1,400-acre mixed-use industrial site actively recruiting tenants
Millinocket, ME. 4/5/2022 – Our Katahdin, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that owns the former Great Northern Paper mill site in Millinocket has rebranded the industrial property as “One North.” The site is being developed to expand the potential of Maine’s bioeconomy by connecting regional working forests to growing global demand for sustainable products. The organization has launched a new website, www.onenorth.net, to market the site to potential tenants.
“For so many of us in the community, it will always be the GNP mill site, but we have realized that to communicate to the world the unique assets we have here in the Katahdin region, we needed a new name and vision for the site,” said Sean DeWitt, President of Our Katahdin. “We are building this brand to last for the next 100 years.”
One North will power new jobs and investments with 100% renewable energy. In June 2021, Our Katahdin announced that Nautilus Data Technologies would be building a data center on the site. The environmentally-friendly data center is expected to be operational in 2023. Other ongoing renewable energy-based projects include a modular hydroelectric test site and a solar farm.
One North, a “renewable energy hub,” has the capacity to provide 126 megawatts of clean, renewable hydropower and an additional 5 megawatts of solar electricity coming online in 2023. Companies operating on the One North site benefit from reduced rate power and advanced electrical infrastructure. The site also has rail, fiber internet, gravity-fed water and is located in the state-designated Pine Tree Zone and federally designated Opportunity Zone, both of which offer financial incentives for investors and job creators.
“There is a reason this site served as one of the world’s largest paper-making sites for over 100 years. We are located on the doorstep of 5.6 million acres of forest land and are close to major US and Canadian markets. There are 52 million people within 500 miles of us,” noted Steve Sanders, the site’s Industrial Development Director.
In addition to $8.5 million in ongoing infrastructure and site improvements, Our Katahdin is working with partners to develop a Bio-based commercialization hub on the site, which will reuse facilities that were once home to highly skilled engineers and technicians in the pulp and paper industry. The commercialization hub will focus on bringing emerging green technology to market. Development of a Bio-based commercialization hub will be a long-term project on the One North site.
“If there is one message we want to convey with our new brand, it’s one of welcome. We are exploring opportunities in multiple industries, including mass timber, pellets, aquaculture, and small manufacturing. We have a skilled team, excellent incentives, a great location, and are ready to welcome new businesses to the region,” said Mike Faloon, VP of Finance and Investment for Our Katahdin.
Developing the new name and brand logo was a months-long, collaborative effort by the Our Katahdin Board of Directors and staff, and Millinocket-based design firm, Designlab.
“Renaming the former GNP mill site, One North, marks a new era for our town’s industrial site that will yield lasting dividends for our community,” said Steve Golieb, Chair of the Millinocket Town Council. “The town is working collaboratively with Our Katahdin to support site development, and while progress takes time, there have been steady and significant accomplishments on the property that lay the foundation for successful recruitment of new businesses and new jobs.”
Contracting and job opportunities will be listed on the One North website as they emerge on the site.
“Great Northern Paper’s legacy will live on in the new brand, One North. That legacy is part of who we are and we hope that by bringing jobs and investment, we can honor the tremendous work and accomplishments of the generations that came before us,” said DeWitt.
The group will be holding a One North ribbon cutting and community celebration on July 4, 2022.