LISTEN: New Balance May Donate Shuttered Factory to the Town it Vacated

Athletic shoe company New Balance is well known for its U.S.-based manufacturing footprint, so when it announced in 2024 that it would be closing its plant in Norridgewock, Maine, many local officials were surprised.At the time, New Balance leaders said they’d be shifting work from Norridgewock to another Maine plant – in nearby Skowhegan. The Skowhegan plant, which opened in 2025, was intended to serve as its “Central Maine” operation and support the production that was previously taking place under two roofs. Because of the proximity, New Balance said it would transfer all 230 Norridgewock workers to the new facility.The biggest impact, then, was to the community of Norridgewock – a small town whose service sector relied heavily on the plant’s workforce for economic activity. However, in a move that may “make it up” to the community, New Balance later made the offer to donate its factory to the town.According to the Bangor Daily News, a Skowhegan-based food company called Maine Grains is interested in the former shoe factory site as a production facility for grain-based bars, cereal and other products.If the town’s residents agree to what’s been proposed among the companies, then New Balance would give the town the factory – at which point, Norridgewock would segment out 50,000 square feet to transfer to Maine Grains for its production expansion.The other two-thirds of the 170,000 square foot site could be leveraged at the town’s discretion, and local officials say their ownership would open up a lot of new avenues for redevelopment. As icing on the cake, New Balance has offered to pay to maintain the currently vacant plant for the next two years, meaning Norridgewock would have a little time to get some plans in place for how it can be used profitably.The town’s board has set a special town meeting for July 20th, where residents can cast ballots on whether the community should be authorized to take the donation – though it doesn’t require them to seal the deal.The expansion for Maine Grains would create an estimated 15 jobs in Norridgewock, though some officials are remaining cautious as the scenario plays out. Maine State Sen. and Norridgewock resident Brad Farrin said recently he hopes that “in the fever of trying to move this thing forward” that the town and board “dot our I’s and cross our T’s.”