No cost to client, one-on-one assistance is provided to potential and existing business owners and managers in Maine by the Maine Small Business Development Center (Maine SBDC) at CEI. Maine SBDC Counselors at CEI are qualified business people with diverse educational and business experience. Assistance is provided in the following areas:

• business start-up/acquisition
• sources of credit and financing
• marketing and sales
• market research
• government procurement
• accounting, record keeping and cash flow analysis
• operations
• personnel management
• loan packaging
• business liquidation/sale
• international trade
• various other business issues

Training Programs
The Maine SBDC at CEI offers training seminars and conferences on business-related topics. Training events are held at key locations around the state; minimal fees are sometimes charged. Programs are geared to local and regional needs as well as to fundamental business subjects.

Click here for more information on current CEI workshops or click on the workshop link to the left. Visit Maine Business Works for a statewide listing of business development workshops and training events from CEI and/or its collaborators

For more information about the services available or to make an appointment with a business counselor, please contact the office nearest you.

Maine SBDC Service Center: Midcoast East
Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
35 Water Street, P.O. Box 268
Wiscasset, ME 04578
207/882-4340; Fax: 207/882-4456

Maine SBDC Service Center: Augusta
Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
c/o Finance Authority of Maine
5 Community Drive, Augusta, ME 04332
207/620-3521

Maine SBDC Service Center: Ellsworth
Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
510 Main Street
Ellsworth, ME 04605
207/664-2990

Maine SBDC Service Center: Fairfield
CEI at the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG)
17 Main Street
Fairfield, ME 04937
207/453-4258, ext. 16; Fax: 207/453-4264

Maine SBDC Service Center:Midcoast West
CEI at MidCoast Council for Business Development & Planning
7 Park Street
Bath, ME 04530-2828
207/443-5790, ext. 15; Fax: 207/443-8675

Outreach Office in Bingham by appointment: 207/453-4258, ext. 16.

Outreach Office in Rockland by appointment: 207/882-4340.

Outreach Office in Brunswick by appointment: 207/725-0989

Maine Small Business Development Centers (Maine SBDC) and its tech-focused group, Maine Small Business and Technology Centers (Maine SBTDC): a partnership program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in association with the SBA/OSBDC, Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), the University of Southern Maine (USM), and leading economic and/or community development hosting organizations, with support from other contractors, allies and stakeholders. Accredited by the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) and administered by USM's School of Business, Maine SBDC/SBTDC operates a network of service centers and outreach offices around the state that provide comprehensive business management assistance, training, resource and information services to Maine's micro, small, and technology-based businesses.

Maine SBDC/SBTDC activities are based on work supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA. The Maine SBDC/SBTDC is partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA's funding is not an endorsement of any products, opinions or services. SBA funded programs are extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis.