Every year Mainebiz salutes four leaders in the Women to Watch issue. This year’s honorees are critical to the industries they serve and to Maine’s economy. Betsy Biemann, CEO of Coastal Enterprises Inc., leads an organization that is part of the hub in the hub-and-spoke system that supports startups, entrepreneurs and rural businesses in Maine. […]
Every year Mainebiz salutes four leaders in the Women to Watch issue. This year’s honorees are critical to the industries they serve and to Maine’s economy.
Betsy Biemann, CEO of Coastal Enterprises Inc., leads an organization that is part of the hub in the hub-and-spoke system that supports startups, entrepreneurs and rural businesses in Maine. She also led Maine Technology Institute, which is another part of the financing hub. See Page 20.
Mary Allen Lindemann, co-founder of Coffee By Design, has run a growing business for 25 years, with a strong retail and wholesale presence. It’s the role that she’s evolved into that has made such a difference. She’s been at the center of the buy-local movement in Portland, she hosts students at CBD’s coffee-roasting site and she’s been an advocate for the immigrant community. See Page 16.
Liz Cotter Schlax, president and CEO of the United Way of Greater Portland, is a collaborator, by nature. She’s proved adept at bringing people together and finding consensus on big issues. With help from stakeholders, she drafted a strategy that in five years has helped define the United Way’s long-term goals and reestablish its presence in Cumberland County. See Page 28.
Kim Swan, president of Swan Agency Sotheby’s International Realty, is a high-energy advocate for Bar Harbor’s real estate community, as a Realtor and investor, but she has also played a significant role in raising money for the Bar Harbor Historical Society, among other causes. She is also the first Women to Watch honoree who has had a sister honored; Deanna Sherman, CEO of Dead River Co., was a 2016 honoree. See Page 24.
This year’s class of Mainebiz Women to Watch will be honored at a reception Sept. 17, from 5-7 p.m., at Halo at the Point, at Thompson’s Point in Portland. We hope you’ll join us in honoring this accomplished group.