Compotech was one of 10 small businesses across the nation selected from 1,182 entries as a semifinalist in a U.S. Small Business Administration pitch competition.
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Compotech Inc., a defense contractor in Brewer, was one of 10 small businesses across the nation selected from 1,182 entries as a semifinalist in a U.S. Small Business Administration pitch competition.
The national competition, with a $1 million cash prize pool funded by Silicon Valley-based Clover Network Inc., aims to highlight eligible small businesses for their innovation, leadership and growth.
Semifinalists advance to the next stage of judging for the chance to earn a spot in the final pitch event in Washington, D.C., this September.
The other semifinalists hailed from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Indiana, Texas, Iowa, Wyoming, California and Washington.
Key support
Small businesses qualifying for the contest were those that have used SBA capital products and that meet applicable revenue, ownership and operating-history requirements.
Finalists will compete for five prizes: $400,000 for first place, $250,000 for second, $150,000 for third, $125,000 for fourth and $75,000 for fifth.
SBA support was key to Compotech winning its first defense contract, Paul Melrose, the company’s president, told Mainebiz.
“Early on, one of our first Army awards was stalled over working-capital concerns, and the SBA's Certificate of Competency independently verified our capability and cleared it. That was then backed by a $150,000 SBA-guaranteed line of credit that let us fund production and delivery.”
Since then, SBA programs have continued to support Compotech products directly, he continued. Compotech has won five Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, awards since 2024, including two Phase II defense contracts totaling about $3.3 million.
“That R&D funding is a big part of how we've matured our core technologies into fielded programs,” Melrose said.
Increased production
Compotech has two business units. Expeditionary Solutions is at its Brewer headquarters and Digital Solutions operates at the UpStart Center in Orono.
Compotech’s latest push builds on the company’s development of a new and more advanced composite panelized shelter — called “extendable, panelized and collapsible shelter” or E-PACS — for the U.S. military.
Earlier this year, the company was awarded a $952,228 loan from Maine Technology Institute’s Maine Technology Asset Fund to buy equipment to increase production.
Staffed by 80 employees, Compotech has been on Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing companies list for three straight years.
Earlier this year, the company was named SBA’s New England Small Business Manufacturer of the Year and hosted an SBA visit.
The business was founded in 2011 by Jacques Nader and Melrose with help from the University of Maine’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, where both founders studied engineering. The first employee of the business, Tyler Jolicoeur, has since become a part owner.
E-PACS is gaining market share and the company is expanding its customer base across the Air Force, Marine Corps and Army, Melrose said.
