A Salute to Maine's Small Business
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Transcript of A Salute to Maine's Small Business
BY DEBRA BELLBANGOR DAILY NEWS
From potatoes to stone, Benedicta native
Matthew Qualey, owner of Qualey Granite &
Quartz at 1506 State St. in Veazie, has always
been a hard worker.
And that hard work has paid off with a
successful granite and quartz fabrication
business as well as with the honor of being
named Maine’s Small Business Person of the
Year by the U.S. Small Business Administra-
tion.
“It took a couple of days to sink in,”
Qualey said. “It’s a big deal and lends another
level of credibility to the business. I’m cer-
tainly [very] proud to have received it but it
wouldn’t have happened without a lot of help
and support.”
That help and support came from Bangor
Savings Bank which helped him gain funding
through a SBA-guaranteed loan, the hard
work of a talented staff, a supportive family,
and a tenacity to provide excellent customer
service while producing high quality prod-
ucts.
“I nominated Matt because he has shown
substantial growth over the last seven years
due to his and [his wife] Laurie’s hard work,
integrity and commitment to the highest
level of customer service,” said Vicki L. Bes-
sette, president of business services at Bangor
Savings Bank. “The result of these efforts is a
reputation in the marketplace that fuels their
growth.”
Qualey got his start in the granite busi-
ness a decade ago partly by accident. He was
studying to earn a Ph.D. from the University
of Maine in clinical neuropsychology.
“While I was preparing for graduate
school, I started working for a stonemason,”
he said. “I found that I really liked it and I
pulled out of graduate school.”
The decision to leave graduate school was
one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made,
he said. With a loan from his mother- and
father-in-law, he bought a lawn mower and a
truck and started doing lawn work while he
prepared to buy a monument shop on State
Street in Bangor.
When the stone worker that had been
working with Qualey abruptly left, he had
more orders than he could handle. Declar-
ing bankruptcy was never an option, and he
knew he had to step up to fulfi ll client orders.
He enrolled himself and his brother in train-
ing, sold the landscaping equipment, and
dove in, Qualey said.
“A lot of our customers at the time were
physicians doing renovations, buying houses,
and buying camps,” Qualey said. “The busi-
ness just grew. We stayed [on State Street]
until 2006 or 2007. The shop got small fast.”
So when it came to expanding, Qualey
knew he’d need funding to take the next step.
That’s where Bessette and Bangor Savings
Bank came into the picture.
“We didn’t have any money and they
were the only ones willing to work with us,”
Qualey said.
He refi nanced an existing loan and did a
SBA guaranteed loan to purchase high-tech
equipment and lease a facility in Brewer to
serve as his warehouse and manufacturing
center.
In 2010, the warehouse and home design
center were merged into its current location
in Veazie, formerly home to Gagne Precast.
Today, Qualey Granite & Quartz employs 18
people including Matt and his wife Laurie.
The company will be hiring more employees
later this year when a Portland offi ce opens.
And the company is now wholesale only.
An important part of the Qualey brand is
its focus on giving back to the community
— namely in the form of supporting animal
rescue.
Walk into the showroom and you’ll be
greeted by beautiful granite and stone
samples on the left and the Rescue Pets Rock!
brand on the right. The Qualeys own three
rescued Chihuahuas — the newest arrival,
11-year-old Teddy; 9-year-old Penelope; and
3-year-old Gaius — and a 3-year-old retired
greyhound named Baron. In fact, Baron goes
to the offi ce with Matt each day and happily
greets visitors. The couple’s fi rst chihuahua,
Piper, is also part of the Rescue Pets brand
which was initially started by Laurie to honor
his memory. And then there’s Hannibal the
warehouse cat “manager,” a feral cat rescued
by the Bangor Humane Society.
They give back, through Rescue Pets Rock!,
and by supporting pet adoption.
“We don’t have children, but wanted to
2 A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
Matthew Qualey of Qualey Granite & Quartz,Small Business Person of the Year
This special section was produced and published by BDN Maine - www.BDNMaine.com
Editor/Layout: David M. Fitzpatrick
Writers: Debra Bell, David M. Fitzpatrick
Photos: Debra Bell, David M. Fitzpatrick; some photos submitted by others
Advertising Sales: Linda Hayes, Sam Hoad
Cover Design: Carolina Rave
Special Thanks: Marilyn Geroux and the Maine Small Business Administration
If you’d like to advertise in next year’s Salute to Maine’s Small Businesses, or if you’d like to reach a
wide audience with your organization’s message in your own customized special section. contact Jeff
Orcutt at [email protected] or (207) 990-8036.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BELL’S FURRY FRIENDS PHOTOGRAPHY
Matt Qualey and his wife Laurie pose with their dogs Teddy (from left), Penelope, Gaius, and Baron.
