LIMESTONE, Maine (NEWS CENTER) --- More work is now making it possible for a major defense contractor in Northern Maine to hire back some of its staff.
Maine Military Authority in Limestone specializes in refurbishing vehicles for the military. A big part of its business is taking humvees discarded by the U.S. Army and refurbishing those vehicles for the U.S. National Guard. The humvees are taken apart and rebuilt from the ground up with parts repaired as necessary.
Right now M.M.A. can refurbish about 600 humvees a month. Extra funding has now allowed the guard to order 800 additional humvees from the company. The guard provided Maine Military Authority with $40 million for the project.
Company directors say that funding has now allowed them to hire back 26 laid off workers.
"The main reason they {the National Guard} had the confidence to give us the money is because of our new facilities," said Time Corbett, who is the executive director of M.M.A. "they've been here several times to see the work...they see the facilities that we have and the costs we achieve."
"It's great for the county," longtime M.M.A. employee Paul St. Pierre said of the deal, "a lot of these guys needed this job and this is really a good place to work."
Maine Military Authority is looking to put out the 800 humvees for the guard by next May.
NEWS CENTER