J.D. Irving wins international trade award
Officials with the Maine International Trade Center (MITC) have announced the winners of the 2014 International Trade and Investment Awards. The awards will be officially presented during Maine International Trade Day on May 15 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Among this year’s honorees is J.D. Irving, Ltd., owner of the softwood sawmill in Nashville Plantation which will be fully operational this year.
Foreign Direct Investor of the Year honors go to J.D. Irving, Ltd. The Foreign Direct Investor of the Year Award is presented annually to recognize foreign-owned companies that have made a strategic decision to invest in Maine by either opening a plant or enhancing their existing operations here. Last year, J.D. Irving, Ltd., a family-owned company based in the Maritime region of eastern Canada, announced a $30 million investment to upgrade and add equipment to a softwood sawmill in Nashville Plantation, north of Ashland off Route 11, expected to create 50 jobs during the construction phase and 60 full-time jobs once in operation in spring 2014. Overall on the forest products side, the company employs nearly 400 people in Maine, and Irving Oil operates over 150 fuel distribution centers and gas stations throughout the state.
Maine International Trade Day is northern New England’s largest annual internationally-focused business event, with approximately 300 attendees from Maine, New England and eastern Canada. The theme for this year’s 34th annual Trade Day is “The New North.” Featured keynote speakers include the Honorable Gary Doer, Ambassador of Canada to the United States, and the Honorable Innuteq Holm Olsen, Minister Plenipotentiary for Greenland, Royal Danish Embassy.
For more information on Maine International Trade Day, visit: www.mitc.com.
