Movers And Shakers: Guts And Glory: Pamela Gleichman And Portland's First Japanese-Financed Highrise. By Marcia FeDer.

GUTS AND GLORY

BY MARCIA FELLER

Back Bay Tower. A Manhattanstyle luxury apartment house scheduled for completion in 1988, with amenities including indoor swimming pool, roof garden, balconies, and breathtaking views of Portland, the harbor, Back Bay, and the White Mountains. Back Bay Tower. A local project that competed in a city-againstcity competition for $4.5 million in taxexempt financing and won. Back Bay Tower. The Maine real ~state project that attracted the interest and more importantly the money of Mitsui, a 350-year-old firm that is also Japan's largest economic ~(collective."

Pam grew up in Rockford, Ill., received her undergraduate degree from Northern Illinois University in '67, and achieved her Master of Fine Arts degree from Penn State in '69.

She founded Gleichman and Company in 1977, from her apartment in Portland. Recently divorced from her husband, John Scarcelli, who lives in Farmington, she dealt not only with the tribulations of a new business, but also the' unpredictable situations that arise as a single parent with a young son and daughter. But Pam was determined to make it work. That" can do" attitude is a characteristic inherited from three generations of strong women on her family tree. Her great grandmothers were active into their 90s. "My great grandmother, Sarah Mather, was a full-bloodedSioux Indian. She lived in Oxfordsville, Wisconsin. The land-owners let her live in a small house on the property and told her that she could remain as long as the oil for her furnace held out. The woman looked like Sitting Bull and was just as tough. When her landlord left the property, Sarah would siphon oil out of their tanks. She found a way to remain on the property a long, long time.

Back Bay Tower is her most ambitious project to date. When financing in Maine became difficult, Pam turned to connections she made with Portland's sister city, Shi-

The Quiet Developer: Maintaining a low profile and with a full· ...------------------time staff of only nine employees, G leichman and Company has developed over $100 million in real estate from Presque Isle, Maine to Illinois.

nagawa, Japan. "It was a lengthly process. Mitsui sent two representatives over here to review all aspects of my businesses. Then I spent a total of four months in Tokyo. It is a large organization, a composite of 27 different companies. They are in real estate, construction, engineering. They built a dam in Sri Lanka and own more apartments in Japan than any other collective."

There have been four representatives from Mitsui Construction Company's international division working here in Maine. Ikuo Morito has been living in an apartment at the Sonesta Hotel, but plans to rent a house in Maine this summer. Mitsui's U.S. office is in Chicago, but already they have moved into an office near the Back Bay Tower site on Paris Street.

Although women play a secondary role in Japan, P am found the Japanese businessmen pragmatic. Once they investigated her business thoroughly, her femaleness became a non-issue.

Mitsui has invested $2.5 million in Back Bay Tower. Gleichman and Company owns the land, which is valued at $1.5 million. In addition to the HUD funding, she has a letter of credit from a local bank backed by Triple-A rated tax-exempt bonds.

We had a second meeting at her office in the Walker Bayside Building on Casco Street. She purchased the building in 1986 for approximately $50,000 and added an additional $100,000 in renovations. Gleichman and Company and Housing/ State of the Art are housed in the new facility. She leases space to a sound studio and an audiovisual firm.

Pam's digs are elegant. Sophisticated shades of teal and peach are accented by dramatic contemporary paintings. Her outer chamber features photographs of completed projects. For all the activity going on around her, it is a very personal space. A half-eaten salad sits on the conference table; photographs of her now teen-age children perch on a credenza.

Pam remarried in 1980. Her husband, Karl Norberg, is a classicallytrained chef who owned and operated the onceglorious and now defunct Swan Dive restaurant. Before coming to Maine, he managed New York's famed Quilted Giraffe restaurant. Karl coincidentally was brought up in the same Illinois community, but P am met him for the first time here in Portland. With. the Swan Dive behind him, Karl has joined Gleichman and Company as a special projects manager. He handles all the Farmers Home applications, which is a long and technical process. Svenska, a tanning and hair salon across from the Performing Arts Center, is one of his independent ventures.

Back Bay isn't the only iron on the fire. Eaglebrook, a 367-acre, multi-use business community, is moving along on plan. Project manager Pierce says that the site has one mile of frontage on both sides of the Maine Turnpike between the Scarborough and 295 interchanges. It fronts the Paine Road to the east and Gorham Road to the north. Plans include a country club, health spa, 9-hole golf course, business park, and residential community.

People drive by the old Hearst mill property in Topsham every day and wonder why someone hasn't done anything with it yet. That will change if Pam has her way. In February, she presented a proposal to the Planning Board that calls for mixed residential and commercial use plus a restaurant, bar, and banquet hall. As with all development projects, we'll have to wait and see.

Ahhh inspiring.

This customized Country House is typical of the way Acorn® designs stand out without sticking out. Something else that says the house can only be an Acorn is the superior quality and craftsmanship.

