V O L . X X I V N O. X I I
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From jewelry to industrial design
Ebenezer Akakpo from Ghana was also
nearly a victim of geographic confusion
when he was initially booked on a fl ight
to Portland, Ore. He came to Portland,
Maine, in 1998 to study jewelry making
at Maine College of Art.
Fast forward more than 20 years, and
Akakpo juggles full-time work as a com-
puter support specialist at the Maine
Turnpike Authority with his own design
business in Westbrook.
He works in a 1,000-square-foot
space that's part warehouse and studio,
storage boxes and containers jostling for
space with delicate-looking cuff brace-
lets in gold and silver, coasters out of felt,
and patterned glassware. His works are
infused with geometrical designs created
from ancient symbols known as "adin-
kra" representing concepts like strength,
hope, endurance and bravery.
He creates the designs using a
$30,000 laser printer bought with an
equipment loan from Infi nity Federal
Credit Union, which also provided a
working line of credit.
Inspiration for the jewelry business
struck when Akakpo visited Ghana
while raising money for a portable,
ultraviolet water fi ltration system he
ยป
C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E
F O C U S
P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R
Quang Nguyen left
Vietnam for America in
2007. Today, at 28, he
owns two nail salons,
Le Variety convenience
store in South Portland,
a fi nancial advisory fi rm
and a seafood business.
