File photo Courtesy / Sebago Technics
Mark Adams
March 11, 2025
5 years after COVID, here's how business in Maine has changed
File photo / TIM GREENWAY
Derek Volk, CEO of Volk Packaging, said that the pandemic fueled strong demand for boxes like the ones made by the Biddeford-based manufacturer.
Five years ago today, when the first positive case of coronavirus was confirmed in Maine, business would be forever changed for many companies across the state from food vendors to manufacturers.
Take Volk Packaging, a Biddeford-based maker of corrugated cardboard boxes that stayed open throughout the pandemic as an “essential” business.
Then staffed by 84 employees, the company finished 2020 without a single worker contracting COVID-19, according to CEO Derek Volk. The spike in online ordering also turned out to be good for business.
“The pandemic had a lot of negative consequences but it did benefit those in the box business,” he told Mainebiz. “People who never ordered anything online were suddenly buying many of their household needs via websites, leading to a significant increase in box demand.”
Growing demand prompted the company to expand to Sanford in 2021 and spend $8 million on two new machines in 2023. Today, the company's workforce is closer to 120 people, including more than 30 at its Sanford-based fulfillment and distribution division called Volk Paxit.
Remote work
For other companies, the ability to work from home opened unexpected opportunities that many employers continue to embrace.
“Looking back, the pandemic brought lasting positive changes to how we work, enhancing our agility and helping us hone our change management skills so we can pivot with confidence,” said Sarah Belliveau, CEO of BerryDunn, a Portland-based accounting firm.
“Embracing remote work expanded our access to top talent and a broader client base, while also providing our team with valued flexibility,” she added. The ability to navigate time zones prompted the firm to open offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2022 and Hawaii, in 2024, for example.
“Our in-person time is now focused on collaboration and relationship-building, strengthening our connections and teamwork,” she said.
Justin Lamontagne, a managing partner and designated broker at the Dunham Group, offered a similar observation about his employer. The Portland-based commercial real estate company moved to a bigger office at 2 Monument Square in May 2023.
“Operationally we have more remote opportunities to work efficiently away from the office,” he said. “However, the importance of information gathering, sharing and networking remains, and that happens best in person. It’s more of a balancing act than pre-pandemic so we’ve designed our new office space as a magnet for our brokers, not a mandate.”
In South Portland, Sebago Technics also continues to make the most of remote work even though the engineering company brought employees back to the office within weeks of the start of the pandemic "to reinforce culture, collaboration and creativity," said Mark Adams, president and CEO.
“On the practical side, tools such as Teams and Zoom have definitely provided some efficiencies and flexibility in our operations and service to clients," he added.
Human resources and recruiting
The shift to more flexible work arrangements has also had an impact on recruiting, according to Kim Anania, president and CEO of KMA Human Resources Consulting in Falmouth.
"In recruiting, we continue to see strong demand for flexible work arrangements, with hybrid and remote roles attracting more applicants," she said.
"Additionally, compensation remains a key focus, likely influenced by the competitive job market during and after the pandemic," she said. "Across the board, organizations are being called to lead with empathy, adapt to changing workforce expectations and create environments where employees can thrive."
Startup surge
Nationwide, the pandemic sparked a wave of new business activity.
Maine startups launched in 2020 include Hüga Heat, a Southport-based maker of battery-powered heated seat cushions founded by Jocelyn Olsen and Colin Greig. Their goal was to support local restaurants serving meals outside while providing a source of warmth to their customers.
Today, even though dining out is optional rather than a requirement, many Maine restaurants, breweries and coffee shops continue to use the cushions, she noted.
“The majority of our sales are now to folks who want to sit outside without freezing their buns off — sports parents on bleachers, hunters and fishermen, hikers and campers,” she said. “That has inspired us to design new products we'll be launching this spring, including a more portable version and a plug-in bench for the more permanent banquette seating found in hospitality outdoor spaces today.”
File photo / Jim Neuger
Jocelyn Olsen and Colin Greig Hüga Heat display their heated seat cushions.
In the hospitality world, lobster-roll purveyor Bite Into Maine came out of the pandemic “as a larger and stronger business,” said Sarah Sutton, who founded the Portland-area food truck, takeout and restaurant business out of a single food truck in 2011 with her husband, Karl Sutton. The company has 25 employees.
“Our model of food trucks and takeout locations really allowed us to benefit in ways we couldn’t predict,” she said. “People wanted to be outside, you could socially distance, and they wanted to treat themselves. Online ordering had to be set up quickly — and is now not only expected but a growing part of our business.
File Photo / Jim Neuger
Karl and Sarah Sutton of Bite Into Maine
“We also diversified our business lines, adding in nationwide shipping and catering, which is also helping with the inherent seasonality of our industry in Maine,” she added.
The company, which has a restaurant and food-prep hub at 31 Diamond St. in Portland’s East Bayside neighborhood, expects to roll out its food truck at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, in early to mid April.
Scoring with startups
Amid the pandemic-fueled startup boom, SCORE business mentors have increasingly used technology to expand their reach to clients, according to Nancy Strojny, deputy director of SCORE Maine.
“The rapid adoption of virtual platforms, exemplified by SCORE's expanded online sessions, has broadened access to business mentorship and resources, helping entrepreneurs across Maine to connect and thrive,” she said. “And the pandemic's challenges ignited a wave of entrepreneurial spirit, and a surge in innovative startups.”
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