As Mainebiz gets ready to celebrate 2026’s Business Leaders of the Year for their accomplishments and contributions to Maine’s economy, we checked in with some of last year’s honorees to ask about their leadership advice for this year’s winners. Their recommendations range from the practical to the inspirational, including insights Laura Reading of Developers Collaborative shared while in Japan training for a marathon.
‘Consistently showing up’
Laura Reading, director of affordable housing at Developers Collaborative and 2025 Industry Leader honoree:
“Marathon training might be having an outsized impact on my thoughts here, but I’ve been reflecting on the idea that while it’s important to set outcome-based goals, I’ve found a greater sense of accomplishment by reflecting on who I’ve become in the process of reaching those goals. Consistently showing up, despite challenges and setbacks, and caring enough to continually improve from day to day makes a meaningful difference over time.”
Changing one’s perspective
Kevin Bunker, founder and principal of Developers Collaborative, 2025 Industry Leader honoree:
“As my business has grown, I’ve had to continually grow in how I approach leadership. With a small startup company, leadership can and should be very personal. But as the company grows, the challenge I’ve found is that I think it’s important to retain those essential foundational qualities of leadership. The growing needs of the business place as great an emphasis on structure and organizational excellence as on raw individual inspiration and esprit de corps.”
Humility and community engagement
Jim Godbout, Jim Godbout Plumbing & Heating Inc. Honored as 2025 Volunteer of the Year for leading the transformation of a former church in Biddeford into a community center for at-risk teens; it is a second location for My Place Teen Center, a Westbrook-based nonprofit:
“Be humble, listen, surround yourself with good people and build community engagement.”
Integrity and empathy
Deborah Bronk, president, CEO and senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. Recognized as 2025 Innovator of the Year for expanding the East Boothbay laboratory’s footprint with the Harold Alfond Center for Ocean Education and Innovation:
“When the world feels uncertain, our principles should not. Lead with integrity. Demand excellence. Serve with empathy.”
Listening to and learning from others
Rob Tod, founder of Allagash Brewing Co., Maine’s largest brewer, based in Portland. Honored as Sustainability Leader of the Year in 2025:
“As a business leader, I’ve found it’s important to surround yourself with colleagues who are not only competent, but also genuinely passionate about the goals of the organization and the role they can play in delivering those goals. Be curious. Listen and learn from people with different perspectives and do your best to give everyone an opportunity to candidly share their perspectives. Of course, give guidance, but also give employees the space to excel.”
Truth, curiosity, flexibility
James Herbert, president of the University of New England. Honored in 2025 as Education Leader of the Year:
“Build a culture in which people tell you the truth, especially when it’s inconvenient. Champion curiosity, flexibility and humility as core leadership traits. Never forget that your team pays far more attention to what you do than what you say. Model the standards you expect, and the organization will rise to meet them.”
Embracing change
Mike Haws, president and CEO, Sappi Paper North America. Honored in 2025 as Manufacturing Industry Leader of the Year for leading a large expansion at the Somerset Mill in Skowhegan:
“Effective leadership means deciding what comes next — without waiting for someone else to supply the answers. True transformation doesn’t arrive from the outside; it’s created by people willing to define the future and move it forward. While change can be challenging, even uncomfortable, resisting it is what holds organizations back. Growth takes hold when we embrace change and take ownership of the path forward.”
