2020 visions: Maine business and nonprofit leaders share their New Year’s resolutions
Photos / Jim Neuger, Tim Greenway, Renee Cordes and provided.
Revved up for 2020 are, top row from left, Kate Beever, Maine Music and Health: David Libby, Town and Country Federal Credit Union; Chris Cary and Patrick Arnold, New England Ocean Cluster; Quincy Hentzel, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce; Carolyn Delaney, Journey magazine; and (bottom row from left) Brian Whitney, Maine Technology Institute; Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications; Andrew Rinaldi and Rob Simopoulos, Defendify; Marnie Grumbach, Fluent IMC; and Marty Grohman, E2Tech.
To start 2020, Mainebiz asked business and nonprofit movers and shakers from around the state to share their New Year's business resolutions. It looks like a busy year ahead for these leaders, with plans for expansion, hiring and tackling challenges from workforce development to affordable housing.
Here, in no particular order, are their goals for the year.
Kate Beever, Maine Music & Health LLC: “I tend to work alone as a small business owner, so in 2020 I plan to expand on collaborative projects and interdisciplinary research. My colleague, art therapist Bodhi Simpson, and I have been offering expressive wellness trainings for healthcare providers who would like to incorporate the arts, and we plan to expand both our in-person and online trainings. I'm also looking to work more in adult oncology settings next year, and host more community events.”
Patrick Arnold, New England Ocean Cluster:
“Transforming the blue economy is our goal — to get more and more people involved with the ocean in ways they perhaps had yet to consider. But rather than thinking of great vision as looking to the horizon, we are thinking of it more as doing the next right thing, the things right in front of us within arms’ reach, low-hanging fruit. World-changing steps are small, and they are taken one at a time right here in our own community, with empathy for others and care for our environment. We hope to see things clearly in 2020.”
Chris Cary, New England Ocean Cluster:
“The engines have already started for us, and 2020 is shaping up to be the biggest year for the NEOC since its founding. We’re elated to be in a position to expand our programming with a revitalized focus on strengthening the relationship between industry growth and environmental responsibility. The Ocean Cluster model is about celebrating and leveraging the network as a whole, because we can all do a lot more when we do it together. This year, our doors will be open in more ways than one!”
Quincy Hentzel, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce:
“In 2020, I would like the see the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce continue to support regional growth that creates vibrant, sustainable communities that enrich the lives of those who live and work in Greater Portland. Part of our efforts need to include being a champion for our startup and small business community, promoting initiatives and programs that aid us in training and growing our workforce and working collaboratively to find solutions related to transportation and affordable housing needs.”
Carolyn Delaney, Journey Magazine:
“We believe visible recovery saves lives, so we'll be expanding into additional social media channels, including Instagram and YouTube; we'll also be hosting live events to facilitate live, in-person community conversations. Our goal is to double our print quantity (from 10,000 to 20,000) and to get there we'll hire three people and focus on product development, operations and marketing.”
Brian Whitney, Maine Technology Institute: “We resolve to visit each of Maine’s 16 counties at least twice to inform people about the funding and assistance programs that MTI offers to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the State of Maine. We also look forward to issuing a $2 million request for grant proposals early in the year to catalyze investments in R&D infrastructure, equipment and technology upgrades that enable organizations to grow and retain jobs.”
Nancy Marshall, Marshall Communications: “In 2020, I resolve to share my lifelong passion for PR and marketing and my love of personal branding through building networks. I am going to launch online courses and do more speaking to professional groups across the state and around the world.”
Rob Simopoulos and Andrew Rinaldi, cybersecurity startup Defendify: “2020 promises to be a year of growth at Defendify. We finished 2019 with a move into our new head office at 175 Lancaster Street and we are excited to support Portland's sprouting Bayside area! Our awesome team of Defendify-ers will continue to develop, by the end of 2020 we will approach 40 employees with new hires joining sales, marketing and engineering. And we will continue to build momentum on our mission of making cybersecurity possible for small businesses, accelerating and expanding our reach across North America and beyond.”
Marty Grohman, E2Tech:
“We resolve to educate and inform even more people and companies on the opportunity we see in doing good for the environment while doing well in business. To do that, we have a full slate of thought-provoking programming planned for the new year, including a legislative clean energy day (Jan. 28), a study of non-wires alternatives (Feb. 6), and a forum on the state's climate energy goals planned for Earth Day (April 22).”
Marnie Grumbach, Fluent IMC: “I see 2020 as a growth year for Fluent, ideally through partnering with new clients and by expanding our services to long-standing clients. We also want to provide our clients and peers from diverse sectors, as well as young marketing and PR professionals, with opportunities to learn from one another. We resolve to carve out more time for professional development, idea generation and sharing that will keep us at the forefront of an ever-changing field.”
David Libby, Town & Country Federal Credit Union:
“In 2020, I am committed to strengthening our resolve to make a difference in the lives of our members and in our communities. To that end, we will focus on issues that matter to our members and our communities, including affordable housing options … Town & Country FCU is resolved to helping to find solutions to this growing problem in 2020 by creating initiatives that will enable more people to break free from the ‘one-size-fits-all’ mindset when it comes to affordable housing options.”
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