A SALUTE TO MAINE’S SMALL BUSINESSES and the PEOPLE who help them SUCCEED
EVERY DAY.
2025 Maine Small Business Persons of the Year
Carrie Gervais
President + Co-Director
Jennifer Cousins
Vice President + Co-Director
Stepping Stones Montessori School
“Our annual awards are the time to recognize how many amazing businesses have made Maine their home, make iconic Maine products, and impact communities across the state.”
— Diane Sturgeon, District Director for Maine
U.S. Small Business Administration
MAINE SMALL BUSINESS PERSONS OF THE YEAR:
CARRIE GERVAIS, PRESIDENT AND CO-DIRECTOR, AND JENNIFER COUSINS, VICE PRESIDENT AND CO-DIRECTORSTEPPING STONES MONTESSORI SCHOOL
SELF NOMINATED
2024 Award Winner
MAINE, LIKE MANY OTHER RURAL STATES, faces significant issues related to childcare and education of its young people. Carrie Gervais and Jennifer Cousins began addressing some of those issues by founding Stepping Stones Montessori School in 2001, originally operating out of Carrie’s home. From its initial 8 students, Stepping Stones added space first for K-3rd grade, and within 9 years the school was able to cater to K-8 students. Carrie and Jen continued working on sustained expansion and building their curriculum around hands-on learning and understanding until they faced the massive disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Stepping Stones used the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan and the Paycheck Protection Program to ensure that the business would remain viable for their 13 employees and their students. This assistance from the SBA, as well as a State of Maine grant, meant that Stepping Stones could remain open safely, and continue work on expanding their Pre-K program. With the full Pre-K program in place after the pandemic, Stepping Stones has been able to provide this critical service to their community, with many families using the school as both education and childcare. As a direct result, the number of students has risen above 90, with a significant waitlist, and employment has risen to 23, with employees receiving a significant increase in pay and benefits.
Outside of the business, Carrie and Jen have served on the boards of various local organizations such as the Augusta Babe Ruth league, Maine Ending Hunger Now campaign, the Cony High School drama club, and local Project Graduations. Of particular note is Carrie’s work with the NA Sher Foundation, an organization that organizes micro-finance loans for women in Oaxaca, Mexico, through which six businesses received the funding they needed. For their efforts to provide critical education and childcare, while serving their community and encouraging entrepreneurship abroad, the SBA Maine District Office recognizes Carrie Gervais and Jennifer Cousins as our Small Business Persons of the Year.
MAINE VETERAN OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR:
RHEANNA SINNETT THE FLOATING NOMAD HOUSEBOAT RENTALS
NOMINATED BY RUTH FELDMAN, WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER
AS A NAVY VETERAN, Rheanna Sinnett is extremely familiar with boats and all of the intricacies of maintenance and operation. Upon leaving active duty in 2014, Rheanna began planning to go into business for herself, with a particular eye on Maine’s outdoor industries. With the combination of her experience and passions, the clear vision was a houseboat rental business built around Maine’s beautiful freshwater lakes. To ensure that she would be successful, Rheanna started meeting with advisors at SCORE and the Women’s Business Center, and attending webinars offered by the Small Business Development Center. By 2018, Rheanna had gotten her plan finalized and decided to launch her business in Rangeley after fully renovating her first houseboat. In the first season occupancy rates were only around 40% for the season, and the business operated at a small loss due to the costs of houseboat renovations. However, by building a reputation for quality experiences in well maintained boats, Rheanna saw her occupancy rates double by the third season, with roughly 80% of nights booked. A new boat was added to the business, and provided a route to even further growth. Despite this growth, the business still faced challenges. In 2020, Rheanna decided
to relocate from Rangeley Lake after a business dispute with the town. With help from her SCORE and WBC advisors, Rheanna was able to turn this challenge into an opportunity, finding a partnership with Otyokwa Cabins in Bremen, Maine. The new location on Lake Pemaquid offered a wonderfully unique experience for her houseboat guests, easier access for the visiting population, and opened the door to a wonderful relationship with a welcoming community in Mid Coast Maine. Her partnership with Otyokwa and Rheanna’s investments in her business meant that, while the first year after the move was disrupted, The Floating Nomad was able to recover quickly and receive positive reviews and press from travel magazines and local TV coverage.
As a veteran who brought her skills to Maine’s small business community and built a successful business despite facing challenges along the way, Rheanna Sinnett has exemplified the spirit of Maine’s veteran entrepreneurs. In recognition of her military service and the success of Floating Nomad, the SBA is pleased to name The Floating Nomad, owned by Rheanna Sinnett, as the 2025 Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year for Maine.
