Senator Collins Visits Local Businesses in Downtown Skowhegan
Skowhegan, ME – This afternoon, U.S. Senator Susan Collins visited several small businesses in downtown Skowhegan with Main Street Skowhegan, a nonprofit focused on the ongoing revitalization of historic Skowhegan, to meet with small business owners, employees, and local residents. Stops included The Bankery, a custom cakes and pastries bake shop; Crooked Face Creamery, an artisanal cheese shop; and Maine Grains, which sells freshly-milled, organic, and heritage grains sourced from the Northeast.
“During my visit to Skowhegan today, I had wonderful discussions with members of the community. Small business owners and their employees have worked hard to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic and safely provide local residents with food, supplies, and services,” said Senator Collins. “Downtown businesses are the focal point of communities across our state. It was great to hear that the Paycheck Protection Program is providing crucial support to strengthen these small businesses.”
The Paycheck Protection Program has been a tremendous success, providing more than $525 billion in forgivable loans to more than 5.2 million borrowers nationwide since its launch in early April. In Maine, more than 28,000 small businesses and self-employed individuals have received nearly $2.3 billion in forgivable loans, which has helped to support more than 255,000 jobs throughout the state. To support the hardest-hit small employers and their employees, Senators Collins and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced legislation that would allow the hardest hit small businesses to receive a second PPP loan.
Senator Collins has long been a champion of the Historic Tax Credit, a proven tool for revitalizing communities and catalyzing economic development in Maine and across the nation. In 2017, she successfully advocated for the retention of the HTC in the tax reform law. She has also cosponsored the Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity (HTC-GO) Act, legislation that would expand the value of HTC, foster economic growth and urban renewal, and create jobs.
Main Street Skowhegan is a member of Main Street Maine, whose membership also includes Augusta, Bath, Belfast, Biddeford, Brunswick, Gardiner, Rockland, Saco, and Westbrook. Since 2001, Maine’s Main Street programs have provided crucial on-the-ground support for local businesses—attracting more than $2 billion in private investment, creating 15,000 net new jobs and nearly 5,000 net new businesses.
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