Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Development Foundation Release Maine Economic Vision 2035

Report outlines long-term economic priorities and policy goals for Maine’s future

​SACO, Maine (Tuesday, May 12, 2026) – The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and Maine Development Foundation today released Maine Economic Vision 2035, a new long-term economic roadmap outlining key goals and policy priorities to strengthen Maine’s competitiveness, support workforce and wage growth, increase investment and productivity, and improve household affordability across the state.

Business leaders gathered Tuesday morning at the Saco Transportation Center to discuss the long-term economic conditions necessary to support growth, investment, workforce development, and affordability in Maine.

Attendees heard remarks from Saco Mayor Jodi MacPhail and Alex MacPhail, executive director of the Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry, followed by a detailed discussion of the report’s findings and long-term economic priorities from Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce; Yellow Light Breen, president and CEO of Maine Development Foundation; and Heather Johnson, president and CEO of Waypoint Collaborative and former commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.

Maine Economic Vision 2035 outlines goals in four interconnected areas critical to Maine’s long-term economic success:

1. Business competitiveness
2. Workforce and wages
3. Productivity, research, and private investment
4. Household affordability
   
   

The report is grounded in employer outreach, economic research, and stakeholder engagement from across the state. It highlights workforce shortages, housing affordability challenges, rising health care and energy costs, limited productivity growth, and increasing competition for talent and investment among the most significant challenges facing Maine’s economy.

Maine Economic Vision 2035 emphasizes the importance of long-term policy alignment and predictability in supporting economic growth and attracting private investment. It also highlights the connection between workforce development, housing affordability, innovation, and business competitiveness in supporting Maine’s long-term prosperity.

“Maine is rapidly returning to an era of under-performance of the national economy and it is time to focus on data-informed public policy to promote economic growth,” said Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “Maine Economic Vision 2035 is intended not simply to identify issues, but to outline actionable steps to set Maine on a trajectory of long-term competitiveness, innovation, and opportunity.”

“This work is aspirational, ambitious, holistic, interconnected,” said Yellow Light Breen, president and CEO of Maine Development Foundation.  “The report reflects both the opportunities and challenges of a changing economy and offers recommendations to strengthen long-term economic competitiveness and quality of life in Maine.”

“Our findings tell us something really significant. Maine businesses want to be here, Maine investors want to be part of the Maine economy,” said Heather Johnson, president and CEO of Waypoint Collaborative and former commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. “It’s really time for us to build confidence and a willingness to build the right conditions for their success.”

Maine Economic Vision 2035 will also help frame discussion for the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and NEWS CENTER Maine gubernatorial debates airing May 13 and 14, with questions focused on the economic challenges and opportunities identified in the report.
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The full Maine Economic Vision 2035 report and executive summary are available at https://maineeconomicvision2035.com/.