Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 7 , 2 0 1 7 16 "I got to see the other side of the desk," she says. From there, she was recruited by an investor form- ing a startup, Outsourcing Servicing Group, a contract manufacturing business that grew out of a nine-busi- ness merger. She managed the strategic plan, paving the company's relationships with large corporations. e company divested after a few years. No problem, says Strojny: "What was so cool for me is that I got to be involved in a divestiture." e same investor convinced Strojny to help him build a hospitality-focused beauty products fi rm in the Middle East. She started dividing her time between her home in Massachusetts and Dubai. When the investor wanted to break into the Las Vegas hospitality personal-care market, Strojny was his go-to again. In a city where many of the hotels are owned by MGM Resorts International, it's hard to get a foothold. Strojny studied the local business process and started bidding on RFPs on behalf of the company, Power Brands. "No one had ever heard of us," she says. But they won a contract with MGM's ARIA Resort & Casino, created a custom-branded line of products for the hotel, then picked up several other hotels. A connection to Maine Growing up, she spent summers in Boothbay Harbor, so in 2009, when she looked for a place to slow down, Maine seemed like a good spot. She wanted to volun- teer — something that would help the community, but also scratch her itch for growing businesses. A mentor from Procter & Gamble suggested she try SCORE. In Portland, just like Las Vegas, people "do busi- ness with people they know," she says. She wasn't familiar with the business community and didn't have any connections. Portland was welcoming, she says, but the culture is "show me, don't tell me." And that's where the cool career paid dividends. She started by building relationships one person at a time. SCORE "is all about the customer." She'd learned all about that concept at Procter & Gamble, which "was a phenomenal training organization and such a great foundation." She was also steeped in branding, marketing, what it takes to start and run a business, from both P&G and those years at CVS and with the beauty products entrepreneur. The model of mentoring When SCORE was started 53 years ago, the initials stood for Service Corps of Retired Executives. Now it's simply SCORE, and the mentors range far wider than retirees. As Strojny became familiar with the organiza- tion, the vision of the impact it could have grew, but perceptions of the old SCORE still lingered in the community. "I said, 'let's rebrand this thing.'" And the community responded. e idea is to help with the basics so those start- ing businesses can "get out there and do it." at philosophy translates across business platforms. SCORE mentors "don't have to know how to fi x cars to help someone start an auto mechanic shop," she says. It draws from a wide pool of experts — lawyers, business owners, web designers. Mentor- client relationships are built to be long-term. Walsh attests to that. Strojny has mentored her at MaineWorks since it was "a business on the back of a napkin" in 2011. "Nancy has been in every discussion" about the direction and strategy of the business, Walsh says. "She's the common denominator." Kim Ortengren, who owns startup Wallace James Clothing Co., is also a Strojny client, and, by connection, is also being mentored by Walsh. Strojny "makes the space for things to happen," Ortengren says. She and Walsh agree that Strojny walks a rare line, mentoring while still pushing them to think like leaders. "I still have to make my own decisions," Ortengren says. "I'm sitting there waiting for an answer from Nancy, but Nancy forces you to answer your own question, [working it over] until the answer is staring you in the face." Patrick Roche, a SCORE client who began ink Tank Coworking in 2010, calls Strojny "one of Maine's great assets." "She has a keen perspective on Maine's sprawl- ing business ecosystem, knows all the players, and is quick to assess an entrepreneur or business idea," says Roche. "Nancy is a dynamo. She's exactly what Maine's entrepreneurs need." Walsh says one of the most remarkable things about Strojny, is that she "crushed the glass ceiling" in an era when few women could make inroads. "She's my role model." Many of SCORE's clients are young. Ortengren is 30, Roche 38. But Strojny "transcends genera- tional diff erences," says Walsh, off ering solid men- toring to those raised in the digital era. Strojny is fully committed to volunteer life. She's a judge for Greenlight Maine, an MCED Top Gun mentor, an organizer for House of Genius and an advisor on the board of Maine Women Magazine. She's also on the national board of SCORE. In 2012, she was one of President Barack Obama's Champions of Change. She lives in Cape Elizabeth, a place she picked after visiting Two Lights State Park, with her hus- band. She has two adult children. She enjoys hik- ing and kayaking, listening to podcasts, including NPR's "How I Built is" and " e Grow Maine Show ," which is produced by state Rep. Martin Grohman (D-District 12). But her craft, and her passion, is business strat- egy and marketing. She has a "side hustle," Beauty Vantage, a consulting business she started after she left Proctor & Gamble. But make no mistake, she says: "SCORE is my career." M M, a cor respondent for Mainebiz, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 4 In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words In her own words What triggered your career path? I loved making and selling things when I was young. Home craft items like potholders, napkin holders, and making fudge. No surprise I landed a dream job with a premier consumer products company. At the time, there were no women in "sales." I had to change that paradigm. As a pioneer, you take a lot of arrows! Did you have a mentor or role model? All my role models were men. I learned how to be a confident leader. And that knowledge is power. Solid communication skills are invaluable. What advice would you give your younger self? Don't be afraid to be unique. Substance without style is just boring. It's not about your status, it's about your significance. What keeps you up at night? Nothing! I love what I do. By the end of my busy day I'm ready to hit the pillow and recharge. What's the last book you read? "Undaunted Courage," by Stephen Ambrose. It is the true story of the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1803. It combines high drama, politics, adventure, drama and personal tragedy. One of my clients recommended it. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Nancy Strojny, chair of the Portland chapter of SCORE, in her offi ce.

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