PORTLAND, Maine, January 16, 2020 – The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs (MCE) along with its partners, the University of Maine, Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Focus Maine, Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GRMI), The Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation at Thomas College and Maine Center Ventures, announced the 44 entrepreneurs selected for the 2020 Top Gun Program. The competitive selection process included both a written application and an interview with Top Gun program regional coordinators and their panelist groups.
Bangor – Regional Sponsor: First National Bank
| Bub ‘n Mutha’s, John Fuhrman |
| Coffee Hound Coffee Co., Jennifer Litteral |
| Gel Hydration Technologies, Inc., Laura Lockwood |
| Let’s Go Bagz, Suzie Milkowich |
| TrustedRentr, Steven Doman & John Peters |
| Sign26, Daniel C DeLuca & Nieves Perez Besu |
| Treadwell Corporation, Gerald Collins |
Brunswick – Craft Beverage – Regional Sponsor: Bernstein Shur |
| Blue Barren Distillery, Andrew Stewart |
| Heritage Seaweed, Josh Rogers |
| Lincoln & Main Inc., Thaddeus St. John |
| NU Brewery LLC, Russell Voss |
| The Whole Almond, Myranda McGowan |
Brunswick – Aquaculture – Regional Sponsors: Maine Aquaculture and Innovation Center & Maine Aquaculture Association |
| Aphrodite Oysters, Krista Tripp |
| Butterfield Shellfish, Austin Donnelly & Keith Butterfield |
| Kaskolos Sea Vegetables, Theodore Willis |
| Maine Island Aquaculture, LLC, Hannah Twombly and Connor O’Neil |
| Maine Ocean Farms, LLC, Tom Klodenski |
| Mere Point Oyster Co., Derek James Devereaux |
| Southern Maine Sea Farms, Phil Demers & Jessica Pinckney |
| Wayne Seafoods, Robert Mitchell Lewiston/Auburn – Regional Sponsor: the Cities of Lewiston/Auburn |
| Binding Tales, LLC, Hillary Dow |
| Caribbean Life Grocery, Sophia Bailey |
| Cooking to Gather, Kristina Slocum |
| Cosplay Convention Center, Benjamin Santos |
| Dog-a-holick, Laci Barnett |
| Journey, Carolyn Delaney |
| LiteracyTech Inc., Michelle DeBlois & Kathryn Lariviere |
| Yardduck, Mark Parker |
Portland – Regional Sponsor: Preti Flaherty |
| LAW Calibration, Louis Waterhouse |
| Lorraine’s Cakes LLC, Tyler Cote |
| Maine Casual, LLC |
| Maine Company ( to remain anonymous) |
| Mumbai to Maine, Cherie Scott |
| Paramount Planet Product LLC, Ariadne Dimoulas & Claudia Lowd |
| Readiness Associates, LLC, Mike Boardman |
| SeaME LLC, Mariah Curtis |
| Story Culture, Andrew Griswold |
| Transcapsule, Tobey Tozier |
| UNAR Labs, Hari Palani |
Waterville – Regional Sponsor: Central Maine Growth Council |
| BrightHer Way, Susan Hunter and Colleen Maguire |
| Candy Hollow, Jason & Lydia Stevens |
| Crooked Face Creamery, Amy Rowbottom |
| TreeFreeHeat, Dylan Veilleux |
| Trusted Estate Advisors, Scott Greeley |
The Top Gun program assists entrepreneurs in successfully growing their businesses through a combination of structured classroom curriculum and in-depth mentoring. The program culminates in a final Top Gun Showcase event in May, featuring finalists selected from six regional pitch-off events. The Showcase winner will receive a $25,000 cash prize sponsored by the Maine Technology Institute.
About MCE:
Founded in 1997, MCE is an independent non-profit organization based in Portland that helps the most promising Maine companies launch and grow through training, connections, and “hands-on” support from dozens of volunteer advisors and business mentors. Please visit www.mced.biz.
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