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V O L . X X I I N O. I I I F E B R UA R Y 8 , 2 0 1 6 16 M .R. Brewer Inc. is a con- struction and millwork fi rm that handles everything from installing a $50 cabinet door to completing multi-million-dollar reno- vations and new construction. As a family-owned business invested in the Portland community for nearly 30 years, that kind of diverse production is important to owners Malcolm "Rusty" Brewer, his wife Patricia Brewer and their grown sons, Jeff rey and Matthew. Now they're thinking succession. e family is taking steps to leverage its diverse capabilities for responsible growth as the parents gradually step back from day-to-day operations and the sons come into ownership. "We want the business to be around for our own kids and give them the opportunity to pass it onto their kids, if they want it," says one of the represen- tatives of the business's second genera- tion, Matthew. "To do that, we have to stay current with the times, stay current with technology, and stay current in the marketplace." Evolution of a business Rusty Brewer got into the business as a young man because he enjoyed carpen- try. After graduating from Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute (now Southern Maine Community College), he went to work for a cou- ple of contractors, including Cape Elizabeth-based F.P. & C.H. Murray. Brewer found that working outside in the winter was not his favorite activity. "I was freezing," Rusty says. "So I got an inside job." at was with the architectural woodwork fi rm Pond Cove Millwork, where he stayed 15 years. e decision to start his own com- pany was simple: "I said, 'I can work for someone else or I can start my own business,'" he recalls. In 1987, Rusty and a friend, Richard Beaudoin, set up shop in the Brewer barn. When summer rolled around, their kids played nearby in the yard, and Rusty realized he should fi nd a separate workspace. e partners leased base- ment space at the Portland fl ooring fi rm Paul G. White Interior Solutions Matthew Brewer, left, estimator and project manager for M.R. Brewer Inc., and his brother Jeffrey, project manager for M.R. Brewer, outside a Falmouth home where the fi rm built an addition and did other work. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Measure twice, cut once M.R. Brewer Inc. constructs a future divided in two divisions B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r SP ONSORED BY FOLLOW US @MBEVENTS #MBBLOY16 Family Wealth Management Partners UBS Financial Services Inc. For more information please visit mainebiz.biz/BLOY Find out who we've named as our 2016 Business Leaders of the Year in the March 21 issue. After rigorous vetting, Mainebiz has chosen our three top executives as 2016 Business Leaders of the Year. Read their profiles in our special Business Leaders of the Year issue on March 21. If you're a Mainebiz subscriber, you'll automatically receive this special issue. If not, make sure to order your copy. Be sure to get your copy! T O O R D E R Call 761.8379 x332 or email kansley@mainebiz.biz F O C U S

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