Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I N O. X I I J U N E 1 , 2 0 2 0 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E senior vice president and COO. When she became senior vice president and COO, Maguire took on overall opera- tional responsibilities while continu- ing to serve as the organization's chief financial officer and treasurer. Downtown Machias in for a broadband upgrade Two Machias businesses are team- ing up to boost broadband service in the downtown. Machias Savings Bank has partnered with Axiom, an internet service provider, to bring high-speed fiber internet to the downtown. Both are headquartered in downtown Machias. e Machias Downtown Fiber Project will make fiber optic broadband internet connections available to over 50 busi- nesses and 30 homes in the area, accord- ing to a news release. e new capacity will also serve the expanded Machias Savings headquarters, currently under construction at 31 Main St. e project will provide comparable service to that of the 3-Ring Binder fiber line, which has remained financially out of reach for most area businesses. Homes and busi- nesses within the network will be able to get fiber optic internet service at various prices starting at $69.99 a month. e town of Machias and Sunrise County Economic Council have already com- mitted to the new network. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor announced that the National Cancer Institute renewed the lab's Cancer Center Support Grant for the 34th year. The lab was one of only 71 organiza- tions, and one of only seven basic re- search centers, recognized for its focus on advancing precision oncology through basic research discoveries with the goal of translational and clinical impact. The U.S. Postal Service included the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay as one of 10 gardens featured on its American Gardens Forever stamps. Maine Community Foundation in Ellsworth awarded $219,800 in com- munity-building grants to 24 nonprofits across Maine through its Statewide Fund. The foundation also said its Start Up/Scale Up Grant Program provided $200,000 to 10 Maine nonprofit orga- nizations that are helping new ventures start and grow through shared workspac- es and incubator and accelerator pro- grams. Grantees were Catholic Charities of Maine, Lewiston; Coastal Enterprises Inc., Brunswick; Engine Inc., Biddeford; staff positions at the Alfond Youth & Community Center in Waterville, according to a news release. "With this investment, we will continue to break down barriers to care and wellness services to better address the health of community mem- bers. is requires us to provide tools and services where people live, work and play," said MaineGeneral Health President and CEO Chuck Hays. Alfond, who died in 2017, served for nearly a decade on the MaineGeneral Health board of directors. He invested in what became the teaching kitchen and cafeteria in the Alfond Center for Health, and helped create a variety of community-accessible health ser- vices. Hays noted the funding comes at a critical time for the industry, with COVID-19's strain on health care organizations. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn said the 2020 Jean-Dion Match Challenge raised $403,072 that will be used to provide tuition assistance. MDI Hospital's new CEO promoted from within Mount Desert Island Hospital's new president and CEO will be Christina "Chrissi" Maguire, the hospital's chief operating officer and senior vice presi- dent. She will succeed Art Blank on Jan. 1, 2021, the hospital said. Blank announced in January that he would retire at the end of 2020. Maguire joined MDI Hospital in 2011 and has served as treasurer, vice president of finance, chief financial officer, and B R I E F Smooth transition for maker of 'Rugged' tote bags B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r C a p e E l i z a b e t h — A fisherman's family was going to wait out the pandemic before launching their new company, which turns hauling pants that have been worn on the water into backpacks, totes and other products. But the first batch of inventory received so much interest, primarily at the Maine Fishermen's Forum in early March, that Taylor and Nikki Strout decided to push forward. "So many people reached out to us that Nikki started to sell through Instagram," Taylor Strout told Mainebiz. "We sold about $3,000 worth of merchandise within two weeks. We did $8,000 at the forum." That was for 25 totes and backpacks. The couple have sold another 65 in the last two months. Prices range from $70 for the Bib Pack, a backpack, to $99 for the Seaworthy Tote. The Strouts named their company Rugged Seas, a reflec- tion of the challenging lifestyle of the fisherman as well as the tough material that goes into the products. The website went live in early May. Both Strouts grew up in Cape Elizabeth. Taylor Strout is a commercial fisherman who now divides his time between Alaska and Maine. Nikki is a nurse practitioner, but now spends her time taking care of the family and the burgeoning company. The idea for the company goes back to 2012. The Alaska fishermen he knew had clothing printed with images that represented their fisheries. Taylor returned from Alaska with the idea of offering hooded sweatshirts, or hoodies, that could be printed with images specific to a fishery, such as a lobster gauge or tuna rod. He made the designs himself and engaged Rogue Wear in Lewiston to print the hoodies. The couple has sold about 40 per month through Hamilton Marine and Vessel Services in Portland. The couple saw an opportunity to recycle hauling pants, which are called "bibs" and are made from heavy-duty, water- proof polyester. "Everybody wears them," Nikki said. "And they just get thrown away when they're worn out. 'What can we do with them?'" They washed some bibs and were able to get them really clean. "Taylor said, 'What if we can make bags out of these?'" she recalled. They took the idea to Hamilton Marine and Vessel Services, which agreed to serve as drop sites for fishermen to recycle their old, used bibs. Pratt Abbott, a dry-cleaning company, washes the worn gear. The cleaned bibs are then delivered to Rogue Wear, where the material is laid out, cut and sewn into bags. The couple also works with Guy Cotton, a New Bedford, Mass., company that has been making hauling pants for over 50 years, to recycle their remnant material to make bags that are part bib material and part canvas. Kast Branding in Portland created the brand. The couple packages up orders and ships from their home. The startup was self-financed and has grown slowly from profits. The products now include totes, packs, clutches, watch caps, trucker caps and hoodies. In development is a duffel bag that can also be worn as a backpack. "My mom and her husband kept encouraging us and saying, 'You've got to do more with this company. There's so much you can do,'" said Nikki. "We were so nervous and hesitant. We decided, 'We'll never know unless we try.'" P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y R U G G E D S E A S Taylor Taylor and and Nikki Strout Nikki Strout run their startup, run their startup, Rugged Rugged Seas Seas, from their home. , from their home. We decided, 'We'll never know unless we try.' — Nikki Strout Rugged Seas M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T

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