The Grow Maine Show: Recent Episodes
Marty Grohman
Terry Johnson is an experienced business advisor and product and technology development professional. His experience and practice is in all aspects of business with focus on business models, innovation and innovation processes. He is a partner at Practical Decisions, manages the Maine Mentor Network for the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, is the President of ACE, and a member of the Manufacturers Association of Maine's Business Growth Services group.
Big news! I'm taking a break from producing The Grow Maine Show each week to focus on the fast growing opportunities at E2Tech! Steve Woods, CEO of Promerica Health, will take over the time slot at WGAN.
To make the handoff smoother, I recorded an episode with Steve, who is quite an entrepeneur himself.
Each week, host Steve Woods will engage national leaders and local experts from the clinical, business, scientific, academic, and political communities in an honest and upbeat dialogue about today’s healthcare realities and tomorrow’s developing opportunities. From emerging technologies to evolving policy work, personal fitness to public health, each show will showcase the thinkers and explore the thinking that will help us change the conversation – and ultimately change the world.
A Healthy Conversation reflects the broad interests and eclectic experience of host Steve Woods. For over thirty years, through varied roles (marketing executive, sports agent, adjunct professor, business owner, civic leader, board member, and more), Woods has examined health and wellness from every vantage point imaginable.
In his current role as president/CEO of Promerica Health, Woods is working with leading health care providers, brands, employers, and public health officials across the country to improve healthcare access and deliver better outcomes, including COVID-19 testing and future vaccination efforts.
Part designer, hacker, artist, and entrepreneur, Sam Mateosian is CEO and co-founder of Yarn Corporation, the maker of Driftspace - a new platform for creating and publishing stories in Virtual Reality combining immersive video and interactive 3D content. Our mission is to empower more people and organizations, from big brands to nonprofits, to share their stories using immersive media.
We’ve published interactive VR experiences on a wide range of topics including: Maine island and coastal communities, Somali refugees, kelp aquaculture, migrant farming, promotions for mobile phone brands and service providers, and work supporting at-risk youth in India.
Additionally, Sam is the co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer for Big Room Studios, a software development firm that provides digital product design, consulting, and software engineering services for cutting-edge web and mobile applications.
Stacey A. Giulianti, Esq. is the Chief Legal Officer at Florida Peninsula Insurance Company, where he oversees the Claims, Special Investigations, and Legal Departments. He founded the company with his partners in 2005 and has since helped it grow to become the 6th largest homeowners insurance company in Florida. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1993. He is the Author of Florida Insurance Law, Thomson West Publishing, 2007-2019. Mr. Giulianti graduated from the University of Miami School of Law cum laude in 1993 (staff member, University of Miami Law Review).
Stacey lives in Maine and offers great perspective on remotely managing a large company, and doing business in Maine vs. Florida. He is also adjunct faculty at Southern Maine Community College, teaching entrepreneurship.
Joe Bruno served as the State Representative for the towns of Raymond and Windham for 5 Legislative Sessions. He was a member of the Health and Human Services Committee, the Banking and Insurance Committee and the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee. He was elected House Republican Leader for two terms.
He is the owner of Community Pharmacies, LP a nine store independent chain located throughout Maine. He was previously a Director of the Waldron Group of Companies. As Director, Joe served as CEO of Community Pharmacies before purchasing the company in September 2010. He has served as CEO of Goold Health Systems and Sable Oaks golf course in his capacity as a Director.
After his departure from state politics, Joe was elected four terms to the Town of Raymond, Board of Selectmen and served as its parliamentarian and Chairperson. Joe serves as Town Meeting Moderator. He was appointed by Governor John Baldacci to serve on the Dirigo Health Board of Directors and was unanimously confirmed by the State Senate. He was appointed by Governor Paul LePage to Chair the Dirigo Health Board of Trustees in January 2011 and reappointed in September 2011where he guided it to its completion. Governor LePage also appointed him to the Maine Board of Pharmacy, where he serves as President. Governor LePage appointed him Chair of the Health Insurance Exchange Advisory Committee where recommendations to implement the Affordable Care Act were presented to the Governor and the Legislature. He also served on the Cumberland County Civic Center Board of Trustees and served as Chair of the Sports Committee. He served as chair of the Building Committee and chaired the committee providing oversight to the construction and renovation of the Cumberland County Civic Center.
He served on a Streamlining Commission in 2011 to find $25 million in savings to balance the state budget. The Attorney General and Governor asked Joe to serve as Chair of the Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force to find a solution of the many issues dealing with prescription drug abuse and disposal. Every Friday morning he can be heard doing political commentary on WLOB Radio. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, is a corporator for Gorham Savings Bank, and previously on the Board of Connections for Kids.
Joe is a graduate of the College of Pharmacy at Northeastern University with a Certificate in Nuclear Pharmacy and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern Maine. He is a licensed pharmacist in Maine and was Pharmacist of the Year for Laverdiere’s in 1990. He has worked both as a pharmacist and as a development manager with two large retail pharmacy chains. In 2012, Joe received the distinguished Bowl of Hygeia award from the Maine Pharmacy Association in recognition of his contributions to pharmacy and his community service. In 2015 he received the alumnus of the year from Northeastern University.
He served as Chairman of the Optometry Study Panel, a past President of the Maine Community Drugstore Coalition and served as Chair for the Quality Improvement Council for the Augusta Mental Health Institute. Joe has been a featured speaker at many local, state and national conferences.
Corky Ellis was previously Founder and Chairman of Kepware, an industrial software communications company that sold to PTC, a Boston-based enterprise software company, in January 2016. Ellis has served as Board Chair of Maine Venture Fund (MVF) and Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and is currently a board member of Coastal Ventures, a Maine-based venture capital firm. Corky also invests in and advises software startups, serves on several technical investment boards, and supports the Lewiston, Maine public school system in their effort to institute a K-12 software coding curriculum.
Don't miss this story of entrepreneurial guts and grit, pivoting to a smaller market niche -- and having that decision pay off and lead to a very successful exit and a new career of giving back to the next generation of Maine entrepreneurs.
Khaled and Jen Habash are both adventurers at heart. Khaled grew up in the deserts of the Middle East while Jen was raised on the farmlands of central Maine, yet both share the same wanderlust and love of travel. They have traveled both solo and together throughout the world.
On a whim, Khaled packed his bags and headed for Juneau, Alaska; Jen soon followed. There, he sold shore excursions to cruise ship passengers and Jen spent her time as a tour guide. As luck had it, this set the blueprint for the next great adventure. After four great summers in Alaska, they came back home full of experience, enthusiasm and a family; thus The Scenic Route Maine Tours & The Blue Lobster Gift Shop were born.
Don't miss this story of listening to the customer when your assumptions were wrong from Day 1, and using that management & learning style to handle the pandemic pivot.
Graig Morin has been in the Transportation industry for 21 years and President of Brown Dog Carriers for just over 3 years.
Director of Business Development Darrell Pardy is an experienced entrepreneur who has led several Maine companies through strong growth, including Bristol Seafood &Thomas Moser.
Together, they operate their steadily growing trucking company with safety and customers and drivers satisfaction as their top priority.
Learn how a trucking company in southern Maine has positioned itself to be an enduring success.
As the CEO of DAVO Sales Tax , Pete leads a talented team focused on removing the hassle of sales tax management from the to-do list of business owners and managers across America. DAVO integrates with popular Point-of-Sale systems such as Clover, Square, and Toast to set aside sales tax daily for merchants and then file and pay it to the state when due. With DAVO, merchants no longer need to even think about sales tax - “Sales Tax on Auto Pilot”.
Joining DAVO on the back of a career in entrepreneurial businesses, Pete brings a strong technology background and proven leadership experience to DAVO. He believes that DAVO is the company to bring sales tax management into the modern age and is leading the DAVO team to deliver on this belief. Pete is also an avid sailor, skier and enjoys spending time with his family in Freeport, Maine.
Nick Baudouin is the Co-Founder and Director of Business Development at PowerMarket. PowerMarket has grown to 20 people since it’s humble beginnings 6 years ago. Located in NYC (although scattered around New England at the moment), PowerMarket is the industry leader in bringing community solar management to solar developers and bill savings to households.
He graduated with a Masters in Energy, Trade and Finance from Cass Business School in the UK and a BA in Human Geography and Economics from Boston University. Before PowerMarket, he spent time with a geothermal company doing project development around North America. He played professional baseball in Ireland while living in Dublin, however his baseball talents are mediocre at best.
Sam combines technical skill with vision to identify markets and motivate teams. He's built and sold two successful tech companies, including Parka to Automattic, so he knows how to take on a problem and address it. When an acquaintance of his received a DUI, the difficult, outdated court mandated follow-up process struck him as an industry primed for disruption, as well as a place to do well by doing good. That led to the founding of Reconnect.
Early in the process he would meet Ed Larson, an investor with a long history in the telco industry. The two would go on to found Call2test, a revolutionary tool for automated and randomized drug court check-ins. 2018 would see the release of ConnectComply, an app-based tool for participants to check in with just a selfie.
Sam then saw another criminal justice market that needed disrupting; court-ordered monitoring. He asked the question “how do we replace bulky, expensive and stigma-inducing bulky ankle monitors?” and went on to rebuild them from the ground up. Launched in 2020, ConnectBands are lightweight, discreet, and easy to use while saving jurisdictions dollars on expensive monitoring systems.
