Morning Sentinel
THEY CAME BACK, PART 1: Waterville grad returns to find 'a lot of potential'
By Morning Sentinel Staff Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 01/20/2008

WATERVILLE -- Raffi Der Simonian believes there's no doubt Waterville will grow and prosper.

The city has everything going for it -- a great location on the Kennebec River, beautiful facilities such as the Waterville Opera House and Hathaway Creative Center, and a lot of good people working hard to promote the city's resources, he says.

"I think business-wise, it has a lot of potential," Der Simonian said. "I see Waterville 10 years from now as being an extremely bustling and vivacious place to live, work and play."

Der Simonian, 27, speaks from experience.

He grew up in Waterville, taking advantage of the perks offered him such as free lectures at Colby College, use of the tennis courts there and the opportunity to be a DJ at the campus radio station.

He remembers never being bored, as there were so many things to do. At Waterville Senior High School, he was co-captain of the state championship tennis team, head of the civil rights team and class president three years. He also played soccer and performed in plays.

"I felt like Waterville was a great place to grow up," he said.

Der Simonian was a self-starter, developing a band, performing in the community -- and talking the band "Rustic Overtones" into coming to Waterville as a fundraiser for his graduating class.

Like many young, smart Mainers, Der Simonian was curious about other places and felt the pull of urban life. After graduation, he went to Clark University in Worcester, Mass., and got a bachelor's degree in culture and communications and a master's in marketing and communications. He took jobs working as marketing projects coordinator for the Providence (R.I.) Performing Arts Center and then as e-commerce marketing executive for Orient Express, a luxury travel company.

At the same time, he developed his own marketing and communications consulting business -- a venture that would allow him to return to Maine last summer, eight years after leaving.

"I always love visiting big cities, but I like the intimacy of a smaller community," Der Simonian said recently, while working on his laptop at Jorgensen's Cafe. "There's more room for positive change."

Deciding to come back to his roots was easy.

"My family has a whole lot of history here," he said. "My father's family emigrated from Lebanon in 1967 and my grandfather had a cobbler shop (Simon's Shoe Repair) on Main Street next to Joe's Smoke Shop."

"My family is extremely, extremely close, which is another underlying reason I wanted to come back. I see a lot of benefit in kind of helping to build a family unit."

The client base of his business, Der Simonian Consulting, was growing, so he felt he had enough momentum to take a leap of faith and come back to Waterville. And the cost of living is less than that in other places, he said.

Last summer, he arrived and got a part-time job as promotions coordinator for the Waterville Main Street Program, a job that fits well with his consulting business located at 76 Main St.

"It felt very grounding to come home," he said. "After spending time in other places, it helps you to develop an appreciation for the area. One of the things I like about this place is that your actions are more easily felt than in a larger city such as Boston."

Already, he has developed a program that brings college students downtown for cultural activities; worked on the annual Harvest Festival; helped coordinate the Christmas parade and Kringleville; and started "Live at the Opera House," a music series that featured the Rustic Overtones and will bring folk singer Joan Baez to the city in March.

"I'm working on helping to brand Waterville as a statewide destination for entertainment," he said.

Der Simonian said that when he returned to Waterville, he saw good things happening, including a strong push to develop Main Street and the promise of renovations at Hathaway.

"I think that only good things are going to happen in Waterville," he said. "There is an undeniable momentum shift. There are qualified people here for jobs and as far as some of the challenges Waterville presents such as vacant storefronts, there is no overnight solution. I think more work can be put into making it an attractive destination and inviting for all age ranges. There is no way Waterville isn't going to experience growth and development."

Der Simonian does not guarantee he will stay in Waterville forever, but for now he is firmly entrenched.

"Right now the thought of leaving is so far away from me because I'm just arriving here," he said.

"Personally, I'd like to try to develop this as my home base and develop a client base outside. It's become increasingly clear to me since I moved here that it's not a matter of where you're living, it's what you're doing -- and I think that there's a lot of truth to that."

Amy Calder -- 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

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Marty of Belgrade, ME
Jan 20, 2008 6:11 AM
Welcome home, Raffi! Your positive "can do" attitude is refreshing. Waterville needs people who think as you do and is lucky to have you back.report abuse

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