Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X I I I J U N E 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 34 T hread, bobbin, sewing machine. Besides learning English in their new homeland, they've had to master the lexicon and skills for their work at Portland textile start-up. Dressed in colorful Middle Eastern and African garb, they sew quietly at their machines, occasionally chatting to each other in English, Arabic, French or Portuguese. Using 100% American-made materials, they're making fl eece blankets, vests, pullovers and jack- ets for American Roots, founded in October 2015 by husband- and-wife team Ben and Whitney Waxman. e workroom, inside a 4,500-square- foot former garage, feels bright and breezy even when it's dreary out, an American fl ag prominently displayed on the back wall. All but four of the 16 employees are new Mainers like Anaam Jabbir, a mother of three college students hop- ing to go to school herself one day to study design. " is is my dream," she says. Between leading the group in a round of stretching and joining them in the kitchen for break, their union leader says what she likes most about her job are her colleagues: "We work like a team. We help each other like sisters and brothers." e family feeling starts with the Waxmans, who pay their stitchers an average hourly salary of $13.50 (com- pared to the industry norm of $9.50 and Portland minimum wage of $10.68) plus benefi ts including vacation time, unlim- ited sick days and a quarterly bonus. "Our job is to make a profi t, but it is also our job to pay our employees a living wage, and to be part of the greater economic growth and stability for our community, for our country," says Ben. Whitney adds that "it's not just 16 peo- ple, it's their families we think about." e Waxmans have a growing family of their own to think about after the birth of their son, Arlo, in late February. Named for singer-song- writer Arlo Guthrie, he makes regular appearances at American Roots, sometimes in his fl eece onesie. From politics to business Ben and Whitney left jobs in poli- tics and bartending, respectively, to start American Roots. ey met in Portland after he returned to his hometown from Washington, D.C. Feeling unfulfi lled by consulting, Ben was keen to start a business. He initially wanted to build boats, when his mother, Dory Anna Richards Waxman — "my mentor, my hero" — suggested making blankets. e idea made sense, given Dory's experience running Casco Bay Wool Works, a maker of woolen capes, shawls and blankets, for more than a decade and expanding it from a small barn-based operation into a profi table operation with international sales. She sold that business in 2004, but re-launched a decade later as Old Wool Port & Textile Co. in Westbrook. ough not overly excited about blankets, Ben began working with his parents on a business plan for a company focused on the $26 billion B2B market P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Sew American New Mainers help power American Roots, a Portland textile start-up B y R e n e e C o r d e s F O C U S Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low Maine's current economic climate and low unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to unemployment rate is compelling companies to think innovatively about their employment. — Liz Love Coastal Enterprises Inc. Whitney and Ben Waxman, pictured with son Arlo, employ 12 new Mainers at their Portland textile startup, American Roots. Anaam Jabbir, at left, is the union leader at the factory.

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