Don't miss this interesting story with one of Maine's most engaging and successful entrepreneurs, operating in a market you probably didn't know existed, changing things for the better along the way.
Mike Davis is an owner & President of the IRC Industrial Roofing Companies in Lewiston, Maine. With over 100 team members, and offices in both Maine and Massachusetts, IRC is Northern New England’s leading commercial roofing, siding, and service company. IRC has been a winner of numerous Safety awards and the Customer Service Award from the Maine Family Business Awards.
Mike earned a chemical engineering degree from the University of Maine and an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology. In his spare time he enjoys skiing with his kids and chasing Striped Bass on Casco Bay.
Don't miss this interesting story of a business leader in a sector that doesn't get much attention but is leading the way in renewable energy and running strong through the economic recovery.
Brett Wickard founded his first company, Bull Moose Records, after his junior year at Bowdoin College. Wickard oversaw Bull Moose's rise to become the largest retailer of music, movies, games, and books in northern New England. Wickard then founded Crickery Wood - a provider of point of sale software and services. Wickard's newest company, FieldStack, fuses elegant inventory, point of sale, loyalty, and eCommerce modules with enhanced analytics, decision making and automation into a Lean Retail platform for medium to large sized retailers.
This is everything the GrowMaine Show is passionate about -- being innovative, looking out for employees, building community, giving back -- in one remarkable business. Don't miss this interview with one of Maine's most innovative entrepreneurs operating with great success in a sector that most people think died when Blockbuster went away.
Amanda started eighteen twenty wines in 2015 with a friend who had been home-brewing rhubarb wine. When she tried it, she had the same reaction everyone else does when they have it "this actually tastes good".
Amanda has a strong background in marketing, had worked professionally in the wine industry, and wanted to take on the challenge of bringing a good wine to market made with local produce (rhubarb).
She has taken her love of wine and Maine, her digital marketing experience, and constant curiosity to keep eighteen twenty growing.
Amanda runs the business with a troupe of friends and family and some amazing local resources, including the Women's Business Center at CEI.
Amanda also runs a monthly digital marketing event called Social Media Breakfast Maine, and is the mother to an awesome little boy named Emmett and a vizsla named Otto. She resides on Peaks Island.
Richard is co-founder and president of Gritty's Brew Pub, of Portland, Auburn and Freeport Maine. In this episode we discuss the founding of Gritty's, including Richard's background as a sailor and stockbroker -- prior to making a 32-year leap into entrepreneurship and building a company with more than 100 employees.
Richard is a longtime member of Maine Technology Institute's Agricultural & Marine Technology tech board, and gives back to the community in many other ways, including Gritty's Community Nights.
The pandemic began with Richard standing in an empty pub on a Saturday night -- but he never had to throw any beer away. Don't miss this episode with this influential brewer and Maine entrepreneur.
Jim retired as President of Robbins Lumber in 2013. He is staying involved with the company as a consultant but also enjoying his retirement to the fullest. He’s very active with the following organizations: Katahdin Area Council Boy Scouts of America, Searsmont United Methodist Church, Maine Forest Products Council, and North American Wholesale Lumberman’s Association. Jim is married and has three children and 12 grandchildren. In his spare time he enjoys hunting, fishing, white water canoeing, boating, hiking, cross country skiing, traveling, antique autos and spending time with his family.
Sam is a business executive with over 30 years of corporate leadership with Hewlett Packard Company and as Corporate Vice President for IDEXX Laboratories. He holds a BSCH degree from Bucknell University and a PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Purdue University. He also attended the Advance Management Program at Wharton and has over forty publications and presentations on chemistry, leadership, education, quality and management.After leaving the corporate world, Sam has focused on helping smaller organizations, both commercial and non-profit, apply proven leadership, management and growth techniques scaled to achieve success. This has included Board Chair for Breakwater Learning, Board Chair and mentor for The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, and founding board member of Maine Outdoor Brands. He is an advisor to several companies, and executive coach for business and non-profit leaders in the community. He has been a resident of South Portland for almost twenty five years. Sam is an active angel investor, joining Maine Angels in April 2013 and Chair from 2015-2019. He is currently Chair Emeritus and founding member of the group’s Dirigo Angel Fund I Investment Advisor Board. He believes the key to Maine’s (and America’s) future economic growth and the source of creative solutions to current global challenges (e.g. climate change) is entrepreneurship and new startups. Sam is actively involved with many incubators, accelerators, pitch contests and individual startups as a mentor, coach, and advisor, in addition to being an investor.
Jack is President and Chief Investment Officer of Harpswell Advisors, a Maine based firm serving foundations and endowments throughout the United States. Harpswell embraces an OCIO approach that leverages the benefits of both passive and active strategies and creates custom portfolios for each institution it serves. Harpswell was named among the nation’s top 108 Charitable Investment Advisors in Investor.com’s 2020 study.
Prior to Harpswell, Jack managed a market neutral hedge fund predominately for non-profit institutions and family offices. Jack also served as a Principal with The Vanguard Group where he was a Senior Analyst working directly for several of Vanguard’s funds and participated in the Chairman’s senior strategy efforts. Prior to joining Vanguard, Jack was a Vice President and Portfolio Manager with Bryn Mawr Capital (a hedge fund) overseeing the firm’s investments in energy and basic materials.
Prior to his career in investment management, Jack served as the Press Assistant to the U.S. Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell.
Jack holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hobart College and earned his Masters of Science degree from the London School of Economics.
A dedicated civic participant, Jack has been a lifelong volunteer and serves on several Boards and Investment committees.
Rich Brooks is founder and president of flyte new media, a digital agency in Portland, Maine, that’s been in business for over 23 years. He is a nationally recognized speaker on entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and social media.He founded The Agents of Change, an annual conference and weekly podcast that focuses on search, social & mobile marketing. He recently co-founded Fast Forward Maine, a podcast and workshop series for growing Maine businesses.Rich is the author of The Lead Machine: The Small Business Guide to Digital Marketing, a popular and well-received book that helps entrepreneurs and marketers reach more of their ideal customers online.He has appeared in Inc. Magazine, The Huffington Post, FastCompany.com, CNN.com, the Social Media Examiner, and many other news sources for stories on digital marketing. He is also the “tech guru” on the evening news show, 207, which airs on the NBC affiliates in Maine. And Chris Brogan always calls him "Handsome Rich Brooks", so that can't be bad.
Whit is an award-winning journalist and communications professional. After more than a decade in the newspaper business, during which time he won the prestigious Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Whit took his experience crafting narratives and distilling complex topics into easy-to-understand terms to the corporate world. Until recently, he led communications and investor relations for 4Front Ventures, a publicly traded company operating in the legal cannabis industry. Whit led 4Front’s communications and marketing efforts from its nascent stages to emerging from stealth mode to ultimately going public in the summer of 2019. During that time, Whit was instrumental in developing the communications strategy that the company used to raise more than $35 million.
Whit is also the founder of Maine Startups Insider, which provides news, resources, information, and events for Maine’s startup founders and innovation-focused companies.Learn more about Whit's consulting partnership, Brickyard Collective.
Les Otten has been a leader and an innovator throughout his nearly five-decade entrepreneurial career – in a wide range of pursuits including business, tourism, alternative energy, community development and philanthropy. Here are but a few of Les’ accomplishments.
At Sunday River Ski Resort, Les took a tiny, struggling ski mountain in western Maine and turned it into one of the most successful resorts in America.
Les put together an ownership group to buy the Boston Red Sox and served as vice chairman and partner in the franchise from 2002 to 2007 when they won the World Series twice. Les spearheaded the effort to save Fenway Park and today (prior to coronavirus), fans of Red Sox Nation travel from all over the world to make pilgrimage to the refurnished Fenway Park.
Les founded Maine Handicapped Skiing, now named Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation, with Omar D. “Chip” Crothers, M.D., to ensure access to and participation in recreational sports that are integral to a well-rounded life for every person. Maine Adaptive is the largest year-round adaptive recreation program east of the Mississippi for adults and children with physical disabilities.
In 2008, Les directed his energy and passion to the renewable energy sector and founded Maine Energy Systems (MESys), the premier assembler and distributor of the most efficient, cleanest, state-of-the-art wood pellet boilers and furnaces. In recent years and especially as climate change has crept into the forefront of many conversations, Les has been pushing for modern wood heating to be adopted en masse within the Northeast US. Les is passionate about modern wood heating and understands the impact that each home switching to pellet heating can have by reducing the home’s heating carbon footprint by 86%.
As evidenced by his efforts to grow the ski industry, save Fenway Park, and act on climate change, Les agreed to help develop a viable path for The Balsams Resort, Dixville Notch NH. For the last 5 years, he has been assembling this project into a significant year-round economic driver for Coos County NH which is suffering from staggering unemployment and underinvestment.
John is passionate about contributing to a resilient and sustainable Maine economy by supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable corporate growth that contributes to opportunities for Maine people and an economy that works for all and preserves our history while embracing change.
