as May,” he said. Even now, “we get at least one a day,” he said. Many of Breisacher’s employees are high school students. “They’re sharp kids,” he said.
McDonald’s chooses the sites for each of the corporation’s more than 31,000 restaurants, Breisacher said, and when the company decided to expand to Wiscasset, Breisacher, a McDonald’s man for most of his life, stepped in.
Breisacher still puts in five to six days a week at his three restaurants, working in every facet of the business – from french fries to administration.
“I started out as a crew kid in 1968,” he said, in a McDonald’s in Toledo, Ohio. He met his wife at McDonald’s and worked for the corporation before buying a franchise in Maine. While some might consider the hot, greasy, often manic environment of a McDonald’s unappealing, Breisacher said he enjoys his work.
“It’s been fun,” he said.
Wiscasset Plaza held a grand opening celebration Saturday, August 7 with prizes including HDTVs, a kayak and 100 gallons of heating oil. Plaza businesses also offered specials, including free car washes, and provided “games and fun for kids.”