See QUALEY, page 9
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013 3
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
4 A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
A Small Business AdministrationParticipation Lender &
Top Performing Credit Union 2013
MADAWASKA - PRESQUE ISLE - FORT KENTASHLAND - EAGLE LAKE - VAN BUREN
www.norstatefcu.org
BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKBANGOR DAILY NEWS
Cory LaPlante always wanted to work for
his father in his Aroostook County con-
struction business, but at 15, his life’s focus
abruptly changed when he lost most of his
left leg to an osteosarcoma. His doctors at
Massachusetts General Hospital referred him
to a prosthetist in New Hampshire, which
meant the Aroostook County boy made long
trips for his appointments.
When his prosthetic was damaged two
days before his senior prom, he made a fast
trip to his prosthetist. While driving home,
it struck him as ridiculous that his self-
employed parents paid expensive insurance
premiums — but he had a 500-mile round
trip for his care.
“We pay the same rates in northern Maine
as people do in southern Maine, so why is it
we have to drive so far to get treatment?” he
recalled.
LaPlante resolved to become a prosthetist
and open a practice in The County. After un-
dergraduate work in the UMaine System and
postgraduate work at the University of Con-
necticut, he did a one-year residency at Maine
Artifi cial Limb in Portland. Directly after, he
opened Northern Prosthetics in Presque Isle
in 2007. For the fi rst two years, he worked in
a cramped space, had few clients, and drew
zero salary. He was a one-man operation:
practitioner, marketing, billing, and janitor.
He turned a tiny profi t in the third year, still
with no salary, but he felt success looming.
“Nobody could stop me now,” he said.
Meanwhile, he was getting orthotics refer-
rals, but he wasn’t certifi ed in orthotics. He
soon hired Bryan Rammell, who had attend-
ed grad school with him; Rammell relocated
his family from Mississippi to Presque Isle,
and LaPlante soon hired an offi ce manager.
But with payroll looming and $5,000 in pay-
ables due, LaPlante had just $836 in his bank
account. With many outstanding receivables
but no cash on hand, he was about to fold.
He couldn’t let down his new hires or his
original investors.
“I couldn’t fail,” he said. “I’d worked too
hard, come too far, and faced too many chal-
lenges.”
He went to Katahdin Trust, which fi rst
extended him a line of credit and later loaned
him expansion money. In April 2011, LaPlan-
te broke ground on his new building on
Presque Isle’s Academy Street, the center of
the medical community. His father handled
the excavation. His uncle did the plumbing.
A friend ran the wiring. And LaPlante was
there after work and on weekends, helping
however he could.
“It was a really small-town kind of feel,”
he said. “It was all people that I knew and
people that I trusted.”
Later, he added Wade Bonneson, an
orthotist and prosthetist with 30 years of
experience, Joanna Newlands, a specialist in
mastectomy prosthetics. He’s added adminis-
trative staff and even hired a former cobbler
who has become a natural at fabrication.
And he’s planning full-time satellite offi ces in
Houlton and Fort Kent.
Northern Prosthetics & Orthotics provides
a vast variety of prosthetics and orthotics.
Practitioners work closely with patients to
create custom prosthetics on site, from mak-
ing molds of partial limbs to designing the
fi nished products. His fabrication shop is a
fascinating combination of disciplines: part
doctor’s lab, part mechanic’s garage, part
artist’s studio. He merges those things into a
deep caring for what he does.
“To see somebody come in with limb defi -
ciency [and] literally walk out of [my] offi ce
with a prosthesis is extremely rewarding,” he
Cory LaPlante of Northern Prosthetics & Orthotics,Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Community Banking at its Best.Community Banking at its Best.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHERN PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS
Cory LaPlante at work in his fabrication shop, where he makes his clients’ custom prosthetics.
See LAPLANTE, page 9
“I couldn’t fail. I’d worked too hard, come too far, and faced too many challenges.”
CORY LAPLANTE
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013 5
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
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BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKBANGOR DAILY NEWS
The SBA has named Dennis Lajoie, CEO of
Community Concepts Finance Corporation,
its Financial Services Champion.
“I feel proud,” Lajoie said of the award. “I
had 20 years experience in affordable hous-
ing, and basically I had to reinvent myself
with learning business lending, which is
obviously a lot different... I feel so proud that
I could keep my mind open enough to try
something different — and having the op-
portunity within the same organization.”
Lajoie handled housing lending through
Community Concepts, a social-service
program in Lewiston, as Director of Hous-
ing Development for many years, with a bit
of small-business lending. But when a local
business lender closed its doors about 10
years ago, Community Concepts formed the
independent Community Concepts Finance
Corporation, which focused on identifying
funding sources and securing its own fund-
ing money. CCFC took over that program’s
outstanding loans and available loan cash.
“Then we really became both a housing
lender and a business lender at about an
equal footing, and then grew the business
loans with more products,” Lajoie said.