Over 30 years of institutional investing experience, analyzing industries and companies, managing municipal, corporate, and international bond portfolios, and for the last many years serving as Maine Venture Fund (“MVF”) Managing Director, executing and overseeing the full range of venture capital investment activities. I have a passion for working with teams, entrepreneurs, building companies, Maine, and Maine’s economic well-being.MVF highlights:• Able to quadruple the amount of capital contributed to (invested in) the fund; capital that is then used to capitalize and grow promising companies;• Successfully managing a portfolio of early stage equity and near equity investments in small Maine companies;• Responsible for bringing capital to over 60 Maine companies;• A dozen positive “exit” events, returning capital to the Fund to enable future investments.
As Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Matt Timberlake works with all Vortex divisions throughout the United States to ensure its mission, vision and values are fully implemented and maintained. A lifelong resident of Maine, Timberlake grew up in the underground utility industry as a third generation member of the family owned Ted Berry Company Inc. of Livermore, where he served as its president.
In February of 2019, the Vortex Companies acquired the Ted Berry Company. Together the two companies present a tremendous opportunity for growth, not only in the northeast region but across the country, as well given its history of success and strong reputation.
Over the course of his career, several industry associations have recognized Mr. Timberlake for his contributions to the advancement of trenchless solutions and underground utility repair.
William J. Ryan, Jr. began his professional career as an attorney, practicing corporate law in Portland before embarking on his career in the sports business. Bill has worked as a sports marketing executive, owned the Oxford Plains Speedway and founded the Maine Red Claws. His current focus is on angel investing, principally in companies based in Maine. In addition to his business interests, he currently serves on the board of the Portland Museum of Art.
Lisa DeSisto is the Chief Executive Officer of Masthead Maine, the state’s largest media network. She oversees the companies that publish five daily newspapers in Maine – the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, Morning Sentinel, Kennebec Journal, Sun Journal and Times Record – and their websites. The network also includes 23 weekly newspapers and two commercial printing operations in Lewiston and South Portland. Together the Masthead Maine papers constitute the largest newsgathering organization in northern New England and reach most of Maine’s residents. The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, the state’s largest newspaper, has in recent years won some of journalism’s top awards, including the Loeb Award and the Polk Award, and was a finalist for a Pulitzer in 2016.
Lisa serves on the board of the Associated Press, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. She hosts a live event series, “Like A Boss,” in which she interviews other Maine CEOs on their leadership principles.
Before joining Masthead Maine (then MaineToday Media) in November 2012, Lisa spent 17 years at The Boston Globe, where she served as Chief Advertising Officer and Vice President/General Manager for Boston.com. She joined Boston.com as marketing manager in November 1995, just two days after the site’s launch. A native of Stoneham, Massachusetts, she is a 1985 graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Lisa lives with her family and a herd of alpacas in North Yarmouth, Maine.
Chris Lynch is the President, Founder and owner of Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Realty. From its inception in 2006, Chris has grown the company from its six founding brokers to more than 80 Maine and New Hampshire based real estate agents and 5 offices serving Coastal Communities from Rye, NH to Jonesport, ME. In recent years he has expanded to the Western Lakes and Mountains in addition to our ability to serve the New Hampshire Seacoast. In this time of great transition, Chris is leading his company in new ways.
After 17 years on Wall Street, Chris gave up his role as a Managing Director, Principle and Global Head of the Investment Grade Bond Department at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette. Prior to that he held positions in Investment Banking and Debt Capital Markets at Kidder Peabody, Credit Suisse and Solomon Smith Barney. During this time, he had the opportunity to live in New York City, Brooklyn NY, London England and New Canaan CT. Chris had a vision to change the way luxury property was bought and sold in Maine and developed a model which is more friendly to the majority of buyers and led him to found the company in the midst of the last downturn. That experience has helped him lead in these times.
A graduate of Bates College (ME) and Andover High School (MA), Chris has a passion for the coast of Maine. Chris and his wife Laura have resided in Cape Elizabeth for 18-years and have 4 children: Andrew (26). Jake (25), Emily (23) and Alexandra (18).
Chris serves on the Finance Committee at Maine Medical Center, and is active with several charitable organizations in Maine. He has also served on the Board for the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors for Maine Listings, the Kieve-Wavus Education Foundation, and the Board of Assessment Review for the Town of Cape Elizabeth.
In his free time, Chris enjoys golf, boating in Casco Bay, skiing at Sugarloaf and paddle tennis.
Rob Simopoulos is the Co-Founder of Defendify, the all-in-one cybersecurity platform that makes cybersecurity possible for Small Business. Rob is a lifelong entrepreneur, as passionate about small business as he is about cybersecurity. In his 20+ years in the security industry, he has received awards, accolades, and recognition from a variety of trusted industry experts and publications. Rob and the Defendify team are based in Portland, Maine, and are on a mission to simplify cybersecurity and help secure small businesses and channel providers from evolving threats. You can reach Rob at rsimopoulos@defendify.io.
Andrew Rinaldi is the Co-Founder of Defendify. He has over 20 years of experience in business, marketing, digital, and strategic leadership. At Defendify, his passion for entrepreneurship has fueled a mission to protect Small Business from evolving cybersecurity threats. Andrew has long been a champion for business health, transparency, and efficiency, having implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)—at Defendify and in previous businesses—successfully driving brand, culture, vision, traction, and growth.
KEVIN HANCOCK is an award-winning author, speaker, and CEO. Established in 1848, Hancock Lumber Company operates ten retail stores, 3 sawmills and a truss plant. The company also grows trees on 12,000 acres of timberland in Southern Maine and is led by its 550 employees. Hancock Lumber is a six-time recipient of the ‘Best Places to Work in Maine’ award. The company is also a recipient of the Maine Family Business of the Year Award, the Governor’s Award for Business Excellence, the MITC ‘Exporter of the Year’ award, and the Pro-Sales national dealer of the year. Kevin is a past chairman of the National Lumber and Building Materials Dealers Association. Kevin is also a recipient of the Ed Muskie ‘Access to Justice’ Award, the Habitat For Humanity ‘Spirit of Humanity’ Award, the Boy Scouts of America ‘Distinguished Citizen’ Award, and Timber Processing Magazine’s ‘Man of the Year’ Award. Kevin’s first book, Not For Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse won three national book awards. His second book, The Seventh Power – One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership releases February 25, 2020 and is being distributed by Simon & Schuster. Kevin is a frequent visitor to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and an advocate of strengthening the voices of all individuals—within a company or a community —through listening, empowering, and shared leadership. Kevin is a graduate of Lake Region High School and Bowdoin College. He lives in Maine with his wife Alison.
Mahesh is proving that building a more sustainable world is no longer a dream, but a global evolution. As president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) he leads a community of 13 million people that’s growing every day.
A graduate from India’s Annamalai University with a degree in Computer Engineering, Ramanujam couples a strong background as a data scientist with his goal of building healthier communities and democratizing sustainable living.
Transformative thought programs, partnerships, and initiatives continue to be at the heart of Mahesh’s work today. He leads hundreds of employees and thousands of volunteers who work tirelessly as the backbone of the green building movement. He believes that sustainable living is not just about the physical building and rebuilding of our communities, but ultimately about our willingness to reimagine the way we treat each other. He envisions a world where construction is as much about compassion as it is about the convenience and efficiency of the structures themselves. And most importantly, behind every strategy, he emphasizes our universal responsibility to prioritize health and wellness, to make a commitment to the longevity of our planet, and to create a better quality of life for ourselves and future generations.
Taking some downtime away from the office during the coronavirus outbreak and thinking about your next startup? Well you came to the right place. Learn how to apply to MTI from Lou Simms, who serves as a Senior Investment Officer at Maine Technology Institute. Lou joined MTI in 2015 and truly relishes the opportunities to work with Maine’s aspiring entrepreneurs – dedicated to supporting the growth of Maine’s innovation economy on a daily basis.
Lou joined MTI after finishing his Master’s work at the University of New Hampshire’s Sustainability Institute and Organic Dairy Research Farm – and Lou has prior experience running small businesses in Portland, ranging from rocking bowling alleys to financial literacy counseling.
Originally from Kentucky, Lou is inspired by the natural beauty and unique sense of community here in Southern Maine – and he can think of no better place for he & his wife to raise their young son!
Michael Bourque became the second President and CEO of The MEMIC Group in 2017. Having served under founding president and mentor John Leonard for more than two decades, he held the position of Senior Vice President for External Affairs, giving him a broad and engaged view of the company and the insurance industry. He oversaw government and community relations and corporate marketing efforts that helped drive the growth of The MEMIC Group from a single state workers' compensation carrier to a super-regional specialist with eight offices across the Eastern Seaboard and more than 20,000 policyholders across the country. His efforts helped to strategically position the company as an industry leader in workplace safety and the compassionate care of injured workers and contributed to The MEMIC Group being recognized by ACORD as the Best Workers' Compensation Company in America. He has served on numerous boards and committees including chair of the 2016 United Way of Greater Portland's Campaign Committee, which raised more than $8 million. He also is a member of the board of the Maine Cancer Foundation, The University of Maine Board of Visitors and has served as chair of the board of both the Children's Museum and Theatre of Maine and the Southern Maine Community College Foundation. He is a member of the steering committee for FocusMaine. He is past chair of the Portland Regional Chamber and is a member of the board of the Maine State Chamber. Mike is a graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He believes that you show respect by asking questions.
