After just over 2 years sitting vacant, the former Hitchiner Manufacturing property in Littleton was sold on May 9 to local entrepreneur, Robert Chapman of Gorham. According to a statement, Chapman is no stranger to breathing life into shuttered mill buildings, having purchased and rejuvenated the Wausau Paper Mill in Groveton and the Bass Shoe and the Car-freshener buildings in Berlin.
While he has been the driving force behind these projects, he is very quick to remind everyone that none of his successes could have been accomplished without the assistance of many state and local officials as well as local and regional funding sources. “It takes a lot of hard work by many to make things like this happen.” Chapman says. “Thanks to the continued assistance and support from the State’s economic development staff, I am looking forward to working with the many state and local economic development officials to bring this property back to life. Of course, none of this would be possible without the initial desire of the Hitchiner Manufacturing wanting to do something good for a community that supported them for years.”
John H. Morison, III, CEO of Hitchiner Manufacturing, says, “We are very pleased with the outcome of the sale of our Littleton facility. It was our hope to be able to turn over the keys to a buyer who would consider the best interests of the community and bring jobs back to the area. The town of Littleton has been a good home for us for over 30 years, and we are pleased to be able to have played a small part in accomplishing this and feel that Mr. Chapman is absolutely the best buyer to make this happen.”
Commercial Broker Mary Doherty of Peabody and Smith Realty and the firm of Colliers International represented Hitchiner Manufacturing Company and assisted Chapman with this transaction.
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