MAINE AND NEW ENGLAND YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
ISAAC M. YOUNG II IMY LANDSCAPING, LLC
NOMINATED BY MORGAN LAIDLAW, BANGOR SAVINGS BANK
2025 Award Winner
FOR MANY BUSINESS OWNERS, their mission isn’t just about building a successful business, it’s about providing opportunities for gainful employment for people in their community. As someone who grew up in a single parent household without the same kind of advantages as many of the other kids in school, Isaac M. Young was determined to be successful and help the next generation find more opportunities than he had. Graduating in 2017 from the University of Maine at Fort Kent, Isaac graduated college debt free using summer earnings and local scholarships. With a degree in Public Safety Administration, Isaac began looking into law enforcement jobs while working in the landscaping field. During his summer of landscaping work, he discovered his true passion for business.
In its first few years, the business was based out of Isaac’s home, but this was a temporary situation as the business was poised for extensive growth, with services ranging from general landscaping to excavation and stone work. By the time IMY Landscaping received its Paycheck Protection Program loan in 2020, the business had 5 employees and over $200,000 in revenue, with further growth in its near future. By building a reputation for quality work and expanding its offerings, IMY Landscaping
has now grown beyond a home-based business, purchasing its first commercial space in 2024 to accommodate the 22 employees and the equipment needed for the variety of jobs the business takes on.
As he plans for even more growth and success, Isaac has taken on a leading role in Camden Hills Regional High School’s youth mentorship program. Through this program, at-risk students can learn skills and trades at businesses like IMY Landscaping, and receive support and education outside of traditional curriculums. Despite this program being in its early stages, the program dedicates over 100 hours of hands-on work and mentoring to students through businesses every semester. Upon completion of the program, students who work with IMY are offered a job once they graduate from high school. By building this partnership, Isaac is able to support students, inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs, and grow his workforce.
For achieving so much growth and giving back so much to youth in his community, all before reaching the age of 30 himself, Isaac M. Young has demonstrated the best of Maine’s small businesses, and the SBA is pleased to name him the 2025 Young Entrepreneur of the Year for New England and Maine.
MAINE MICROENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR ANDREA NASH THE KIDS NEXT DOOR, LLC
NOMINATED BY GRACE MO-PHILLIPS, WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER
2025 Award Winner
IF YOU WERE TO ASK ANY PARENT, the most important thing in their life is their kids, and knowing that the best opportunities and care are available for them. With the same thought at the top of her mind, Andrea Nash decided to launch her business, The Kids Next Door, as a childcare provider for families in Central Maine. With her degrees in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education, and nearly 20 years of experience working as a private nanny and in other childcare centers, Andrea was well poised to deliver the best possible care for families in search of childcare options. As is the case with many parts of the state, Central Maine has a shortage of qualified childcare providers, with most being small home-based providers that have limited capacity. With such a vacuum in the market, Andrea was able to build her business and cater to families from Augusta to Yarmouth. Within a couple years of opening her doors and being the sole employee, Andrea had to start planning for growth and bringing on employees, expanding to three employees in addition to herself. It was at this point that the growth of the business would require some outside assistance, so Andrea reached out to the Women’s Business Center to help her identify funding sources and ways to sustainably grow The Kids Next Door without sacrificing the qualities that made it a success to begin with.
Working with her business advisor at the WBC, Andrea explored her options for an expansion, initially looking to acquire another existing business. However, by working through the pros and cons of her options, it became clear that expanding her existing space would be the most effective way to grow. The plans made with help from the WBC proved crucial when it came to financing the expansion, with $250,000 received as a childcare loan from CEI, and a $30,000 grant from the State of Maine to expand childcare infrastructure in the state. With the funding secured, Andrea has set a goal to open her new 1,000 square foot facility and bring the number of spaces available up to 20, with a particular focus on children 2 years and younger.
By growing in a sustainable way while continuing to provide a critically important service to families in her community, Andrea has demonstrated the flexibility and adaptability of the best entrepreneurs. In recognition of the importance her business has for families in Central Maine, her success, and the sustainable growth Andrea has overseen, the SBA is pleased to name The Kids Next Door, LLC, owned by Andrea Nash, as the 2025 Microenterprise of the Year for Maine.
