Portland Development Corporation awards grants, elects officers

The Portland Development Corporation board approved job creation grants to several local businesses, accepted its annual report, and elected new officers at its annual meeting on September 17, 2026. The board also set October 5, 2026 as the date for its annual meeting with the city council and approved a slate of business award recipients for a December 3 event.

Key points

• The board approved $10,000 grants to Casco Bay Cleaning, Arcana, Bad Neighbors, Polish Salute, and Water Lily, and a $10,000 grant with conditions to Wild Card.
• The board approved a $20,000 grant to Feast 243 Restaurant and Sawyers Butcher and Deli, and voted not to approve grants to Collinbrook and Top Care.
• The board accepted the draft FY2026 annual report, which noted the PDC has lent over $18 million since 1991, leveraging over $350 million and supporting 231 local businesses, with a 4.1% default rate.
• The board elected Beverly Werber as president, Nate Henry as secretary, and Sam Dargan as treasurer, and appointed interim housing and economic development director Patricia Finnegan as assistant secretary.
• The board approved a slate of award recipients for its December 3 event: Unum for the Legacy Award, Cultivating Community as PDC Client of the Year, Holy Donut as Business of the Year, Big Sky Bread Company as Small Business of the Year, and Garbage to Garden for economic development achievement.
• Staff reported on the Vacant Storefront Initiative, noting 25 pieces of art installed in vacant storefronts and five approved interest-free storefront loans totaling $83,000.

Next steps

• The annual report will be sent to the city council for consideration.
• The board set October 5, 2026 as the date for its annual meeting with the city council.
• The city council is expected to vote on accepting and appropriating the next tranche of Brownfields funds at its September 21 meeting, with more grant and loan recommendations expected afterward.
• The next regular PDC meeting is scheduled for October 15, 2026.

Read the full transcript