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V O L . X X I V N O. V I M A R C H 1 9 , 2 0 1 8 18 "He's the right person at the right time in the right business," says U.S. Sen. Angus King, an old family friend who remembers Broder as a child being "bright, engaging and intense." Years later King offi ciated at Broder's wedding to Eliza Ginn on "a wonderful warm day merging two great Maine families." Military background Broder, who grew up in Cumberland and attended Waynfl ete School in Portland, studied history at Middlebury College on an Army ROTC schol- arship with dreams of becoming an intelligence offi cer in Japan. "I had this James Bond fantasy about how that was going to go," he says. en on Sept. 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, it killed a big part of the Army's human resources department, including the board that was meeting to give Broder his assignment. Despite having no technical back- ground, he was sent to be a communi- cations offi cer in Germany, where he spent nights teaching himself how to use the equipment. "By the time I got out of the military, I was a self-taught network engineer and was quite tech- nical," he says. His military experience, which also took him to the Middle East and Central Asia, earned him a Bronze Star for running the tactical commu- nications network in Afghanistan. As soon as he left the Army he returned home, because, he says, "the more places I saw, the more I real- ized that Maine was maybe the most rational, reasonable, sane, delightful place on earth." Back to Maine When Broder got back to Maine he looked up Mike Dow, a friend of his father's who had founded Tilson Technology Management as a one- person consultancy in 17. "We had a great connection," Dow says of his fi rst meeting with Broder. "I thought he was really super-smart and super-driven." Broder started in early 2007, became CEO in 200 and bought the company from Dow shortly after. Dow still has a stake in the company, which he re-joined in October 2014 to open an offi ce in Denver and build the consulting business. He admits that while it's unusual for a founder to hand over a company and stay on, it was an easy decision to leave it in Broder's hands. "What I own is worth far more than when I owned everything," Dow says. One of the things he fi nds most fascinating about Broder is the fact that in every state he visits, he takes the general contractor test for Tilson — in between business meetings — and holds all the company's contrac- tor licenses. "It's like Bill Gates still writing the code for the software." Broder is equally appreciative of Dow and a business relationship that has gone through several iterations: "It's really a testament to him [Dow], » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 6 Visit Patrons.com to find an independent Maine agent near you. We've been in business more than 135 years, and con nue to innovate by providing you a por olio that offers the kind of protec on your business needs — today. Business Property and Liability Insurance Products Cyber and Data Breach Liability Insurance Employment Prac ces Liability Insurance, EPLI & Equipment and Mechanical Breakdown Innova ve solu ons for today's business challenges. I N S U R I N G M A I N E B U S I N E S S — I N S U R I N G M A I N E P E O P L E Maine lawyers working for Maine businesses. Por tland / Kennebunk • 207-775-7271 • 1-800-756-1166 • jbgh.com At Jensen Baird, our commitment is to you. Launching a new business in Maine calls for innovative legal strategies. At Jensen Baird we help emerging small businesses achieve their goals cost effectively. Let us help you find the right strategies for your business. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Joshua Broder, CEO of Tilson, meets an employee in a huddle room at Tilson's new offi ces.

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