In 1991, Marshall Communications was born, a life-changing experience for Nancy and one that’s she’s never regretted. Today, more than 26 years later, the agency has represented many major clients, including the Maine Office of Tourism, the Maine Office of Business Development, and The Orvis Company, among others. Nancy’s hallmark is her commitment to living clients’ businesses. When she was representing Northern Outdoors, she became a licensed whitewater rafting guide. For the Maine Windjammer Association, she lived the life of a crewmember on the Victory Chimes. For Orvis, she is learning to fly fish and tie flies. She is also well-known for her infectious laugh and insatiable love for learning about everyone she meets. Making connections between people for their mutual benefit is a favorite pastime, as is connecting with new and long-lost friends on social media. You're going to love this episode!
A 2x CEO, John is the principal founder and CEO of Prapela, Inc.; a company introducing new technology to help newborns breathe, relax and sleep. John previously held leadership and executive positions at four different Fortune 200 companies and one FTSE 100 company. He has led or assisted in the generation of more than $5.4 billion in revenue and launched over 100 new products. John's experience includes work in the medical device, diagnostic, medical imaging, durable medical equipment, biologics, wearables, genetic testing, hospital supplies, and consumer products markets. For over 35 years, he has worked closely with Physicians and leaders in Pediatrics, Sports Medicine, Orthopedics, Pain Management, Ob/GYN, and Cardiology. John started his career as a marketing analyst, which led to additional roles in business development, sales, operations, product development, and ultimately to general management. More recently, John is the principal investigator on an NIH/NIDA SBIR research project into neonatal abstinence syndrome and is speaking at events and in Grand Rounds on our opioid epidemic and its impact on opioid-exposed newborns. John holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Duquesne University and an MBA from the University of Colorado.
Adam Lee has been with Lee Auto Mall for 32 years, serving as President and assuming the position of Chairman of the Board in June 2010 upon the passing of his father, Shep Lee. He currently serves on the Muskie Board of Visitors, the MPBN Board, and the Maine Conservation Voters Board. Lee served as the Chairman of the Efficiency Maine Trust and Chair of the Maine Audubon Corporate Partners. He is the past chairman of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and a past member of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Historical Society, Maine Energy Council, Governor’s Advisory Council, Center for Cultural Exchange and the OSHER Map Library. Over the last 20 years, Lee has worked hard in conjunction with various environmental groups to raise fuel economy standards across the nation. He’s proud of the successful accomplishment that will raise the national standards to 54.5 MPG’s by 2025. Lee is a graduate of Vassar College and the recipient of environmental awards from the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine League of Conservation Voters. Adam Lee lives in Cumberland with his wife and 22year old twins, 2 horses, 2 cats, 2dogs, and anywhere from 6 to 8 chickens depending upon the fox.
Brian R. McLaughlin is the President & CEO, and Founder, of Amplify Additive, a Additive Manufacturing service provider with a focus on Orthopedic Implant manufacturing. At his uniquely outfitted facility in Scarborough, ME, they 3D print Titanium using advanced equipment from GE Additive. The equipment is highly specialized and operates under vacuum at elevated temperatures to provide material properties that exceed industry standards at the highest quality. “By 3D printing Titanium with this Electron Beam Melting technology, we are able to produce implants that not only have never been able to be designed and manufactured before, but provide a better quality of care for patients.” Brian graduated from the University of Vermont in 1998 with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. He is passionate about Orthopedics and is fortunate to have found this career path where he is now helping lead the use of next generation technology for the design and manufacturing of life enabling technologies.
Brian resides in Yarmouth, ME with his wife Karen and 2 boys, Baden and Adam. Brian and family recently relocated back to Maine in 2017 after being in Connecticut for 9 years. Prior to that they lived in Portland where Karen and Brian met and started their family. “We are so happy to be back in Maine, we missed it when we lived in CT and visited as often as we could.” Brian is very active, with a passion for both skiing and soccer. As for soccer, he still loves to play weekly, and has volunteered as a coach over the past 10-12 years.
Peter serves as President and CEO of Maine & Co., a privately funded business attraction and economic development organization. Charged with helping companies establish successful and profitable operations in Maine, Maine & Co.’s Board of Directors consists of top executives from Maine’s business community. During Peter’s tenure, Maine & Co. has attracted numerous companies from various sectors, growth stages, and sizes to locations throughout the state of Maine. Through Peter’s leadership, Maine & Co. has attracted companies Portfolio companies include: athenahealth, Sun Life Financial, Carbonite, Grand Rounds, and Wayfair.
Prior to joining Maine & Co. in 2004 as the Director of Client Services, Peter worked in Boston and Washington, DC in the food industry. Peter was responsible for building new operations in those geographies. His responsibilities included: general management, sales, relationship building, inventory management, and forecasting.
Peter is a graduate of Colby College and he earned his MBA from the University of Southern Maine. Peter, his wife and their son reside in North Yarmouth, Maine.
You won't want to miss this story. Rachel Knight was hours from closing her three-year-old business. She set up a meeting with her biggest client to break the bad news – she was going to have to close Destination Occupation.
But the client had news for her – that wasn't going to happen.
Three years later, not only is Destination Occupation, which helps employers grow their workforce by introducing them to potential employees they'd never meet otherwise, still in business – the company is growing and thriving.
Founder & CEO Rachel Knight is a Maine native. She graduated from Bangor High School in 1982, and has an undergraduate degree from UMaine Orono in International Studies. In her late 20s she started horseback riding and volunteering with a therapeutic horseback riding program for people with disabilities. From that experience, she set a career course on special education and got a master’s degree in Exceptionality (Special Education).
In 1996, Rachel received her master’s from the University of Southern Maine and taught content area subjects (History and English) to students with disabilities and logged many hours helping students explore options for post-secondary opportunities, a.k.a Transition Planning. It is from this experience that the idea of Destination Occupation was born. There are so many more opportunities and options for students than could ever be covered from high school field trips. So the idea of creating a library of videos for students “visit” a variety of businesses and educational programs from their high school felt like a deal changer, a “no brainer,” especially in a state as geographically challenged as Maine.
But the pivot, to find the pain point and figure out who the customer really was (hint: it's not the school or the students) took years to determine.
Brought to you by the Maine Technology Institute.
Andrew Silsby serves as President and CEO of Kennebec Savings Bank, a $1.1 billion bank headquartered in Augusta, Maine. He began his career in banking while a college student, working as a Float Teller at NorStar Bank, which later became Fleet. Upon graduation, he was hired as a Management Trainee at Fleet Bank. In the winter of 1993, Andrew was hired by Kennebec Savings Bank as a Loan Officer. In just seven years he rose to the Senior Lending position where he oversaw the lending staff as well as setting the loan policy. Time in that position set the stage for his role as Treasurer and then Chief Operating Officer. In June of 2014, after twenty years with the Bank, Andrew took over as President.
Andrew is a graduate of Maranacook High School and earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine. He is a board member of the Augusta Colonial Theater and Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, in addition to serving as Vice Chair of Augusta Board of Trade, and Chair of the University of Maine at Augusta Board of Visitors.
Heather Johnson grew up in Skowhegan and graduated from the University of Maine. She began her career in the private technology sector including sales, operations and general management roles at Nokia, Gateway and Toshiba.
After leaving the private sector, Heather had the opportunity to concentrate on rural economic development at Somerset Economic Development Corporation, before her appointment as Director of the ConnectME Authority, a broadband development agency. In this role, Heather was responsible for managing a small grant program, mapping key assets, working with communities and businesses to help them identify needs and opportunities to utilize connectivity to enable their goals.
Today, as Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development Heather continues to dedicate her career to fostering economic development, both in private companies and in rural communities across Maine. She has overseen the development of the first statewide economic development plan for Maine in 25 years.
Bill Seretta is a serial social entrepreneur with over 50 years of experience in launching new enterprises and rebuilding old ones in both profit and non-profit sectors.
Bill is founder and President of the Sustainability Lab which created and hosted for 4 years the New England Food System Innovation Challenge. In October of 2018 the Sustainability Lab took over operations of Fork Food Lab. Under Bill’s leadership Fork has grown from 24 members to 43 today. He is now implementing plans to make Fork Food Lab a sustainable business that will provide 60 food entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow their businesses in a new 10,000 s/f facility.
Bill holds a BA in Psychology and Anthropology, an MEd and ABD in Education from UMass Amherst.
Topher Mallory has three roles: CEO of the iconic Maine retailer Mexicali Blues, co-founder of Split Rock, Maine's first Organic Distillery, and owner of Royal Rose Simple Syrups, organic drink mixers. These businesses together represent more than 100 employees and many millions in sales revenue. Starting from a summer job selling skateboards, Topher has built this remarkable "only-in-Maine" career. Learn how, and why, in this compelling interview!
Patrick Roche is the Founder and Director of Think Tank Coworking, based in Portland, with three locations in Southern Maine. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the 2016 Innovative Small Business award presented by SCORE and the 2017 "Best Small Business" presented by the City of Portland. In addition to running Think Tank, Patrick spends time in New York City where he works with Gesundheit Media, producing video and marketing content. In his spare time, he writes screenplays, enjoys traveling to far-off lands and boating around Casco Bay. He is passionate about civics, the arts and building local creative economy.
