Photo / Julene Gervais
Melissa LaCasse
Updated: July 21, 2023
'Greenlight Maine' winner Tanbark to ramp up marketing, hiring
Photo / Courtesy “Greenlight Maine”
The winners of "Greenlight Maine" Season 8 with Julene Gervais, the show's co-executive producer and host.
Tanbark, a Saco-based company that designs and manufactures non-plastic packaging solutions, added to its business-pitch contest wins with the $25,000 prize on "Greenlight Maine" Season 8.
The series was broadcast on Maine Public Television, and winners were announced on July 13.
For Tanbark, the victory comes about a year after the company won $50,000 in the Gorham Savings Bank LaunchPad competition. Led by co-founder Melissa LaCasse, Tanbark currently has nine employees and plans to hire 20 more in the next year, LaCasse said.
The company plans to use its "Greenlight Maine prize money toward marketing.
"Tanbark recently started working with PlasticFree, a global organization committed to igniting and inspiring the world to turn off the plastic tap, and we have some real opportunities to market alongside them," she told Mainebiz. "We want to leverage these opportunities and this partnership because replacing single-use plastic requires a massive team effort."
She said the company is also working on a marketing plan to build brand awareness and support its sales efforts.
The other “Greenlight Maine” Season 8 winners were Jeff Davis of Maine Fly Co., a maker of small-batch fly-fishing rods, and Joan Drappeau of Slicpix®Interactive, a platform with patented interactive technology to transform static web images into interactive experiences.
Davis won $10,000 as the second-place finisher, while Drappeau won $5,000 for coming in third.
“It’s encouraging to see the number of companies increasing every year representing varying business sectors such as sustainability, tech and aquaculture to name a few," said Julene Gervais, the show's co-executive producer and host told Mainebiz.
“Greenlight Maine” Season 8 sponsors include premier partner Bangor Savings Bank, along with Maine Technology Institute, Finance Authority of Maine, Thomas College, Martin's Point Health Care, Northern Light Health, FirstPark, Central Maine Power Company, Albin Randall & Bennett, and Chilton Furniture Co.
Tanbark focused on sales and growth
Asked what she learned from the "Greenlight" experience, LaCasse said it "reinforced just how amazing Maine’s startup ecosystem is – both in terms of how many cool companies are here and how supportive the community is."
"We wouldn’t be where we are today without partners like 'Greenlight Maine,' which has awarded close to $1 million to companies over the last eight seasons," she added. "The world really needs to get rid of plastic, and thanks to the generosity of Maine, Tanbark is in a position to help make it happen using Maine resources, Maine labor, and Maine ingenuity. There’s no place that we’d rather be, and we’re in good company."
Tanbark is focused on sales and growth in 2023, she said.
"We’re getting a lot of inquiries and are excited to explore opportunities in an array of industries from food and beverage to health care to beauty," she noted. Word is out that Type 3 molded fiber is a great alternative to single-use plastic, and we want to capitalize on the growing demand. We also want to get more production lines up and running because we’re anticipating and want to be prepared for rapid growth."
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