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Congratulations to IFOB members Jo-an Lantz, Geiger President/CEO; Meredith Strang Burgess, Burgess Advertising & Marketing President/CEO; and our very own Catherine Wygant Fossett, IFOB Executive Director for their recognition as 2024 Mainebiz Women to Watch! Learn more about each honoree and the awards reception below.
Photo Courtesy of Mainebiz
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2024 Women to Watch | Congratulations Catherine!
Mainebiz | August 5, 2024 Catherine Wygant Fossett, executive director of the Institute for Family-Owned Business for more than a decade, continues to reinvent how the nonprofit operates. IFOB consistently draws more than 600 people for its annual awards dinner, and Wygant Fossett somehow manages to host more than 50 events a year, despite running with a lean staff.
Wygant Fossett also has had some interesting life experiences. Her early life was in Moscow during the Cold War and she met Alex Haley, author of “Roots”, when she lived in West Africa. As a young adult, she hopped a boat, navigating the Erie Canal from Canada to Annapolis, Md., a two-week voyage. She later contributed to an archeological report and coffee table book on a Spanish galleon that sank in the Pacific in 1638....
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Do You Want to Chit Chat with Cat? Highlight Your Business With Our Storytelling Series
We're offering IFOB Family Businesses and Associate Partner Members the opportunity to interview with Catherine, allowing our business community to learn more about the IFOB, our members and Catherine, or "Cat", the leader of our organization!
Catch the first episode with Francine Cram, Senior Vice President of Business Banking at Machias Savings, our series partner.
| Connect with Brooke to schedule YOUR Chit Chat with Cat today! | | |
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Celebrate Our 30th Year with All-New Gear!
We've partnered with Regatta to offer custom branded hats & apparel, drinkware and other quality items to celebrate our 30th Anniversary. Check out the IFOB 30th Anniversary Store - support and celebrate with us in style!
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Family Business Spotlight/Business After Hours | Warren's Office Supplies
Monday, September 30 | 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
329 Jagger Mill Rd, Sanford ME
This year, we bring back an IFOB favorite. Each year prior to the pandemic, we featured family businesses who are members of the Institute and have a deep commitment to supporting family-owned businesses in Maine. Each family is highlighted on our website, on Facebook, Instagram, in emails, on calendar websites, and LinkedIn. We then host a Business After Hours at their location where you can network with IFOB members, future members and those who want to learn more about the IFOB.
| Thank you to our event sponsors: | | |
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24th Annual Maine Family Business Awards Gala and IFOB 30 Year Celebration
Tuesday, October 29 | 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Thompson's Point Brick South, Portland ME and Virtual
Since inception, more than 100 businesses have been recognized for various categories of excellence. After nomination and an in-depth application, judges score businesses through rounds of semi-finalists to finalists to winners. The winners are announced LIVE – like the Oscars – at the awards!
We're dedicating the 24th Annual Maine Family Business Awards to Maddy Corson who envisioned this celebration over two decades ago. Join us as we honor her legacy.
Contact Catherine to learn about exciting sponsorship opportunities still available.
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2024 Women to Watch | Congratulations Jo-an Lantz
Mainebiz | August 5 2024 Fun fact: Geiger, a company headquartered in Lewiston, is the world’s largest promotional products distributor to be privately owned by a single family. For over 140 years, the company was also led by the Geiger family. That changed in 2019 when Jo-an Lantz rose from chief operating officer to become president/CEO.
Lantz has built her career at Geiger, and is actively helping others build theirs. She’s recognized as a mentor and an inspiration by employees and peers, including for her work on the board of Promotional Products Association International, the industry’s trade group.
She now leads a company with sophisticated technology and offices throughout the U.S. and Europe — but which expresses belief in values from a founding in 1878....
