Success Stories

Client Success Stories

Client Highlight: Izzy’s Cheesecake │ Portland, ME

Izzy's CheesecakeDavid “Izzy” Izenstatt, founder of Izzy’s Cheesecakes, has been making high quality, hand crafted cheesecakes since 1985. Made in small batches, the company makes 37 flavors of cheesecakes include gluten-free and seasonal options.

When Izenstatt’s business partner Jim Chamoff came into the Maine SBDC, he was looking to expand the business. He wanted to start making and selling “mini” cheesecakes to convenience stores and Whole Foods Market. He needed capital in order to ramp up production, including design and packaging of the new mini cheesecakes.Read More

Client Highlight: CrossFit Bangor │ Bangor, ME

CrossFit BangorMelinda Metten does it all. A firefighter at the Bangor Fire Department and a boom operator in the United States Air National Guard, Metten opened CrossFit Bangor in June 2011. It wasn’t long before CrossFit Bangor’s reputation spread and membership increased, putting her at capacity in her current location. She had begun turning away business because to add new members would negatively impact the quality of service to the existing members.

Always a problem-solver, Metten had found a larger space that would be ideal for growing the business, but she needed financing in order to secure the location. Her lender at EMDC (Eastern Maine Development Corporation) suggested she work with Maine SBDC Business Advisor Ann McAlhany to help her with the documents and paperwork necessary to apply for a loan.Read More

Client Highlight: Tulu Salon & Spa

Tulu Salon - Biddeford, METerra Olson worked for a high end salon and spa in Portland for years, but knew that there were other opportunities out there.  One opportunity she noted was the lack of a high end salon south of Portland.  She went to the Maine SBDC office in Saco and met with Business Advisor Steve Lovejoy.  That was the beginning of Tulu Salon & Spa on Main Street in Biddeford.  Olson worked with Lovejoy to develop the plans for the new salon. Read More

Client Highlight: XPress Copy – Portland

logoIn July 2016, Todd Kent came into see Maine SBDC Business Advisor Steve Lovejoy looking to purchase XPress Copy, an independent printing and copying shop in Portland that’s been in business since 1978. When the current owner decided to retire, he turned to Kent to take over and purchase the business. Kent had been an employee for over 25 years and had been managing the business.

Lovejoy helped Kent with his business plan and financial analysis and projections for the purchase of the business. He helped connect him with Bangor Savings Bank, where he presented his business plan.  Kent obtained his financing, and took over ownership in October 2016. Read More

Client Highlight: Verona Wine and Design

Verona Wine and DesignWhen Colleen and Michael Gross of Verona Island originally came to see Business Advisor Betty Egner, they had owned their business, Verona Wine and Design, for two years.  Already successful in their current format, an online business selling items made from repurposed wine barrels, they wanted to expand on their love for wine and wine-inspired items – they wanted to open a retail wine shop and a wine and tapas bar on Main Street in Bucksport.

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Business Highlight: The Local Variety – Bucksport


The Local VarietyThe Local VAriety is located in the heart of downtown Bucksport, a former mill town with new energy and life. When the current owners decided to put the business up for sale, Jessica Carter jumped at the opportunity to own this downtown café in the town that she loves. Although she had little experience in the restaurant industry, she had a vision for the store and sought out Maine SBDC Business Advisor Betty Egner for help turning that dream into reality.

“Betty helped me so much in areas where I really had no idea where to start,” Carter states. “She walked me through the bigger picture as well as many of the fine details, helped me with a business plan and assisted me in finding the financing to make this happen.”Read More

Business Highlight: Halcyon Yarn – Bath

Halcyon Yarn LogoHalcyon Yarn, a yarn and fiber art retail and catalogue store located in Bath, has been in business for over 45 years, serving the needs of weavers, knitters, spinners and other fiber artists. When the founder Halcyon Blake decided it was time to retire, her daughter Gretchen Jaeger sought to buy the business and keep it in the family.

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MaineBiz: Buyer of Portage Lakeside Cabins converting seasonal business into four-season resort

PORTAGE LAKE — An Aroostook County native and former marine said her purchase of Portage Lakeside Cabins, not far from her childhood stomping grounds, fulfills her longtime dream for a business while allowing her to raise her children in a region she loves.

In a transaction finalized Sept. 13, Shannon Currier purchased the business for $250,000. It’s located at 4 Almond Drive with easy access from Route 11 and includes a single-family cottage, four small cabins, bathhouse and garage sitting on 2.7 acres with 420 feet of lake frontage. The seller was Laura Bouchard, according to the Caribou-based Northern Maine Development Commission’s business finance division, which helped Currier finance the purchase.

Currier credited Joshua Nadeau, director of NMDC’s small business development center, and the center’s loan officer David Spooner with providing helpful business counseling as she considered the acquisition.

Read the full story here. 

Business Highlight: EterNav – Verona Island

eternav-logo-and-backgroundKasey Smith, founder of EterNav, wants to change the funeral and death care industry.

With a background in technology startups and personal experience dealing with loss, she saw an opportunity to help those experiencing one of life’s toughest challenges, navigating the unexpected loss of a loved one.

She has created 21st century technical tools and a step by step process that helps guide families through the practical tasks and action steps that follow the loss of a loved one. Her solution, called EterNav (short for eternal navigation), offers affordable, personalized and convenient bereavement solutions — working either with and without a funeral home.Read More