Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I 80 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 C E O I N T E RV I E W Mainebiz: What are the advantages of doing business in Maine, and more specifi cally, your region of Maine? Kevin Hancock: e biggest advan- tage of doing business in Maine is connecting with the great people who live here. Maine has a high quality workforce because the people who live here are genuine, honest, hard working and they take pride in what they do. People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an amazing state to have customers in. If you do a good job, customers in Maine will reward you and stay with you. MB: How much of your customer base is Maine vs. the rest of the U.S. (or the world)? KH: We operate 10 stores, and 95% of our sales from those stores are to customers here in Maine. Our three sawmills manufacture products that are sold all over the world. Perhaps 10% of our sawmill products end up being sold in Maine. MB: What are the challenges of doing business in Maine? KH: High state income taxes take a lot of money out of employees' pockets and away from businesses. ose taxes also encourage many higher income people to make Maine their second home instead of their primary home. I don't think Maine yet realizes that we are in a competition with other states, and that income tax rates actually matter. I also think we can be a bit pessimis- tic sometimes as a state community. We often talk about what is wrong with Maine, yet we wouldn't want to leave. Most people love it here! I think the list of things that are right about Maine is much longer than the list of what's wrong…but what's wrong is typically what makes the news. I think we undersell ourselves in this regard. MB: Describe briefl y your journey to where you are in Maine. KH: I have lived in Maine my whole life. I grew up in Casco in the Lakes Region of western Maine and I still live there today. I went to high school at Lake Region and then on to Bowdoin College. I enjoy travel- ing and meeting people from other parts of the world and from diff er- ent cultures, but I always feel blessed to be able to live in Maine. e people of Maine are what makes our state so special. It's a place where you wave and say hi to everybody. I also think Maine is a place where people are not judged by their money or religion or cultural heritage. I think Maine is a very inclusive state socially, and people are judged just as human beings here. Anyone will help anyone in Maine! I think the news tends to make Maine and the world look worse than it really is. Maine is an amazing place in real life, fi lled with amazing people. Kevin Hancock Title: President Organization: Hancock Lumber Co. Headquarters: Casco What the organization does: Operates seven lumberyards, three home-design stores and three sawmills. Leading a growing family business Kevin Hancock is the sixth generation in the family to run Hancock Lumber Co., which began with its first mill in Casco 160 years ago. Today, it has 430 employees and sales of $157 million in 2016. It has seven lumberyards, three home-design stores and three sawmills. B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n F I L E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an People in Maine are loyal, so it is also an amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you amazing state to have customers in. If you do a good job, customers in Maine will reward you and stay with you.

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