FARMINGTON — Selectmen on Feb. 11 voted unanimously to write a letter of support for The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies [CES] after learning more about the center from Bonita Tompkins.

“I work with youth at The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies,” Tompkins said. “We work with kids ages 10 to 24 and we teach them about business. We don’t just talk about business, we show them how to run a business through our gift store Makerspace located right downtown next to Java Joe’s.”

Business skills have been taught at CES since March of 2020, Tompkins noted. “We have worked with 144 enrolled kids . . . and countless other unenrolled youth in need of support,” she said.

To date, CES has received $269,000 in donations and $555,000 in grant funding supporting its mission, Tompkins stated. “Youth have processed $580,000 in store sales for a total of $1.4 million that has been reinvested into our local community,” she noted. “When I worked at Foster Tech Center for five years, I saw some incredible trade skills being taught. I saw an opportunity to expand their learning. Many students had the start of some technical skills but had not yet explored how to start or manage a business or how to confidently engage with customers.”

In wanting to bridge that gap. Tompkins said her goal was to help students build confidence, develop entrepreneurial skills, and gain a deeper appreciation for the small businesses that are the community’s. “With the help of many community members, businesses, foundations, federal grants, we’ve made incredible progress over the past four and a half years, and one of our key partners has even helped to secure paid internships for kids that can last up to a year, providing experience,” she explained.

CES has reached capacity, needs to expand and build upon its success and reach more kids, Tompkins said. “We have skilled professionals ready to step in and take us to the next level and make that happen,” she stressed.

Tompkins was looking for town support. “CES is kind of a little bit of a smart, cost effective alternative, and we don’t want to increase any kind of financial burden on taxpayers,” she said. “We’re doing a lot of this through business revenue, supporting the kids and having them learn at the same time. We want Farmington to be a model for rural communities that are facing the same challenges.”

The Department of Labor is looking at CES to be the first in the nation to establish a new occupational opportunity centered around entrepreneurship, Tompkins noted. “Tonight, we’re just here to ask for an endorsement or partnership in applications to organizations like the Community Development Block Grant, philanthropic foundations and some state and federal funding opportunities that we’re looking at,” she said. “Our role is pretty simple. We’re just looking to bring in financial resources to create more opportunities for youth and the community at large. We want to be able to work with mentors . . . for these young kids that really need support.”

Tompkins shared letters of support from a variety of entities.

“We run a very lean machine, almost a little too lean sometimes,” she noted. “The kids feed us, and we’re excited to showcase what we’ve got up our sleeve in the next couple of months. We have a parcel on Whittier Rd., we’re hoping to build a campus.”

Selectman Dennis O’Neil said a signed letter of endorsement from town officials could be used when CES applies for grants.

“You guys do amazing work,” Selectman Richard Morton stated.

Tiny Home Project

Morton asked about the scope of the tiny home project.

According to a November 2021 report in The Franklin Journal, the Bjorn Foundation donated $50,000 and Coldwell Banker Sandy River Realty donated $1,000 for the first tiny home.

“This project’s been really interesting,” Tompkins said. “We took on this challenge to build the first tiny home, and we weren’t making headway. We just were not getting anywhere because of COVID, supply chain issues. I went to Kennebec Cabin Company, and said I need help.”

Tompkins had to sell the idea to the Maine Cabin Masters network. She stressed that it was not just a cabin, it was something good for kids that need housing. “Unfortunately, sometimes we see kids that are escaping households that might have somebody in their family that might have an addiction to opiates, and they just don’t want to be around it and then they end up in more dangerous situations.”

Maine Cabin Masters agreed to the project, EL Vining & Sons hooked up the water and sewer, Tompkins said. “We have a young lady who’s 21 years old living in there,” she noted.

In January 2024 CES hosted an awards program and silent auction to raise money for “Making Home Possible”, the tiny homes project, according to an article in The Franklin Journal.

“We’re hoping to see where one of our buildings for the site will actually be tiny home manufacturing,” Tompkins said. She is working with a couple of different companies to develop an apprenticeship where young people build the homes and then sell them for revenue.

“We were fortunate to receive a donation of a five-acre land parcel, and we’re hoping to maybe put some homes there,” Tompkins noted. “The one catch is that it has to benefit young people. We’re thinking this might be a revenue stream to support the entrepreneurial work that we’re doing. Rent out these, put them on the site, help them learn these business skills.”

Selectman Byron Staples asked about the program’s popularity, has it been pretty consistent as far as kids’ need.

“There’s definitely a lot of need for the kids,” Tompkins replied, “It’s just not easy for a lot of them. They don’t have a lot of places to turn to, because they’re under 18. We’re trying to plow forward, just really dig deep. And I’m pushing the kids. We can do this together.”

Tompkins stressed there are many community members who ask how they can help, do step up. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s good work,” she added.