MAINE SMALL BUSINESS EXPORTER OF THE YEAR: ALLI HARPEROURSHELVES
NOMINATED BY SARAH GUERETTE, CEI 2025 Award Winner
ALLI HARPER STARTED OURSHELVES, an expert-curated children’s book box company that features under-represented children and families, from a personal place. Alli’s children have two moms, and it’s been much too hard to find children’s books that include LGBTQ+ families like hers. She also struggled to find children’s books featuring the many other kids and families who remain under-represented due to their race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, and many other aspects of identity. Alli quickly learned she was not alone in seeking out and having trouble finding these books. It turned out there are many families, teachers, librarians, healthcare providers, and others who know how important it is for both under-represented and marginalized children to find themselves in the books they enjoy – and also for all children to be introduced to, to relate to, to connect with, and to empathize with the many different wonderful kids and families in our world through children’s books.
Fundamentally, OurShelves helps make it easier to share high-quality and expertcurated children’s books that cultivate its audience’s values and vision for a world in which all children and all families belong on OurShelves, and most importantly, all children and all families belong in our communities.
Guided by this vision, Alli founded OurShelves, which ships quarterly subscription book boxes as well as one-time book boxes to families, teachers, and others who care for children aged 0 - 8. Her goal is both to connect these expert-curated books to the audiences struggling to find them and also, through this collective purchasing, to help organize and prove the significant and growing market for these books. OurShelves is also committed to sharing and uplifting the voices of under-represented authors and illustrators.
FUNDAMENTALLY, OURSHELVES HELPS MAKE IT EASIER TO SHARE HIGH-QUALITY AND EXPERT-CURATED CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT CULTIVATE ITS AUDIENCE’S VALUES AND VISION FOR A WORLD IN WHICH ALL CHILDREN AND ALL FAMILIES BELONG ON OURSHELVES, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ALL CHILDREN AND ALL FAMILIES BELONG IN OUR COMMUNITIES.
After launching the business in 2018, Alli worked with both SCORE and the Women’s Business Center to expand her customer base and use new tools to enter more markets. At launch, OurShelves operated out of Alli’s home, but the guidance from SCORE and the WBC allowed Alli to quickly put plans for growth into place. With expert insights from the Resource Partners, Alli implemented new marketing strategies, built her online presence, expanded technical capacity and infrastructure, connected to more publishers, and used customer feedback to expand and improve offerings to continue to meet customers’ needs. These changes allowed OurShelves to outgrow their home-
based operations and shift to fulfillment partners to pack and ship their orders. With incoming requests from prospective customers throughout the world since the launch of OurShelves, one major hurdle OurShelves has faced was having the capacity and resources to learn how to expand to international markets to meet this demand. As a small business, OurShelves did not have internal expertise around navigating international taxes and duties, international shipping logistics, and effective marketing messages for different countries. With significant and invaluable support from the Maine International Trade Center and others, the OurShelves team was proud to gain the skills, knowledge, partners, and confidence to overcome some of these initial hurdles to launch their products abroad. OurShelves will continue to learn and grow to meet the ever-increasing international demand for these books so that all kids and all families know they belong on OurShelves and in their communities throughout the world.
With a steadfast commitment to her values, an insatiable appetite for learning, a willingness to seek advice from experts at SBA Resource Partners, and success in overcoming hurdles to launch international offerings, Alli Harper continues to grow OurShelves into a small business meeting important customer needs. In recognition of her incredibly effective, persistent, and creative use of resources to connect these books to the wide-ranging audiences seeking them, the SBA is pleased to name OurShelves as the 2025 Small Business Exporter for Maine.
MAINE WOMAN OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR: REFORM PHYSICAL THERAPY JILL PARTRIDGE
NOMINATED BY DAVID ELDRIDGE, KENNEBEC SAVINGS BANK
2025 Award Winner
AS THE STATE WITH THE OLDEST POPULATION IN THE COUNTRY, Maine is a hot spot for physical therapy needs as aging residents face a greater risk of injury from day-to-day activities. Thankfully, Maine is also home to people like Jill Partridge, who runs Reform Physical Therapy and brings these vital services to patients across Southern Maine.
Jill first started her career in Massachusetts in 2003, shortly after she graduated with her Master’s Degree. With a little over a decade of experience under her belt, Jill decided to move back north to Maine and work with a business partner to open their own practice. In 2015 Jill struck out fully on her own, utilizing the SBA’s 504 program to purchase the space that would house the administrative office of her practice and the first clinic. 2018 saw the rebrand and renaming of the business to Reform Physical Therapy, and the plans for expansion began in earnest. By building a reputation for quality care and participating in senior expos across Southern Maine, Jill was able to grow rapidly and expand the number of clinics, staff, and patients served.
