Mainebiz

V O L . X X I N O. X I V 22 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E C E O I N T E RV I E W Mainebiz: What are the advantages of doing business in Maine? Mary Allen Lindemann: Maine is a state built on entrepreneurship that has been building momentum over the past 20 years. People are willing to think outside the box and not take no for an answer. If you truly believe in what you are doing, you can make it happen in Maine. ere is also an incredible community of collabora- tion between entrepreneurs. We have worked with several microbrewer- ies on beer coff ees (Portland-based Peak Organic Brewery, Freeport- based Maine Beer Co. and Portland- based Foundation Brewing Co.) and chocolatiers like Portland-based Dean's Sweets. In addition to prod- uct development, there is informa- tion we share with one another that helps as you launch a business and go through the various stages of growth. Of course, the greatest advantage of all is that Maine is a vibrant, beauti- ful, dynamic place to live! MB: How much of your customer base is in Maine vs. the rest of the U.S. (or the world)? MAL: e majority of our customer base is in Maine (probably 95%) but that is due to the fact that we were distributing our product. We now have a partnership with Gardiner- based Pine State Trading Co.'s specialty beer-and-wine division, which allows us control but enables us to broaden our presence in New England. We are very excited as well with our partnership with L.L.Bean. We create seasonal off erings that are sold at 21 L.L.Bean locations around the country. Our account that is far- thest away is in Japan: Cabot Cove, a restaurant, in a resort community outside Tokyo! MB: What are the challenges of doing business in Maine? MAL: ere are challenges on both the city and state level. Portland's economy is growing quickly and, al- though exciting, the development that is happening is happening quickly. I believe that Portland is on many "best of " lists and people come here because what we have is unique. You don't see the stores and restaurants we have everywhere else. at is something we need to work hard to maintain and grow. With rising rents for retail- ers and skyrocketing housing costs, we are at risk of losing locally owned businesses and workers will not have the opportunity to live and work in the community. On the state level, taxes are high and make it a challenge for small businesses. A couple of my biggest concerns right now have to do with the lack of support from the State House with regards to alternative energy and asylum seekers. e recent vote to cut general assistance funding is not good news. We've all heard the statistics that show that Maine's population is aging. If nothing changes, we won't have enough young people to continue to grow our economy for the future. Immigrants are helping to change that. Young immigrants will be our future leaders, business owners, in- novators and taxpayers. MB: Where are you from? Describe briefl y your own journey to where you are in Maine. MAL: I came to Maine as a summer person in the 1970s. My family drove up from Connecticut and New York City to spend time on Chebeague Island. My family actually bought one of the markets on the island to learn about small business. e market is no longer there but I learned a great deal about business and Maine. I at- tended Bowdoin College my fresh- man year and then fi nished up at Brown University but Maine kept luring me back! I met my husband/ business partner, Alan Spear, a native Mainer, here. We left Maine in the late '80s, during the recession, fi nding ourselves in Seattle, then Burlington, Vt., and Providence, R.I. We returned to Maine to create a home with the dream of opening a little coff eehouse on Congress Street in Portland that might make a diff erence — both lo- cally and globally. Mary Allen Lindemann Title: Co-owner Company: Coffee By Design Headquarters: Portland What the company does: Coffee By Design, which was founded in 1994, owns five retail coffee shops, including four in Portland and one at the L.L. Bean flagship store in Freeport. It also has a roasting facility in Portland. Keeping it local, Portland-style Mary Allen Lindemann founded Coffee By Design with her husband, Alan Spear, in 1994, when Portland's downtown was in transition. The couple had been in Seattle and some other cities, but was determined to have Coffee By Design be part of Portland's downtown revival. Lindemann has continued to advocate for locally owned retail. B Y P E T E R V A N A L L E N P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Mary Allen Lindemann in the Coffee By Design on Diamond Street in Portland.

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