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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 N OV E M B E R 4 , 2 0 2 4 FA M I LY - OW N E D B U S I N E S S J ust out of college, Joe Capozza III worked for a while outside of his family's business, Capozza Floor Covering Center in Portland. "Every time I'd learn or experience something in the jobs I had, I would think, 'Oh, this would be good to apply to Capozza Floor Covering,'" he recalls. "It's just always been another member of our family. I always had pride in it and always wanted to con- tribute to its success." Today, Capozza and his sisters, Katie Capozza and Tia (Capozza) Green, are the third-generation own- ers of the growing business. at pride in the family-owned story speaks to what the business offers, says Capozza. "It's who we are," he says. "If you're going to brand or market something, you want it to be true. What's associated with 'family- owned' is expertise, knowledge of the area, long-term relationships with the community. To me, that's really what differentiates us from, say, a big-box store. You have that personal connection." Name on the door e "family-owned" story can be an important marketing tool, says Catherine Wygant Fossett, executive director of the nonprofit Institute for Family-Owned Business. Not all such businesses understand the power of that tool, she says. "e ones that don't use it, I think they're missing the boat," she says. "Like 'buy local,' where everyone wants to go to their local farmers, family businesses are local entities and they're the back- bone of the economy." Family businesses, she says, inher- ently care about their stakeholders — their families — which in turn care about their communities. "If you go to a family-owned busi- ness, you can talk with the owners. eir name is on the door and they care about that," Wygant Fossett says. "It's not that other companies don't. But if I go to Capozza, I can talk with Joe Capozza or one of his sisters." Generational growth In 1974, Joseph A. "Buddy" Capozza laid the foundation for Capozza Tile Co Inc. in the basement of his home. Buddy and his wife Doris embarked on creating a flooring installation business. In 1976 their son, Joseph F. Capozza, joined the company. In 1988, Joe's wife Jeanne joined Capozza Tile P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F O C U S C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » What's associated with 'family- owned' is expertise, knowledge of the area, long-term relationships with the community. — Joe Capozza III Capozza Floor Covering Center Joe Capozza III, with his sisters Katie Capozza and Tia (Capozza) Green, says that associated with 'family-owned' is expertise, knowledge of the area and long-term relationships with the community. The FAMILY-OWNED BRAND The 'family-owned' story can be an important marketing tool B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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