Mainers are known to be innovative and entrepreneurial and have given rise to a unique business culture. Maine Icons encapsulate what doing business in Maine means – working hard, being connected to the community, and having a wicked good product or service.

It’s Not About Net Worth

A Maine icon doesn’t have to be a billionaire. They don’t have to be a millionaire. They just have to represent what is right with Maine business – a successful idea or operation and the creative and entrepreneurial spirit people have come to expect of Maine.

From start-ups to long-established companies, we at MaineIcons.org will be writing about the people who own and operate the businesses that employ Mainers, contribute to the economy and their communities, and are leaving a mark on our state.

They Come From All Over the State

Ask someone ‘from away’ who has never been here, and they either have an image of cosmopolitan Portland (admittedly a rather new idea), or of rural fishing or farming villages. What we all know exists in between – a state with everything from cities to unorganized territories, dotted by businesses throughout.

The coast is dotted with restaurants situated to capture unique views and bed and breakfasts catering to tourists and Mainers who want to get away for a couple of days. The inland areas are dotted with family-run gas stations and diners. Large construction businesses display their signs at sites throughout the state.

Clothing brands like L.L. Bean are nearly ubiquitously spotted and are impossible to ignore once you cross into Maine. Famous Maine restaurants like Pat’s Pizza and Amato’s are found up and down the state. Then there’s the individuals – the firewood dealers, the fishermen, the seamstresses, and the plow guys whose business signs hang outside their houses or off their mailboxes.

Every time one of these businesses opens, a new Maine icon is created.

We want to share the stories of the entrepreneurs and the longtime business owner. We want to share the story of the person who stumbled into a good idea and the person who spent their life planning to open and operate a business. We want to share the stories of the CEO who employs dozens and the store owner who employs only family. We want to share the stories of the successes of Maine.

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