Mainebiz Special Editions

P r o f i l e s i n e x c e l l e n c e M a i n e — A P h oto P o rt r A i t o f t h e P i n e t r ee S tAt e 133 uniform employ over 150 Mainers, making it the largest dry cleaning company in northern New England. Most of the stores serve as drop-off and pick-up locations. The Forest Avenue and South Portland stores double as plants where the clothes for every store and home de- livery route are cleaned and pressed. The main office in Westbrook houses the plant for the uniform division. From the beginning, Pratt-Abbott has been a fam- ily business. The Abbott family still takes their dry- cleaning to the Forest Avenue store. Rod and the Lowell daughters were frequent presences behind the counter. Rod's father, Adrian Lowell, worked on the machinery in the Westbrook coin-op until his late eighties. In 1991, the Lowells sold the business to the father and son team, Jim and David Machesney. Since then, Machesney children and grandchildren have helped man counters, drive vans, and bag shirts for Pratt-Ab- bott. Although Jim has retired, David runs 13 stores un- der the Pratt-Abbott/Maine Cleaners name along with the constantly expanding uniform rental department. Dave is a third-generation drycleaner. He represents the industry on regional and national trade boards. Closer to home, his community support extends to a number of organizations. To Pratt-Abbott, being part of the community goes beyond providing service to their patrons. The stores with reader board signs use the space to publicize lo- cal events and fundraisers — from blood drives to high school sporting events. Pratt-Abbott supports the Port- land art scene by cleaning costumes for several theater companies free of charge. Most notably, Pratt-Abbott is a major sponsor of two charities that benefit Maine's underprivileged youth: the Salvation Army and Camp Susan Curtis. The Coats for Kids program provides gently used winter coats for impoverished Mainers. Together with the Salvation Army, Pratt-Abbott launched the program in 1983 after noticing that many families couldn't af- ford expensive jackets that their children would soon outgrow. Each year, Pratt-Abbott cleans all of the coats donated for free. Terry Talbot says that from her 25 years at Pratt-Ab- bott, she is most proud of how much Coats for Kids has grown. Back when it started, all of the coats were cleaned in the Westgate coin-op. "Customers used to ask why I was cleaning all these kids jackets," Terry says, "The next week they'd come back with jackets their kids had outgrown." Today, Coats for Kids is well known throughout Maine. It collects over 26,000 coats each year for both children and adults. Pratt-Abbott employees often vol- unteer extra time to help sort and clean all of the coats. In 2007 Pratt-Abbott began its partnership with Camp Susan Curtis, a tuition-free summer camp for disadvantaged Maine children. Pratt-Abbott cleans and delivers the laundry of every camper and coun- selor free of charge. This lowers costs for the camp, allowing more children to attend. At Camp Susan Curtis, campers learn life skills while enjoying tradi- tional camp activities. Melissa Cilley, the camp's Ex- ecutive Director, states, "Beyond the skills and asset development, the children of Camp Susan Curtis also have their basic needs met, sometimes for the first time. And, thanks to Pratt-Abbott, they have clean clothes. This service is a tremendous gift to the chil- dren we serve." For nearly four generations, Pratt-Abbott's com- mitment has been deeply woven into the very fabric of their business. Whether this means a pristinely pressed bridal dress for a wedding, a meaningful place for em- ployment, or a warm coat on a child's back, the company continues to make a positive impact in the Maine com- Over the decades, Pratt-Abbott has continued to meet evolving customer needs by opening laundromats, launching a uniform rental division, and creating a free home and office pickup and delivery service. Left: Exceptional care of clothing and customers have always been hallmarks of Pratt-Abbott, as shown in this 1956 photo. Right: Pratt-Abbott picks up the tab for cleaning the clothes of every camper and counselor at Camp Susan Curtis, so every attendee can focus on having fun.

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