Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I I N O. X X I I O C T O B E R 3 , 2 0 2 2 24 to land wins in the halls of the state house. We take our advocacy a step further by building programs that leverage constitu- ent engagement and outreach. Favorite quote: "If your Nerve, deny you — Go above your Nerve." — Emily Dickinson Influential book: "Atomic Habits," by James Clear Favorite movies/TV shows: "West Wing" and "Whiplash." How do you recharge: Any time spent in the mountains and woods fills my cup. Like most anybody, I love taking in our incredible food scene in Portland. A real estate agent with a passion for social issues B y A l e x i s W e l l s Taylor McFarlane, 36 Associate broker, buyer's agent, McFarlane Field at Portside Real Estate Group Significant professional accomplish- ment: Top Buyers Agent for volume sold as an individual in the state (primarily Cumberland County) during my sixth year in the business in 2021. Currently #1 in Cumberland County, including teams and individual agents, for units sold in 2022. Passion project: I am a founding member of 1% for Maine, an amazing organization dedicated to providing a better tomor- row for Maine's youth. Portside Real Estate Group and participating Portside agents give 1% of our top line revenue to Maine non- profits that benefit the next generation of Mainers. On a quarterly basis, the Portside Foundation awards grants to local nonprofits that address systemic Maine challenges. These issues include education, generational poverty, affordable housing, sub- stance abuse, limited access to medical care, and food insecurity. We also ensure the grants emphasize diversity and inclusivity and provide a sustainable solu- tion to one of the many challenges facing Maine's youth. Selling homes affords us the privilege of giving back to the com- munities that we live and work in. Audacious goal: Win the Odyssey Swim- Run Casco Bay Islands short course with my brother sometime in the next five years! Favorite quote: "Find your joy and let it run your life." — Cleo Wade Influential book: "The Radiance Sutras," by Lorin Roche and Shiva Rea Favorite TV show: Em- barrassingly, " L a w a n d Order: Special Victims Unit." If I ask to watch a movie it's code for wanting a nap. H o w d o y o u r e - charge: Time with my husband and beloved friends. Being outside whenever possible. If I'm craving a reset or energy, a dip in the winter ocean or plunge tub followed by a sauna is always my favorite medicine. An engineer behind millions of COVID swabs B y P e t e r V a n A l l e n Derek McKenney, 31 Director of corporate engineering, Puritan Medical Products LLC Significant professional accomplish- ment: During the last 24 months I've been part of and managed an amazing team. We have been able to success- fully launch three manufacturing sites in two states providing hundreds of millions of COVID swabs to patients around the world. I've built a team of diverse and talented engineers in parallel. Without them I wouldn't have anything to talk about. Passion project: Community outreach in the STEM field within rural Maine. Students need to understand their abil- ity to have impact and make change in the world regardless of where they are from or what they feel their education has or hasn't prepared them for. Originally from rural Maine myself, I understand the challenges associated with continu- ing education and local employment opportunities for students and young professionals in the area. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 2 2 We celebrate the contributions of those "under 40" here at CMP and congratulate the "40 under 40" honorees who bring bright ideas and boundless energy to Maine's success! The Energy of the Future Taylor McFarlane is an associate broker and buyer's agent at McFarlane Field at Portside Real Estate Group. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

• Cover