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2024 Women to Watch | Congratulations Meredith Strang Burgess
Mainebiz | August 5 2024 Every summer, Meredith Strang Burgess is the ceremonial last finisher of Maine Cancer Foundation’s Tri for a Cure fundraiser. She herself has raised close to $190,000 in 17 years, including $30,400 in 2024 alone. A breast cancer survivor who aims to “make each day count,” she leads a seven-person team at Burgess Advertising & Marketing in Portland.
How has advertising changed since you started your career?
"Aside from the obvious huge technology evolution over the past four decades, the other huge change is the process. In the 1970s, great creative ideas were still born on cocktail napkins while flying to the client presentation..."
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Mainebiz | Women to Watch Reception 2024
Tuesday, September 10 | 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Halo at the Point | Portland ME
Join us for an evening of celebration and inspiration. This in-person event will honor outstanding women making a difference in Maine's business community. Network with fellow professionals, enjoy delicious food and drinks and be inspired by the stories of our Women to Watch honorees. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with influential leaders and celebrate the achievements of women in business. Get ready for a night to remember!
Celebrate IFOB members Jo-an Lantz, Geiger President/CEO; Meredith Strang Burgess, Burgess Advertising & Marketing President/CEO; and our very own Catherine Wygant Fossett, IFOB Executive Director!
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Yard South Community Gathering
Thursday, September 12 | 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Stewart Morrill American Legion Post #35 | South Portland ME
Yard South, a 30-acre mixed-use neighborhood, invites everyone to live, work and play in South Portland's Eastern Waterfront. Join us to learn about the recently submitted zoning application! It will be several weeks until our first planning board meeting. This event will provide an opportunity to learn more about Yard South and familiarize yourself with our process and next steps.
Light refreshments will be served. We look forward to meeting and reconnecting with our neighbors!
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Special Discount for IFOB Members at 10th Annual Agents of Change Digital Marketing Conference
Wednesday, October 9 & Thursday, October 10
Are you looking to generate more business online? Get to page one on Google? Engage your audience on social media? Or perhaps you want to figure out how to use AI in your marketing?
Marketing experts from across the US and Canada are coming to Portland, Maine, to share their best strategies and practical advice to help you generate more leads and sales online.
Enter ifob at checkout and save an additional $25 off already discounted prices.
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View all openings posted on our Job Listings page. Members can submit their own listings when logged into the Member Portal. Once a job is filled, be sure to let us know so we can remove it from the site. | | |
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Maine Women's Business List is Officially Live!
This is a free, publicly searchable database of woman-owned businesses in Maine, designed to enhance the visibility of woman* owned businesses throughout the state.
By spotlighting these businesses, the Maine Women’s Business List hopes to promote a more inclusive and supportive economic environment, making it easier for the community to connect with and support woman-led businesses.
Maine-based businesses with at least 50% female-identifying ownership can can register in the directory for free!
*The Maine Women’s Business List aligns with the definition of women and female that explicitly includes not only cis women, but also trans women and femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer and non-binary individuals.
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2023 MFBA Maddy Corson Small Business Award Winner Brodis Blueberries Featured on 207
NEWS CENTER Maine | August 1, 2024 The Brodis family has been harvesting wild blueberries on their rural farm for more than a century.
The farmland itself has been in the family since 1774. Over the years, the family has grown and so has their deep connection to the land.
Ron Howard met his wife, Sonja Brodis, when they were in high school. He says it was "love at first sight." The two, their children, and grandchildren make up just a fraction of the 15 family members still working on the farm today. Gwen Brodis, Sonja's mother, can still remember being a little girl and helping out in the fields during harvest season...
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IFOB Members: Promote Your Company News With Us!
One of the many perks of being a member is promoting your latest news and announcements to our IFOB community. Share press releases, articles, podcasts, insights and expertise... and any other information featuring your business!
For more information on how to submit your news, view our video or download this cheat sheet. If you need assistance please contact Brooke Stewart at 207.281.2414 or brooke@fambusiness.org.
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