Alan Caron, who grew up in Waterville in a family of mill workers and farmers, is the owner of the strategic planning consulting firm, Caron Communications. He has spent much of the last fifteen years focused on how to grow a 21st-century economy in Maine.

In 2003 he founded the nonprofit GrowSmart Maine, which helped to produce a report, “Charting Maine’s Future,” which developed strategies to revitalize the state’s economy through preservation of Maine’s quality of place and investment in areas where Maine has a competitive advantage.

In 2009, Caron created Envision Maine to work with nonprofits, businesses, and government and on ways to improve the state’s economy. He has also co-authored two books – Reinventing Maine Government (2010) and Maine’s Next Economy (2016).