Over the past nine months, we at Maine Icons have set out to shine the spotlight on the business leaders who embody the hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit synonymous with our great state. And we’ve truly enjoyed every moment of it.
Through our work, our team has been lucky enough to get to know just some the individuals fueling Maine’s economic growth. We are fortunate to live in a state where partnership and collaboration drive growth and progress.
And the growth isn’t just happening in southern Maine. All across the 16 counties of the state, entrepreneurial leaders are doing their part, and we want to share their stories of success with fellow Mainers, as well as those who may not realize all of the innovative activity taking place in the state.
As we put the finishing touches on our next video profile — something you can expect more of from Maine Icons — we wanted to take a moment to introduce all of the individuals behind the scenes who have helped Maine Icons grow over these several months.
Help Maine Icons Grow!
Publisher – Peter Anania
Peter Anania is the publisher and founder of Maine Icons. Anania started the publication when leaving his full time job as a communications director to start his own firm. Quickly after branching out on his own, Anania teamed up with Marnie Grumbach and Fluent IMC, a marketing agency that caters to the professional services industry.
“What started out as an exercise to gain advice and guidance from successful business people has turned into something more meaningful. After meeting with a few members of Maine’s business community — and having the chance to hear their stories — I knew it would be meaningful to share them.”
Along with managing Maine Icons, Anania interviews many of the icons while also providing the photography used in the publication.
Editor – Susan Baracco
As an editor on the Maine Icons team, Susan Baracco brings her 15 plus years of experience to help Maine Icons tell the stories of Maine’s business leaders.
Baracco uses her talents to develop thought leadership for women leaders by serving as an executive ghostwriter. Partnering with leaders who simply don’t have the time to invest in the effort of content creation themselves, she works to translate their passion into content that builds their influence and their business.
Baracco has also been at the helm of several organizations with the mission of encouraging entrepreneurial development for Maine women, such as Maine Million Dollar Women’s Forum, Echelon Circles and the Women Presidents’ Organization.
In addition to her work in entrepreneurial development, Baracco has over fifteen years of experience as a copywriter, writing for varied industries and organizations across the U.S. She is currently expanding her executive ghostwriting firm TakeMyWords, to help women leaders here and abroad.
Editor – Bryan Roche
Bryan Roche brings his several years worth of multimedia content creation experience to the Maine Icons team. Roche assists in the creation of all forms of content produced by Maine Icons and serves as an editor for the publication.
Roche holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maine. Along with strong writing and storytelling skills, he has the ability to create content for and engage with audiences on a range of social media platforms.
During the day, Roche works in the Office of Public Affairs for the University of Southern Maine, where he works to share the stories of students, faculty and staff with the local community and its greater audience.
He was formerly a play-by-play broadcaster and radio reporter for Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, in Boston, MA, but can still be heard around the state calling various games for local colleges and high schools.
Videographer – Thomas McPherson
Tom McPherson teams up Maine Icons on a quarterly basis assisting with the production of video interviews. McPherson leverages his 25+ years of experience to help produce compelling interviews, connecting the Maine Icons audience with the economic leaders of the state.
McPherson owns and operates a commercial photography studio in Westbrook’s Dana Warp Mill. He counts many of Maine’s largest agencies and companies among the clients he has worked with.