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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 29 M AY 1 6 , 2 0 2 2 F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S international neuroscience conference in Paris this July. e pandemic slowed the ability to carry out the studies and impacted manufacturing. "Everything from ingredient supply issues to manufacturer staffing issues to bottling supply issues," Florio says. "We're stocking more products than we usually would because it's continu- ally getting worse, so we're trying to stay ahead of the curve." Pro31 Cleaning Solutions, Southwest Harbor In 2017, Mindy Tracey started Pro31 Cleaning Solutions in Ellsworth. A year later, the company's growth drove it to larger quarters in Southwest Harbor. By 2019, she had over 30 employees and added a full-service laundry, dry cleaning, property management and retail store, for commercial, residential, construction and turnover/rental cleanings. Seemingly endless opportunities came mostly from vacation rentals, along with summer resi- dences and commercial work. An additional surge of work came in 2020. Tracey had just renovated her space to accommodate medical and clinical laundry when the pandemic hit. Mount Desert Island Hospital signed on. Additionally, Tracey trained her staff in disinfection protocols to accommodate new demand from her rental manage- ment service. From 2020 to 2021, she had an 80% increase in sales, which included a surge in year-round business. Typically, her April staff would number 15 to 17. is year, it was already 24, an indicator of growing demand, she says. "e issue is that our the sales are climbing and the need is climbing, but the percentage that I'm growing is not enough to cover the increase of employ- ees and supply costs and the decrease of the employee pool," she says. "So yes, we're growing, but it's harder to have a profit at the end of the year. A lot of people say, 'You must be so busy.' Yes, busy trying to make it work." For the future, Tracey envisions expanding her laundry service, perhaps opening a second facility, to serve other local health care systems. "It's ironic that COVID has helped grow my business," she says. YOUR BUSINESS GROW START PROTECT WE DO BUSINESS LAW so that you can do business. C O U N S E L O R S A T L A W 2 0 7 - 9 4 7 - 4 5 0 1 • r u d m a n w i n c h e l l . c o m Nominate a Family-Owned Business Today Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged! NOMINATE A BUSINESS AT WWW.FAMBUSINESS.ORG ANNUAL MAINE FAMILY BUSINESS AWARDS ♦ Renys Large Business (25 + employees) ♦ Chalmers Insurance Group Customer Service ♦ Holiday Inn By The Bay First Generation ♦ People's United Bank Innovation & Technology ♦ Shep Lee Community Service ♦ Cumberland Crossing by OceanView Environmental Leadership ♦ Maddy Corson Small Business (fewer than 25 employees) AWARDS ARE PRESENTED IN 7 CATEGORIES: 22 ND FOR THE C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F P RO 3 1 C L E A N I N G S O L U T I O N S A lot of people say, 'You must be so busy.' Yes, busy trying to make it work. — Mindy Tracey Pro31 Cleaning Solutions Mindy Tracey said business boomed during the pandemic for her Southwest Harbor company, Pro31 Cleaning Solutions, but finding enough employees is a challenge.

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