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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 19 A U G U S T 5 , 2 0 2 4 going on Zoom provided a lifeline for them to communicate as if they were still in a room together. ey fever- ishly shared emails and conversations as each applied for their PPP loans with many using different banks. Collectively, they were able to help each other apply, complete the process and know who got approved and when. ere was a mix of businesses that could send all their staff home and oth- ers who stayed open throughout the pandemic. ey shared safety protocols, staffing, supply chain updates, technol- ogy and other challenges and successes as they collectively navigated this new world. We were right there helping them with our vast network of resources. MB: What are some of the biggest concerns on the minds of family business owners today? CWF: Some 80% of businesses in Maine are family owned. Each time we do an educational program, we survey them on their feedback on the program and what they need. We hear their daily challenges in our peer groups. e answers vary from 'we have everything we need' to the concerns about the lack of affordable housing, the need for affordable renew- able energy to the desire for a larger population with a better skilled labor force. ey also want support for small businesses through grants, incentives and investments. It is very challenging and costly to provide good benefits to employees as a small business. Other business owners mention the burden of Maine's high costs, including high taxes and high regulatory burdens, which make it hard to succeed. While many policies brought to the Legislature may have good intentions, like the family leave act, [lawmakers] often fail to realize the downstream effects of these policies. MB: Mentorship seems to be a priority. CWF: Mentorship is key for the IFOB and this comes across all our peer groups and especially our Next Gen Affinity program. Family businesses are private and they think they have unique chal- lenges. When you get them in the same room, they realize that others are strug- gling with the same issues whether they are family and/or business related. Peer advisory groups are small, confidential, facilitated discussion groups of about eight to 10 people in different businesses. MB: IFOB hosts more than 50 events a year, working with a very small staff. How do you do it? CWF: We all work remotely and have been on Zoom for over 10 years. IFOB's director of communications, Brooke Stewart, has been with us for over six years. She and I are partners with a pas- sion for family-owned businesses and the service providers who help them. She is great at providing structure, criti- cal thinking and online tools for us to manage all the details. Together, we work with 20 board members from family businesses and associate partners including banks, accountants, lawyers and insurance professionals across a wide range of industries, at executive levels, who regularly consult with or are part of a family-owned business. ey generously help us have access to their staff, facilities and resources. We also rely on our advisory board members, generous sponsors and volunteers, as we all work to spread our mission of helping family businesses succeed. We have a few committees, a group of judges and facilitators. We rely on consultants and family business leaders to share their best practices, experience and expertise. We also outsource many of our proj- ects including our awards, our Kindred Connector e-newsletter and our finances. We then partner with other organizations including social media, print media and designers to help us promote the IFOB. MB: What are some goals you'd still like the IFOB to reach? CWF: is year marks the 30th anni- versary of the IFOB and the 24 th Anniversary of the Maine Family Business Awards. We want to showcase where the IFOB has come from and where it's going. In the past 10 years, we've grown the membership by over 250% and our attendance at the awards by over 38% with 550 people in-person last year at L.L.Bean's new corporate headquarters and over 440 people live steaming it. So nearly 1,000 watched the awards. We'd like more. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the IFOB runs on memberships, sponsorships and volunteers. We hope to continue to spread our membership and event engagement across the state. It's not just for the family members but also their employees. From networking events, to educa- tional programming, to golf instruc- tion, a scramble, to our gala and peer groups, and our extensive website with a member portal, job listings, directo- ries, podcasts and more, we are a unique resource for these businesses and we want more people to get to know us and what we have to offer. Peter Van Allen, Mainebiz editor, can be reached at pvanallen @ mainebiz.biz Supporting female entrepreneurs across Maine... ...through free business advising, courses, workshops, and more. ceimaine.org/women NEWLY RENOVATED ROCHESTER ROCHESTER A Division of Hammond Lumber Company HAMMONDLUMBER.COM | 1-800-HAMMOND 22 LOCATIONS ACROSS MAINE & NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW SHOWROOM DISPLAY AREA • FULL ARRAY OF PRODUCT DISPLAYS: WINDOWS, DOORS, DECKING, RAILING, SIDING, KITCHEN, AND BATH EXPERT DESIGN SERVICES • FREE CUSTOM DRAWINGS WITH MATERIAL PURCHASE

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