From managing a handful of loans six or
seven years ago, CCFC has grown steadily,
and now manages between 50 and 60 active
loans. CCFC generally does seed money,
helping people launch successful businesses
that can attain future bank fi nancing on their
own merits.
“One of our goals is to get people to a
point where they don’t need us,” Lajoie said.
Most of CCFC’s clients are seeking to start or
expand small businesses. For those that aren’t
ready — perhaps they haven’t done a proper
business plan — Lajoie refers them to such
places as the Oxford Hills SCORE. For those
that are ready, if the plan makes sense and the
numbers work, CCFC can usually help.
“Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, we
can fi nd [a way] to fund it,” he said. “The key
is always: How are you going to pay us back?”
That’s where a solid business plan becomes
very important, he says.
Loans can be anything from a few hundred
dollars for a startup lawn-care company that
needs a mower to partnering as a subordinate
lender with major lenders for multimillion-
dollar projects.
“We have that fl exibility in there, and we
have enough contacts where we can do that
as well,” Lajoie said.
Most of Lajoie’s work is fi nding available
funding, but thanks to the SBA, CCFC has
money of its own to lend. Basically, the SBA
loaned CCFC a bulk of money with payback
terms; Lajoie then re-lends that money,
and repays SBA through client repayments.
CCFC’s loan committee relies on Lajoie’s
reports and recommendations about whether
to lend money, and they usually follow his
lead. Lajoie is working to “fast track” the pro-
cess for those who have their ducks in a row.
“People, if they have a dream, they want to
move on it,” Lajoie said. “Our goal is to make
their dream a reality but be realistic about
‘Can it work?’”
Lajoie, who oversees a staff of six, had
adapted his years of housing lending to this
job. In many ways, it’s a similar fi eld, even if
the rules and regulations with variuos lenders
are different.
“I think that’s the strength I bring to the
lending arm from my background in working
for the agency in other fi elds,” Lajoie said.
Steve Veazey of the Oxford Hills SCORE
nominated Lajoie for the award.
“Dennis Lajoie has been a tireless advocate
for business lending, for ensuring that borrow-
ers are provided technical assistance, and for
fulfi lling an economic and social service need,
when making loans in Western Maine,” Veazey
said in an email to the Bangor Daily News.
“His long career at Community Concepts Fi-
nance Corporation demonstrates his commit-
ment to helping businesses and economically
disadvantaged individuals succeed.”
To back that commitment, Lajoie says
CCFC has money to lend to businesses in
Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford coun-
ties, and the award will help raise awareness.
“Partly what we’re always looking at is,
how do we market ourselves? How do people
know who we are out there?” he said. “I think
this award helps us raise our level of credibil-
ity... and that we do have resources to lend.”
Learn more at Community-Concepts.org.
Dennis Lajoie of Community Concepts Finance Corporation,Financial Services Champion
“People, if they have a dream, they want to move on it. Our goal is to make their dream a reality.”
DENNIS LAJOIE
6 A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013 A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
From your friends at
©2013 Machias Savings Bank. Member FDIC.
Congratulations!• 2013 •
Small Business Administration Award Winners
Your diligent work and industry leadership is appreciated in the community. Thank you for all you do.
BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKBANGOR DAILY NEWS
For Kurt and Kathy Cressey, the careful
development of their business has necessi-
tated thinking outside the box — or, as they’d
say, thinking outside the basket. Their efforts
have resulted in earning them the SBA’s
Micro-Enterprise of the Year Award.
“We’re thrilled to death,” Kurt said. “It’s an
honor.”
The Cresseys both worked at DeLorme
Mapping Company for 10 years, but when
their daughter came along in 1995, they de-
cided they wanted a business where she could
get off the bus every day and fi nd her parents
waiting for her. They decided to run a little
general store, and found one in the Pine
Tree Store in Grand Lake Stream, a seasonal
crossroads for hunters, fi shermen, campers,
and snowmobilers.
The store closed every October after
fi shing season and reopened in January for
the snowmobilers, so they soon decided
they needed something to supplement their
income and keep them busy. About that time,
someone offered to sell a small business to
them — making pack baskets. The idea just
seemed right, so they bought the business,
but they had no idea what they were doing.
“[The business] didn’t come with a lot
of instructions,” Kathy said. “And we didn’t
know. I mean, how hard is it to weave a bas-
ket? Well, it is hard.”
“We slowly ran [the business] down in the
process of learning how to make baskets, and
then slowly but gradually built it up,” Kurt
said.
Pack baskets have long been used as carry-
alls, from the Native Americans to modern-
day fi shermen. The Cresseys hand-make their
baskets from strips of maple veneer that are
fi rst soaked in water and then tightly woven.
After drying, the slats are tamped down even
tighter, top strips are riveted on, and web
straps are added.
During the store’s seasonal shutdown, the
Cresseys transformed it into a basket factory:
soaking wood in the basement, assembling
baskets in the store, and drying them in
the converted walk-in cooler. But in three
months, they had to quickly convert the store
again to handle the snowmobiling crowd.
