Maine Center For Enterprise Development

EMPOWERING & ENABLING ME'S NEXT GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURS THROUGH TRAINING AND MENTORING.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE PROGRAM MCE HAD IN 2022 WAS THE MARKETSHARE PROGRAM WITH $201,485.27 IN 2022 EXPENSES, MARKETSHARE IS FOR MATURE MAINE FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES LOOKING TO AGGRESSIVELY EXPAND DISTRIBUTION BOTH REGIONALLY AND NATIONALLY. MCE SERVICED 26 MAINE FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES IN MARKETSHARE'S 2022 PROGRAM. A TEAM OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS WORKS WITH EACH COMPANY TO DO MARKETING ASSESSMENTS AND IDENTIFY GROWTH PLANS. MEMBER COMPANIES HAD REGULAR MONTHLY TO BI-MONTHLY WORKING AND TRACKING MEETINGS WITH THE PROGRAM MANAGER AND MCE MENTOR CONSULTANTS. THE FOCUS OF THESE MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR WAS ON MARKET DEVELOPMENT. SEVEN COMPANY-SPECIFIC CATEGORY REPORTS WERE PURCHASED AND ANALYZED TO IDENTIFY NEW SALES OPPORTUNITIES, MANY LEADING TO WINS OF NEW ACCOUNTS OR ADDITIONAL ITEMS ADDED TO EXISTING ACCOUNTS. OTHER FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY RESOURCES WERE ALSO PURCHASED, COMPILED, AND UTILIZED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. MARKETSHARE MEMBER COMPANIES ALSO PARTICIPATED IN QUARTERLY WORKSHOPS, THE MAINE FOOD PRODUCER SHOWCASE, AND FOOD PRODUCER SOCIAL IN CONJUNCTION WITH MCE'S CULTIVATOR PROGRAM.

THE SEAFOOD CAPACITY EXPANSION, THE THIRD ARM OF THE FOOD ACCELERATOR PROGRAMS HAD $100,129.94 IN EXPENSES. SEAFOOD-AQUA IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS MARKETSHARE AND CULTIVATOR, HOWEVER, ALL THE COMPANIES SERVED UNDER THIS PROGRAM ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO SEAFOOD OR OTHER MAINE BUSINESSES IN THE BLUE ECONOMY. THIS INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM FISHERMEN AND COMPANIES THAT SELL FROZEN SEAFOOD TO LARGE GROCERS TO THOSE IN THE SEAWEED HARVEST OR OYSTER BUSINESS. MCE HIRED A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT IN THIS FIELD TO CONSULT SPECIFICALLY WITH BLUE ECONOMY BUSINESSES IN 2021 AND THE FRUITS OF HER LABOR WERE FELT IN 2022. NOT ONLY DID COSTS INCREASE DUE TO THAT FACT THAT MCE COULD SIGN ON SO MANY SEAFOOD BASED BUSINESSES, BUT FUNDING DID AS WELL. THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE AND COMPANIES LOOK TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THIS PROGRAM. MARKETSHARE PROVIDES MARKET DATA SPECIFICALLY TO EACH MEMBER'S SEAFOOD/AQUA BUSINESS WHILE CULTIVATOR PROVIDES TREMENDOUS CONNECTIONS TO SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS VIA THEIR ASSESSMENT TEAMS.

MCE'S PROGRAM OFFERINGS IN 2022 MADE UP A TOTAL OF $195,956.96 IN EXPENSES. THOSE PROGRAMS INCLUDED: TOP GUN, THE DMR INITIATIVE, THE VISIONARY LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (VLP), THE BIOSCIENCE CLUSTER, AND THE COMPASS PROGRAM. TOP GUN HAD $116,497.24 IN EXPENSES THAT YEAR. MCE'S LONGEST RUNNING PROGRAM, IN 2022 TOP GUN ASSISTED 24 STARTUPS IN FOUR REGIONS OF THE STATE OF MAINE: PORTLAND, LEWISTON/AUBURN, WATERVILLE, AND BANGOR. THE COMPANIES WERE FROM VARIOUS INDUSTRIES THAT RANGED FROM BIOSCIENCE TO TECHNOLOGY TO FOOD AND BEVERAGE, OUTDOOR GOODS, AND OTHER HEALTHCARE BASED SERVICES. THROUGH TOP GUN, MCE FAST-TRACKS ENTREPRENEURS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUND AND TEACHES THEM TO CREATE A SCALABLE, SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS WHILE BUILDING PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS. TOP GUN CULMINATED IN ITS REGIONAL PITCHOFFS, THEN A STATEWIDE PITCH CONTEST AND TRADE SHOW CELEBRATION WITH APPROXIMATELY 200 ATTENDEES WHILE A CASH PRIZE OF $25,000 WAS AWARDED TO THE COMPANY WITH THE WINNING PITCH. THE DMR INITIATIVE SAW $32,885.44 IN EXPENSES FOLLOWED BY THE BIOSCIENCE PROGRAM WITH $21,001.57, THE COMPASS PROGRAM FOR BUSINESSES DEALING WITH OUTDOOR RECREATION ENTREPRENEURS AT $18,557.36 AND THE VLP AT $7,015.35,

CULTIVATOR MEASURED $180,452.21 IN 2022 EXPENSES. THAT YEAR, CULTIVATOR SERVICED 13 MAINE FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES. EACH COMPANY WAS ASSIGNED AN ASSESSMENT TEAM OF THREE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN THE AREAS OF MARKETING & SALES, FINANCE, AND OPERAIONS. THE GROUP PERFORMED A DEEP DIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE COMPANY'S BUSINESS, CREATED STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, AND A SPECIFIC ACTION PLAN FOR EACH COMPANY TO IMPLEMENT. EACH COMPANY HAS BI-WEEKLY MEETINGS THE MCE'S PROGRAM MANAGER THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO WORK ON THE ACTION PLAN AND TRACK ACTIONS TAKE THROUGHOUT THE CALENDAR YEAR. EACH COMPANY ALSO HAS QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH THE ASSESSMENT TEAM. MCE ALSO HOSTS SEVERAL INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC QUARTERLY MEETINGS WITH THE LARGER ASSESSMENT TEAM. MCE ALSO HOSTS SEVERAL INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC QUARTERLY WORKSHOPS/WEBINAR SERIES FOR ALL CULTIVATOR COMPANIES. TOPICS INCLUDE FUNDING YOUR FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESS, DEVELOPING A SALES TEAM, THE FUTURE OF THE FOOD INDUSTRY, AND BEST PRACTICES FOR PRICING AND PACKAGING CHANGES. IN 2022, MDE ALSO HOSTED OUR FIRST MAINE FOOD PRODUCER SHOWCASE WITH 40 CULTIVATOR COMPANIES (FROM BOTH THAT YEAR'S COHORT AND PREVIOUS YEARS' COMPANY PARTICIPANTS) FROM ACROSS 13 MAINE COUNTIES. THESE COMPANIES COVERED FOOD CATEGORIES FROM GRAINS, PRODUCE, PROTEINS, PASTA, SAUCES, SEAFOOD, SWEETS, SNACKS, AND BEVERAGES. OVER 300 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE EVENT INCLUDING BUYERS, INVESTORS, BUSINESS RESOURCES, AND MEDIA. MCE ALSO HOSTED A FOOD PRODUCER SOCIAL FOR PAST AND PRESENT CULTIVATOR COMPANIES, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MAINE'S FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES TO CONNECT, SHARE, AND PARTNER.