Patrick has a lot of perspective on Maine's startup scene, now that he's working primarily in NYC. Listen as we explore whether Maine really is the best place to start a business.
Julene Gervais' enthusiasm and passion for Greenlight Maine's entrepreneurial mission complements her role as host. Julene is an award winning Television Anchor and Reporter. She began her broadcasting career in Wilmington, North Carolina working for WECT-TV as a producer. In Maine, Julene has worked at WAGM-TV in Presque Isle, WLBZ 2 in Bangor and WGME 13 in Portland. She was awarded Best Sportscaster by the Maine Association of Broadcasters in 2004. Julene has a diverse background covering stories related to our state's economy, healthcare and politics. This makes her the perfect host for Greenlight Maine to use her skills as a journalist to draw out the best in the candidates and the judges to help showcase the positive momentum building within Maine's entrepreneurship community. Be sure to listen all the way to end to hear Julene's long term vision for Greenlight Maine.
Carolyn Delaney is the founder and publisher of Journey Magazine, the state's first printed magazine devoted entirely to the topic of recovery from addiction.
Carolyn and her team are on a mission to amplify hope and celebrate freedom from addiction and are doing that by sharing local stories of community support, personal recovery stories and informative articles. She is known for inspiring hope and celebrating positive stories with the line, "people like us live like this."
Copies of Journey can be found at over 500 locations from York to Bath.
Peter Troast is the Founder and CEO of Energy Circle, a team of digital marketing experts and strategists who work with over 350 HVAC, solar, insulation, and home performance companies in 49 states to grow their business through services like website design and development, search engine optimization, lead generation and strategic content production. Peter is recognized as one of the country's foremost authorities on marketing for home performance, HVAC, and other efficiency related contracting companies. His fast-growing company is based in Portland, Maine.
Joshua Broder is CEO of Tilson, a telecommunications deployment and IT consulting firm based in Portland, Maine. Under Josh's leadership, Tilson has grown from 10 to more than 600 employees nationwide, achieving listing on the Inc 5000 nine consecutive times (likely a record for any Maine company). Josh is an Army veteran and earned the Bronze Star for his service in Afghanistan, where his team ran the tactical communications network for US forces. Don't miss this story of a man and a company on a mission!
Beth Shissler is President of Sea Bags in Portland. Starting from making just a few of the iconic tote bags made from recycled sails each year, she and the Sea Bags team have grown the business into one of Maine’s largest manufacturing companies, and saved over 700 tons of sails from the landfill while doing it.
Elizabeth Ross Holmstrom is Founder & President of Mindful Employer of Portland, Maine. Here’s her pitch: employees are choosing purposeful work over standard pay and benefits, and they are staying with companies invested in their professional development and wellbeing. By working with Mindful Employer, you can quickly learn about your employee experience and improve recruitment & retention through simple daily practices.
Maddie Purcell is founder and president of Fyood Kitchen. The fast-growing Portland company puts on amateur cooking competitions known as “Fyoods” for birthdays and wedding parties, as well as providing creative team-building events for corporate groups and small companies.
Here's the player on WGAN News if the one below doesn't work. Thanks for listening!
Louis Waterhouse, founder of LAW Calibration of Saco, learned his craft in the US Air Force, and founded his growing company right here in Maine. Starting out in his basement, he began calibrating torque wrenches – the kind make sure the wheels don't fall off school buses. Now, he leads a team of nine that service the paper and high technology industry across the northeast. Plus the school buses.
Linc Merrill is the president & CEO of Patriot Insurance of Yarmouth. But he started out doing triptiks for AAA, and raising steers and hogs in 4-H. Hear the unique career story and perspective of the leader of one of Maine's largest and most successful companies, this week on The Grow Maine Show.
For almost 30 years, Dawn Reshen-Doty has been running Benay Enterprises, a business support company that provides back office accounting and management support. Under her leadership, the company is expanding its Maine presence. In this appearance recorded on 7/27/19 on WGAN's Inside Maine, we explore what is driving growth for Benay and Dawn's impressions and plans for growing the business in Maine.
Lynn White is a Vietnam Veteran who is the board chair of Vet-to-Vet Maine, an all volunteer veteran led organization that helps address loneliness and service needs of Maine's veterans. He's also a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grad (like me!). This is a recording of an appearance we put together on WGAN's Inside Maine.
Dr. Jason Harkins is the co-head, together with Lisa Liberatore, of Scratchpad Accelerator, which is based in the Bangor region. Jason has some serious startup chops and cred and what I think is a good (and surprising) take on the whole "jump off the cliff and put the plane together on the way down" thing.Scratchpad has benefited from the support of MTI and founding corporate partner Bangor Savings (which has the enviable URL www.bangor.com), both of which are great organizations.
Ever since I was a state rep and worked repeatedly on senior housing bonds, I've been interested in the issue of the lack of affordable housing in Maine. Following up on that interest, I attended and recorded a conference put on by the Maine Real Estate and Development Association on affordable housing. It was a very well done talk and I'm publishing it here, in hopes that you'll enjoy it. It's kind of a dry topic but it's very meaningful. It features Greg Payne of Avesta and the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition; Jess Maurer of the Maine Council on Aging, and Dana Totman, CEO of Avesta Housing.
Great startup events are coming up. Don't forget to sign up for Gorham Savings Bank Launchpad and Startup Maine.
MEREDA events are very worthwhile. Here is one I recommend that is coming right up.
https://mereda.org/event/meredas-annual-real-estate-spring-conference/?platform=hootsuite
Dan Dinsmore is executive director of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent news outlet that publishes at pinetreewatch.org. The episode is a bit of a departure for me, in that it's the first nonprofit startup that I've profiled, but it's very interesting and it's clearly an area of growth and opportunity, something that any startup wants.
If you're interested in how the news works and love true in-depth reporting, this episode is for you.
Speaking of startups, there's a lot of great stuff coming up. First, now's the time to apply to Gorham Savings Bank's annual Launchpad pitch competition:
gorhamsavings.bank/launchpad/
And, go ahead and grab a ticket to Startup Maine - where everything startup in Maine comes together. These tickets are only $48 and now is the time to buy one. We are not doing discount codes or anything like that this year – it is a great deal so grab a ticket to help us out!
startupMaine.org
That's it! Stay tuned after the bumper music for a little bonus content with Dan!
WGAN's "Inside Maine" airs on Saturday morning. I had the honor of hosting the program on March 2. I booked several guests with the theme of "Service", starting with Tom Rainey of the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs. MCE provides many important services to Maine startups. The Top Gun program is (deservedly) the best known, but MCE also runs many other important programs, which are covered in this interview. It's great to be able to publish it here for those who missed it live – I hope you enjoy and give your feedback and suggestions in the comments – my first go around as a live radio host!
Michelle Neujahr is a business growth consultant and member of the faculty at Southern Maine Community College. As a consultant she specializes in helping businesses that have plateaued around a million dollars in sales scale to the next level. Michelle also works with executive teams helping them to create and execute visionary strategic plans.
She's from Minnesota, see if you can catch the accent :) and don't miss Michelle's TEDx talk "The Power of Perseverance". And be sure to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
And don't forget to the subscribe to The Grow Maine Podcast and leave a 5-star review. We're making a difference in Maine's startup community and you can help in just 30 seconds. Thanks!
Katie Shorey is the Business & Community Liaison for People’s United Bank, and President of Startup Maine, an organization with the mission to inspire & elevate entrepreneurs. She's a connector; enabler of entrepreneurs & startups, and gives a great interview.
Startup Maine's annual conference is coming up in June – and it’s not to be missed.
Now's a great time to get involved! Submit a workshop proposal, go ahead and register, or volunteer.
Michael Sauschuck is the former Portland Police Chief, current Assistant City Manager (and nominee for Maine's Commissioner of Public Safety). Speaking at the Portland Regional Chamber Kegs n Issues event in a talk I grabbed live on my phone, he walked through policing and substance use disorder recovery. Policing approaches to low level drug users have changed, and for the better - this is a very good review of how and why.
Also covered is the Thrive2027 collaborative organized by United Way. Get involved here.
Carla Harris is VP and managing director of Morgan Stanley down in New York City. She delivered a great keynote address at the Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute. We all have advice we'd give our younger self - that's Carla's topic, and it's a great one. And as you'll hear in the recording, it was very timely advice for me.
Carla Harris is remarkable, and the fit is perfect with this audience. The Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute is a great program for young women, started by Senator Olympia Snowe. Olympia doesn’t do anything small, and this program already has 500 young women from across Maine enrolled. What's different is the young women selected for the program are the ones who are a little less likely to step forward themselves - but have a lot of potential. Maybe a little bit like the future Senator was at that time.
I hope you enjoy this recording and will support the Olympia Snowe Women's Leadership Institute.
Hey, I’m back with The Grow Maine Show. I’m working hard after a really intense run, and loss, in a contest for US Congress. But I’m jumping right back in with this recording of the really great Mainebiz New Ventures/Start-up Forum held August 21. This is content too good to be forgotten, so I'm really glad to present it to you here:
It features:
Eliah Thanhauser of NorthSpore Allison Lakin of Gorges ("Gorgeous") Cheeses Becky McKinnell of iBec Creative Bill Keleher of Kennebec River Biosciences Sean Sullivan of Maine Brewers Guild David Stone of Forager
The panel is moderated by the incomparable Betsy Biemann of CEI.
