Maine made hospitality: rural jobs with lasting impact - coastal enterprises, INC. (CEI) will use $800,000 in CED funds to support their maine made hospitality: rural jobs with a lasting impact…

The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded Coastal Enterprises, Inc. $800,000 on September 30, 2025, under the Community Services Block Grant Discretionary Awards program (CFDA 93.570), specifically through the Community Economic Development (CED) funding opportunity.

Coastal Enterprises will deploy the funds to provide a loan to Rangeley Lodge, a hospitality business in Rangeley, Franklin County, Maine, supporting the renovation and reopening of a recently closed hotel. Beyond the loan, Coastal Enterprises will deliver ongoing technical assistance and oversight to Rangeley Lodge, including business development support, job advertising, and career advancement opportunities for employees. The project will create 29 new jobs, 22 of which will be filled by individuals with low income, with starting wages 23 percent above the state minimum wage, full benefits, and promotion and wage increase opportunities.

Coastal Enterprises will coordinate with Maine Department of Labor, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act partners, CareerCenter, and Maine Apprenticeship Program staff to enhance recruiting. After hiring, Coastal Enterprises will provide work-ready and skill-based training, transportation, financial wellness coaching, and wraparound supportive services to new employees. The award targets Franklin County, which carries a poverty rate of 11.8 percent, 9.3 percentage points higher than the statewide average.

The period of performance runs through September 29, 2028. Work is performed in Maine.

Maine made hospitality: rural jobs with lasting impact - coastal enterprises, INC. (CEI) will use $800,000 in CED funds to support their maine made hospitality: rural jobs with a lasting impact project by making a loan to the rangeley lodge in franklin county, maine. The poverty rate of franklin county is 11.8%, which is 9.3% higher than the statewide average. CEI will use CED funds to provide a loan to rangeley lodge, a small INN located in rangeley, a picturesque town in franklin county, to create jobs in the hospitality industry while providing hard to find accommodations for tourists to help stimulate the local economy. The loan will provide access to capital to support the renovation and reopening of a recently closed hotel into the rangeley lodge. In addition to the loan, CEI will provide ongoing technical assistance and oversight to rangeley lodge, supporting the organization and its employees with business development, job advertising, and the delivery of career advancing opportunities. The opening of rangeley lodge will create jobs for maine residents with starting wages 23% above the state minimum wage while offering full benefits and opportunities for promotions and wage increases. CEI will coordinate with workforce development and job creation programs such as maine department of labor (mdol) to enhance its recruiting efforts by connecting local jobseekers to the jobs at rangeley lodge and related small businesses in partnership with local workforce innovation and opportunity act (wioa) partners, careercenter, and maine apprenticeship program staff. After hiring, CEI will provide work-ready and skill-based training, transportation, financial wellness coaching, and other wraparound supportive services to new employees. This project will create 29 new jobs, 22 of which will be filled by individuals with low income.