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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 2 3 From the Editor W hen I was growing up, the youngest child in a family of five, there was an implied pecking order. You always knew where you stood. ankfully, my siblings and I all took different career paths. Possibly for that reason, the dynamics of a family-owned business have always impressed and mystified me. How do people who have spent every moment of their lives together make the tough decisions that go into something where money is involved? at's what we hope to decipher in this issue with its focus on family-owned businesses. Senior Writer Renee Cordes talks to Shawn Gorman, the chairman of one of Maine's best known family-owned businesses, L.LBean. He talks about how decisions are made in a company with a long and well-known history. Renee also talked with leaders at two well- established companies with non-family members as CEOs, Hussey Seating Co. and Geiger, as well as a startup, Huga Heat. Possibly the best advice she heard was from Ryan Eldridge of "Maine Cabin Masters." Eldridge works with his wife, Ashley Morrill. As Renee writes, when asked what he does when there's a disagree- ment, Eldridge says: "Keep my mouth shut, no matter how hard it is." Elsewhere in the issue, Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber talks with the families that run farms. Farming is an undertaking that is hard enough in itself, but adding family dynamics takes some patience. "ere are family farms in Maine that are doing really well, not by luck but through hard and thoughtful work about how they will continue to thrive," Betsy Bullard of Brigeen Farms tells Laurie. Finally, Staff Writer Alexis Wells visits with the owner of a contract manufacturer, Pieceworks in Waldo County. e operator has found a sweet spot where she could grow within a certain limit and keep the company moving forward. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz How do people who have spent every moment of their lives together make the tough decisions that go into something where money is involved? Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get Maine's top business news daily at Mainebiz.biz or by signing up for the Daily Report and Real Estate Insider newsletters. Here's our top content from Oct. 9–23: 1. Here are the 2023 'Best Places to Work in Maine,' ranked 2. After pandemic delay, Portland's Time & Temperature Building has a new development team 3. A year-round expansion for a Downeast company: Whitney Corp. moves beyond wreaths 4. Institute for Family-Owned Business honors 7 Maine companies and an individual leader 5. Northport-based scone mix brand goes national 6. Preservation group names 7 landmarks as Maine's 'most endangered places' 7. Rockport luxury hotel to open this winter as midcoast shrugs off seasonal stereotype 8. Prentice Hospitality Group agrees to buy Cape Elizabeth's Good Table restaurant 9. After three-year search, recovery center finds location to expand on outskirts of Portland 10. A Portland distributor will focus on emerging brands bernsteinshur.com Meet Bryce Morrison. An experienced tax attorney, Bryce helps businesses with tax issues that pop up—from setting up new ventures, to closing the purchase and sale of complex businesses, to leveraging sale proceeds for new opportunities. We're attorneys. But we're people first. Bryce W. Morrison, Shareholder Running a family-owned business has its own challenges 2023

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