CARIBOU — An Aroostook County construction firm, owned and operated by Acadians, has stepped forth with the first private business contribution to the 2014 World Acadian Congress that will be hosted by the region of Maine, New Brunswick and Quebec now known as Acadia of the Lands and Forests.
Contributed photo
James Martin, left, president and founder of J.P. Martin and Sons Construction Corporation of Caribou, presents a check for $5,000 to representatives of the 2014 World Acadian Congress oversight board. Accepting the first private corporate donation from a firm in Maine that will go toward the event are, from right, Jason Parent, Maine delegation president; Don Levesque, who serves as both a director from Maine and secretary of the 15-member board; and directors Louise Martin, Lise Pelletier and Anne Roy.
J. P. Martin and Sons Construction Corporation of Caribou hopes their lead gift of $5,000 will encourage other businesses in the region and beyond to support the necessary coordination work in advance of the largest event hosted in the region since the Phish concerts came to the Loring Commerce Center in Limestone in the late 1990s and earlier this decade. The donation was presented Dec.15 by company president and founder James Martin in Van Buren.
“This will be a very important event both for the people of northern Maine and beyond, as well as for the economic development of our region,” stated Martin. “We see this as investing in something that is coming to The County that will have a positive and lasting impact on the area. We wanted to make this contribution to the Congress now because it is time for people to start thinking about the coming event and to get on board,” he added. “My wife Eulalia (Daigle) and I are both proud to be of Acadian descent and see this as a great opportunity to pay tribute to our heritage and invest in the future of northern Maine at the same time. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that we could not let pass.”
The World Acadian Congress, which is held every five years in different regions populated by Acadians, will be staged in northern Maine, northwestern New Brunswick and the Témiscouata region of Quebec in August 2014. The event is expected to draw at least 50,000 people to the area over a two-to-three week period.
The contribution by the Caribou-based contractor was accepted by the five directors that sit on the international organizing committee from Maine that include Jason Parent, delegation president; Don Levesque, who serves as both a director from Maine and secretary of the 15 member board; and directors Louise Martin, Lise Pelletier and Anne Roy.
“I could not think of a better early Christmas gift,” said Parent. “This generous donation by J.P. Martin and Sons, will help us greatly as we begin the mammoth undertaking that is the coordination of the first-ever World Acadian Congress hosted in Maine. One of the areas we will focus on in the year ahead is to generate more widespread awareness and support for the event in Aroostook County and points south. This not only lays a solid foundation for the work that lies ahead but sends a clear message throughout the region of the critical importance of getting behind this initiative early on to set the stage for what will be a defining moment for our region.”
Since its incorporation in 1994 as a general contracting business specializing in construction and renovation of commercial, industrial and institutional buildings and multi-family housing complexes, J. P. Martin and Sons Construction Corporation has established an extensive list of successfully completed projects throughout the region. The firm is credited with building and/or renovation work on schools, hotels, churches, hospitals, medical facilities, elderly and low income housing projects, office complexes, light manufacturing plants, and municipal, state and federal facilities.
Most notable of late, the firm served as general contractors for the newly constructed Hampton Inn in Presque Isle and Community Recreation and Wellness Center in Caribou. J.P. Martin and Sons is also responsible for a number of projects in the St. John Valley that will play, both directly and indirectly, a role in the 2014 World Acadian Congress including construction of the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Van Buren in 2007 and the Acadian Archives/Archives Acadiennes building on the campus of the University of Maine at Fort Kent in 2004.
The World Acadian Congress or Congres Mondial Acadien was first held in the Moncton, N.B. area in 1994. Since then, the event has been held in Louisiana (1999), Nova Scotia (2004) and most recently in the Acadian Peninsula region of New Brunswick this past summer. The two to three-week celebration traditionally held in August to coincide with August 15 — the Acadian Feast Day — draws Acadians from throughout the world.
Festivities typically include more than 300 events, which include family reunions, popular regional celebrations, ceremonies, sporting events, cultural events, shows, forums and conferences. The economic spin off for recent World Acadian Congresses has ranged from $30 million to $50 million within and surrounding the host region.
The Acadia of Lands and Forests region (northern Maine, northwestern New Brunswick and Témiscouata, Quebec) won the very competitive bid to host the 2014 World Acadian Congress this summer after nearly a year’s work preparing the region’s candidacy. The selection of the region, the announcement of which was made during the most recent Congress, is a huge boon to the area. Competition for hosting the event included Quebec City and Lafayette, La.