Promo: the New England Venture Summit in Boston coming right up in Boston on December 12. I have a really nice discount code, $100 off registration. Here it is: GMSVIP. If you choose to attend or pitch, I expect you to kick ass on behalf of Maine!
Great advice from Eliah of NorthSpore: get your systems down. And case in point, as you heard, the battery on my Zoom H4N recorder died in the middle of the panel, so I missed a piece of it – right when Allison talked about her cooler dying – must have been karma. It does give me a chance to thank, and recommend, Headlight Audio Visual. I record a lot of events and they are top notch, and Trevor from Headlight bailed me out with a couple of AA’s at this event.
Get your systems down! Please like share and subscribe, I want to push this episode and others like it far and wide. The Grow Maine Show is on Facebook, go there and like the page to hear about the next episode, which is coming right up! Don’t be afraid to be awesome!
Chris Claudio is CEO of WinXNet of Portland, Maine. He is an extremely impressive entrepreneur that has built a company, together with his partner Mike Williams, into a national leader in the IT services and security space. The company has more than 125 employees and is at the top of many national rankings in their field.
Speaking of national leaders, did you know I’m running – yes, that’s me, Marty – am running for United States Congress? It is time we put an end to the partisanship that is crippling Congress. If you’d like to put a startup guy in Washington to represent you, I’d appreciate your support at martygrohman.com.
So back to the interview: what an amazing entrepreneur Chris is. It takes some serious chops to ‘install’ a business process in the way that WinXNet has, and I believe the company is an example of the success that dedicated, focused leadership can deliver. Enjoy!
Topher Mallory has three roles: he’s CEO of Mexicali Blues, and co-owner and co-founder of Split Rock Distilling, which also owns Royal Rose syrups. So it’s three interviews in one, for Maine entrepreneurs! We recorded the interview at Topher’s office at Mexicali Blues in Newcastle, after a quick visit to one of the Mexicali Blues stores.
And if you’d like to put a startup guy in US Congress, learn more about me at martygrohman.com
And here are those great coupon codes: RoyalRoseSyrups.com for 20% off simple syrups: growmaine
And one for MexicaliBlues.com (online only) coupon is 15% off: growmaine
And as promised, here's a link to Rich Brooks and Agents of Change conference; a link to Tim Ferriss and Tools of Titans, and a Link to the Book Essentialism.
Ed McKersie is the founder and CEO of ProSearch Inc., which has been locating talent for Maine based companies – from across the street and across the country – since 1994.
I’ve been looking to get Ed on the show forever. He’s founded a large successful Maine company, and now he helps other Maine companies find talent, so he’s got a heck of a perspective.
Don't forget: If you believe in firsts, and startups, and want to put a startup guy in Congress, visit my campaign website and make a contribution at martygrohman.com.
Make sure to check out Ed's amazing project liveandworkinmaine.com, which he runs together with Nate Wildes. This site is one of Maine's best workforce recruiting tools, and includes a job board and success stories.
Sarah Parnell is regional manager at Groups Recover Together, which is an intensive Medication Assisted Treatment practitioner with multiple locations throughout New England, including nine in Maine. I am passionate about opioid recovery and am always looking to learn more, and to do more. I have the results that group therapy plus medication can deliver on the road to long term recovery from substance use disorder.
To learn more about Groups Recover Together, visit their website.
To learn more about Marty Grohman for Congress, go to MartyforMaine.com.
Sebago Brewing Company is celebrating 20 years in business, a remarkable thing in any industry. But it didn't happen by chance - the founding partners have relentlessly worked on their business and their partnership, finding ways to work together that have made them all successful.
And the impetus for Kai to become an entrepreneur gets even more interesting: diagnosed with lymphoma as a young man, Kai realized that it was now or never to pursue his dream. With 250 employees, six locations and as one of Maine's leading breweries, I'd say it has worked out. What is holding you back from kicking it in?
My brother Owen, the family beer aficionado, met and recorded this interview with Kai at Sebago's new destination brewery on Main Street in Gorham. This is a great spot to meet and I highly recommend it. You can get a free tour of the working brewery, taste some new beers (and fan favorites), and even grab some lunch or dinner.
And if you'd like to put an entrepreneur in Congress to represent you, please check out my campaign page at martygrohman.com!
Derek Volk is the third generation of the Volk family to run his successful Biddeford packaging business. He has led the company through significant changes and challenges to the company culture, all the while driving growth and acquiring parts of the company's supply chain.
He's also a passionate supporter of many local causes, including the Heroes Wall, which is a tribute to veterans.
Ok, so this episode is really amazing. It’s just the five pitches from last year’s GSB Launchpad and the judges questions, that’s it. Nothing in between, all killer no filler, with the winner announced at the end. Be sure to register for this year’s Launchpad, which is June 6. And stay tuned to the end, when I’ll give my pitch tips based on having listened to hundreds of pitches now. Add your own pitch tips in the comments, too, I'd love to compile a fuller list.
Now, register! It's free and not to be missed:
Watch Five Maine Businesses Compete for $50,000.
Live LaunchPad Event
TUESDAY, JUNE 5th
Interested in my campaign for US Congress? Learn more and get involved at martygrohman.com.
Now, want to learn about lobster? What is new shell, what you can make besides the traditional lobster bake? You've come to the right place.
Matt Jacobson is the executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. But he's also an experienced executive and nonprofit leader. Among other roles, he ran Maine & Co, which focuses on encouraging businesses to relocate to Maine.
There's lots of lobster stuff coming up to promote, too. The MLMC plans a live event in NYC - an in-house broadcast with chefs and lobstermen talking about Maine Lobster. It will be on July 16 (at the start of the season). They expect more than 100,000 to watch from all over the world. It'll be live on our social channels - lobsterfrommaine on Twitter and F/B and Insta. We're really excited about it.
And don't forget National Lobster Day is Sept 25, and sometime this summer we're due to get the new lobster emoji! About time!
Kay Aikin is CEO of Introspective Systems, a developer of electrical grid management software based in Portland, Maine. The company takes on complex systems and makes them simpler. Somewhere between the internet of things and artificial intelligence, there is an immense opportunity to reduce costs and gain efficiency in electrical systems, communications, medicine, and smart homes. And just about everything else.
This is clearly an immense opportunity. What is not immediately obvious is that Introspective Systems doesn't seek to take on those complex problems themselves, but rather to build the systems that let others do it. It's like running the trading post at the gold rush.
If this topic is for you, Introspective Systems is convening a series of artificial intelligence and cutting edge software tech get togethers called 'Edge Talk'. Kay and others will lead the discussion. The next Edge Talk, "AI is the New Bacon" will explore differences between general and specific artificial intelligence applications and some of the many ways it can be used to solve complex problems in business. The event will take place on May 15 at noon. For information and to register click here.
It might seem odd, but I saw this poem by Gretchen Berg in the Sunday paper, and thought it would make a good episode of The Grow Maine Show. It's part of a column by Portland, Maine's poet laureate, Gibson Fay-Leblanc.
As I read it, I thought of all the flip charts and breakout rooms I've been a part of, and how it feels like a road to nowhere. Maybe you feel the same way too.
So I put that together as a quick episode, together with some updates on upcoming events from ScratchPad Accelerator, Gorham Savings Bank Launchpad, and StartupMaine.
I'm taking my own advice too – I'm running for US Congress for Maine's 1st district – and that is going to take all of the entrepreneurial chops I've got and more. See my launch video.
Sean Sullivan, executive director of Maine Brewer's Guild, is a great speaker and entrepreneur who happens to think that Maine craft beer is key to growing our economy. Brewing is a manufacturing business, and everything from ocean freight to a good local malthouse is in our favor.
This episode of The Grow Maine Show is brought to you by The Dunham Group. The real estate market is tight. Even if you're not outgrowing your space now, if you think you will, why not check their property listings right now?
Breweries also revitalize Maine's downtowns, especially in rural Maine, by creating destinations and building supply chains that spur other business growth. After listening to this... you know what you need to do to help out!!
Fyood Kitchen of Portland, Maine is a social cooking competition. Maddie Purcell is founder and ceo. Fyood's team sets you up in a professional kitchen with a full pantry and gives you a mystery basket with four secret ingredients. Your challenge is to make it into something that will impress your friends.
If you've never participated, you've really got to give it a try - either as a judge or as a cook, it's a blast.
This episode is brought to you by The Dunham Group. To get on that Inc 500 list, you need to grow your business fast. That means a good office, a good building. Don’t wait around – visit our custom link to straight to the property listings.
Please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music, or Stitcher.
I love how Maddie is #allin on this concept of Fyood Kitchen. I think it's especially valuable how she talks about doing everything herself, when it could better be done by someone who is a specialist. Man, I made that same mistake getting this podcast going. I continually make the mistake of not asking for help – I think we all do. My ask today is that if you enjoyed this episode and got something from it, share it with one other person who will benefit from it too!
Cheers!