“It was creative, but ineffi cient,” said Kathy.
“It was exhausting,” added Kurt.
They couldn’t make baskets fast enough.
With their daughter about the enter high
school, the Cresseys knew it was time to go
to the next level. She wanted to attend John
Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, so
they bought a house in nearby Orrington.
Then they found ample rental space at the
Dysart’s station on Route 15 in Orrington,
less than three miles from home. A loan from
Bangor Savings Bank enabled them to reno-
vate the space, construct a drying room, and
purchase $25,000 in wood — a huge order
that saved them lots of money and provided
them with a major supply.
Until recently, almost all of their business
has been wholesale, with Maine-based retailers
such as Indian Hill Trading Post, Willey’s, and
L.L. Bean. Now they’re looking for online retail
sales; they’ve established a Web site and have
hired a marketing agency to help them grow.
“We’ve got pretty good coverage in the
state, especially from Waterville up,” said
Kathy. “We want to work southern Maine,
eventually, and we want to get into other
states and other parts of the country.”
With their days entirely dedicated to mak-
ing baskets, they’re on a roll. They’re building
an inventory — something they’d never been
able to do — and are learning new ways to do
business.
“Things are kind of falling in place now,”
Kathy said. “It’s really exciting. We’ve always
known we have a nice product. It’s just now
having the time and the resources and some
recognition that it’s all kind of now pointing
in the same direction.”
They’re excited about the SBA award, but
Kurt says they aren’t seeking recognition;
they’re just trying to make a living doing
something they enjoy.
“If you can wake up in the morning and
you’re kind of revved up to get to work and
you’re anxious either about a new idea or to
fi nish off an order or make a delivery — the
juice is there,” he said. “When you wake up in
the morning and you go, ‘I really don’t want
to go’ — fi nd something else to do. Life’s too
short.”
Learn more at PackBasketsOfMaine.com.
Kurt & Kathy Cressey and Pack Baskets of Maine,Micro-Enterprise of the Year
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK
Kurt an Kathy Cressey pose with their line of pack baskets in their Orrington production facility.
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013 7
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
©2013 People’s United Bank | Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender
People’s United Bank congratulates Small Business Exporter of the Year
Allagash International!VISIT OUR LOCAL OFFICES. 207-828-3067
BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKBANGOR DAILY NEWS
A valve distributor and manufacturer has
been making waves in the international com-
munity, and its success has earned it the SBA’s
Small Business Exporter of the Year in Maine.
“I’m proud, and think it’s not my award —
it’s my employees’ award,” said Terry Ingram,
president and CEO of Allagash International
in South Portland. “They’re the backbone of
the company.”
The company’s story began when Ingram
spent over four years in Navy nuclear subs
as a machinist’s mate. He understood valves,
and after leaving the military he went into
that business, and moved to Maine 23 years
ago as VP of sales for a valve distributor. After
working at various valve companies in dif-
ferent capacities, in 2002 he started his own
distributorship: Allagash Valve and Controls
in Falmouth and Millinocket. It was just him
and his spouse, working in 600 square feet.
He expanded until he had a few employees,
but when the mill in Millinocket fi red back
up, he lost those workers, so he relocated to
Yarmouth.
The metamorphosis began 9 years ago,
when Ingram bid on a pair of 60-inch-
diameter valves in Colombia. He landed
the $500,000 job, and it opened his eyes to
business in Latin America and abroad. He
landed deals in Peru, Chile, and Venezuela
over the next few years, and focused on ex-
panding into manufacturing. In early 2010,
he acquired DeZurik’s Globe Control Valve
Division and created Nor’East Controls, a
division of Allagash International.
“From that global presence of having
agents around the world, [customers] saw the
value in the workmanship that came out of
Allagash International,” said Ingram. “Now
they come to us for larger projects.”
The company partners closely with its cus-
tomers, treating them as a distributor would,
not as a manufacturer would. The result has
been incredible growth — from about $1.2
million in revenue three years ago to about
$4.5 million already in 2013. There are 24
people working in South Portland with about
10 others worldwide.
Ingram’s company is right where he
planned, but years sooner than he’d expected,
thanks in part to SBA loan guaranty fi nanc-
ing. Its employee roster should double in the
next few years, and Ingram expects to be a
$20 million company by 2015.
The company might be the only control-
valve manufacturer that makes 100 percent
of its product in the U.S., from raw castings
through machining, assembling, testing,
and shipping. It’s something Ingram takes
seriously: After buying DeZurik and mov-
ing everything from Minnesota and Texas to
Maine, the fi rst thing he did was cancel all
overseas orders and reorder in the United
States.
“At the end of the day, the U.S.’s products
are still gold in the world,” said Ingram.
“People want to buy U.S.-manufactured
products.”
And he’s happy to do it in Maine.
