A representative of Coastal Enterprises Inc. attended the Wiscasset selectmen’s meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the relocation of the nonprofit’s headquarters from Wiscasset to Brunswick.
CEI plans to consolidate its Portland and Wiscasset offices in Brunswick sometime late next summer, Stephen Cole told the selectmen.
“We are looking forward to having all our programs under one roof,” Cole said. The company recently closed on a property on Federal Street in Brunswick and plans to build a 20,000-square-foot office building.
“This doesn’t mean CEI is leaving Wiscasset completely,” Cole said. “We will maintain a small office for two staffers, and a place for our counselors to stop when traveling through the area.”
CEI owns three properties on Water Street in Wiscasset: the former Haggett’s Garage, the Port Wiscasset building, and the building next to Port Wiscasset.
Cole said the company plans to put its buildings on the market, and if possible, to rent a space in one of the buildings for their Wiscasset staff.
CEI employs between 40-50 people in Wiscasset. “It was a difficult decision for CEI to leave Wiscasset,” Cole said. “However, it may offer other opportunities for the community.”
Selectman Jefferson Slack told Cole, “We thank you for all the years CEI has been in Wiscasset.”
CEI was founded in 1977 by its current President Ron Philips. It is a nonprofit community development corporation.
