How We Invest
At CEI Capital Management, rural investment is personal.
Far from a remote, hands-off investor, we live and work in rural communities, cultivating a deep understanding of the challenges these communities face.
Rural workers disproportionately work in low-wage jobs with limited benefits: 40% of rural workers earn less than $15/hour compared to 29% of urban workers.
The lack of good jobs that provide at least a living wage and basic benefits means that 43% of adults in rural communities have a high likelihood of material hardship and have the least amount of flexibility to adjust to pressures like inflation.
We invest to address these issues in communities across rural America.
Manufacturing businesses provide one of the few pathways to quality jobs, particularly for those with lower levels of formal education. This is why we prioritize manufacturing companies based in rural communities that create Good Jobs that:
Pay a Living Wage
for the business’s location, as defined by the MIT Living Wage Calculator for a Single Adult.
Supply Basic Benefits
including paid time off, support for employee’s health and well-being, and retirement or wealth-building opportunities, including stock options or employee-ownership.
Offer opportunities for economic mobility, including training and advancement,
with an emphasis on jobs targeted to people with low-to-moderate incomes.
Plus: An emphasis on companies that demonstrate a deep commitment to social benefits
including quality employment opportunities and environmental stewardship. Each company is required to sign a Community Benefits Agreement, securing a commitment to align with CEI’s Good Jobs initiative.
Talk to Us About Your Project
Selected Portfolio
Since 2004, CEI Capital Management has placed over $1.02 billion in 99 different projects across the U.S., see below for examples of our investments nationally and within Maine.
National NMTC Investment Examples
Portfolio
Circle Seafoods
Creating 93 Good Jobs & improving the Pacific wild-caught salmon sector with custom freezing barges.
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Mycoworks
Manufacturer of mushroom-based leather alternative creating 354 new Good Jobs.
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Monogram Foods
Increasing capacity of snack food manufacturing facility by 80% and creating new Good Jobs.
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Grassland Dairy
Expansion of family-owned dairy processor, preserving/creating Good Jobs and supporting local farms.
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Maine New Markets Capital Investment Examples
Portfolio
Saddleback Mountain Ski Resort
The reopening of an economic engine that will bring ~$6 million in visitor spending to Franklin County annually.
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Tubelite Inc.
“Located approximately 15 miles east of downtown Dallas, Mesquite is known as a working class area with a renowned rodeo that served as…”
The Galvan Foundation
“In many communities, “development” has become synonymous with gentrification – the displacement of long-time, lower-income residents who cannot afford rising prices for housing,…”
Saddleback Mountain Ski Resort
“Saddleback Mountain Ski Resort has served as the economic engine of the Rangeley Lakes region in Franklin County, Maine, for over 50 years,…”
Lāna‘i Community Health Center
“Residents of Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i’s smallest inhabited island, are largely Filipino and Native Hawaiian, and 10.3% of households face some level of linguistic isolation.…”
Lyme Mountaineer
“Wyoming, McDowell, Mingo and Logan Counties , WV For over 40 years, The Lyme Timber Company LP (“Lyme”) has invested in US timberland.…”