Poland Springs makes Fortune's 'great things' list

POLAND — Poland Spring Water received national attention last week from Fortune Magazine, a publication most famous for annually anointing the nation's 500 largest corporations.

Poland Spring, the water company that originates in and bears the name of the small Maine town was ranked 32 in a listing of "100 great things about America."

"It's a huge honor for us that we're listed," said Spokesperson Heather McBean. "It's the first time in the two years that it's been running that an item from Maine has been honored and that, in itself, speaks louder than words."

McBean acknowledged that Poland Spring was far more than simply a Poland company now. She pointed out, however, that the company still sells water from Poland, in addition to five other locations in Maine, and maintains one of their three bottling plants there, even though the largest one is in Hollis.

As someone from neighboring Auburn, McBean said that she still identifies Poland Spring Water with the area around her hometown.

"This is where it all began; it's our bread and butter here," said McBean. "We have our heritage, a lot of history, here in Poland."

The honor drew the attention of state leaders, and Poland Spring has received praise from the governor, and members of the U.S. Congress.

“Personally I think most of the things that are great about America come from Maine, but I’m very glad Fortune has chosen to put Poland Spring on the list,” said Representative Chellie Pingree in a press release. “When people around the country buy a bottle of Poland Spring water they are buying a little piece of Maine. It’s another reason why it’s so important to preserve the natural environment of our state.”

 The list ranked 100 items that range from the intangible to the (literally) concrete with "opportunity," and the the interstate highway system coming in at numbers one and two, respectively.  Poland Spring ranked one place better than a certain unpopular NBA basketball player.

"I like to think we're more than one spot ahead of LeBron James," said McBean.