When Jeff Harder and Nate Delois had an opportunity to purchase the historic Mellen E Bolster House at 747 Congress Street in Portland they had a vision of what it could become. The home was built in 1881 and had beautiful features and design. That vision has become The Francis hotel, a 15 room boutique hotel in Portland’s West… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Cumberland County
Cityside by E&S Auto Repair – Scarborough, Maine
After two years in business, Sukhi Singh, co-owner of E&S Auto Repair in Scarborough, came to the Maine SBDC looking for help to grow his business. Him and his business partner Edwin Zukic had been working out of a leased three bay garage and were quickly running into two main problems – rent was relatively… Read more »
Island Dog Brewing – South Portland, Maine
Jim Denz’s passion for brewing started in 1994, when he began making his own beer in the basement of his home. Before long, he was the go-to beer supplier for friends and family, producing three different beers. Jim began visiting local craft breweries, exploring the craft beer industry and imagining what it would be like… Read more »
Mill Cove Baking Company – Portland, Maine
When Nina Murray decided she wanted to start her own bakery making homemade crackers, she gave herself plenty of time to do it right. She came in to the Maine SBDC at the University of Southern Maine in Portland and met with Business Advisor Peter Harriman who advised her on many steps of starting and running a successful business.
International Resource Center – Portland, Maine
Paul Okot’s International Resource Center (IRC) in Portland offers high quality, timely language services such as translation, interpretation and tutoring. The services help people with things like job applications, medical appointments, immigration documents and more. His business has provided interpretation in places such as courtrooms, in hospitals, home visits, and group sessions. Okot came to… Read more »
Howell’s Indoor Range & Gunshop – Gray, Maine
Adam Copp had big plans to expand Howell’s Indoor Range & Gun Shop. He wanted to double the size of the local gun retail shop through the addition of a state of the art indoor shooting range and an expansion of its retail showroom. Copp approached a credit union for financing, who liked the opportunity… Read more »
Client Highlight: Maine BayCycle
With idea in hand, he needed financing in order to purchase the boat, and bring it to Maine. For this he sought out the assistance of Maine SBDC Business Advisor Peter Harriman. Together the pair worked to create a realistic business plan and projected financials. They worked on his narrative, timeline, marketing plan and the many aspects required to launch this unique business – hoping for a summer 2016 launch, the peak tourist season in Portland.
Client Highlight: Izzy’s Cheesecake │ Portland, ME
David “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… Read more »
Client Highlight: XPress Copy – Portland
In 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.
Maine & Loire – Portland
“You have been an integral part of this whole process – your sage advice has been indispensable. We can’t thank you enough!” Orenda and Peter Hale