In the public eye: WEDC’s Tom Bartell proud of town’s business success

Tom Bartell is the Executive Director of the
Windham Economic Development 
Corporation and has worked for the town 
for 13 years after serving as a member of the
Windham Town Council.
SUBMITTED  PHOTO

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

When his time working for the Town of Windham is done, Tom Bartell would like to be remembered for his efforts to make Windham a better place to work and live.

Bartell, the Executive Director of the Windham Economic Development Corporation, is charged with working to improve the business climate in Windham to support the businesses that provide for the varied needs of the residents of Windham and the Sebago Lakes Region. He reports to a 14-member WEDC Board of Directors, the majority of which are appointed by the Windham Town Council. 

“We work to promote Windham as a great place to own a business, to work, to live and play, to attract both the employers and the employees that make our economy go,” Bartell said. “Our marketing efforts are geared to both the business owners and their customers.  We would like Windham to be the best choice businesses, employees, and customers.”

He’s a key member of the town’s management team and is currently involved with both the North Windham Wastewater and the North Windham Moves infrastructure projects during their planning phases. 

“My role in these projects will continue as we move closer to completion with an emphasis on facilitating the many meetings and discussions with property and business owners who will be part of these new and exciting projects,” Bartell said. “I work with town department heads to develop Community Development Block Grant applications for capital improvement projects, predominately in the South Windham Village and I also work with the Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts and Finance Director Sue Rossignol to develop and manage the Tax Increment Financing program.

Having worked for the Town of Windham for 13 years, Bartell says that the best thing about his job is seeing Windham’s small businesses succeed. 

“All of the credit for that success goes to the business owners and employees but knowing that they chose Windham to start their business and have successfully opened and are operating is gratifying, whatever small part we had in making Windham’s business climate more accommodating to them and their fellow entrepreneurs,” he said.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Southern New Jersey, Bartell came to Maine to study Marine Biology at the University of New England. He met his wife Lisa there and after they both graduated, they moved to Portland for a few years and then they found their home here in Windham about 35 years ago. 

“Previously I was a volunteer on a couple of committees in Windham, which led me to running for Windham Town Council. I was a Town Councilor for 12 years and worked on many economic development issues through those years,” he said. “I was on the Town Council when the Windham Economic Development Corporation was founded about 30 years ago. After I had left the Town Council for a couple of years, the Economic Development Director position opened, and I took a temporary position to fill that role. I was hired on as a permanent employee shortly after taking the temporary position.”

A few years later, the WEDC Board and the Windham Town Council worked through the process of providing separation between the town and WEDC and his position changed to the Executive Director position of the WEDC.   

According to Bartell, the most challenging aspect of his job is translating business time into municipal time, and vice versa. 

“Getting things done in the private sector is much more direct and can occur much more quickly once a decision is made.  The public process is much more deliberate and can be time consuming,” he said. “The deliberate nature of the public process is most times necessary but can still be a challenge to make sure private projects progress through the bureaucratic process as quickly and thoroughly as possible.”

He said that the biggest misconception people may have about his position is that the WEDC has the power to pick and choose which businesses locate here in Windham. 

“We try to make sure that any business that is allowed in Windham’s regulatory structure is welcome and has the tools it needs to succeed,” Bartell said. “We can promote Windham as a great market for certain industry sectors, but each decision to locate individual businesses, or to start up a business in town are made on the criteria set by those owners and entrepreneurs.” 

Of all the aspects of his job with the WEDC, Bartell said he enjoys playing a part in moving long-standing projects and initiatives toward completion. 

“Many of the recent projects being completed in Windham have taken years, if not decades to come to reality, and having been a part of the successful conclusion to those projects means that what we are doing is working and encourages us to keep moving forward on the next project,” he said. “I really enjoy working with Lisa Fisher, Windham Planning Department and Economic Development Assistant, to start and grow the Windham Farmers Market. The market continues to grow each year and that is in large part due to the super efforts of Lisa, Jen Kenneally our Marketing Consultant, and of course our amazing farmers and vendors.”

By now his wife Lisa has grown accustomed to the travel, long hours and evenings Bartell spends attending various town meetings and takes it in stride.

“She enjoys seeing the town succeed as much as I do so when plans and ideas come to fruition, we can celebrate a little until I move on to the next project,” Bartell said. <