“Maine is second to none for work ethic,”
said Ingram. “Nothing goes out of our
plant without pride and attention to detail,
whereas other companies in other areas of
the U.S. may not have that sense of urgency
or that criticality. Our people do.”
Gene Wendland, executive vice president
and CFO, who nominated the company for
the award, agrees.
“I think that there’s a story to be told that
industrial manufacturing in Maine is still
alive and that we can still manufacture and
export here,” said Wendland.
The company’s success has also added local
economic support. This year, it will bring
about $3 million in support to local vendors
and manufacturers for everything from parts
supply to machine-shop work. And Allagash
International has caught the eyes of competi-
tors, who keep trying to buy it. The company
is absolutely not for sale, Ingram says, but he
can understand everyone’s interest.
“We’re doing what other companies have
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Terry Ingram and Allagash International,Small Business Exporter of the Year
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY DAVID M.
FITZPATRICK
Terry Ingram. presi-
dent and CEO of Al-
lagash International,
in his offi ce in South
Portland. Ingram
built the business up
from a two-person
valve distributor-
ship to become a
valve distributor and
manufacturer with
a wide variety of
customers around
the world.
See ALLAGASH, page 12
8 A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
We have a loan for you!
Serving York County.
The Economic Development Corporation is an Equal Opportunity
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190 Main Street, Saco, ME
207.282.1748
www.bsaedc.org
BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKBANGOR DAILY NEWS
The Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha
is celebrating its 30th anniversary as its
founding family has won the Jeffrey Butland
Family-Owned Business Award for both
Maine and New England.
“It’s an honor,” said Jenn Derosier Daigle,
daughter of founders Dick and Carol Der-
osier. “It’s a bittersweet thing right now, just
losing my mom. I wish she could have been
here with us.”
Dick and Carol Derosier started the
restaurant July 1, 1983, serving burgers and
hot dogs. Dick, who had done some cooking
in the military, was a farmer, and Carol was a
hairdresser. They kept doing their other jobs
for a while, but the restaurant soon demand-
ed their full attention.
Over the years it expanded, eventually tak-
ing over the two-car garage; the menu grew
along with the space. In 1995, the Derosiers
added adjacent campsites. Meanwhile, events
such as the annual motorcycle party drew
visitors from all over.
At age 2 when the restaurant opened, Jenn
grew up in the business: pouring water as
a little girl, doing dishes, cooking, making
salads and desserts, and bussing tables, and
later waitressing and bartending. She left to
go to school for hospitality management, and
soon knew she wanted to eventually take over
the family business.
She returned to St. Agatha and worked
with her parents for more than 8 years before
her father got sick: He had cancer, and had to
go to Boston for treatments. With a 2-year-
old and a newborn, and her husband Jason
off to work 14 hours a day, she was mostly
on her own as her dad’s illness worsened. But
Jenn persevered.
“I learned from the best,” she said. “You
can go to school and learn all you want, but
being with them in the business, day to day, is
the best training that you can get.”
Her father passed away in February 2012,
but her mother was ill, too, also stricken with
cancer. Jenn and Jason bought the business in
May 2012, and this year received word of the
family winning the SBA award. It came just
in time.
“I was able to tell my mom,” Jenn said. “It
was a few days before she passed.”
On July 28, the Daigles will hold a 30th-
anniversary celebration — probably with a
pig roast (which Dick and Carol used to do
frequently), entertainment for adults, and
activities for kids. The Daigles are also work-
ing on a fundraiser for next year to benefi t the
Edgar J. Paradis Cancer Fund and Angel Flight.
“There are so many people up here in the
area affected by cancer who need help,” Jenn
said.
The restaurant’s staff ranges from 40 to
50, with a few who have been there since the
beginning or close to it. Many workers start
in high school and work through college on
summer breaks. The staff is more than just
a roster of employees; they’re part of the
family.
“We have a super crew here,” said Jenn.
“And everybody pulls together and… does
what they need to do to help out and fi ll in.”
Last year, Jason quit his job as a welder and
pipefi tter to go full time at the restaurant.
And as the kids get older, Jenn says they’ll
learn about the honor of growing up in a
family business, and the joy of serving loyal
customers from near and far.
“It’s not the numbers that come through
the door; it’s the people that you get to meet
and to know from all over the United States
Derosier Family and Lakeview Restaurant, Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business Award for Maine and New England
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DAIGLE FAMILY
Top: The Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha. The
restaurant is on a hill overlooking Long Lake, a
6,000-acre, 12-mile-long lake. Above: Jason and
Jenn Daigle with their children Kelsie (left) and
Kamden. Like Jenn when she was little, the kids
already help out in the family business.
See DEROSIERS, next page
PHOTO BY SHA~LAM PHOTOGRAPHY
Prosthetist Cory LaPlante (right), winner of the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, who is an above-knee
amputee, walks down the hallway of his offi ce with one of his clients.
