Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1086902
W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 9 F O C U S M A N U FA C T U R I N G until a client sent a text on a Friday night with a photo of hoodie with a giant hole in it. ough they could not have pre- vented the problem, it turned out that the vendor was trying to keep up with orders and drawing on a variety of yarn sources, which Reynolds says can com- promise the integrity of the fabric. e client, which had ordered 4,500 pieces, stood by American Roots. American Roots, in turn, halted produc- tion for two weeks, while still paying employees, to find another supplier. e error cost American Roots $250,000 in a year that generated $1.1 million in sales. Now they vet vendors better and put greater emphasis on relation- ships with reputable, established ones. is April they plan to launch a line of T-shirts and other items that will expand American Roots' offering to all four seasons — and its product price range. It's shooting for $1.7 mil- lion in sales this year as it raises equity for new equipment on the heels of a loan from CEI. "We're getting there one day at a time," says Waxman. "Or as my mom says, one thread at a time." R e n e e C o r d e s , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t r c o r d e s @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ r s c o r d e s Congratulations to Enercon Technologies! People's United Bank and Sheridan Construction are proud to partner with Enercon on their 70,000 square foot campus expansion. Congratulations and thank you for continuing to provide future careers in the high-tech industry. ©2019 People's United Bank, N.A. | Member FDIC David Whitney Region Manager 207-774-6138 dwhitney@sheridancorp.com Tara Perruzzi Commercial Banking, SVP 207-828-3087 tara.perruzzi@peoples.com Patti Camelio Commercial Banking, SVP 207-828-3098 patricia.camelio@peoples.com American Roots www.americanrootswear.com Westbrook Year founded: 2015 What it makes: 100% American- sourced, union-made apparel and blankets for customization and individuals Leadership: Ben Waxman and Whitney Reynolds Workforce: 18 (soon to be) 20 full-time employees, three part-time 2019 revenue target: $1.7 million What's next: Raise equity for new machinery, expand product line P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Whitney Reynolds and Ben Waxman, co-owners of American Roots, in the company's production facility in Westbrook.