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September 13, 2004

On the map | A chat with Claire Kiedrowski, co-owner and vice president of Kappa Mapping Inc. in Bangor.

By Dorothy Ogrodowczyk
Founded: December 2003
Projected revenues, year one: $500,000
Projected revenues, year two: $625,000
Address: 6 State St., Ste. 100, Bangor
Phone: 942-5200
Web: www.kappamap.com

Describe what your company does.
We provide aerial mapping services and maps from aerial images. We make highly accurate maps [that] we send on to engineers, other surveyors, town planners, resource mangers and other folks like that.

How many employees do you have?
Eight, including the co-owner of the firm, Lori Phillips, and me.

When did you first get the idea for the company?
Lori and I are both University of Maine graduates of the surveying engineering program. We worked for a software engineering firm in Bangor that made map-making software.

One of that firm's clients, Photo Science Inc. in Lexington, Ky., owned an operation in Maine that it wanted to close down or sell. Photo Science approached us to see if we were interested in buying it, and we were.

What was the biggest challenge going from idea to reality?
The biggest challenge was taking that first step. It was scary to go from a safe job with great benefits and some longevity into the great unknown.

How did you finance the launch of your business, and what did it cost?
Lori and I have two other business partners, who serve more as board members for the company. The four of us borrowed heavily against our own assets. Our houses are mortgaged. We also got a business loan and a line of credit.

What was your first day in business like?
It was like the first day at any new job: draining. Even using the fax machine was a project. Luckily, the previous owner stayed on for three weeks to show us the ropes, like handling personnel issues and invoicing.

What's the competition like, and how do you differ?
We have competitors in Maine, like James W. Sewall Co. and Aerial Survey & Photo. But we compete with those firms in only one product area. For example, we're both a client and a competitor of Sewall Co.; we [contract out] to them for aerial survey photography services. We [differ from our competition in that] we're small enough to provide services face to face, but still able to deliver a quality product quickly.

What could stop you?
I'm too much of an optimist to think anything would stop us, but we could be forced to scale back or reduce staff. As a new company, cash flow is constantly on our mind, and it's always one of the big topics at our weekly board meetings. Because we do subcontract work, we sometimes are not paid for four or five months. I'm looking forward to the day when we have enough of a cash backlog to ride those little storms out.

What are your plans for growth?
We're looking to put more production people in place so we can produce more maps. We're also working with the Maine Technology Institute investigating cutting-edge technologies. We'd like to implement some of the technologies, but in a planned way so we can keep revenue flowing and keep up our productivity. Growth is good, but it's not necessarily good to grow too fast.

Who do you turn to for advice?
I go to my business partners. Lori is technically astute and focused, and I'm more of a people person. The previous owner has been a good mentor, and people in the mapping industry are generally willing to help newcomers along. We're not afraid to ask for help in running the business.

Describe a mistake you've made in your business and what you learned from it.
We have a business plan, but it's already outdated just eight months down the road. We'd like to have an incremental business plan [that includes a series of goals] and keep it updated on a timely basis. We're planning on updating it, but we haven't yet.

If you were given $500,000 toward your business, what would you do with it?
I'd invest in new technologies, software and equipment, and I'd provide training for the entire staff.

Your company makes maps, but do you ever get lost?
Absolutely, but we're not afraid to ask for directions!

New Entrepreneurs profiles young businesses, 6-18 months old. Send your suggestions and contact information to dorothyo@mainebiz.biz.

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