A good sign when people are looking ahead
A prevailing theme in Maine is that things rarely change or that the people are resistant to change.
While that notion certainly has some merit, there's evidence that things do change.
I'm reminded of this because I had lunch recently with Alex Kemp, a founding partner at Kemp Goldberg Partners, and his new business partner, Harding Bush. Kemp and his wife, Pam, left Kemp Goldberg nearly a year ago. Kemp Goldberg has rebranded as Industrium. Pam Kemp is now working with Kathie Leonard at Auburn Manufacturing, handling design work.
After 24 years in the advertising world, Kemp tells me he thought it was time for a change. He'd done everything he wanted to do and felt a certain repetition with the work he was doing.
With Harding Bush, he's headed in a new direction. The duo has formed Harke Strategic, which provides consulting and security policy and procedures planning. Bush spent 20 years in the Navy, mostly as a SEAL. Name a global hotspot and he's been there: Chad, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq, for starters. They're expanding their client base among companies trying to expand their footprint internationally. Harke Strategic helps clients move tactfully into countries with unsettled political situations, but also into those with established international trade routes.
Bush and Kemp both know the business is built on relationships. Kemp talked about the importance of relationship building in the advertising and public relations world. Bush said when he was on peacekeeping missions in Yemen there were so many factions that it was important to meet with as many as possible to find out what each side wanted. In one case, his reputation had proceeded him. How did they know about him? “We Googled you,” he was told.
From global change to change in Maine, everyone is trying to adapt.
In this issue, Senior Writer James McCarthy writes about South Portland's effort to upgrade to a high-speed fiber optic network, an investment aimed at helping the city and its businesses grow.
Elsewhere in the state, Senior Writer Lori Valigra met with a growing sector of agriculture, entrepreneur-farmers who are using aquaponics as a way to extend the growing season and provide more locally grown produce.
For our focus on southern Maine, correspondent Jennifer Van Allen met with the relatively new CEO of Stonewall Kitchen to talk about the company's plans for national growth. While the York-based brand has made a name for itself in the Northeast, the company and its investors hope to broaden the appeal in new markets.
Finally, change is defined in different ways for different organizations. At Acadia National Park, visitors continue to arrive — there were 2.56 million last year, and the number is expected to grow this year — but the budget has been relatively static. For Acadia, the challenge in growing is managing traffic and maintenance needs, while outside parties raise private capital for necessary upgrades.
Change is good, change is constant. In the tradition of the industrious Mainer, the people highlighted in these stories are not waiting for something to happen. They're using their resourcefulness and making their own way.
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