Perfect Pitch Hall of Fame
The Perfect Pitch is a competition held at the bi-annual National Brownfields Training Conference. This competition provides three communities the opportunity to step up to the plate and pitch their brownfield redevelopment projects to a panel of expert coaches and conference attendees. Participants receives support from their Regional Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB) provider to refine their pitch, received feedback and actionable advice from coaches, and competed for technical assistance prizes to help their projects receive.
This Hall of Fame features past Perfect Pitch participants, their projects and where they are today. Apply to the 2027 Perfect Pitch Competition for your chance to get your brownfield project across home plate, and to secure your place in the 2027 Perfect Pitch Hall of Fame!
2023 Perfect Pitch Hall of Fame
| Caribou Maine: Riverfront Power Plants |
 | The City of Caribou, Maine is a resilient rural community that has weathered more than just nor’easterns. Nearby Loring Air Force Base closed in 1991 leading to economic fallout, population outmigration, and industrial decline. The community turned to tourism as a new revenue stream. However, despite its location on the Aroostook River and extensive recreation trail system, the city owned no public access points along the river.
To solve this challenge, Caribou acquired the Riverfront Power Plants Brownfield site through automatic tax lien foreclosure in 2019. Occupying 3.48 acres along the riverbank, the site was burdened with 32,868 square feet of abandoned structures, unused railroad tracks, and three abandoned above-ground storage bulk tanks. The river access was in sight, if the brownfield could be cleaned up. |
Applying for Perfect Pitch
To build national momentum, refine their project strategy, and attract funding partners, City Manager Penny Thompson led Caribou’s decision to enter the Perfect Pitch competition at the 2023 National Brownfields Training Conference in Detroit, Michigan. Caribou competed against 10 worthy communities for one of three spots at the competition.
Aerial view of the Riverfront Power Plants Brownfield site pre redevelopment.
Caribou collaborated with the University of Connecticut (UCONN) Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program to prepare for the competition. City leaders received hands-on support to flesh out reuse concepts, hone presentation delivery, design an impactful one-pager, and showcase strong local community alignment.
Caribou Steps Up to the Plate
During the Detroit competition, Caribou’s presentation resonated deeply with judges and attendees alike—an impression further sweetened by the team handing out authentic Caribou “swag,” including famous local potato candy, souvenir ornaments, and community travel guides. While on stage, Caribou received real-time feedback and potential funding mechanisms suggested by audience members and expert judges.
“Initially, we worried that Caribou was too early in the process to be considered to participate in Perfect Pitch. However, it was important for us to get others excited about the projects needed for our community. Having partners from the EPA and DEP in the audience and seeing our enthusiasm helped them to understand our passion for the Riverfront in our community. I believe this helped in future requests.” – Penny Thompson, Caribou City Manager
Caribou was able to engage with key regulators, articulate its vision for brownfield transformation and demonstrate its position as a competitive, shovel-ready target for future federal, state, and philanthropic investment.
Post-Pitch Success: A Timeline of Land Recycling Accomplishments
Since participating in Perfect Pitch Caribou has built upon its initial $900,000 FY2023 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant to secure over $7 million in total investment across its riverfront corridor.