The structure of a successful house. The Acorn building process is uniquely designed to help our sales representatives, architects and engineers fit your Acorn to your land, lifestyle and budget.

Send for your Acorn Home Portfolio with color photographs and floor plans of 50 designs for $12. ACORN® STRUCTURES INC P.O. Box 250, Concord, MA 01742 (617) 369-4111

Your local Acorn builder/dealer:

A.S: Richards & Company, Inc. P.Q~(3()x §32 Yarmouth, "ME 04096 (~P7)84&-3~54

Continued from page 13

Green Mountain Coffee Roaster.. 15 Temple Street, Portland. Exotic coffees and teas, interesting conversations, great location near One City Center and Nickelodeon movie theatres. Open late in the evenings. 773-4475. Hamilton's India Restaurant. 43 Middle Street, Portland. Northern and Central Indian cuisine by chef Hamilton Ash. Spicy, inventive, excellent. MC/VISA/Am. Express. 773-4498. Horaefeathera. 193 Middle Street, Portland. The award· winning menu offers fresh char-broiled fish, stir-fries, steaks, veal Oscar, as well as notorious "Horse-fries" and nachos. Many daily specials, served by a cheery, creative staff. Elegant and fun. Entertainment nightly. Lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 11 :45 p.m. daily. Major credit cards. 773-3501. HuShang II. 11 Brown Street, Portland. Award-wincing ze ~an, Shanghai, Mandarin, and Hunan cuisine. A Portlan~ainstay. Lunch and dinner daily. 774-0800. HuShang III. 29 Exchange Street, Portland. Shrimp in black bean sauce, cashew chicken are among the Szechuan, Hunan, Shanghai, and Mandarin dishes offered. Daily luncheon specials, homemade Chinese soups. Two brick· and-glass dining rooms. Lunch and dinner. Major credit cards. 773-0300. J's Oyster Bar. 5 Portland Pier, Portland. Delicious waterfront spot for seafood lovers. Oysters, steamed clams, very fresh seafood. 772-4828. Jameson T avem. 115 Main Sli'eet, Freeporl. Steaks, veal, seafood, and daily chef's specials. Veal sauteed with prosciutto, provolone, and mushrooms is a favorite, served in an historical colonial home. Lunch and dinner, Sunday brunch. 865-4196. .Justin's Restaurant. 645 Congress Street, Portland. Delectable array of seafood, beef, poultry, and very specialized veal entrees. Our luncheon menu includes a choice of creative, fresh salads and a variety of sandwiches. Elegant pastries and desserts are created daily along with our freshly baked breads. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Candlelight dining. 773-5166. Lake House. Routes 35 and 37, Waterford. Elegance in a rural National Historic Village. Specializing in Duck (sauce changes monthly), Veal Waterford, Curried Boneless Lamb, and Fresh Seafood. Chef/owner Suzanne UhlMyers is reputed for her creati~e.and delicate sauces. Desserts are homemade and breads baked daily. 150-item wine list and 1986 Recipient Wine Spectator Award for Excellence ... relax by the fire and dine on rose-adorned tables. Dinner from 5:30 p>lTl.(closed Tues. & Wed. Winter); Sunday Brunch 10:30 - 2 p.m. Three antique· appointed guest rooms. Truly, the difference between eating, and dining. One hour from Portland. Backyard to White Mountains and lakes. MC/VISA. 583-4182. Luna O'Oro. 41 Middle Street, Portland. "Italian cuisine so delightful it makes you fall in love - all over again." This colorful new addition to Restaurant Row (it's adjacent to Cafe Always and Hamilton's India Restaurant) features Chianti bottles as table lamps, complete with decorative melting wax; red-checkered tablecloths; a fine range of traditional and unusual Italian specialties (veal, pasta, fish, shrimp, and beef all beautifully handled); great antipasto; crusty homebaked bread; and an ineffable charm that is both polished and ingenuous - a little like Portland itself. A welcome addition. 774·2972. Lobster Shack. 246 Two Lights Road, Cape Elizabeth. Striking ocean view and picnic seafood to match. Great spot to walch Portland and Centerboard Yacht Club events. 799-1677. Maria's Ristorante. 337 Cumberland Avenue, Portland. Formal dining, good wines, and fine Italian cuisine. Owner and chef Anthony Napolitano specializes in veal dishes, including veal scallopini marsala, and there is an emphasis on fresh seafood as well. Dinner 5-10 weekdays, 5-11 weekends. MC,VISA. 772-9232. The Madd Apple Cafe. 23 Forest A venue, Portland. An intimate American bistro located in the Portland Performing Arts Center. Offering a changing menu; specialties include Carolina Chopped Pork BBQ, Shrimp Remoulade, tournedos Marchand du Vin, and Bananas Foster. Lunch and dinner. Major credit cards. 774-9698.