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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 J U LY 9 , 2 0 1 8 Potential to grow Merrill has been with Hussey in various capacities for 25 years, becoming CEO in 2016. e transition of leadership out- side the family went smoothly, he says. "I knew the culture, I knew the employees and they knew me," he says. " e family has been tremendously sup- portive. We're still 100% family-owned." Most manufacturing takes place at the North Berwick facility. An inde- pendent partner in China manufactures parts of the upholstered chair lines. e company's fortunes have been driven by public money. Wave of spend- ing on municipal, college and high school arenas have taken place in the 1950s, the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hussey thrived. en the recession hit. "Construction of schools and other infrastructure ground to a halt," Merrill says. "Since then, we've seen an uptick in infrastructure spending by municipalities and schools, and that's translated into revenue." Continued growth over the last few years, is due to increasing demand and increasing market share, Merrill says. And there's potential for more, especially as older schools upgrade their gyms. at could involve adding employ- ees. But that's another challenge. With 300 workers and an annual payroll exceeding $15 million, more than 25% of the workforce has tenure of 20 years or more. e workforce is aging. "We're concerned about how to recruit and hire new people," he says. Hussey works with York County Community College, and two high schools, in Sanford and Biddeford, to bring students into the product showroom for talks about the opera- tion. Hussey also provides in-house training and tuition reimbursement for employees training for new skills. Hiring incentives include a 401(k) match and profi t-sharing. Hitting the sweet spot Relationships are important for secur- ing contracts. e Dubai contract began with Hussey's sales team in Vietnam, which became aware, through a Hussey dealer in Dubai, that plans were under- way to build an events center. "We worked with the architect to posi- tion our price point and the service we could provide," explains Merrill. Design considerations included things like seat numbers; more seats means more revenue. "You can maximize your seats by making them narrower, or you can make them a little larger to enhance comfort," Merrill continues. "So we worked with the architect on hitting the sweet spot of overall capacity and comfort and sight- lines and things like that. We ended up being very competitive. ere were a lot of international competitors for this job. In the end, the local relationships our dealer had ended up being a large factor in us being able to secure this." Hussey's dealer network also keeps its ear to the ground for potential venue projects and bond passages. "It's a very competitive market, and it's public money," Merrill says. "So if you're bidding on Portland High School, say, they're required to get multiple bids. You try to sell your service, you try to sell your quality, you try to sell your long- term capacities. We're constantly looking at developing features and accessories that would give us a preference to the customer. But at the end of the day, you've got to be very competitive from the pricing point of view in order to secure the order." L S, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at @ . Traits of family- owned businesses L ong-time family-owned busi- nesses share common attributes that make it possible to thrive, says Catherine Wygant Fossett, executive director of the Institute for Family- Owned Business in Portland. That includes: ¡ Clear communication and suc- cession plans. ¡ Ability to integrate the ideas of the next generation with the cur- rent generation. ¡ Ongoing entrepreneurship to keep the company relevant through suc- cessive generations. ¡ Clearly defi ned roles, responsi- bilities and expectations around family members entering or leav- ing the business: Some require family members to work outside the business for a term, or require family members to apply for positions like anyone else. ¡ Rules of engagement for diffi cult discussion and family events: Some families allow business talk during family time, others don't. ¡ Willingness to seek outside coaching and outside managers if needed. ¡ New businesses focus on latest trends, but successful long-term businesses plan for economic vagaries while also innovating. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY A Hussey Seating employee manufactures a portable chair at the North Berwick factory. F O C U S Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new Everyone thinks 'entrepreneurship' means 'new people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what people' or 'new companies.' But a lot of times, what keeps a family business going is entrepreneurship within the business. — Catherine Wygant Fossett Executive director, Institute for Family-Owned Business

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