Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 J U N E 2 8 , 2 0 2 1 FA M I LY - OW N E D B U S I N E S S P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY How do you separate business from personal feelings? How do mixed generations incorporate new ideas without conflict? We surveyed a number of owners and found there's nothing sterile about the "family-owned business." After all, says Mapes, "Really, we're a family that owns a business." Learning by observation Mapes jumped into the trenches after graduating from college with a busi- ness degree. Mainebiz: How did you learn the ropes? Jonathan Mapes: It's osmosis: You observe. My father used to say, 'I'm not going to let you make a mistake big enough to ruin the company' But you have to make mistakes. at's what you allow the next generation to do. I had different ideas from my father; my daughter has different ideas from me. MB: How do mixed generations incor- porate new ideas without conflict? JM: ere's always conflict. It's prob- ably natural in non-family-owned businesses, too. But there's a greater degree of personal emotion. MB: How do you separate business from personal feelings? JM: I don't think you do. You're wearing both coats all the time. MB: How do you ensure non-family employees feel valued? JM: ere are different ways to look at things. Is it an asset or an heirloom? My daughter and I can't run this place by ourselves. Having a great degree of respect for the staff that actually makes it happen every day is very important. MB: How do you set compensation and benefits for family members? JM: I think that varies wildly. Your fam- ily takes the greatest degree of risk. Most non-family members get to go home at 4 or 5 o'clock and say, 'See you in the morning' e family member lives it. It's like another child. Separating family relationship from business relationship Jules Dostie learned watchmaking in the military during World War II, when accurate timepieces were critical to army operations. Returning home, he expanded on that skill when he and his wife Yvette started J. Dostie Jewelers in Lewiston in 1947. In 1977, their son Daniel started as a jewelry repair technician. In 1987, Daniel became a certified gemologist appraiser, the industry's highest certification. He bought the company in 1989. Daniel's son Michael began appren- ticing under his dad in 2003, then took over in 2006. Daniel remains involved in appraisals. Mainebiz: How did you become involved? Michael Dostie: I went to school for computer science and realized halfway through that I didn't want to spend all day every day in front of a computer. I told my father and he said, 'Great, I'm coming into the Christmas season. You'll work for me.' After Christmas, I just stayed on. I'd bring it back to something my grandfather told my father that expressed his passion: 'Can you believe we get to work with the most beautiful things in the world that were naturally created?' I'm very much a people person. One of my first jobs was selling jeans for Levi's. When you're selling pants, you have no connection with the customer. Honesty, integrity and mutual respect are the values that guide us. Stephen Dumont, VP CONTACT (207) 490-5900 www.tpdconstruction.com CO N S T RU C T I O N M A N A G EM EN T s D E S I G N / B U I L D s G EN ER A L CO N T R A C T I N G C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Michael Dostie, third generation owner of J. Dostie Jewelers in Lewiston, says his close relationship with his father helped get them through heated discussions around operations. F O C U S

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