The largest employers in Maine represent some of the state’s strongest industries today, with an emphasis on retail and health care. But one of Maine’s primary job providers still reflects the Pine Tree State’s rich history in the shipbuilding industry.
Here’s a closer look at the top five employers in Maine:
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1. Hannaford Bros. Co.
Hannaford Bros. Co. got its start in 1883, when Arthur Hannaford started selling produce from a cart in Portland. Today, the chain of supermarkets and grocery stores is headquartered in Scarborough and employs more people statewide than any other company in Maine, according to the most recent figures available from the state. Between 7,501 and 8,000 Maine residents work as everything from corporate managers to warehouse staff to store clerks, with
Hannaford employing more than 26,000 people throughout New England.
2. Walmart/Sam’s Club
Coming in a close second among the largest employers in Maine is retail giant Walmart, and its membership-only warehouse grocery chain, Sam’s Club. Over protest from some residents,
Walmart opened its first Maine store in the early 1990s, Inc. magazine said. The discount retailer now boasts 7,001 to 7,500 workers throughout the state. Arkansas-based Walmart runs about two-dozen stores in Maine, while Sam’s Club offers three grocery stores in the state.
3. Maine Medical Center
This Portland hospital is the third largest employer in Maine, with some 6,501 to 7,000 workers.
Maine Medical Center first opened as Maine General Hospital in 1874. Through mergers and expansions over the years, the nonprofit teaching hospital is now more than 1 million square feet and the largest hospital in northern New England.
Maine Medical Center is nationally ranked by US News & World Report, with recognition for pediatric diabetes, cancer, cardiology and other specialties.
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4. Bath Iron Works Corporation
The fourth largest employer in Maine is also its oldest. Bath Iron Works got its start in the shipbuilding industry as Bath Iron Foundry along the Kennebec River in 1826. Since then,
company records state BIW has been awarded more than 425 contracts, including 245 military ships -- mostly destroyers and frigates for the US Navy. Today, between 5,001 and 5,500 people work in the company’s Bath shipyard building and repairing ships.
5. L.L.Bean
A soggy hunting trip through the woods of Maine in 1911 was the start of the state’s fifth largest employer. The next year, company records state
Leon Leonwood Bean was using a mailer to sell the Maine Hunting Shoe to fellow outdoorsman. Through his flagship Freeport store and a growing catalog of outdoor-themed apparel and gear, Bean built a multimillion-dollar business. L.L.Bean now employs 4,001 to 4,500 people in factories, distribution centers and stores throughout Maine.
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