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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 51 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 I N N OVAT I O N / R & D says. "We have found great success in hiring within our local community, as companies frequently communicate with one another when hiring for positions. We help each other fi nd the right talent and along the way, ulti- mately introduce Mainers to new career paths." Shaw says the career path benefi t is one that he sees both with those who already live in Maine, as well as when Vets First Choice recruits out of state. "People who come here want to know there are other career options," he says. Not only for them- selves, but for their spouse or partner. He says while there is some cross-pollination between area businesses, area workers also tend to be loyal and "there's not a lot of jumping around." at said, he's assembled a team, many of whom worked for those area fi rms, that "has a lot of expe- rience on a global scale." "To succeed, we have to be a global market leader," Shaw says. "Not just great by Portland, Maine, or New England standards, but to know what it takes to win in China, to win in Germany." e global expansion of the company is less of a challenge than one would think. "Veterinary challenges are the same everywhere in the world," Shaw says. While the veterinary market is perfect for the model the company has developed, "what we do matters no matter what." Shaw quotes a Vets board member: "Who we are matters more than what we do." What Vets First Choice is doing — "what's pos- sible in health care when humans don't get involved" — may even help innovate approaches to dealing with human health care, he says. For instance, many who have health insurance don't understand the true value of medication and drugs, because they don't pay full price. "When things are cash pay, you develop an appreciation for the cost of health care," he says. As Vets First Choice grows, Shaw says that Houston, Omaha, Manhattan, Kan.; and Lexington, Ky., have aggressively wooed the company, supporting every stage of the investment in their community, including fi nding funding and helping Vets fi gure out the logistics. When the fi rm approached Amsterdam, the response was phenomenal, astonishing, Shaw says. A former ambassador to the Netherlands who summers in Maine made an introduction, and things took off from there. " at's what great looks like," Shaw says. Shaw says the importance of the "academy" of Maine's private sector is particularly felt because the state can be slow to recognize what's needed to grow new business and jobs, and much of the focus is on trying to slow the decline of the state's tradi- tional industries, like lumber and lobster fi shing. He says there's a "what we've done in the past is what we do in the future," attitude. Added to that is the state's thin labor pool. Working around the worker shortage Gio Twigge, corporate vice president of IDEXX, says that in a state that struggles with job growth — it's been ranked 47th by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis — the private sector is leading the way to turn that around. "Employers need to work together to leverage the entrepreneurial energy in the state, create meaning- ful jobs for Mainers, and attract and retain innova- tive talent that will help us succeed," he says. "Like government and non-profi ts, the private sector has a unique perspective it can off er to help develop and accelerate job growth in specifi c sectors in the state." He says that projections show the state, with a pop- ulation of 1.3 million and the highest median age in the country, adding 5,300 new jobs between 2014 and 2024. "Private sector leadership and collaboration is critical if we want to improve these numbers and drive sustain- able and long-term economic growth," he says. In fact, the private sector took the bull by the horns three years ago. Twigge is part of the knowledge work- ers strategy team of FocusMaine, which was formed by a group of corporate leaders in 2014 and "using a fact-based and disciplined approach, is implementing long-term plans to create quality tradable jobs" in agri- culture, aquaculture, and biopharmaceuticals, as well as to strengthen the state's "knowledge worker ecosystem." "We believe these traded-industries and knowl- edge workers present the potential for sustainable, long-term, meaningful growth and employment expansion in Maine," Twigge says. Under the FocusMaine umbrella, IDEXX, L.L.Bean and WEX, as well as several other corpo- rations, nonprofi ts and colleges, have formed a sum- mer intern pilot program that they expect to grow into a state-wide intern resource center. "Larger organizations are part of the pilot, but we've designed the intern program model so that small and mid-size employers can also adopt it, mak- ing it accessible to many Maine businesses," he says. Corporations and organizations involved also include MaineHealth, a Portland-based network of 10 health systems that includes Maine Medical Center; MedRhythms, Tyler Technologies, Unum; nonprofi ts Educate Maine, Innovate for Maine and the Society for Human Resource Management; and Bowdoin and St. Joseph's colleges and the University of Southern Maine. "We believe that if interns across employers feel more connected to each other, to our state and to our local communities, they will be more likely to accept local jobs," Twigge says. "It takes a village of employ- ers and partners to demonstrate the kind of economic vibrancy and career opportunity that young people want when they choose a place to live and work." As Shaw sits in his Portland offi ce, in a shiny new building on a cobblestone street, a block from the harbor, he acknowledges his business can oper- ate from anywhere. But he also says, despite the challenges, it benefi t from what Maine has to off er. "It's a really exciting time, with advances in software, really complicated data sets," and the team at Vets First Choice is "refl ective of the amazing advances." "We're just awash in great talent." "We live in an age of unbelievable insight," that stretches across technology, health care, customer engagement and it's "creating a lot of new ideas." "We've benefi ted from the things that make Maine a great place," he says. "But the academies are what great looks like." M M, a cor respondent for Mainebiz, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . We Help Ecommerce Businesses Sell More Online CALL (207) 613-0655 FOR A FREE ECOMMERCE ASSESSMENT 100 Fore St. Suite C Portland, ME 04101 www.ibeccreative.com It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality It's just really high-quality across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're across the fields, and we're the beneficiaries of [other Maine firms'] largess. — Benjamin Shaw Vets First Choice

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