STANDISH – In 1984, 21-year-old Walter Butler began work as a contractor for the electrical equipment manufacturer General Telephone Electronics Sylvania at a massive, four-year-old warehouse located at 234 Northeast Road in Standish.

In late October 2014, Butler, who is now the new co-owner of the building, gave a tour of the 121,834-square-foot facility to Gov. Paul LePage, who was visiting local businesses in Windham and Standish prior to Election Day.

LePage’s visit highlights not only Butler’s career trajectory, but also the turnaround of the sprawling, 44-year-old manufacturing center, which sat idle for years after the sensors and controls supplier Sensata Technologies closed it down in 2008 and outsourced the hundreds of jobs sustained there to Asia.

In August 2013, Butler Castings – which consists of Butler, his wife, Debra, his brother, Joseph, and the estate of their recently deceased business partner, Daniel E. Keene – purchased the facility from Control Devices Inc., with the assistance of a $500,000 loan from the Maine Rural Development Authority. The facility is located on a 64-acre property valued at $1.25 million by the town of Standish.

Since then, Butler, his brother and his wife have moved their business, New England Castings, a precision manufacturer that produces industrial gas turbines, medical surgical tools, art reproductions and marine hardware, from a 12,000-square-foot building in Hiram into roughly 30,000 square feet of the Standish facility. In recent months, another 10 businesses have either moved in or signed leases to move into another 30,000 square feet of the facility.

According to Standish Town Manager Gordon Billington, the 234 Northeast Road building employed about 1,000 workers at its peak. Although, according to Butler, the building is now housing some 50 workers, Billington hailed the revival of the facility.

“What an awesome opportunity for the town,” he said. “We have lost almost all the manufacturing jobs in town, so I think it’s wonderful that Walter’s bringing manufacturing into Standish and bringing other tenants in that also manufacture. Every new job is new spending in the town at restaurants, filling stations and local services. All of that helps to strengthen the local economy in Standish.”

The facility is now home to a variety of businesses, from Portland Pudgy, a boat-making company, to Cornerstone Architectural Products, a pre-cast stone product designer, to Zion Mechanical, an installation and technical services firm that moved in the weekend following LePage’s visit.

Butler, who lives on Oak Ridge Drive, a mile away from the facility, said the thought did not occur to him to purchase it for many years.

“This building was empty for four years,” he said. “I just thought, ‘You know, that’s too bad that the building’s empty.’ Then one day we decided to check it out with a (real estate agent) to see what they’re even asking for the building, started to put together a business plan. ‘Could we really swing it?’ If we could buy it, lease it and develop it for other tenants, then we could move New England Castings, here, I’d be closer to home again, it would bring the jobs to this area that could use it. I just felt the opportunity was there.”

Butler had been looking to grow the business for years, but has suffered from a lack of adequate space at the Hiram building. In particular, New England Castings has fielded an increasing number of orders for industrial gas turbines. Whereas five years ago, gas turbine production comprised about a quarter of the company’s business, it now is about a third. Butler forecasts that gas turbine orders will make up about half the company’s orders eventually, although he hopes for a plateau at that high level, in order to ensure against a sudden drop in demand.

Butler describes the business as a “machine shop”-style foundry service. Workers dip a three-dimensional wax pattern formed in the shape of the desired casting into ceramic slurries to form a hard refractory shell. The shell is rapidly heated in order to drain out the wax. Then, molten metal is poured into the shell. The shell is removed after the metal cools. Then the metal parts are removed, processed and prepared for post-casting processes and shipment.

“Whether we’re making a doorknob, or an art reproduction, or an industrial gas turbine, part of a marine hardware, or a medical service device – whatever we’re making, it all starts from the same process,” Butler said. “And we’re experts in the process. We’re not really experts in any of those other fields I mentioned. We take whatever you want for your application and we use this process to produce it.”

Butler’s employees, who mostly live in Hiram, Cornish, Limington, Buxton and Windham, also work for two subsidiaries of New England Castings – Bellingham Bells, a ship bell manufacturer that provides bells for luxury yachts and the U.S. Navy, and Atlantic Metal Polishing, which provides metal finishing services such as sandblasting, glass beading, line graining, and polishing. Both entities are now housed in the Standish facility, as well.

With the growth in industrial gas turbine orders, and the extra space available in the Standish facility, Butler plans to grow his businesses in coming years. Butler said his new tenants have similar expectations, as well. With the relatively cheap rent – roughly $2.50 to $9 per square foot, depending on the level of accommodations and renovations required – the Standish facility provides ample space for an ambitious business to take root, Butler said.

“My perception with some of the people with existing companies that are moving here is that they’re trying to grow and they can grow here at a lower per-square-foot cost than they can grow in other places,” he said. “Standish is just on the edge. Ten miles closer to Portland, you might pay twice as much for your rent.”

Foster Technology Services qualifies as one of those businesses. The computer support firm’s proprietor, Sam Foster, is married to Butler’s daughter, Alauna, and, until six months ago, was operating the business out of his Steep Falls home. Now, Foster is renting 1,000 square feet at the facility – his first commercial space.

Foster said his business has been growing since he moved into the facility half a year ago, with half a dozen clients on the books. He is also providing computer support to his father-in-law’s businesses.

“It’s a family affair around here,” Foster said.

Soccer fields

for Standish

When Butler’s daughter became the junior varsity soccer goalie during her freshman year at Bonny Eagle High School, Butler jumped on as a coach for the team. As a result of his three subsequent years coaching for Bonny Eagle, Butler plans to donate 22 acres behind the New England Castings facility to the town of Standish. The land could easily fit six fields and a general recreation area, according to Butler.

“One of the things I learned while I was a coach is that the town of Standish doesn’t have sufficient fields,” he said.

Butler said that he would allow people who use the future soccer fields to park at the large lot next to the facility.

According to Billington, who described Butler’s donation as “very generous,” the town has three fields that can be used for soccer.

“We’re really thrilled about that opportunity,” he said. “We don’t have (enough) fields in the town. We’d very much like to be able to hold soccer conventions there.”

“He knows there is a real shortage of good soccer fields in the area,” Billington added.

Billington said that the town is in the process of writing up a deed description in order to accept the donation, which would be written off Butler’s taxes. In order to develop the fields, the town would likely need to pass a bond issue funding the project, he said.

Butler said that he hopes to develop another 20 acres that are also zoned for industrial uses on the opposite side of the proposed soccer fields.

“It could be everything from a Walmart, to a big box store of some kind, to a manufacturer, to an office complex,” he said. “Whatever the town industrial zoning allows for uses, and I think it’s very broad.”

In Butler’s view, the soccer fields, which could include a walking path, would provide the setting for an ideal lunch break.

“If people could enjoy their life a little bit more while they’re at work, I think that’s a goal I’d like to see,” he said. “I’d like to have my employees be happy here and say, ‘Gee, once I go to work, there’s still some enjoyable stuff nearby.’ ”

On Oct. 24, Joseph Butler, left, and his brother Walter, the new co-owners of 234 Northeast Road, gave a tour of the 121,834-square-foot facility to Gov. Paul LePage, who was visiting local businesses in Windham and Standish prior to Election Day.Andrea Webster, a quality manager, and Sharon Berg, an inspector and shipper work at New England Castings.  The Butlers also house Bellingham Bells, a ship bell manufacturer, in the 234 Northeast Road facility. Bellingham Bells is a subsidiary of New England Castings, and produces bells for luxury yachts and the U.S. Navy. Walter Butler plans to donate 22 acres behind the New England Castings facility on 234 Northeast Road to the town of Standish. The land could easily fit six fields and a general recreation area, according to Butler.