Learning Opportunities, MFBA Awards, Member Podcasts, and More!

OCT 13, 2026

Partner with Us for the 2026 Maine Family Business Awards!

Showcase your organization while helping us celebrate Maine’s remarkable family-owned businesses. Sponsorship opportunities offer meaningful visibility, valuable connections with business and community leaders, and the chance to support a legacy that strengthens Maine’s economy for generations.

To learn more, contact Catherine Wygant Fossett, Executive Director at

catherine@fambusiness.org.

Click Here to Chat About Sponsorship

"Continue the Conversation" Communication & Conflict: Protecting Your Business from Fraud and Internal Risk

Thursday, October 15 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Zoom

Trust is built slowly in a business—and can be shaken quickly when something goes wrong. Continuing our conversation on communication and conflict, this Midday Conversation focuses on practical ways businesses can protect themselves from fraud and internal risk while maintaining a healthy, trusting culture.

Thank you to our sponsors

Learn More & Register

"How-To" Growth & Visibility: Building a Simple AI Assistant to Support Your Marketing

Wednesday, November 4 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Zoom

For many businesses, AI feels interesting—but also difficult to translate into practical day-to-day use. This session focuses on approachable ways AI can support your marketing efforts without adding unnecessary complexity. Rich Brooks will walk through how to build a simple AI assistant that understands your business, brand voice, and audience, helping reduce repetitive work while supporting clearer, more consistent communication. Designed for busy business leaders looking for practical tools rather than hype.

Thank you to our sponsors

Learn More & Register

26th Annual Maine Family Business Awards

Thursday, November 19 | 5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Thompson's Point Brick South, Portland ME & Zoom

Come together and recognize the family businesses that are showing up, year after year, and continuing to build something that lasts.

We'll be honoring a group of Maine family businesses—each with its own story of growth, challenge, and commitment across generations. These are businesses doing the work every day, often without much attention, but with a steady impact on their people, their communities, and the state. From this group, several award recipients will be announced live during the evening.

In a year that has invited reflection on the country’s history, it feels like a natural time to acknowledge the role family businesses have played in building—and sustaining—that story. We’ll be joined by Kevin Zoeller and Andrew Clark, whose work offers a window into that same kind of long-term stewardship.

Learn More

View Our Sponsors

"How-To" Growth & Visibility: How to Advocate for Your Business in a Changing Landscape

Wednesday, December 2 | 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Zoom

As the business landscape shifts, many family business leaders are trying to understand how to stay informed, speak up, and represent their businesses in meaningful ways. This conversation explores practical ways to engage in advocacy without feeling like you need to become a policy expert. We’ll talk through simple, effective ways to communicate with lawmakers, prepare for conversations around policy issues, and help make sure the perspective of family-owned businesses is part of the conversation.

Thank you to our sponsors