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013 9
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
1-800-228-3734 www.FAMEmaine.com
Helping Maine Businesses Since 198330 Years OF HELP ING MA INE
PEOPLE SUCCEED
Congratulations2013 SBA
Award Winners
do something socially- and civic-minded,”
Qualey said. “There are so many dogs out
there, why would you buy one?”
The Qualeys are ardent supporters of
local animal rescues, including the Bangor
Humane Society. Several kennels at BHS
are sponsored by Qualey Granite & Quartz.
That work comes at the hands of Laurie, he
said.
“[But] we’ve taken it a step further,” he said.
“Cambria Quartz is our premier product line
and we’ve co-branded it with BHS. If a client
purchases Cambria, they get a Rescue Pets
Rock! mug and a bumper sticker and a dona-
tion is made to BHS. It’s a way for us to give
back to the community and get our brand’s
name out there to tie the two together.”
That co-branding helps to enhance the
company’s image, he said. They are one of
nine fabricators for Cambria in New England.
Silestone is another major product that his
business fabricates.
But a great product line isn’t enough to
stand on, he noted. You have to offer clients
something completely different to stay com-
petitive. That’s where the robots and digital
imaging come in.
Qualey Granite & Quartz uses technology
that enables them to show a customer exactly
what their backsplash, counter, or other
project will look like in the granite, marble,
soapstone, or quartz of their choice.
“Our templates are digital now,” he said.
“Our programmers convert the design to a
CAD fi le and the customer approves that.
That’s important, especially with quartz.
We still have plenty of skilled workers doing
hand polishing but our waterjet and CNC
machines take our production to the next
level.”
To see how this works, visit the Qualey
Granite & Quartz Facebook page and click on
videos.
“There’s no doubt, without the SBA this
wouldn’t have happened or terms wouldn’t
have been as good,” Qualey said.
Looking ahead to the future, Qualey said
he’s looking forward to opening another
location in Portland later this year.
“We are just going to continue growing,
creating new markets, and offering better
service to our clients,” he said. “We found
that it was not that hard to get bigger, but it’s
really hard to get better. We have spent the
last year laying the groundwork to put good
systems in place, with a focus on training and
consistency.”
Learn more online at QualeyGranite.com.
QUALEY from page 2
said. “I don’t think there’s any
better feeling in the world.”
At 34, LaPlante has been
named the SBA’s Young Entre-
preneur of the Year.
“It’s always an honor when
somebody recognizes your hard
work and your devotion,” he
said. “I really feel like it’s a testa-
ment to my whole staff here and
everybody that works here.”
LaPlante says that the secret
to success is to engage in some-
thing you’re passionate about
and get ready to sacrifi ce your
life to it.
“You’ve got to be willing to
work ridiculously hard for no
gratifi cation,” he said. “If you’re
willing to do that, you’ll make it.
Nobody can stop you.”
You can learn more online at NorthernProsthetics.com.
LAPLANTE from page 4
and, actually, all over the world,” she said.
“You make friendships with them and you
look forward to seeing their faces come back.”
She knows people take the business seri-
ously. After her father passed, many people
didn’t come for a while because they thought
the restaurant had been sold outside the
family. The loyalty is special to Jenn, as is the
SBA award.
“I wish my mom and dad could be here,”
she said. “I know they’re going to be watching
over us. They worked so hard their whole life,
and we have big shoes to fi ll.”
Learn more at LakeviewRestaurant.biz.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DAIGLE FAMILY
Jenn Derosier Daigle (center) with her parents,
Carol and Dick Derosier. The Derosiers founded the
Lakeview Restaurant in St. Agatha in 1983.
DEROSIERS from previous page
10 A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
800-860-8821 | CamdenNational.com | Member FDIC
Congratulations to
Alfred Lebel, CEO Maine Heritage Weavers
2013 Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year
From Your Proud Business Partner
Fred Lebel and Maine Heritage Weavers,Veteran-Owned Small Business of the YearBY DAVID M. FITZPATRICKBANGOR DAILY NEWS
Fred Lebel has won the Veteran-Owned
Small Business of the Year for his 11-year-old
venture, Maine Heritage Weavers. As it turns
out, just about everyone except Lebel knew
the award was in the works, from the nomi-
nators to Lebel’s daughter, Linda Cloutier, the
company’s president. Lebel was wondering
why his daughter was asking so many ques-
tions about his military service.
“He told me the other day, ‘I thought she
was getting my obituary ready,’” said consul-
tant John Turner, one of the nominators.
“I’m pleased,” said Lebel. “I’m honored by
it, and I’m sure there are so many other well-
qualifi ed people for this award.”
But he’s quite modest about it, saying that
the real award-winners are his employees. “I
couldn’t have done it without them,” he said.
“They’re the ones who stayed with us to keep
this company going and growing.”
