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V O L . X X I X N O. X X V O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 2 3 26 FA M I LY - OW N E D B U S I N E S S H idden away in the rolling hills in Montville, Pieceworks is a two-story structure set back in the woods. It may appear quiet, nestled in the woods, but inside machines are humming, employees are busy and boxes are being packed for shipping. e family-owned manufacturing business is owned by Cathy Roberts. Pieceworks offers contract manu- facturing and assembly services to entrepreneurs, filling a need in Maine and across the region. Pieceworks bridges the gap for other small busi- nesses by providing creative and custom solutions to streamline and scale up their manufacturing and production challenges — with a focus on sustainability, made-in-Maine quality and keeping jobs in the state. is primarily involves light manu- facturing, assembly, packaging and shipping but can also include R&D for new products. "Pieceworks has always been described as a custom contracting business, which implies that we offer a diversified opportunity for different kinds of businesses to take advantage of our services," says Roberts. "It's our customized and tailored approach,with our versatile, reliable, and skilled team, that I feel separates us from a traditional manufacturing company." Clients range from a company that sells heated stadium seat cushions to health care providers that need cus- tom name badges. How it started Roberts' interest in manufactur- ing began when her late father, Ken Roberts, an entrepreneur and inventor, needed a supervisor for his companies, GemSet and Harbour Galleries in Rhode Island. He created an international grad- ing system for colored stones because, in the jewelry business, he found that it was impossible to keep all the gem- stones categorized for customers. Roberts managed the technical assembly, quality control and interna- tional fulfillment from her home in Maine. Roberts worked for the company for several years until it was sold in 1995. "When my parents sold the business, the employees came to me and said, 'We've done this great product that was shipped internationally and required immense quality control, because it was an international system accepted by the Gemological Institute of America," says Roberts. "It set up a situation where the employees said, 'Go find us more work and we will stay.' And we could do assembly for other businesses — and that's how we started." After the business was sold, Roberts entertained the idea of creating her own business. At the time, she had three young children and was interested in remaining self-employed, ideally work- ing from home. She started Pieceworks in 1996 in a room in her Montville house. In 2006, she moved into a manu- facturing facility she and her husband built in Montville. Roberts has five full-time employees who have been thoroughly trained in every aspect of the business. Behind the scenes is Roberts' hus- band, Cam Pierel, owner of Liberty Cabinet & Design, a woodworking shop in Montville. Pierel is known as the production engineer. roughout the building, he has made wooden jigs for different machines, which help assemble or manufacture a product. "We work with a science education company. ere are over 100 products we do for them," says Roberts. "One of them is this pipe; we get them already cut, and we drill two holes into them, then we have to put screw eyes into them, and we have to open the screw eyes to a certain distance. We can't buy them the distance they want so we had to create a jig for this product." "Being a woodworker, most of the jigs he makes for us are wood, but he comes up with these interesting jigs used for different products," Roberts says of Pierel. "He keeps looking for ways to save our clients money and he helps us to be as efficient as possible." Roberts works with 12 clients in and out of the state. "I have to say that I have not marketed really at all. is is a business that has been built on word of mouth," says Roberts. e company has working relation- ships with Maine Technology Institute, Coastal Enterprises Inc. and Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership. "ey all know about me and so occasionally, clients will come my way through them," Roberts says. Maine manufacturer helping small businesses Pieceworks, a Waldo County firm, handles production for a range of companies P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D Pieceworks, a contract manufacturer in Montville, is owned and operated by Cathy Roberts. She's holding a promotional model her team engineered for a software company from a drawing the company provided. F O C U S B y A l e x i s W e l l s

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