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V O L . X X V I N O. V I M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 2 0 20 pcmcompany.com 207-618-7500 M A I N E A N D N E W J E R S E Y Accuracy You Can Build On "PCM is a very professional and detailed oriented company. Their work is always on time and they are easy to work with. PCM goes the extra mile to ensure our firm is supported. We highly recommend PCM for all your scheduling and project support service needs." — Brandon Waldrop, Executive Vice President C O S T E S T I M A T I N G | C P M S C H E D U L I N G | C O N S T R U C T I O N S U P P O R T S E R V I C E S | C O S T & C L A I M S A N A L Y S I S Yet like many startups, it had a make- or-break year. By the second full year in business, 2015, the company was down to its last $5,000. "We almost lost everything," Hebert says. "We were $5,000 from bankruptcy." That was the turning point. "There were three of us," Hebert says. "We finally started pushing product out the door." Growth in health care field While hospitals were originally con- sidered a key sales target, it turned out construction companies liked the bar- rier system because it was easy to put together on site, it can be easily cleaned and it is reusable, meaning they can take it from site to site. Turner Construction, the world's largest construction company, is a customer, Hebert says. Hospital owners are still key advocates of the product, recommending STARC Systems to other hospitals. In October 2017, the company received a $3.5 million investment from Blue Heron Capital, which helped propel production and allowed the company to expand its sales team. Around the same time, STARC Systems hired a CEO, Chris Vickers, a Caribou native who had been CEO of the Vermont Country Store but was looking to move back to Maine. "We needed Chris to help us get to the next level," Hebert says. Vickers says he wasn't necessarily looking to lead a manufacturing firm, but immediately took to the staff and startup mentality. "This was all the things I was looking for," he says. "It's exciting to be part of." Along with MTI, a critical partner has been Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which oversees development of Brunswick Landing. "MRRA and Tech Place — that was a resource that just doesn't exist else- where," Hebert says. Jeffrey K. Jordan, deputy director of Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, says STARC Systems has been a poster child for growth on the campus. "[It] grew very rapidly," Jordan says. "They kept asking for more and more space in our business incubator." STARC Systems went from 2,000 square feet to 16,000 to over 35,000 square feet. Today, the company has manu- facturing on one end of Orion Street and offices at the other end. By May, the company will move into a 50,000-square-foot aircraft hangar, along Orion at Brunswick Landing. By leasing space rather than building, STARC Systems "has been able to use our capital for growth instead of real estate," Hebert says. The company continues to hire. Hebert says he's been heartened by the number of new hires who have been referred by other employees. Hebert and others on the management team built the company, but, he adds, the employees are creating the culture. "We're Maine-based, we believe in qual- ity," he says. Tim Hebert 5 QUESTIONS Age: 40 Leadership icon: My grandfather, Edward Hebert. He cre- ated a company [Hebert Construction] from nothing based on honesty, integrity and quality. He uprooted his family to start something new and put the weight of his family on his shoulders. Without knowing it, he started what has become a 75-year-old legacy business in which we still reflect on the importance of our foundational values to successfully run the day to day. Maine's biggest challenge: Aging population and attracting and retaining hard working, engaged youth. Maine's biggest opportunity: To promote the great lifestyle Maine has to offer — the work-life balance employers embrace and the importance our workforce is to the success of it all. People want to be excited about where they work and what their company stands for, while living in a community they are proud to be a part of. Maine has some great companies and great people, as a state we need to encourage business growth, job creation, innovation and lifestyle. Best business advice you've received: To not be afraid to surround myself with people that are smarter than I am. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E

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