| Watch EPA’s Grantee Spotlight Video on Caribou | Watch Caribou’s Perfect Pitch Presentation | Explore Caribou’s Brownfield Website |
Project Milestones
| 2023 | Awarded $900,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant for remediation and demolition of the Diesel Power Plant parcel (the original project baseline); Participation in the Perfect Pitch Competition |
| 2024 | $2,500,000 spent under CERCLA for emergency cleanup of the adjacent Steam Power Plant, establishing the site cleanup plan required for subsequent grant success. |
| 2025 | Awarded $4,000,000 EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grant for the Steam Power Plant parcel. |
| 2026 | Completed environmental remediation of the Diesel Power Plant parcel. |
| 2026 | Awarded $500,000 EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment (CWA) Grant to evaluate additional priority sites. |
| 2026 | Initiated EPA Region 1 Land Revitalization Technical Assistance (LRTA) project for the former “Birdseye Food Processing Plant” brownfield site (now rebranded as “Caribou Crossing”). |
| 2026 | Completed the comprehensive Caribou Riverfront Revitalization Plan (funded by the Northern Border Regional Commission – NBRC) to guide sustainable reuse across all power plant parcels. |
2023 Perfect Pitch Hall of Fame
| Smithers West Virginia |
 | Smithers, West Virginia, is a small, vibrant rural city of 950 residents nestled along the Great Kanawha River in the Upper Kanawha Valley. Once a thriving hub built around coal camps, Smithers faced steep economic challenges following the decline of coal mining, population outmigration, and the departure of local educational institutions. However, the 2020 designation of the nearby New River Gorge National Park and Preserve opened a vital new avenue for regional tourism development.
Thousands of visitors traveling to the new national park now pass directly through Smithers along Route 60 (the Midland Trail Scenic Byway)—yet a 50-mile stretch offered no public lodging and almost no sit-down dining. |
To capture this opportunity, Smithers targeted Longacre Bottom: a 23.65-acre former coal camp site situated right within city limits. The city’s vision transforms this flat riverfront property into traveler lodging, sit-down dining, watercraft river access, an outdoor event venue, and leisure green space to anchor regional revitalization.
Applying for Perfect Pitch
Guided by the principle that “partnerships build partnerships,” Mayor Anne Cavalier sought national visibility and technical support for the project. After West Virginia University’s Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities (TAB) program brought landscape design and planning students to analyze Longacre Bottom, lead professor Dr. Peter Butler recommended entering the Perfect Pitch competition at the National Brownfields Training Conference. Smithers entered to share its vision with a broader national audience and secure professional technical assistance to attract future developers.
The Longacre Property pre development
Smithers Steps Up to the Plate: Competition Results
Smithers pitch resonated deeply with judges and attendees. Smithers took first place in the Perfect Pitch competition, earning a tailored technical assistance package including a comprehensive site feasibility study conducted by Kansas State University’s Brownfields Center.
Mayor Cavalier recalled the camaraderie and momentum of the experience:
“One of the most memorable takeaways from Perfect Pitch was the mutual respect and support of the audience and presenters… What began as a prize with an estimated value of about $20,000, has turned into essential partnerships and millions of dollars of investment in our city.”
Post-Pitch Success: A Timeline of Land Recycling Accomplishments
The technical assistance awarded through Perfect Pitch helped accelerate redevelopment efforts. The initial site plans informed subsequent feasibility studies and directly supported Smithers in securing $3.58M in US HUD funding to purchase the property and design site infrastructure. Today, Smithers is managing $14 million in funding.
Reflecting on the transformation, Mayor Cavalier shared advice for future competition applicants: “The Perfect Pitch program can be, as it was in our case, the critical launch for an entirely new and vital future for communities… The program and the opportunities that winning has brought to our area is literally changing our local destiny.”
Project Milestones
| HUD EDI Funding ($3.58M) | Awarded $1,080,000 for land acquisition and $2,500,000 for water/sewer infrastructure. |
| Site Purchase Finalized (Late 2023) | City officially completed the purchase of the 23.65-acre Longacre site. |
| Environmental Site Assessments ($75K) | Completed Phase I & II ESAs with WV Brownfield Centers & DEP; updated Phase I underway for cooperative remediation. |
| Lodging & Engineering Feasibility ($65K) | PACAP REI (15K) funded an Atlas Community Studios lodging study; NRGRDA (50K) funded a Thrasher Engineering 30% design plan. |
| Philanthropic & Partner Support ($1.33M+) | Secured funding from Greater Kanawha & Benedum Foundations (660K), County Economic Plan (250K), Rural Health (200K), AmeriCorps (180K), and the Hub ($100K). |