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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 JA N UA R Y 1 1 , 2 0 1 6 Williams provides a hypothetical of what the company does: "Let's say our client is a fi nancial services company and their reps are fi nancial advisors. ey need a new way for their reps to interact with their clients: e old way is too dependent upon face-to-face meetings and manually assembled information. We might help them develop a new model for the kinds of interaction they want to have depending on the way the client wants to communicate, rather than being constrained by technology limitations. We might help them envi- sion this new way of client communica- tion, and also help them understand the technology that would make it possible. We design and build it for them, and we can support it for them and keep them moving forward." An industry that feels 'migratory' e "collaborative" in Collaborative Consulting is there for a reason, says Williams. "We feel a lot of fi rms in our space don't work with their clients," he says. " ey dictate to clients: ' is is what you should do and this is why.' We feel it's a conversation, and the best answers come from working together to fi gure out the direction forward and come up with solutions to problems." Collaborative selected Waterville for several reasons, Williams says. Lease rates are lower here than metropolitan areas. e area also has a large-enough population and the higher-education opportunities needed to hire skilled personnel, train for new hires and develop partnerships. "If we can build workforce in a lower-cost market, that's attractive," says Williams. "We don't look at Waterville as a low-price location. It's just better- priced than Boston. e other thing we have to have is people and Waterville is a big enough place, with enough higher education and skilled people in the market, or who want to be in the mar- ket, to make this viable. If we were to go to a place that was too small or remote, it wouldn't work." Waterville also provides proximity to Collaborative's Northeast clients. "We can have clients come to the facility fairly easily, and have our peo- ple drive to the clients," Williams says. Waterville, like Maine in general, is a natural attraction for people wanting to move to Maine. Hiring is expected to be a combination in-state and out- of-state talent, with 50% to 75% of hires coming right out of college. "What's exciting about Maine is that we fi nd a lot of people who are in Maine who are interested in these opportuni- ties," says Williams. "We're also fi nding equal numbers of people who are not in Maine but want to be. Our industry sometimes feels migratory. People go where the work is. With the Waterville center, we have people who are com- mitted to living in the Waterville area and growing a career in Waterville. We fi nd there are people there who are looking for a career in technology, or have gone out of technology and want to get back in. We're also fi nding there are people who want to move to the area. ey're already attracted to the region, and Collaborative Consulting provides the catalyst to be here." Waterville growth itself a draw Waterville's renewal in recent years is also part of the draw, says Williams. Various aspects of renewal here include the 2015 opening of new busi- nesses such as e Sensory Gym, expanding from Farmingdale; and e Loyal Biscuit Co., a pet supply bou- tique, expanding from Belfast, Camden and Rockland. Other openings include an electronic repair business called "You Broke It?" as well as Rustic Charm Home Furnishings. Waterville- based GHM Insurance Agency owner Bill Mitchell bought two historic buildings downtown. Waterville busi- ness Holy Cannoli opened its second storefront downtown. In recent months, Colby has acquired the Hains Building at 173 Main St., the former Levine's clothing store building at 9 Main St., a vacant building at 16-20 Main St. and a two-story brick building at 13-15 Appleton St. e acquisitions came out of Greene's meetings with rep- resentatives from the city and commu- nity that identifi ed strategies to create a vibrant business and residential area. e buildings could be used for student housing, social services, retail, a hotel and or arts space, says Greene. Collaborative's growth coincides with the overall growth of the IT fi eld. According to Plunkett Research Ltd., an industry research fi rm based in Houston, the consulting fi eld over- all reached revenues in 2015 of $500 billion worldwide. IT needs include social networking, mobile computing, online employee collaboration and cloud computing and data storage. "Technology is ubiquitous," Williams says. "Everything is going technology. It's becoming integrated in who we are as people. And all the ways to think about how to use tech- nology for business and for personal enhancement is growing rapidly." L S , a w r i t e r b a s e d i n B a s s H a r b o r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . sugarloaf.com 207.237.6819 sugarloaf.com 207.237.6819 207.237.6819 sugarloaf.com Meeting Higher Expectations - All Year 'Round. 1-800-221-2542 KatahdinTrust.com For us, Katahdin Trust was a perfect fit. " At Perfect Fit, we make leather products for law enforcement all around the world. I recently bought a competitor in Texas and Katahdin Trust helped us close that deal in just five weeks. That's the benefit of working with a local bank. They know our business and they always come through when I need them. " Mike Levesque Owner, Perfect Fit | Corinna, ME

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