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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 5 Guimond, built wooden fi shing boats under the name Guimond Boatyard. He was based in the fi shing village of Escuminac, N.B., 285 miles northeast of Eastport. Guimond's father, also named Philias, but called Phil, took over the business and transitioned into fi ber- glass in 1981, building boats mainly for fi shermen throughout Atlantic Canada. ere was plenty of demand, says Cory Guimond, who was born and raised in Escuminac. " ere were fl eets of thou- sands of boats that needed to be con- verted from wood to fi berglass," he says. But as more builders came into play, the market for Guimond boats slowed. At the same time, Phil developed health problems he believed to be a reaction to the resins used in fi berglass boatbuild- ing. He stopped building in 1991, then started again in wooden boats, with Cory, in 1994. Phil died in 1995. Cory completed a handful of wooden boat commissions over the next year or two. "I love building wooden boats," Cory Guimond says. " ere's no demand for it anymore. But in the 1990s, there was enough demand." In 1997, Cory Guimond pulled a mold off one of his wooden boats and the company went back into fi berglass work. He also began heavily marketing his work, pressing into the U.S. market, expanding his outreach beyond fi sher- men to government and research entities and other types of professional opera- tions, such as tour and dive boats, and gaining a number of commissions not only along the Atlantic seaboard but on the West Coast and Alaska and Hawaii. "We attended trade shows. We made a lot of promotional videos, running the boats in rough weather. My boats do very well in rough weather," he says. "When I fi rst started with video, they were on VHS cassettes. I'd make hundreds of cassettes and take them to trade shows. Today it's uploaded on our website or on YouTube." "The funding we received with FAME's help allowed us to complete our commercial kitchen and purchase much needed equipment. With the new facility we have had our biggest sales year yet, opened a new storefront and increased the number of employees." — Steve Shaffer Co-Owner, Black Dinah Chocolatiers 1-800-228-3734 — FA MEmaine.com Helping Maine Businesses Succeed Since 1983 Portland, ME dunham-group.com 207.773.7100 Local Knowledge. Regional Focus. Global Reach. Jim dreamed of developing The Press Hotel... Helping Mainers realize their vision and achieve business goals is what The Dunham Group does best. Clients like Jim Brady know that The Dunham Group develops trust, long-term relationships, and fuels business that grows our state's economy—and that's good news for all Mainers. Call or visit us online. So, he chose The Dunham Group to put the deal to bed. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't The Guimond name isn't known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts known in other parts of the world, whereas 'Millennium' is catchy and memorable. Our Millennium designs are now our main product. — Cory Guimond, owner Millennium Marine

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