Starting from the initial clinic with five staff and 6,000 patients served, Reform Physical Therapy now operates seven clinics, has over thirty employees, and serves over 35,000 patients, a population almost as large as Maine’s second largest city. Amid this expansion, Jill has stayed true to the values that brought her this success to begin with, in her words “do what’s right, even when no one is watching”. This means continued support of Senior Expos, working with local organizations to encourage physical activity among Maine’s older residents, encouraging staff to volunteer at Special Olympics events, and supporting youth sports to inspire healthy habits for a lifetime.
Going forward, Jill is committed to bringing physical therapy services to even more patients, accepting Medicaid when many other practices don’t, and using the 504 program again to purchase a new location in Yarmouth. In recognition of the incredible service provided by Reform Physical Therapy clinics, the dramatic growth of the business, and Jill’s commitment to supporting her community, the SBA is pleased to name Reform Physical Therapy, owned by Jill Partridge, the 2025 Woman Owned Business of the Year for Maine.
MAINE HOME BASED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR:
THERESA DUBE’S DAYCARETHERESA DUBE
NOMINATED
BY JOSH NADEAU, NMDC
2025 Award Winner
MOST MAINERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH HOME BASED BUSINESSES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, and in many cases it is these businesses that provide services that are most needed in smaller towns and rural areas. For Aroostook County, Theresa Dube’s Childcare is one such business, licensed to provide child care for 12 kids in a safe and enriching environment. Since 1993 Theresa has served as a child care resource in an area of the state that is recognized as a child care desert, meaning that her business is especially important in her community.
Having grown up in a large family with nine children, Theresa always had a passion for working with children, and pursued a degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the first person in her family to graduate from college. After graduation, Theresa moved to Caribou with her husband and started her child care business once her daughter was born, both as a way to earn extra money, and to make sure she could pursue her passions while spending time with her young daughter. As a home based business, there was a limit to how much Theresa could grow the business, but she consistently served 8 families up until 2020 and the changes that Covid-19 brought to the child care sector.
After seeing the impact that Covid was having on other child care businesses, Theresa decided to work on a plan to expand her services and serve more families. With microloans from Northern Maine Development Commission, she and her husband started working on upgrades and improvements to the parts of their home used by the business. Once the upgrades were completed, Theresa made a plan to serve younger children who were not yet school-age in addition to her existing school age services. Since Aroostook County is estimated to need 2,000 more child care slots available to meet the need, Theresa’s efforts have been especially important. Being incredibly community minded, Theresa sees all of the children in her care as part of her family (which is well over 300 since she first launched the business), and works to support their community outside of the business.
SINCE 1993 THERESA HAS SERVED AS A CHILD CARE RESOURCE IN AN AREA OF THE STATE THAT IS RECOGNIZED AS A CHILD CARE DESERT, MEANING THAT HER BUSINESS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN HER COMMUNITY.
Whether it’s with the local Girl Scout troop, her church, or organizations supporting the homeless population of Aroostook County, Theresa is always working to make her community a better place to live. For all of her work in her business, and her amazing support of the Aroostook community, the SBA is pleased to name Theresa Dube’s Daycare the 2025 Home Based Business of the Year for Maine.
2025 Award Winner
MAINE JEFFREY BUTLAND FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS OF THE YEAR:
WELCH FARM
NOMINATED
BY RUTH FELDMAN, WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER
SMALL FAMILY FARMS AND INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES are one of the most iconic and important parts of Maine’s rural economy. Many of these, like Welch Farm in Roque Bluffs, have been operating under the same family for well over 100 years. Since 1912, the same family has run Welch Farm, growing blueberries, using farm produce for jams and jellies, and making wreaths for the holiday season. This is the environment that Lisa Hanscom stepped into as the operator of the farm. With the basis of the business well established, Lisa has worked to diversify the farm’s income and ensure the future of the farm for generations to come.
TO SUPPORT BOTH HER COMMUNITY AND THE ONLINE ASPECT OF THE BUSINESS, LISA HAS WORKED WITH THE USDA RE-CONNECT PROGRAM TO BRING HIGH SPEED INTERNET TO ROQUE BLUFFS, AND SPENT 19 YEARS
ON THE ROQUE BLUFFS BOARD OF SELECTMEN, ADVOCATING FOR THE TOWN AND ITS RESIDENTS.
