About Us

About FirstPark

FirstPark Business Park, Oakland, MaineThe FirstPark business park is located in the town of Oakland, 15 miles north of the state capital in Augusta and immediately adjacent to Interstate 95. There is one mile of visible frontage to I-95. A 1,500 foot access road connects the park to the entrance located on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

The 285-acre property has been developed as a campus with professional landscaping integrated with the natural terrain and flora and is situated on a ridge two miles west of the Kennebec River. Soil consists of a thin layer of topsoil typical of the region, overlaying glacial till atop granite bedrock.

Much of the property is heavily wooded with a variety of hardwood and evergreen species representative of the area. Elevation ranges from ~390 feet at the entrance to ~240 feet approximately 6,000 feet to the northwest.

The business park comprises 17 building sites ranging from 5 to 24 total acres, 3.5 to 13.5 buildable acres. The park is fully permitted from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of Engineers, and is a fully approved subdivision of the Town of Oakland.


Governance

Kennebec Regional Development Authority (KRDA) is governed by a General Assembly which has representatives from all 23 towns and a 12-member Executive Board. The Executive Board meets monthly, and the General Assembly meets quarterly. The organization has adopted a set of by-laws which provide for the duties of both bodies.

This governance model is very similar to many towns and cities that have select boards/town councils and an annual town meeting. The General Assembly adopts the annual budget and other operating policies and the Executive Board is responsible for the daily operation of FirstPark.


The FirstPark Team

Jim Dinkle, Executive Director, FirstParkJames W. Dinkle, Executive Director

Jim Dinkle became executive director of the Kennebec Regional Development Authority/FirstPark in November 2017.  He brings with him vast experience in rail and intermodal logistics, commerce park development, brownfields redevelopment and international trade.

Jim was deputy chief of staff for a Kentucky governor, an aide and brownfields redeveloper for the Mayor of Chicago and he served the nation’s second largest railroad as its Midwest manager of economic development covering five states.  He is a past chairman of the Elmhurst, Illinois, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board of Directors, served four years on the International Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (NACORE) Chicago Board of Directors and was on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees one term.

Jim is a University of Kentucky Bowman Fellow, a member of the International Economic Development Council, and Rotary.  His mantra, in the words of Dr. Jonas Salk, is, “The greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.”

Call Jim at 207-859-9716 or email exdirector@firstpark.com.

Cynthia Clouter, Executive Assistant, FirstParkCynthia Cloutier, Executive Assistant

A native of Waterville, Cynthia is a former business owner in the downtown district.  She served as producer and artistic director of the Waterville Summer Music Theatre for eight years before moving to Texas with her late husband. While in Texas she worked for the AMR Corporation as Executive Assistant to the Vice President of the Training and Consulting Group, the training arm of American Airlines. Returning to Maine in 2001, she settled in Portland where she held the position of office manager for the New England WomanCenter. Upon the sale of the medical practice, Cynthia found herself back in Waterville and welcomed the opportunity to use her skills at Kennebec Regional Development Authority.

Ms. Cloutier has been a guest lecturer at Thomas College and DeVry Institute of Technology; served as Vice-President of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra; directed the Grand Opening GALA of the Irving Arts Center and served on the board of Irving Sister Cities.  In Waterville, she was chairperson of the Waterville Bi-Centennial Opening Festivities Ball and the Annual Civic Leader Award.  She is a founding member of the Waterville Opera House Improvement Association where she worked tirelessly to have the Opera House placed on the National Historic Site Registry.


The FirstPark business office at 46C FirstPark Drive is open Monday–Friday from 8 a.m.–5 p.m.