Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1544941
V O L . X X X I I N O. X I M AY 1 8 , 2 0 2 6 24 S M A L L B U S I N E S S F O C U S Ladders and fences From humble roots in rural Brooks, a 1,000-population riverfront town in Waldo County, Baldwin Apple Ladders has quietly climbed into being a multi- state wholesaler. Founded in 1984, the four-person operation supplies wooden ladders for commercial orchards across New England, New York state, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, working with dealers in each market; it also sells to a small number of walk-ins at its shop. "I grew up on a farm in New York state and I used to play on ladders," says manager Peter Baldwin. e owners buy high-grade saw logs sourced from west- ern and northern Maine, adding rungs from a small wood manufacturer about 40 miles away. Rectangular rails are made from bigtooth Aspen wood, while rungs are crafted from ash before the finished product is treated with nontoxic preservatives. With prices of energy as well as parts inching up, Baldwin says the ladder maker may raise its own prices at some point. "We're holding off for the moment, but we're considering it," he says. About 100 miles down the coast, in Cumberland, the family-owned Main Line Fence Co. designs, installs and repairs fences for residential clients in Greater Portland and commercial clients from Kittery to Augusta. With 22 fence installers on staff, the company imports cedar from Canada and buys steel from local vendors that source materials from around the world. Both inputs are subject to tariffs, compound- ing an increase in freight charges this spring directly related to the cost of fuel that make it more expensive to operate C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 6 » » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E It's been a big of a rollercoaster for us with all the different global headwinds and supply chain challenges. — Andy Leconte Main Line Fence P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY F I L E P H O T O / T I N A F I S C H E R Brothers Tom and Andy Estabrook, co-owner of Estabrook's, an operator of garden centers, says the company aims to keep a lid on energy costs at its 55,000-square-foot production greenhouse in Pownal. Andy Leconte, manager of Main Line Fence, says the company imports cedar from Canada and buys steel from local vendors that source materials from around the world.