Carolyn Farkas-Noe, senior vice president of the Southern Midcoast

Maine Chamber, is avoiding the word “retirement.” However, she says she will be “completing her chamber career” after 34 years of service.

“I’m taking the summer off and enjoying all those places and things to do that happen during the day,” Farkas-Noe said recently. After a relaxing summer, she says she may look for some part-time, flexible work to keep her busy.

Farkas-Noe spoke of her early days and the “Maine Street shuffle” that occurred when businesses’ leases were up and they would move around to different spots. Back then, Farkas-Noe worked for the Brunswick Area Chamber of Commerce and said she wasn’t involved in business recruiting.

Looking back to the U.S. Navy leaving Brunswick and the recession, Farkas-Noe said not only was it the “double whammy,” but also a time when people began to change the way they did business — taking their money online instead of the local shops.

Farkas-Noe said Cook’s Corner was hit hard by the base closure, citing the Navy families as being the major patrons of stores like Old Navy and Borders.

Despite the ghost town appearance of Cook’s Corner and Merrymeeting plaza today, Farkas-Noe said she still believes those properties to be quite valuable.

Farkas-Noe said one thing property investors from away do not understand is the geography of the region — that they can own a mall for many years and never even visit the region where it’s located.

“The recession didn’t help either. I remember a lot of independent business owners saying I knew the base was going to close — they had written that into their business plan and were planning for it, but they had no plan for the recession,” Farkas- Noe said.

Not only did that translate into businesses living on a shoestring, but it was also felt by the chamber, which depends on their memberships to stay afloat.

“We still were feeling that loss of membership dues several years after the recession ended,” Farkas-Noe said.

Farkas-Noe said the chamber is now stabilized and has a new, enthusiastic executive director, Cory King, who is ready to step in with fresh ideas.

“I think for our organization, there’s going to be more energy devoted to member services and benefits,” Farkas-Noe said.

Reluctant to guess at business trends in the Midcoast, Farkas-Noe said she believes a growing strength everywhere will be in wellness and preventative care akin to what Mid Coast-Parkview Health is trying to achieve.

Farkas-Noe also said she would like to see post-secondary education remain and become a thriving force in the region that provides incentives for young people to stay here beyond their education.

“I think to keep this community going and moving forward, people have to participate and decide what their contribution could be to keep our area vibrant and interesting to live in,” Farkas-Noe said.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com