Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. V M A R C H 9 , 2 0 1 5 10 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development announced that the town of Farmington was desig- nated Certied Business-Friendly. CAVU Café opened at the Auburn- Lewiston Airport. Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice in Lewiston received a $22,560 rebate from TD Bank as a result of the organization's use of the bank's Commercial Plus Card rewards program. Summit Natural Gas of Maine in Augusta announced its 2015 construc- tion build-out plan which will bring access to natural gas service to more than 2,400 new customers in central and southern Maine. PROTECTING WHAT MATTERS. 866-551-6377 | G www.northeast-security.com AT WORK OR AT HOME, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED. INTRUSION SYSTEMS • FIRE SYSTEMS • VIDEO SURVEILLANCE LOW TEMPERATURE • MECHANICAL SYSTEM MONITORING HEAT, GAS & WATER DETECTION • AC FAILURE ACCESS CONTROL • OPEN/CLOSE REPORTING PANIC/HOLD-UP DEVICES & MORE! Introducing a New Type of Cloud DSCI is excited to establish a new home in Portland, Maine. By managing mission-cri cal IT and telecom infrastructures, we free customers to focus their efforts where they belong - on running their businesses. If you're ready to move to the cloud, DSCI is ready to take you there. Call us at 866.GET.DSCI to get started! Power Communica ons. Unleash Produc vity. www.dscicorp.com 866.GET.DSCI Maine Textiles hires CEO to lead expansion Maine Textiles International LLC, the owner and operator of the Saco River Dyehouse, has hired a new CEO to lead the company's expansion into domestic and international markets. The company recently announced that Mark W. Boyer has taken over as chief executive, leaving co-founder and former CEO Claudia Raessler to serve as in-house counsel and to focus on strategic alliances. Boyer is principal of a national consulting rm, The Joe Group, and has previously served as CEO of Atlanta-based Foundation Financial Group. Boyer told Mainebiz that he met Raessler last fall at the Mainebiz Momentum Convention in Portland and became interested in Maine Textiles because of its growth potential. "We're looking at two things: expanding current operations for contract dye services in the craft market," he said of Maine Textiles. For its second initiative, the company plans to open a synthetic yarn division in 2016 using technology Boyer said doesn't currently exist in Maine. Since Mainebiz proled Raessler as a "Woman to Watch" last August, Maine Textiles has increased its number of employees from 12 to 18, Boyer said. He said he seeks to use his expertise in growing companies to boost the textile company. Boyer says his consulting rm helps companies of all sizes with issues related to growth, management and "process." He sees growth potential for Maine Textiles. "I grew my last company from 8 employees to 500," he said. "I'm starting this one 10 employees ahead so this has to mean bigger and better things ahead, right?" Raessler told Mainebiz that Boyer will help diversify Maine Textile's manage- ment team as it heads into expansion mode. "[My expertise] was in doing legal work and strategic alliances, so we wanted to hire a CEO with more experience in sales and marketing," she said. Maine Textiles is currently in the research and development phase for the company's synthetic yarn division, which Raessler said is being done to diversify the company's portfolio of contract dye services that it offers. She said the mate- rial is used in climbing ropes and for marine purposes, among many other uses. "A year ago a big potential customer asked us if we could dye synthetic yarn and, in turn, asked if we had the technology, [but] we did not," Raessler said. That spurred Maine Textiles to begin assessing whether it could expand into that market, she said. So far, the company's pilot tests in conjunction with Biddeford-based Sterling Rope have been successful, Raessler said. If the project moves forward, Maine Textiles will purchase specialty dying equipment and sell the new synthetic yarn dyeing services. "There's not any company that we're aware of that is doing this in the country," she said. — P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M A R K W. BO Y E R Mark W. Boyer

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