Transportation Distribution first to tap into potential of former factory

By Traci Storti Wilde
Special to the Pioneer Times
    Realtors may have called it a fixer-upper, a charming, spacious edifice in need of a little TLC. The average buyer saw the disarray of five different exterior colors — one being rusting metal — and many window panes shattered or missing. But Chad Walton is not the average buyer.
   BEFORE AND AFTER AT HOULTON INTERNATIONAL SITE — The back of the former Houlton International manufacturing facility, left, awaits renovations, showing some of the challenges faced by business park developer Chad Walton.  The front side of the building, right, boasts new paint and shiny new windows.
    “I just couldn't imagine that it could be that far gone,” explains Walton when referring to the former Houlton International building.
    Gone, however, it was: one week prior to purchase part of the building caved in, and remnants are still scattered about as a reminder of how much progress has been achieved. The town had been considering tearing it down, making it a lower priority for maintenance.
    Two months into ownership, after having replaced 250 panes of glass and hiring a full-time employee for upkeep, Walton's AKTEM Business Park focuses on filling the 77,000 square feet with potential employers, a welcome concept in Houlton.
    Trucking specialists Transportation Distribution, LLC have already filled the first vacancy, employing five workers and offering the promise of staying power due to local connections.
    The trucking company is responsible for transporting tapioca from barges arriving in St. John, New Brunswick to the new storage facility. The tapioca then awaits processing at Tate and Lyle, a global company with enduring local ties.
Contributed photo/Traci Storti-Wilde
    TAPIOCA — Bags of unprocessed tapioca are stacked and ready at the new business park at Houlton’s International Airport.
    Walton is currently in negotiations with four other businesses. Potential employers focusing on tenancy are sure to consider the location at Houlton International Airport and the proximity to I-95 and the international crossing as major assets.
    As for Walton, he laughs as he reminisces on the challenges faced so far. “This is the fun part,” he jokes. Fun, as in taking on an monumental challenge of the building's restoration, and fun, as in bringing jobs to an area he loves.
    Overall, the new business park offers the potential of 80 or more new jobs at varying skill levels. When Houlton will feel the impact of economic growth is up to the individual employers.
    Local resident Josh Berry is the first employee hired, the one who is responsible for the implementation of Walton's vision.
    Walton, however, credits Berry with having his own vision. Berry is the man on the scene and has quite a bit of responsibility and autonomy. He is a jack-of-all-trades with a dual responsibility: resolving problems as they arise and being the primary contact at the new facility.
    Berry explains that there are “a million things to do” to restore the building and accommodate new tenants. “Things pop up that you wouldn't even expect. It's a big project to get this thing in working order,” he adds.
    In local residents' minds, the building will remain Houlton International for quite a while. Gone, though, are the days of furniture manufacturing. Diversification and staying power are the hallmarks of Houlton's latest business venture.
    Editor's note: This is the first in a series of articles on the tenants of AKTEM Business Park on the Houlton International Airport.