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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 M A R C H 2 3 , 2 0 2 6 cookies for a high school cafeteria service project. Today, the cookies are produced at two commercial baker- ies — Maine's 400 troops get theirs from ABC Bakers' production site in South Dakota. Out of 3,900 Girl Scouts in Maine, around 3,700 are registered to sell cookies. On average, each vends around 200 boxes a year. While numbers can vary, Maine Girl Scouts have sold 900,000 to a mil- lion boxes annually in seven of the last 10 years. Pre-season rallies have long been part of the tradition. "We try to get together the weekend before to really remind the girls how to set goals, how to talk to customers, how to build their marketing skills and have a successful cookie season," Molly Bickford, a leader of Troop 1353 and Girl Scout mom who manages a dance studio in Fairfield, says before assem- bling her group of six inside the Chase Forum building on Main Street. She designed the poster and flip cards for "Guess the Cookie." But today's first stop is Day's Jewelers for a goal-setting workshop, where girls pair up to choose activi- ties of interest — then do the math to figure out how many packages of cookies they'll need to sell to finance those activities, penciling in sums on provided worksheets. A few doors down, they brain- storm about risk management at Holy Cannoli before heading to Smitty's Book Cellar to decorate their sell- ers' badges with tiny images of each cookie variety. On the back, they fill in a chart with prices of how much to charge, from a single box for $6 through a dozen for $72 — more math that's good to get out of the way before selling starts. at is done door- to-door and at booths as well as online, to teach skills from money management to business ethics. Outside the bookstore, Alli Ward says she was glad to spend a few minutes browsing inside after completing her lanyard while Addy Sinclair says she liked the activ- ity because "I'm a crafty person." Before the girls head to the Pink Crow Collective gift shop to sample some of what they'll soon be selling, Sinclair says, "I just want to beat my goals from last year." When we checked back in — 10 days into the two-month selling season — the troop had already achieved more than half of this year's target. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Charlotte Sanborn, left, and fellow troop member Amelia Wolf answer a questionnaire on goal-setting at Day's Jewelers. Cookie Rally Day included a session on risk management at the Holy Cannoli café. Congratulations, Michael Bourque Honoring leadership that puts people first When businesses invest in safety and partner with MEMIC to prevent injuries, everyone benefits: employees, employers, and the communities we serve. Michael Bourque MEMIC President and CEO Making workers' comp work better since 1993 We're proud to celebrate our President and CEO, Michael Bourque, for being named 2026 Mainebiz CEO of the Year. For more than three decades, Michael has championed a people‑first culture at MEMIC, delivering workers' compensation coverage grounded in partnership, trust, and a deep commitment to building safer, stronger workplaces. Mainebiz CEO of the Year MEMIC.COM