The company’s history goes back much
further than its 11 years. Around 1850, Bates
opened its fi rst mill in Lewiston. A century
later, it was the largest textile manufacturer
in Maine, employing
about 6,000 people.
But in the 1950s, the
mills began closing
until just one was left;
when Bates’ parent
company closed that
in 2002, there were just 80 employees.
Lebel was stunned at the idea that these
multigeneration employees would be out of
jobs, and the heirloom matelassé and candle-
wick bedspreads, for which the company was
famous, would be gone forever.
“All these people that had all this experi-
ence — they’re craftspeople,” Lebel said.
“This is not something you just get off the
street.”
Lebel had a long history with Bates. Shortly
after joining the Army in 1951, he aggravated
an old football knee injury. One doctor said
Lebel needed an operation; another advised
against the tricky surgery, warning that he
could have bad side effects. He opted against
it and was medically discharged. (The knee
never gave him problems.)
Bates hired him in 1961, and by the time
the mill was closing in 2002, he was its
president. With the company shipping its
equipment to Minnesota, Lebel knew he had
to salvage the skilled craftspeople and the
heirloom bedspreads — at a time when he
was considering retirement.
“I was young,” he said. “I was only 71.”
Lebel scoured the world to fi nd the looms
and other equipment, and assembled every-
thing in a three-story former Bates building
in Lewiston. The business manufactured
and grew for years in very cramped quarters.
When Lebel had to shore up the fl oors and
slow the machines down to keep the building
from coming apart,
he knew he had to
relocate.
The solution: an
empty, 65,000-square-
foot factory in Mon-
mouth. It was perfect,
with a mezzanine suitable for accessing the
loom heads, loading docks, and everything
on a concrete slab. Camden National Bank
loaned half the money, the SBA provided
40 percent in a 504 loan, and Lebel put up
everything he owned to cover the rest. Now,
Maine Heritage Weavers is on track for steady
growth, with plenty of inside space and 25
acres of land ready if needed.
“Now that we’re up here, we can do more,”
said Lebel.
Lebel has handed the reins over to Clouti-
er, who began working at Bates in 1977 with
her father and now serves as the company’s
president.
With the long-loved product remaining a
hit with the company’s customers through
its 40-50 catalog houses, Maine Heritage
Weavers is working to secure the rights to
the Bates name. The matelassés — with
styles such as the George Washington (cre-
ated in 1940), the Queen Elizabeth (cre-
ated in 1953 for her coronation), and the
Abigail Adams (a big seller created in 1994)
— are rugged and beautiful. MHW is the
only company making such matelassés and
candlewick products in the United States.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK
Fred Lebel (center), owner of Maine Heritage Weavers, and his daughter, company president Linda Cloutier,
stand with John Turner, a co-nominator of the SBA’s Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year award,
which Lebel won. The trio pose with one of the company’s signature matelasse heirloom bedspreads. Lebel
started MHW in 2002 when the company he worked for, in business since the 1850s, closed. He wanted to
continue the manufacturing of these rare textiles in Maine, and keep the skilled craftspeople employed.
“I was young. I was only 71.”
FRED LEBEL ON STARTINGMAINE HERITAGE WEAVERS IN 2002
INSTEAD OF RETIRING
See LEBEL, page 12
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013 11
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
NANCY O’BRIEN – OWNER OF FIOREAND ALL
2013 SBA AWARD WINNERS
Visit us on the web at www.bhbt.com or call us at 1-888-853-7100.
Still local, Still listening, Still lending, Statewide.
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
Nancy O’Brien and FIORE,Woman-Owned Small Business of the YearBY DEBRA BELLBANGOR DAILY NEWS
Visit Nancy O’Brien’s FIORE Artisan Olive
Oils & Vinegars storefront in Rockland and
you’ll quickly learn that there’s more to olive
oil than fi lls a bottle.
And the business, which opened in 2009, is
designed to welcome in people to learn about
the difference that a great olive oil or vinegar
can make.
Combine that with their receipt of the
2013 Women-Owned Small Business Award
from Maine’s Small Business Administration
and it’s a recipe for success that’s growing
each year.
It’s a success grown from the roots of hard
work. O’Brien and her husband Pat worked
in Connecticut for a major beer, wine, and
spirits company prior to opening FIORE.
She handled organizing the art and design of
packaging while Pat handled the printing end
of the business. They had a summer home in
Bass Harbor.
“We used to say we would come up here
for holidays and long weekends,” she said.
“Then it got to a point where we were [in
Maine more than Connecticut]. But we had
jobs that needed to be taken care of.”
Then a friend introduced the couple to a
family that imports olive oil. And an idea for
a Maine-based gourmet store was born.
“We thought, wouldn’t it be neat to share
their oil with others,” O’Brien said. “We love
to cook, but didn’t have any formal knowl-
edge or education.”
That all changed when a former beauty
salon space became available in Bar Har-
bor. The couple viewed it over Memorial
Day weekend in 2009 and said yes to a new
endeavor.
