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V O L . X X V I I N O. I I JA N UA R Y 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 14 S O U T H E R N M A I N E Yale likes being able to share resources with the other owners. "I borrowed a forklift from one and a ladder from another," he says. "And I handed out some Forj in return." Virus-fighting 'UVeyor' Two units are occupied by the Saco Industrial Innovation Center, where space is available for startups and development is also underway on a virus-fighting ultra- violet light sanitation machine. e center was established by Kevin Roche, after he sold his Saco-based commercial kitchen equipment maker Belleco Inc. in 2017. In semi-retirement, he was explor- ing the idea of supporting manu- facturing startups when Smaha and Barbano approached him about their development. "A lot of people who work out of their garage or have a small mill space can't afford to rent a 5,000- or 10,000-square-foot facility, let alone own one," he says. In response to the pandemic, he and a team led by engineer Erik Goodwin, an employee of Eagle Industries in Hollis who has expertise in fabrication and product design, began developing the "UVeyor," which uses a conveyor belt to move objects through a hous- ing equipped with ultraviolet light to combat viral surface contaminants like the coronavirus. e initial phase was funded by Roche's investment firm, BBK Investments, and Maine Technology Institute. e machine received a 99.99% validation rating that it would kill the virus. Tests are under- way at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology, Roche is seeking other testers and additional funding, while also applying for various permits. Roche says he expects the tech- nology could be useful for medical facilities, large employers, hospitality businesses and schools. "In a world where there's a lot more sanitization of products going on, this will be another tool in the tool box," he says. Choosing Saco over Boston In 2019, product design engineer Trevor Ruggiero moved from Massachusetts to Maine to start up his life science product development company Looma LLC. It was about choosing affordability and lifestyle. "We have family here and Maine has the outdoor quality of life we yearned for," he says. "And the decision to start my own consulting company, and to go after this model with manu- facturing, became feasible by moving to Maine because it's close to Boston — a major medical hub that's spinning out a lot of technology startups, where this service is well-suited." Ruggiero previously spent over 10 years at Woburn, Mass., product devel- opment firm Fikst. He identified a need for precise prototyping standards for life science products and liked work- ing with early-stage companies and entrepreneurs developing transforma- tive technology. Starting on his own last July for phase-one consulting, he soon took on a partner and plans to add precision machining tools for proto- type production and early-development problem-solving, with eventual assem- bly and clean-room capability. e 2,000-square-foot condo shell he bought was ideal, he says, as an » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Worried your heating system won't make it through the winter? Did your cooling system struggle to keep up last summer? Do some rooms never feel comfortable? EFFICIENCYMAINE.COM 866-376-2463 Now is the time to upgrade to a high-performance system that can meet both your heating and cooling needs. Reduce energy costs. Improve comfort. Incentives are available for heat pump and variable refrigerant flow systems. Speak with your contractor to see which solution is right for your building. To get something like that in or near Boston would probably cost three times as much. — Trevor Ruggiero Looma LLC P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Looma LLC founder Trevor Ruggiero moved from Woburn, Mass., to start his life science product development company at the Mill Brook Business Center. F O C U S

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