Building on the base of the farm, Lisa worked with the Women’s Business Center to identify new revenue streams. This included some low hanging fruit, specifically, frozen blueberries that could be sold to restaurants and online alongside jams and other value-added products. However, diversifying the business did not stop there, with a cabin rental business, as well as agro-tourism experiences recently added. This takes advantage of Maine’s beautiful landscape, while guests learn about the history of farming in small-town Maine. Lisa has also taken on a leadership role within the Maine blueberry industry, advocating for growers, and developing initiatives that support all growers and value-added producers across the state. To support both her community and the online aspect of the business, Lisa has worked with the USDA ReConnect program to bring high speed internet to Roque Bluffs, and spent 19 years on the Roque Bluffs Board of Selectmen, advocating for the town and its residents. Throughout her tenure as owner of Welch Farm, Lisa Hanscom has built on a strong foundation, while laying the groundwork for the future. Whether it is adding new revenue through cabin rentals and value added products, bringing faster internet to town, or teaching her grandson to show tourists the process of blueberry farming, Lisa has shown that even the smallest towns can build the strongest businesses. For all of her efforts to enhance her family’s 113 year old farm, and her strong advocacy for her town and industry, the Small Business Administration is pleased to name Welch Farm, owned by Lisa Hanscom, as its 2025 Jeffrey Butland Family Owned Business of the Year for Maine.
MAINE FINANCIAL SERVICES CHAMPION OF THE YEAR: ALINA DUBOISKEYBANK
NOMINATED BY SARAH GUERETTE, CEI
MAINE MAY BE A SMALL STATE, but it can still be a draw for talented people from around the world who want to build a new life in the United States. This was the case for Alina Dubois, who came to Maine from Moldova in 2014. With her degree in Banking and Finance, Alina sought out a job with KeyBank, initially as a Branch Teller to get her foot in the door. Within a year, Alina had already been promoted to Personal Banker, and shortly after was promoted to Branch Manager, then Area Retail Leader overseeing 20 branches.
After transitioning her role to focus more on business lending in a leadership role at KeyBank, Alina has worked to provide customized solutions for small business clients, pointing them toward the best resources to set them up for success. As part of her advocacy for her small business clients, Alina also co-chairs KeyBank’s Key4Women program, an initiative to increase opportunities for woman owned businesses. As cochair, Alina was one of the driving forces behind a renewed push for this program, organizing events, providing sponsorships, and acting as a mentor to business owners as they started and grew their businesses. This program also allowed Alina to work with the Women’s Business Center to ensure that entrepreneurs had access to resources that would help them with dedicated one-on-one advising.
In recognition of the incredible support Alina Dubois has shown to Maine’s small business community both in her official role at KeyBank and as co-chair of Key4Women, and the impact that her advocacy has had for her clients, the SBA is pleased to name Alina Dubois the 2025 Financial Services Champion of the Year.
MAINE SMALL BUSINESS MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR: NORTH SPORE, LLCELIAH THANHAUSER
NOMINATED BY NANCY STROJNY, SCORE
2025 Award Winner
WITH A RENEWED INTEREST IN HOME GARDENS AND PRODUCE IN THE PAST
FEW YEARS, businesses that cater to this market have seen an increase in opportunities and sales. This is certainly the case for North Spore, a provider of mushroom grow kits for home use. Originally founded as a small mushroom farm in 2014 by Eliah Thanhauser and his business partners, North Spore has seen a number of changes along with the growth of the business.
After selling primarily to restaurants and at farmers’ markets in its first year, North Spore saw an opportunity to diversify and enter a new market: home growing. In 2015 the business added a number of products to its line, including grow kits, mushroom spawn, and equipment that home growers would need. With this new focus, North Spore was able to start seeing significant growth, and with help from their dedicated SCORE mentor, the ownership team was able to scale up in a sustainable way. The sustained growth over the past ten years of operations has meant that the business needed to identify a facility that
could accommodate 76 employees and the production needs of a national leader in the industry. Thankfully, North Spore was able to expand to the current 25,000 square foot facility for both production and shipping in Portland with the help of an SBA 504 loan. By focusing on a core vision for the business, North Spore’s leadership team has guaranteed that the growth of the business does not compromise the values it was founded on. The business remains committed to educating the public on the benefits of including mushrooms in home gardening, the importance of environmental sustainability and sustainable agriculture, and constant innovation to ensure North Spore can remain a part of home growing for years to come.
In recognition of the incredible efforts of North Spore’s leadership in establishing a national industry leader here in Maine, and its support for local sustainable agriculture, the SBA is pleased to name North Spore, LLC as the 2025 Small Business Manufacturer for Maine.
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