Mainebiz

V O L . X X I X N O. X X I V M I D C O A S T / D OW N E A S T I n the tiny Washington County town of Whitneyville, a longtime supplier of holiday wreaths and related products is expanding with a year-round business. Whitney Corp. has added a subsidiary, Downeast Packaging Solutions. On a September afternoon, employees in the 75,000-square-foot production facility were surrounded by reels of various types and colors of rope. e workers were weaving sturdy doormats on specially designed jigs. e high-ceilinged space was filled with the sound of movement and people chatting while they worked. At another station, employees filled shipping boxes with mat orders for retailers across the country. "is is fulfillment. ese people work in the Wyman's area downstairs, too," says the company's founder and CEO, David Whitney. Whitney was referring to an area where Downeast Packaging picks, packages and ships blueberry juice and other products for Wyman's of Maine, the Milbridge-based wild blueberry producer. Elsewhere in the building, there's extensive wreath- making equipment and cavernous warehousing with heavy-duty rack systems, digital scales and a climate- controlled environment. Conveyor belt systems handle complex shipping requirements. Multiple bays with overhead doors at opposite ends of the in-line building are designed for ease of receiving and shipping. Assembly, packaging and distribution might lack glamour. But there's a big idea here. It stems from the business that precedes Downeast Packaging — Whitney Wreath Co. e wreath com- pany has always had a team of long-time employees talented in logistical skills, like sourcing raw materi- als and tracking, producing and fulfilling orders. ey were used to shipping hundreds of products to far- afield customers who were looking for unique Maine gifts — such as wreaths fashioned from fragrant balsam fir, white pine and cedar. Pick and pack Wreaths and other seasonal products have been a great business, but with one major shortfall. Wreath-making is largely seasonal, idling facilities and leaving skilled employees jobless for months out of the year. "You get to the end of December and say, 'We found it!'" Whitney says. "'What did you find?' 'e last wreath. ere it goes.' You're smiling — and everyone else is out the door and sad. ere go those wonderful and capable people." Whitney conceived of Downeast Packaging as an expanded, year-round use of his facility that keeps those capable people employed. e packaging business was a natural offshoot of what the company was already doing when it shipped wreaths across the country. "We have core competencies — pick, pack and drop ship fulfillment and warehousing and pack- aging and assembly," he says. "ose are the basic things we're really good at." The right formula ose core competencies are also a good fit for the Downeast region, where logistics and shipping have always been a challenge. e region's distance from more densely populated areas have traditionally meant higher shipping costs, says Katie Bragg, direc- tor of small business and enterprise at the Sunrise County Economic Council. P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D Alisha Parsons creates a 72-inch by 26-inch rope mat at Downeast Packaging Solutions. F O C U S O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 3 14 Pick, pack, ship Downeast Packaging Solutions services include: Warehousing Fulfillment Manufacturing Packaging Software integration Whitney Corp. goes beyond seasonal offerings with packaging and fulfillment services for a YEAR-ROUND EXPANSION DOWNEAST COMPANY B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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