Economic development specialist
puts energy, enthusiasm into her job
Saturday, June 03, 2006

The two energetic redheads who make up the city's economic development team act like they're childhood friends, tossing jokes back and forth as they meet in a city office, and their relationship is a key component to maintaining the city's forward momentum.

"I wanted somebody that was dynamic, a go-getter and who wouldn't take no for an answer," D'arcy Main-Boyington, Brewer economic development director and half of the charismatic duo, said Friday about her new partner.

Tanya Pereira (pronounced pa-rare-ra), the other part of the duo, was hired at the end of March as the city's economic development specialist.

Searching for someone to fill the post, city officials specifically wanted someone who could handle pressure, Main-Boyington said.

"This job is extremely fast-paced," she said. "You have to be good at multitasking. I wanted somebody that not only could handle that, but who would thrive on it.

"The more I heap on her, instead of getting stressed, the higher her quality of work," she said of Pereira.

City Manager Steve Bost concurred, and added, "Tanya is an exceptionally talented individual with boundless creativity and energy.

"Her background in economic development, coupled with broad connections throughout our region and state, made her a perfect fit for the position," he stated Friday in an e-mail. "Tanya and D'arcy together make a very formidable development team for the city of Brewer."

The team work well together because Pereira's skills are complementary to those of Main-Boyington.

"She's a great writer and great at research as well as putting it into a nice format," the director said. "Where I'm weak ... she has experience."

Grant writing is another area in which Pereira thrives, Main-Boyington said.

Since taking the job, Pereira, who formerly worked at Eastern Maine Development Corp. in Bangor, has learned a ton about how a city is run and how much work goes into economic development.

"There is so much to be done on a daily basis," she said. "It's like a tornado going by, but it's a good tornado."

Pereira, originally from Hampden, holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., where she graduated with honors in 1998. She recently moved to Holden with her 3-year-old daughter, Sophia.

There are numerous ongoing projects in Brewer that attracted Pereira to apply for the Brewer job, with the redevelopment of the defunct Eastern Fine Paper Co. as the biggest.

"I love the fact the city has a variety of economic development going on," she said, then listed industrial and manufacturing growth and developments along Wilson Street, Dirigo Drive, downtown and the waterfront as areas of focus.

Investments in the city at the Brewer Professional Center, with Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, the Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health, and a planned cancer care center are other ongoing projects, she said, adding, "We really have a need for an additional hotel."

Pereira also is a member of several boards and organizations in the region, including being co-chairwoman of Fusion: Bangor, a relatively new social network for people under age 40.

Pereira's answer to the final question at her interview sealed her fate, Main-Boyington said.

"I saw Steve Bost's jaw drop when [Pereira] said, 'I'll be a fearless advocate for the city of Brewer' when we asked 'Why should we choose you?'" she said.

"And she is - absolutely."

A copyright story from the Bangor Daily News, Saturday, June 3, 2006.