Taki Miyamoto, of Pierce Atwood, climbs a different path outside his law practice
Photo / Jim Neuger
Taki Miyamoto, managing partner of Salt Pump Climbing Co. in Scarborough, says expansion is a goal but real estate is a challenge. The business has a workforce of 30 to 40 part- and full-timers.
Taki Miyamoto, who was born in Japan and raised outside of New York City, is an associate at Pierce Atwood law firm in Portland and managing partner at Salt Pump Climbing Co. in Scarborough.
Inside the 10,000-square-foot indoor climbing gym one morning, Miyamoto chatted with Mainebiz about the inspiration and growth prospects for the business he founded with two partners in 2015 and his ambitions for his evolving law practice.
Mainebiz: What inspired the idea for this business?
Taki Miyamoto: It’s something I always wanted to do. Climbing, and climbing facilities like this, have always been part of my life. The community that surrounds climbing facilities has always been important, and to be able to create something in Maine was also a goal.
MB: How did you get into climbing in the first place?
TM: A friend took me. I went to Bates College, and he was actually a friend from high school who climbed. I always begged him to take me and he finally took me, and that was that.
MB: Any trouble finding employees?
TM: We’ve been very fortunate to find people. It’s a unique business, a unique environment, so naturally it attracts people.
MB: Who’s your main clientele?
TM: We’ve made it a goal to be pretty gender-neutral, so it’s not a male-dominated sport by any means, and for all ages.
MB: Are most people coming here experienced or newcomers?
TM: I would say a lot of newcomers. We make sure we take care of our climbers, but we also have done an incredible job of building a climbing community from scratch.
MB: Given’s Maine outdoor recreation focus, why is indoor climbing so popular?
TM: I’m not sure, but I do think that bad weather can help get people indoors. Unlike a lot of Maine businesses, we’re a lot busier during the fall and winter seasons, and in summer we stay quite busy with summer camps for kids.
MB: How many regular clients?
TM: On a monthly basis, I would say anywhere between 500 to 600 climbers. We’ve introduced climbing to thousands of people.
MB: In Tokyo next year, climbing will make its debut as an Olympic sport — will that boost its popularity?
TM: We hope so! I hear about facilities going up all the time, and the Olympics will certainly help.
MB: How will you stay competitive as more facilities open?
TM: We’re always investing back into the business in terms of the facility, and more importantly we’re a service-oriented business, making sure we are listening to our customers and members and meeting their needs.
MB: How do you split your time between this business and your law practice?
TM: It’s not easy, it’s challenging, but having a good team here, at Salt Pump, to work on the day-to-day, to actively solve problems and grow the business. The focus with Salt Pump is to make sure the team is happy and doing well.
MB: And the focus of your law practice?
TM: M&A [mergers and acquisitions] is a main part of what I’m at Pierce Atwood for. My overall practice is to advise businesses on day-to-day issues, and not necessarily transactional issues.
MB: As a lawyer are you also looking to build up your international clientele?
TM: That is an aspiration of mine. One is to work with owner-managed businesses, and the second is to work with either businesses in Maine that are looking to expand overseas, such as Japan, or Japanese businesses looking for opportunities in Maine or New England generally.
MB: What are your aspirations for Salt Pump?
TM: Medium term, we are looking for expansion opportunities. I’d love to grow within Maine initially, so that we could keep our team here to manage that expansion.
MB: How formal is your long-term business plan?
TM: It’s a constant work in progress, and a constant conversation. We blew away our initial projections, which is a good thing, and we’re constantly keeping an eye on opportunities. For us, real estate is one of the big challenges. Our facility needs are unique, and zoning can be an issue.
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