Heather Blease (rhymes with "skis") is CEO of SaviLinx. SaviLinx is a contact center – that’s them on the other end of the phone when you want to enroll in a new dental plan or have problems with your student financial aid. Savilinx was just ranked #28 on the Inc. 500. May I say, that is just incredible. One of the highest listings achieved by any Maine company ever.
This episode is brought to you by The Dunham Group. To get on that Inc 500 list, you need to grow your business fast. That means a good office, a good building. Don’t wait around - visit our custom link to straight to the property listings.
Recording this episode was the first time I met Heather, she’s really been someone I’ve looked to over as a Maine entrepreneur's role model. Not too many people reach 2500 employees in just a few years, as she did with her first business; and SaviLinx is poised for strong growth as well. I especially appreciated Heather's progressive views on hiring people in recovery – I am passionate about this in my work in the Legislature, and employers who are willing to give people a second chance are so important.
Enjoy!
Zak Ringelstein is a former teacher who has a strong background in entrepreneurship, and now he's running for US Senate. While I generally don't do politics on the Grow Maine Show, I've had Angus King on twice, and so it's only fair I have Zak on. I will have the Republican candidate Eric Brakey on as well if he asks.
Today's episode is brought to you by The Dunham Group. Buying my own building was the single best thing I ever did in entrepreneurship. If you're outgrowing your space, follow my custom link to get you right to the property listing page.
Please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music, or Stitcher. My next guest has the highest Inc 5000 listing of any Maine company ever... if you subscribe, the next episode will show up automatically so you won't miss a thing.
Back to Zak. Zak's got a passion for entrepeneurship. He's a good listener, too - an unusual attribute in a politician (and I'm a politician).
Do you agree with his take on Amazon? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments, and learn more about Zak at ringelsteinformaine.com.
Kate Dickerson is the founder and director of the Maine Science Festival. Featuring Robert Krulwich of the popular podcast Radiolab as keynote speaker (listen to the episode to hear of Robert's Maine connections!), this four-day event attracts 12,000 festival goers of all ages to Downtown Bangor and the Cross Insurance Center for more than 60 events and activities available free-of-charge. Featuring forums, workshops, hands-on activities, films, exhibits and presentations, there's no better place to find out about (and celebrate) Maine science.
This episode is brought to you by The Dunham Group. They are commercial real estate brokers. If you're an entrepreneur, one of the best ways to control your own destiny is to own your own building. If that's not an option, structure the best lease you can. Get started with The Dunham Group.
Back to Kate: did you hear about an idea so good that you had to drop everything you're doing? That's what Kate did with the Maine Science Festival in 2012. Taking three years to produce the inaugural event, she has built an ongoing success that highlights the 'you can do it here' spirit of Maine.
The Maine Science Festival is proud to be an independently funded program of the Maine Discovery Museum, and a member of the Science Festival Alliance.
Sign up to attend the Robert Krulwich event here.
Keith Bisson is president of Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) in Brunswick. If you've heard of a startup in Maine, they probably had a hand in getting it going. They are willing to take a risk on early stage innovators that conventional lenders and investors won’t, calculating good jobs and environmental benefits in addition to dollars, as core to return on investment. He's pictured here with ceo Betsy Biemann. Together they lead this organization that is core to Maine's entrepreneurial community.
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In 2017, CEI or its subsidiaries assisted almost 2,000 Maine entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, including these high profile examples: Paul and Theresa Lancisi of Dove Tail Bats in Shirley Mills; Julie Swain of Dog Not Gone in Skowhegan; Jim Chattley of Meineke Topsham Car Care Center; Ten Ten Piè in Portland; and Corrin and Shirley Conforte of Kindred Farms Market and Bakery in Casco, and of course my favorite, Hyperlite Mountain Gear in Biddeford.
The community nonprofit helped to finance the completion of eight historic redevelopment projects from Biddeford to Waterville, made a first-in-the-nation loan from the innovative USDA Community Facilities Relending Program to support the expansion of a YMCA in Central Lincoln County, supported the design and commercialization of innovative technologies at companies such as Pemaquid Mussel Farms and Ocean Renewable Power Company, and successfully exited an equity investment in the software company Certify. They've been busy.
But we don't talk about any of that stuff. Instead, we learn about Keith's first bike, his passion for taking on investments that others turn away, personal guarantees and second positions, plus a little bit of gelato.
Forty years ago, remarkably, CEI was a startup too. Now it's time for their 40th Anniversary Celebration, which will be held on April 25, 2018 at Brick South on Thompson's Point in Portland. I hope you will register and I hope to see you there. I expect it will be the #1 entrepreneurial event of the year in Maine.
MaineSole is bringing handcrafted shoemaking back to Dexter, Maine. It is a remarkable startup story of founders that had no factory, no customers, and nothing but the idea that the proud heritage of a Maine town deserves to be handed down to the next generation.
It's like we entrepreneurs do, jump off the cliff and put the airplane together on the way, right?
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This is our second time having Ben Davis on. His first visit was one of our most popular episodes ever and we're glad to have him back to talk about his new venture Portland Container Company.
What I think is amazing about Ben is that he seeks advice and counsel, and he listens to it, and pivots. Frankly, I don’t think I did that well enough as an entrepreneur, so it makes me really appreciate it when I see it. Ben has been relentless in seeking out advice and wisdom, and has done it in an a really egoless way, which is a lot harder than it looks, isn’t it?
What advice are you looking for, what are the challenges you’re stuck on right now? Let me know at marty@growmaineshow.com, and subscribe and follow on Facebook. Don’t be afraid to be awesome!
Howard Mansfield is an American author who writes about history, preservation, and architecture. He has a particular understanding of what makes a house a home, and a town a community. Learn more about Howard at howardmansfield.com and purchase his books on Amazon.
You can ask a question or leave a comment for a future show at (207) 423-8260.
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Sara Trunzo is an independent singer-songwriter who was Maine food famous before she became Maine singer famous. She was the director of the Veggies For All program, part of Maine Farmland Trust, and she worked hard on that career for many years before she decided to make a big change and dedicate herself to her music full time. I was very interested in that change and how and why she went about it.
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I first met and heard Sara perform at BikeMaine, which is this rolling community of cyclists. She played in a freezing tent in Pittsfield, and carried it off well. I really want to thank Cloudport in Portland, where we recorded the interview on a Saturday night. Cloudport is a great coworking space in the India Street neighborhood. I started by asking Sara where she was headed from here, so let’s jump right in:
I think today’s musicians are true entrepreneurs. Learn more about Sara and support her, please, at saratrunzo.com. Her new EP would make an excellent Christmas gift!
Have you ever wondered if you could go for it, and make a living as an artist? Angela Ferrari is a children's book author & illustrator based in Portland Maine, and the host of the of Story Spectacular podcast. We discuss how she got her business off the ground, what the first steps were, and Maine business resources like CEI and Small Business Development Centers.
I loved the ‘finding your routine’ advice. Here's a link to the Simple Habit app.
Find out more about Angela and listen to her show here.
Also here is a sneak peek of what she has in store for the Story Spectacular Thanksgiving Special. It's the "Quirky Turkey" Music Video!!! Enjoy😎
Do you know why you do what you do? Have you found your why?
We've had Haj Carr on before. Through his entrepreneurship journey he has pivoted away from purely focusing on making money to running a business with a purpose. He creates believers, naturally and intuitively. That partnership has been part of TrueLine Publishing, which tends to work with national clients. But how can Maine businesses amplify their online presence? That's the intention of his new venture, TrueLine Public Relations. So we invited the head of this new local business, PJ Rose, on with us too.
This is an interesting contrast to the previous episode with Steve Woods of TideSmart Global, who focuses on out of state clients, bringing in 'traded dollars' from outside the Maine economy. In fact, we started with a great discussion of traded dollars. The question is: are donut shops good for the Maine economy?
Then we get going with Haj and PJ on how they coach clients to start with why. This company goes deep with their clients. They're not mechanics, "if this then that" guys. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe, who stand for what you stand for.
Plus, PJ gives up his best fly fishing spots. That's nuts, PJ! You're way too giving!
Here's the YouTube reference: Simon Sinek Start With Why
Steve Woods is CEO of TideSmart Global, a Falmouth, Maine based experiential marketing company. Seems like someone in marketing could come up with a shorter term for the field, but anyway, it's a growing and important area of marketing – actually experiencing and interacting with a product, in a live setting in which you have to put down your phone. It's what many CMO's in the world of automotive and retail are looking for, and TideSmart Global provides it, all over the world. The company also has a strong focus on environmental sustainability, and developed and built Maine's first Net Zero office on the campus, where the interview was recorded (using batteries! really!).
Steve has hosted his own podcast and radio show for many years, ran for Governor in 2014, and has strong opinions about the growth and direction of Maine's economy. We'll explore them more deeply in the episode, but the basic question is, do we let growth and entrepreneurship bubble up, or do we pick winners and losers?
I'd love to hear your opinion. Which approach will net greater growth for Maine's economy?
Adam is a social innovator and cultural architect. His life and work is dedicated to living well in this place with others. He creates spaces – physical and programmatic – that raise the level of resilience, and improve communication in communities. Adam made a big leap by launching TEDxDirigo in 2010 and hasn't stopped since, also producing MaineLive and other events in conjunction with his nonprofit Treehouse Institute.
