Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 O C T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 6 distributes maple sugaring equip- ment, opened a new store at 319 U.S. Highway 2 in Wilton. Front Street Shipyard expansion could generate jobs Front Street Shipyard's construc- tion of a $4 million, 21,700-square- foot building on Belfast's waterfront could help the shipbuilder land a major contract to build ferries for New York City. e Bangor Daily News reported that New York is looking to add 18 ferries to its fl eet as part of a larger eff ort to free traffi c from its busy streets. San Francisco-based Hornblower Inc. was chosen to lead the construction eff orts in March. Front Street put in a bid to build two 84-foot ferries. If it lands the contract, Front Street would likely hire 30 and 40 addi- tional employees, shipyard President JB Turner told the BDN. "It goes beyond the number of jobs they've created," Belfast City Planner Wayne Marshall told the BDN. " e shipyard has had a transforma- tive impact on the waterfront." Select mud fl ats reopen for shellfi sh harvesting Some mud fl ats in Downeast Maine that were closed for shellfi sh har- vesting after the Department of Marine Resources detected a marine neurotoxin were reopened on Oct. 13. According to the Portland Press Herald, parts of Maine's coastline between Calais and Cutler were reopened for clam, mussel and carnivorous snail harvesting. Clam Green Clean graduating from the entrepreneurial ranks P O R T L A N D — A gung-ho cleaning service, Green Clean Maine, has been skyrocketing since its founding in 2007. That's why founder and CEO Joe Walsh decided to buy larger quarters to house the business. Walsh purchased the 4,768-square-foot, three-level offi ce building at 583 Warren Ave. in Portland. He paid $425,000 for the building and grounds. Walsh was represented by Matthew Cardente and Mark Sandler of Cardente Real Estate. Mark Malone of Malone Commercial Real Estate represented the seller. Walsh said the new space is about six times larger than the current, leased space. "We're moving out of an 800-square-foot space. It's tiny," he said. "I can't even believe we've been there that long." The new building and grounds will allow for continued growth. That includes space for equipment for the fi eld staff — supplies like low-moisture mop systems, a high-perfor- mance commercial backpack vacuum, all-natural handmade cleaning formulas, cleaning trays, microfi ber cloths, cotton cloths for glass, terrycloth mops for fl oors and microfi ber dusters to get up high and down low. There's now also more space for the growing administra- tive and customer service offi ce staff, a laundry plant with washers and dryers — the crew launders 1,500 to 2,000 cleaning cloths per day. It also has a production line where the company produces cleaning supplies and will eventually package them for consumer sales and, outside, the fl eet of environmentally friendly electric hybrid or fuel-effi cient vehicles. The building is about 40 years old and in good shape, requiring minimal renovations such as painting and carpeting. "It was already laid out in a way that, when I walked in, I knew it would be great for us," said Walsh. Non-toxic cleaners can't keep up with demand Walsh's entrée to cleaning services was a surprising turn from his previous career as an advertising salesman for the Sunrise Guide, a Westbrook-based publication about healthy and sustainable resources. He was approaching environmen- tally friendly residential cleaning services about advertising. "Everyone I talked with who was doing it in a nontoxic way said they couldn't advertise because they already couldn't keep up with demand," he recalls. The popularity of the service and the promise of good money meshed with his personal predilection for a clean and tidy home. He received a $5,000 grant from the Libra Future Fund and got his fi rst client, a friend with a condo, in October 2007. He hired his fi rst employee in January 2008. Now he has 30 employees and, he says, the company is the largest residential cleaning service in Maine, with about 400 subscribers, from Saco to Freeport, who register for an average of 3.5 to 4 years, with the average client signing up for bi-weekly service. Recently, he was a finalist in the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development's "Top Gun" program, devel- oping a vision for the company's future. Plans include addi- tional services such as helping homeowners with other aspects of their lives, such as dog-walking, carpet-washing and concierge services. Walsh plans to expand the commercial cleaning side. And he plans to increase production of natural cleaning supplies, which use baking soda, vinegar, essential oils and other plant-based ingredients. Customers often ask to buy his supplies, so he's developed product labels and is fi nal- izing packaging for sales. "This building will make room to add divisions and service lines as we grow," he said. — L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r E D I T O R ' S N O T E : Green Clean Maine cleans the Mainebiz offi ces. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y M A L O N E C O M M E R C I A L R E A L E S TAT E Green Clean Maine invested $425,000 in a 4,750-square-foot building in Portland. The cleaning company has seen rapid growth since its founding in 2007. M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T

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