The Grow Maine Show

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.