|
About LEAD
Forging A Path To The Future LEAD, Inc., a non-profit corporation, was established in 1986 for the purpose of fostering and encouraging the balanced development of Aroostook County, which includes:
Early History
Balanced Economic Development Not long after the formation of the group, LEAD funded a study that identified some of the constraints of doing business in Aroostook County. One of the items was identified as a constraint was the existing transportation infrastructure. So, LEAD set a course to see what could be done to improve the transportation system to, from and within northern Maine. Recently, LEAD has played a role in several noteworthy transportation initiatives, including the improvements to Route 11 and the effort to extend Interstate 95. In addition to transportation, LEAD is also very active in other areas. During the period that the Bald Mountain mining efforts were active, LEAD took a very active role helping to craft legislation addressing the needs and issues surrounding a mining operation of that magnitude - something that had never been done. Membership
If you are interested in becoming a member, please e-mail us. Partnerships Working partnerships and alliances have been formed with a number of groups and organizations. For example, a quasi-public entity, The Maine Foundation, was formed from a group of individuals from Cumberland County. The group was brought together with LEAD to encourage awareness of each region of the state. Many issuess have been shared between the groups. For example, transportation issues in southern Maine have gained the support of LEAD and vice versa. Aroostook Day at the Legislature This day was initiated in 1989 by LEAD. Members of LEAD as well as Aroostook businesses display exhibits promoting Aroostook County in Augusta. |
LEAD was organized by a group of community leaders willing to
commit their valuable time to improve the future of Aroostook
County. Today, LEAD is proud to celebrate over a decade of achievement
with the continued support of individuals and businesses. 
One of LEAD's first goals was the improvement
of the County's image. The original group proceeded to develop
a logo which would be clearly
identifiable throughout the State of Maine. That effort lead
to The County becoming known as "The Crown of Maine" signified by the blue
and green image shown on the right. Since then, many people have used
that logo for a variety of purposes and it really has helped show everyone
that there are some "jewels" in the Crown of Maine. 
LEAD is a volunteer organization with a board of directors that is elected
by the members. While the original by-laws limited the membership to less
than 100, it has since grown to a membership of about 140 today, with
representatives from every major industry and all areas of Aroostook County.
Members of the board of directors are elected by the membership to provide
a broad mix of different business sectors and towns. The board meets on
a monthly basis in different areas of the county.
