Some of the best quotes from the 2024 Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year.
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This year’s Business Leaders of the Year offer a range of interesting points of view, but I thought I’d let them use their own words.
Here are some of the best quotes from this year’s honorees.
“Supporting a family going through a crisis or life-threatening illness or newly arrived to this country from a war-torn zone are areas where families need support.” — Anne Heros, Center for Grieving Children
“We’re creating sustainable packaging from Maine trees to give all businesses, big and small, a viable option they can scale. At the end of the day, scale equals impact.” — Melissa LaCasse, Tanbark Molded Fiber Products
“To me, the most exciting thing is the range of food and culture that’s represented by all these chefs as they’re creating and sharing.” — Bill Seretta, Fork Food Lab
“Curiosity fuels us at River Bend Farm. The result of that curiosity and compassion is joyful and memorable learning experiences.” — Drew Dumsch, the Ecology School
“Access to a piece of land was the greatest challenge for our farmers. There were times when we were renting four different properties, across multiple counties.” — Muhidin Libah, Somali Bantu Community Association
“Believing that talent and interest can come from anywhere and anyone, and not bringing assumptions and biases to the education and work setting, is critical.” — Joan Ferrini-Mundy, University of Maine
“The mill was key to the project’s viability. Not only the building, but the talented people who ran it, who joined our team — and the people of the town of Madison.” — Matthew O’Malia, TimberHP
“Interestingly, of the roughly 10 major projects Redfern has done in Portland, [the Casco] received the least public resistance.” — Jonathan and Catherine Culley, Redfern Properties
“Finding Our Voices is a safe, judgment-free and supportive group of women who listen and are not shocked when we share our stories of abuse.” — Mary Lou Smith, Finding Our Voices
“We have a firm belief that the more we get outside, the more we’ll cherish and protect our Earth.” — Aaron Anker, Grandy Organics