Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 O C T O B E R 4 , 2 0 2 1 O riginally from Michigan, VanHaren was a social media specialist who launched the app in response to her own experience as a working mother daily pumping milk. Marketing research included outreach tours in 2017 and 2019 to speak with parents and professionals in lactation and related fields. Mainebiz: What are you doing with the seed funds? Amy VanHaren: at will help us accelerate B2B initiatives, grow our sales team, expand marketing and get more employers onboard. MB: How extensive is pumpspot- ting's reach today? AV: We have eight companies onboard, in Maine and nationwide. MB: How do you partner with clients? AV: We offer pumpspotting for busi- ness as software and service. It's a solu- tion employers purchase to implement comprehensive breast feeding support. Employees get access to our mobile app, which offers things like access to lactation consultants and connection with other parents. We become the hub and catalyst to the breast-feeding support program, giving employers a toolkit with everything they need to easily implement a positive breastfeed- ing climate. MB: How do you make those connections? AV: Sometimes we're introduced through parents looking for more support from their employers. We attend HR and benefit events. We do typical lead generation. Recently we've been focusing on press. MB: How do you convince employ- ers this is an important service? AV: We usually start a conversation around their needs in terms of retaining and engaging employees and what they now offer for benefits. We do a demo and Q&A around the platform. We highlight how turnkey pumpspotting is. ere's a real business case. Companies that provide lactation benefits have better retention rates and a 50% reduction in absenteeism. Companies see an enormous savings in medical claims for mom and baby. MB: Do you encounter resistance? AV: I think employers want to choose this kind of support. But it's not something that's talked about enough. MB: How would you characterize attitudes in this arena? AV: I think breastfeeding and pump- ing have been invisible at work. But I think things are changing. I think the pandemic, with the merging of work and home, has brought it to the fore- front. We still have a really long way to go until breastfeeding is as ingrained in day-to-day life in the workplace as it could be. But I'm an optimist and proud to be part of the solution. Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber@mainebiz.biz Pumpspotting 78 Government St., Kittery 03904 Founded: 2015 What the company does: With software and an app, helps compa- nies provide support to working mothers who are breastfeeding. Contact: amy@pumpspotting.com www.pumpspotting.com In 2015, Kittery entrepreneur Amy VanHaren launched pumpspotting, a feeding and postpartum app designed to connect parents with each other and with breastfeeding, pumping and postpartum support services. VanHaren has been featured in national publications like Forbes and Vogue and has grown its virtual community to over 40,000 parents. In 2020, she launched the app's corporate program to simplify workplace lactation support. She recently closed on $1.15 million in seed funds to fuel B2B growth and announced partnerships with the state of Maine and Tilson Technology. Solution Focused. Client Focused. Value Focused. Complex problems require smart solutions. At Jensen Baird, our goal is to offer legal guidance that helps clients with the problems they face today and avoid the problems they may face tomorrow. This is how we build partnerships that endure. Portland / Kennebunk 207.775.7271 • 800.756.1166 jensenbaird.com Bring Your Vision HammondLumber.com Hammond Lumber Company has been helping Maine homeowners and contractors since 1953. Today, our fourth-generation family business is one of the largest lumber and building material retailers in the Northeast. Whether you're starting new, looking to remodel, or have another DIY building project in mind, start at Hammond Lumber Company. You'll work with an experienced professional who can offer design support and make sure each stage is executed seamlessly. With your vision and our knowledge, together we'll build something great. Get started in any of our 21 locations throughout Maine.

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