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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 15 A U G U S T 1 9 , 2 0 1 9 F O C U S G R E AT E R B A N G O R / N O R T H E R N M A I N E More than that, the secret to a suc- cessful business is treating people like they matter; the company's employees return the favor. "I know I can count on them," he says. When an order required a quick turnaround, he offered extra pay to come in July 4 weekend. He was stunned at the response. "You can't beat the work ethic here," he says. JSI also believes in giving back to the community. e Clayton Johndro Golf Tournament, named for found- ers Terry, Barry and Mark Awalt's stepfather, has raised nearly $200,000 for local charities over the past 14 years. One of those causes is Jean's Blessings, named for the Awalts' mother, which provides schools sup- plies for children in the community. 'The pick mill' Puritan/Hardwood, still referred to by many locals as "the pick mill," began when Lloyd Cartwright, attracted by the abundance of Northern white birch, moved the Minto Toothpick Co. from Saginaw, Mich., in 1919. Minto had 10 employees and one product — mint-flavored toothpicks. Cartwright soon grasped the pos- sibilities of being surrounded by forest, and adaption came early to the com- pany, which was eventually renamed Hardwood Products Co. It was soon producing corndog and ice cream sticks, and by the late 1920s, tongue depressors and aseptic applicators. e Puritan brand was trademarked for Hardwood's medical products in 1948, and in 1965 Puritan began putting cotton on the end of a stick and making sterile cotton-tipped applicators — swabs. Puritan was certified by the Food and Drug Administration in 1975 as a medical device manufacturer, and today makes more than 1,200 types of swab and single-use sample collection devices for the medical, diagnostics, microbiol- ogy, forensics and other industries. When the company started mak- ing products more sophisticated than swabs, "the world started opening up," Templet says. Today it produces 5 bil- lion swabs a year — 12 million a day. Puritan and Hardwood became lim- ited partnerships under the Hardwood Manufacturing LP umbrella in 2002. ey're across the street from one another. Hardwood, which trades under the brands Gold Bond and Trophy, still makes sticks for ice cream, corndogs, flags, corn on the cob, as well as wooden spoons for ice cream cups. It still makes toothpicks, both flat and round. 'Never boring' A tour of Puritan's 88,000-square-foot manufacturing plant makes it clear this isn't your grandfather's pick mill. Employees wear caps, lab coats, surgi- cal masks, gloves and booties. Many work on products that require extensive sterilization. Tired of big bank bunk? Welcome to the local solution. Dave McElwain Senior Lender EQUIPMENT LOANS COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS BUSINESS EXPANSION & ACQUISITION LOANS We specialize in helping Maine and New Hampshire businesses grow, with loans of all types, generated through our local credit union partners. And because we're not a bank, we're able to offer better terms and greater flexibility. Our streamlined process will get you the money you need in a timely way. Whether you're looking to borrow $50,000 or $20,000,000, come in and talk to us first. 866.736.2804 | mainebls.com C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Puritan Medical Products manufactures 5 billion swabs a year — 12 million a day. A sampling of Puritan's swab products P H O T O S / P U R I TA N M E D P RO D U C T S. C O M

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