Listen to the episode for an offercode to register for TEDxDirigo RISE coming up on Saturday November 4, and take a look here for guides to creating comfortable spaces for challenging conversations.
Mike Sobol has been growing businesses of all kinds, everything from SEO to dog training, for close to 20 years. Together with Jess Knox and Elizabeth Buckley (local startup/venture legends in their own right), he recently launched Venture Hall, a new educational nonprofit in Maine. It's built on the premise that no one owns the best ideas.
Here's the concept: the power to innovate and create rapid, large-scale change is not a magical quality of the chosen few. It’s a process that can be taught and applied by anyone, anywhere, in any business.
After interviewing Mike, I believe it.
Venture Hall views their job as expanding the 'geography of opportunity' to ensure more people can access the training, funding and support they need to create exciting new innovations, whether they work within a "startup" or not.
In addition to their first startup accelerator program this summer (developed in close partnership with major health care and insurance players MaineHealth and Unum), Mike, Jess and Elizabeth are building more mechanisms to grow our Maine innovation ecosystem. That includes local startup support programs, more corporate partnerships, and a code school geared toward adults who are considering a career in software development.
The podcast (although it turned into something more) was planned in order to promote Venture Hall's upcoming Demo Day. Demo Day is not a pitch contest. It's actually a chance to see the technology that the four startups currently in residence at Venture Hall are developing. Demonstrated live in person, possibly on you. You'll see amazing tech at work, and think, how in the heck did they do that? Then, you'll get to see that question answered. That's the plan. Helping people with big ideas, like you, know where and how to start (I think you know the when part).
Plus, a keynote by Silicon Valley venture capital legend Dave Roux and a mixer afterwards. Friday September 8, 3PM. Free tickets here.
The Portland, Maine office of SCORE is one of the top chapters in the country, and much of the credit is due to chair Nancy Strojny. Following a successful career in product management at Procter & Gamble, Nancy has been running our local chapter since 2009, successfully advising a who's who of Maine startups and growing the mentorship base to cover multiple areas of expertise.
Benefit from the experience of a SCORE mentor - sign up for a mentoring session today.
Luke Shorty is a remarkable Maine entrepreneur. As the leader of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone Maine, he’s made the moves to grow the school and enhance and expand its mission and role in the community. Luke is also a longtime fan and supporter of podcasts, including The Grow Maine Show, and I really appreciate his encouragement over the years. I actually left a little bit of our pre-show chat in the episode, since I thought it was kind of fun review of Maine podcasts, so we started with that. Here are the podcasts we mention:
Love Maine Radio
The Maine Show Podcast
Manager Tools
Relentlessly positive and known for his work all over the state, Luke Shorty has the kind of upbeat attitude that you just can't get enough of. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did!
Lucas St. Clair of Elliotsville Plantation is one of Maine's most remarkable entrepreneurs. He's taking on a different problem than most entrepreneurs - he wants to create a national park in Maine's north woods. We explore how he did it, and the decisions he made along the way.
Whatever you may think of the idea (which I support), Lucas' efforts and approach are a model for taking on a big challenge. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did, and if you want to support a fund for Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument operations, be sure to have a bottle of Maine Beer Co Woods and Waters IPA!
Got an intractable problem you need to break loose? Looking for some fresh ideas and new approaches? Design thinking could be the tool you need. My good friend Sara Whalen Shifrin, Director of the IDEAS Center, is your guide and expert. Rather than the solution you think might work, get to the innovation that your customers actually want.
Sara's design thinking camp, known as Field Guide, is coming up. You can arrive on Tuesday morning June 27 with a formless, empty darkness of an idea moving upon the surface of the waters, and on the fourth day, you’ll have created something that is good for all mankind.
That's the potential.
This June, take four days to unplug and connect with creative leaders at Field Guide: A Design Thinking Experience. Register at fieldguide.gouldacademy.org.
And please subscribe – next episode will feature Lucas St. Clair. I dunno, something about a national park. Thinking big is a beautiful thing.
Cheers!
Jess Knox is the co-founder and chair of Maine Startup and Create Week, an amazing and visionary convening of everything startup for the week of June 19-23 in Portland, Maine. Jess has a long background with startups and economic development, having worked for President Obama's Small Business Administration. He's a big thinker and not afraid to swing for the fences. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did!
MSCW is full of opportunities. If I had to pick just one (besides my talk), I would go with Maine Technology Institute's Tech Walk, which is the networking opportunity of the year. From there, fill out your schedule with workshops and keynotes. If you stay in the coffee shop and do email, I guarantee you'll regret it - in this case, the entrepreneurial opportunities are going to come to you, and since there are so many to choose from, most of the events are not crowded and you will have a chance to deeply engage.
Due to my work as a legislator at budget crunch time, I cannot participate as fully as I would like, but I know you'll enjoy it, and I'm jealous of you.
Margo Walsh is the founder and CEO of MaineWorks, which provides day labor to industrial construction sites. The company is growing quickly, not just in spite of - but because - it has a developed a specialty in working with people in recovery. Finding success by helping to solve a difficult, pressing problem. Remarkable. I hope you enjoy this episode.
In 2016: 2,264 Maine companies exported $2.8 billion in goods and services to 168 countries. International trade supports nearly 1 in 4 Maine jobs. The Maine International Trade Center, led since 2005 by my guest Janine Cary, makes it all happen by advising Maine companies on both the technical and the operational sides of exporting.
If your growing business is looking to begin exporting, Maine International Trade Day on May 25, 2017 presents a unique opportunity to get a rocket start. Sign up here.
A little self-aggrandizing here, since I'm a chemical engineer myself, but I very much enjoyed this talk by Charles "Chuck" Lawton, well known newspaper columnist and consulting economist. The take is that engineers create jobs, and moving engineers into the Maine workforce is a good thing.
Special thanks to the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, who always put on good events, and Headlight Audio Visual, for the great work on the audio for the event.
John Hafford of DesignLab, Rick Levasseur of 5 Lakes Lodge, and Sean DeWitt of Our Katahdin addressed a group of State Legislators, including myself, back in January. During lunch in a pine paneled room at the Northern Timber Cruisers snowmobile club in Millinocket - at an event curated by the Maine Development Foundation - they made a good case for rural broadband expansion, and maybe made fun of each other a little bit too. In a nice way.
I carried my podcast recorder to the Rural Maine’s Next Economy Envision Maine conference at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Friday February 10. The temperature outside was in the single digits, but inside the ideas were flowing. I captured two segments - the Rural Sparkplugs segment of four minute talks, and the One Minute Big Ideas, an off-the-cuff opportunity to pitch the crowd on your idea. Here the guests in order of appearance:
Amanda Beal, President of the Maine Farmland Trust Lucas St. Clair, Elliotsville Plantation, Inc. George Smith, Author, Hunting/Fishing Activist Bonnie Rukin, Slow Money Maine Leah Cook, Crown of Maine Organic Cooperative Nancy Smith, GrowSmart Maine Vaughan Woodruff, Insource Renewables
On the One Big Idea Segment
Ron Brown on Broadband Matt Delaney from Millinocket Library Mike Turcotte Ken from Arrowsic Matt Polstein from New England Outdoor Center Robin Zinchuk, Executive Director of Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce Kay from Lexington Township (note: what Kay wants to do is closely aligned to what Maine Farmland Trust's Farmlink program does) Martha Bentley of Maine Technology Institute Mike Wilson of Northern Forest Center Jonah Fertig of Cooperative Development Institute Eric from Appleton with a cool idea: Uber for canoes. Or Zipcar for canoes. Zipcanoe. Scott Vlaun of Center for an Ecology Based Economy Brooks Winner of Island Institute Ivy from College of the Atlantic
Hope you enjoyed the episode - it was fun to do - which of the big ideas was your favorite and why?
Salsa dancing CEO Haj Carr is on his fourth startup and his fast growing Trueline Publishing in Portland is a breakout digital success. I rolled out some new questions for 2017, like 'what mistake don’t you make anymore', and 'what’s the toughest problem you’ve ever taken on'. (Haj’s response to this one genuinely surprised me.)
This was a very rewarding interview. I hope you’ll feel the same way. Find TrueLine Publishing online and on Facebook. They’re growing, hiring – get involved.
Sign up for the Envision Maine Conference on Friday February 10 in Bangor, and don’t forget to be awesome. How could you forget a thing like that?
I walked into MTI's Tech Walk with the ol' Zoom H4N at the ready and conducted some on the spot interviews. It was fun to do, and I met some powerful entrepreneurs created success statewide. In this episode I also put in a plug for a Biddeford based pitch contest called Pitch York County, which I hope you'll participate in.
Derek Volk is president of Volk Packaging Corporation, a Biddeford-based maker of custom packaging. He's also the author of 'Chasing the Rabbit - a Dad's Life Raising a Son on the Spectrum', about raising a child with autism.
This episode was a lot of fun to do, with a discussion of both business in Maine and adapting the workplace to the needs of employees. Derek and the entire company have remained leaders in this area and are to be commended for it.
Of note is that Derek's son Dielawn Volk is now offering autism coaching services. This is a brand new, and I think very innovative service. It's suitable for both prospective employees or for prospective employers. An initial 1/2 hour consult is free. You can get started here, at the YouTube Channel.