Mainebiz Special Editions

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 M A R C H 6 , 2 0 2 3 S TA R T U P S F O C U S Ben Davis said when honored by Mainebiz that applications for OpBox storage containers are "endless." Growing the business Ben Davis's prediction proved to be true, as voiced at "Greenlight Maine," a statewide pitch competition. In his winning pitch during Season 7 of "Greenlight Maine" in 2022, Ben spoke about how OpBoxes can be fitted out for pop-up retail shops, but also for life- changing uses such as mobile show- ers for the homeless. Beating two other contestants in the final round of the televised busi- ness-pitch contest, OpBox won $25,000. e Davises applied the winnings to create content for its first OpBox Village in South Boston, a collabora- tion with two partners and branded as the C Street Pop-Up Iron Works. e village consisted of 80,000 square feet in modular rental spaces intended for retail, food and drink operators. "is is a very repeatable model that we hope to roll out nationwide," Ben Davis says. is winter, OpBox partnered with L.L.Bean — a frequent customer — on a ticket shack on the west side of Mt. Abram ski area. e company also started 2023 with a new office at TechPlace at Brunswick Landing. On the produc- tion side, the Davises aim to expand efforts this year, but a location has not yet been chosen. Entrepreneurial spirit Ben Davis's entrepreneurial spirit first became apparent in 2016, the year he started True Course Yachting Inc. In his late 20s at the time, Davis was the manager of a yacht club when he came up with the idea of offer- ing a concierge service for owners of yachts of up to 100 feet. e busi- ness model included boat detailing in addition to project management. True Course Yachting also served as an intermediary between boatyards and the customers for which they ret- rofitted vessels. Davis knew his idea had real potential to be a successful business by looking and listening to "the needs and pain points of boat owners." "I realized that there was a gap in services," Davis says. "And I knew that with my skill set, I could fix them." He also knew others who had worked in the marine industry and could do the work. "I put those things together — the people with the need and the pool of talent that could solve it," he says. From the work he had done, he knew he "had a network of poten- tial customers." " We never really had launch mode," Davis said in a 2016 interview with Mainebiz about starting the busi- ness. "We started right in with opera- tions and have continually developed as the needs grow. "Our biggest challenge is in devel- oping the team, the processes and the management behind operations." When asked what he wished he knew when starting out, Davis replies, "How important the back-end struc- ture is. You have to build the founda- tion first — you can't just go straight for the chimney." Ann Fisher, Mainebiz digital editor, can be reached at afisher @ mainebiz.biz The Solutions for Maine Hub is here to help you rebuild. Dedicated UMaine talent and resources to help your business recover and thrive. umaine.edu/inspire/solutions-for-maine The University of Maine is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action institution. Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Resources and Engagement This is a very repeatable model that we hope to roll out nationwide. — Ben Davis OpBox

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