After sharing the stories of more than 60 days that changed everything for Maine business and nonprofit leaders, podcast interviewers Andrea Tetzlaff and Renee Cordes wrap up the season – and the series – by reflecting on some lessons and insights that resonated most with them. All episodes are archived on the Mainebiz website and various platforms.

Ben Barringer had worked in construction and insurance for years when he was offered an opportunity as a sales rep with Rainbow International- a fire, water, and smoke remediation company. After seeing initial success, Ben decided to pursue purchasing the Maine franchise of Rainbow and became a business owner- at 28 years old. Hear from Ben about what it was like to take on that responsibility at a young age and how that sometimes worked in his favor, and sometimes against him

Lucas Myers worked in the seafood industry for years before joining forces with two partners to launch SoPo Seafood in March 2020 as a wholesale business. When COVID shut everything down, the company pivoted to online retail sales while putting plans for a bricks-and-mortar market on the back burner until the perfect spot became available, in South Portland’s Knightville neighborhood. Lucas shares the backstory of how the business started and quickly shifted gears, and how it has evolved.

When the Supreme Court ruled that NCAA athletes could get paid for their name, image and likeness, Greg Glynn saw an opportunity to lend his expertise and start a sports marketing company. Greg talks about how preparing young athletes to think about their personal brand sets them up for business success, how mental health factors in, and the challenges he’s faced launching a new business venture in an evolving legal landscape. 

Katie Krall grew up with baseball and got turned on to the sport’s analytical side by Michael Lewis’s book “Moneyball.” Today, she’s using her analytical skills as the development coach for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Katie talks about how she got into coaching, what she learned during her time working at Google and breaking baseball’s glass ceiling as the Sea Dogs’ first female development coach.

Diane Kibbin has spent her career in health care. She had been in the director of operations role for three months in 2020 when OceanView at Falmouth, a senior residential living facility, experienced one of the first COVID outbreaks in Maine. Diane had to work quickly with all of her teams to ensure they were communicating with the Maine CDC, implementing recommendations, and continuing to keep their at-risk population safe. Diane shares what it was like to face the unknown without a manual, how she had faith in her team to execute their plan, and what she learned from this highly unusual experience

Brothers Van and Sumit Sharma grew up in Portland and in the Indian restaurant business. In 2020 after returning to Maine from England and Australia, they helped out at Bombay Mahal, their parents’ restaurant in Brunswick. It was while working there they brewed up an idea for an Indian beer brand to complement the curry dishes they grew up with – and joined forces with craft-beer guru Alan Pugsley to launch Rupee Beer in October 2021.

Donato Tramuto faced many challenges early in life including hearing loss, bullying, and the loss of a family member. As a serial entrepreneur, he traveled all over the US. After friends were in town in September of 2001, he missed a flight that they were all supposed to be on- United flight 175 ended up being hijacked and flown into the 2nd World Trade Center.  Donato is very candid about how devastating losing his friends was and how he turned that sorrow into a foundation that supports young people who have overcome trying circumstances.

Tim Dentry, the son of a nurse and grandson of a country doctor, has spent much of his career overseas focusing on improving health care in places including Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. An unexpected opportunity led the Maryland native back to the U.S. in late 2016 to take a job with Northern Light Health, first as chief operating officer and then as president and CEO since April 2020.

Eileen Horner bought onesixtyfive, the former Brunswick Inn, in 2009, when she and her husband moved to Maine from West Virginia. After making it through a tough 2020 with Covid, Eileen had actually put The Brunswick Inn up for sale and was planning on moving on in her career.  Then in March of 2021, there was a devastating fire that destroyed much of the main building of the inn- Eileen had to make some hard choices and decide if she was going to keep the property, and if so, what rebuilding would look like. Today I’m talking with Eileen about what those decisions were like for her and how she was able to build the inn of her dreams.