That’s when the research
started. They already knew the
product, she noted. After learn-
ing from groups like SCORE
to develop a business plan and
identify what she would need
to open FIORE, she turned to
securing funding.
To secure that funding,
Nancy worked with Chris
Young, Bar Harbor Bank and
Trust’s Regional Vice Presi-
dent for the Ellsworth branch,
to secure a Small Business
Administration 50 percent
guaranteed loan.
“He’s a great banker and a
wonderful guy,” she said. “I
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTO BY DEBRA BELL
Above: Nancy and Pat O’Brien pause while offering customers samples of olive oils at their Rockland store.
Left: In addition to bottling fresh olive oil or vinegar straight from stainless steel vessels, FIORE also can
package oil and vinegars for special events or for restaurants. These are just some of the styles of gift
packaging FIORE offers.
See FIORE PAGE 12
always have him on my shoulder. He’s been
very instrumental in many of the choices I’ve
made. I gave him my business plan and told
him what my intentions were.”
Together they were able to secure the 50
percent guaranteed commercial SBA loan.
“FIORE is a unique business and one that
I was unfamiliar with before Nancy pro-
posed this business concept,” Young said. “If
there’s one thing I can say about my relation-
ship with FIORE, they had a product they
believed in and executed their business plan
so well. I like food and they had done so
much research on the product and how to
introduce it to a marketplace that they had
me at hello.”
Once the loan was secured, it was action
time.
“Five weeks later we were in business,”
O’Brien said. “And we haven’t looked back.”
What FIORE offers its consumers is a
product that is fresh, thereby promoting the
health benefi ts of olive oil and balsamic. And
this isn’t your store bought olive oil.
“The tragedy of it all is that the consumer
doesn’t know what good extra virgin olive
oil is,” said Nancy’s husband Pat. “There are
movements to change the labeling, but 99
percent of what is on the grocery store shelf
is already rancid. They don’t show the chem-
istry, they’re in clear glass, and the air and
light are damaging it. [In essence] it’s dead
within weeks. You want to taste good fresh oil
and bottle it immediately. Our oil is bottled
in UV inhibiting glass and won’t be affected
by the light.”
In fact, a visit to a FIORE location — Bar
Harbor, Rockland, and a location inside of
Bangor Wine and Cheese in Bangor — will
welcome your senses to high quality olive oils
and vinegars. Oil and Balsamic Vinegar are
stored in stainless steel containers and once
sampled and chosen are bottled the same day
to protect the nutrients.
That attention to detail and customer
service are part of what sets FIORE apart and
has customers coming back online and in
person. It’s also what has enticed restaurants
throughout Maine to use their products.
“When I found out [FIORE had won this
award] I said ‘pinch me,’” she said. “This is a
huge honor. There are a lot of women-owned
businesses in the state of Maine and to have
been chosen for this award is amazing. To
think about the support of my bank, my
customers, and my employees, all of that
together is amazing. It’s not an award for me,
it’s an award for all of us. I’m the luckiest
person in the world.”
Learn more about FIORE by visiting its Web site at FioreOliveOils.com.
12 A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS • Friday, May 31, 2013
A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESS
FIORE FROM PAGE 11
And its glass ceiling? Maine retailer L.L.
Bean, which Lebel says carries imported
matelassés but so far has not opted to carry
Maine Heritage Weavers’ products. (L.L. Bean
declined to comment for this story.)
Currently, the company employs 19 people,
but it’s ready for more growth. Lebel is just
happy to keep producing his quality prod-
ucts, and to keep everyone working.
“To be able to retain those craftspeople —
the designer, the loom technician, the weaver,
and all — we couldn’t have done it [without
them],” he said.
To learn more, visit the company online at MaineHeritageWeavers.com.
LEBEL FROM PAGE 12
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK
Left: Rene Cote of Maine Heritage Weavers winds yarn onto a cylinder called a warp. This is the fi rst step before the warp then feeds into a loom. Right: Hundreds
of spools of yarn feed through the framework as they’re wound about the warp in the left-side photo.
not been able to do: We’ve grown every single year since what people call
the ‘Great Depression,’ and our competitors have been stagnant or have
gone backwards,” Ingram said. “And they don’t understand how we do it.
It’s because ‘no’ isn’t in our vocabulary.”
Plus, Ingram is having too much fun to sell.
“I tell my friends that I have the best job,” he said. “I do a job that I love
to do, and by default I make money at it.”
To learn more, visitAllagashInternational.com or watch its “There Are No Borders” video on YouTube (search for “Allagash International”).
ALLAGASH from page 7
BANGOR DAILY NEWS PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK
Far left: Workers mount a control unit on a valve during an assembly run of a big job.
The company employs about 24 people at its South Portland location, plus about
10 more internationally. Left: A sample valve, cut away to show its interior. This and
several others are on display in the Allagash International lobby in South Portland.