Becoming a Maker mini-series
Makers of the USA and Skowhegan Savings are excited to kick off a mini-series called "Becoming a Maker" that shares the origin stories of makers from Madison to Portland, Maine. Join us to hear the incredible journeys of these makers - as we dive into their history, challenges overcome, and passion for their craft.
becoming a maker of maine episodes.
ALTERNATIVE MANUFACTURING, INC. (AMI)
To kick off the series Kristan Vermeulen interviews Alternative Manufacturing Inc., one of New England’s best resources for electronic contract manufacturing, that is based in Winthrop, Maine. AMI serves a wide range of clients throughout the USA, Canada & Europe in markets. What's fascinating about AMI are the ways in which their circuit boards are used. From sound systems in private jets to robotic hands, they help makers bring their products to life. Kristan interviews Kim Vandermeulen and Jim Barry about how they help start-up companies with their tech needs. A great example of how AMI assisted someone in bringing their dream to life was with a woman who lives in Winthrop who wanted to find a technological solution for seniors to remember their walkers when navigating throughout the day. Tune in to learn more about AMI's history, how they have helped not only start-ups but international companies with their tech needs, and how Kim is not only a maker focused on tech but of delicious beverages.
SOMERSET CAREER AND TECHNICAL CENTER, WELDING CENTER
For the second episode of the series, Kristan Vermeulen interviews Madison High School principal Christopher LeBlanc and Chris Beaman welding instructor at Somerset Career and Technical Center (SCTC)’s welding center at Madison High School. SCTC trains over 300 students across Somerset County in various tech trades including welding. The welding program had an ongoing waitlist and the team decided they needed to expand. Madison Area Memorial High School offered a space that was previously used as a metal shop. Tune into the episode to learn more about the launch of the Madison Welding Center supported by numerous community partners including the Skowhegan Savings Foundation.
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Maine Fly Company
The Becoming a Maker series is proud to present the first Lady Maker on The Fly interview. Meet Maine Fly Company’s rod smiths Izzy Hutnak. Founder Jeff Davis started Maine Fly Company to celebrate his late father’s passion for fly fishing and Maine. Jeff was working a corporate gig prior to starting his own company and traveling a ton for work when his father passed, he stumbled upon his father’s fly rod collection and something clicked. He started toying around with the idea of building rods but not just any rod — a rod that is an art form. From the colorful blank to the custom grip to the finished reel seat — these rods are truly one of a kind. Made by hand, in small batches and many of his rods are inspired by and named after fisheries in Maine. Jeff left his corporate job and went full time with Maine Fly Company and as of two years ago has started to build a team that aims to keep the state’s fly-fishing culture and heritage alive through high-quality craftsmanship of their small batch rods. Izzy has been with Jeff’s business for a short amount of time and has caught on to the craft of fly rod building quite quickly. She grew up fly fishing with her father and is quite the angler as she has traveled all across Maine catching various types of fish. During our interview we chat about the rod smith process, what it’s like being a female rod smith in a very male-dominated sport, and some tips on what new anglers should keep in mind when getting into fly fishing.
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RECLAIMED MAINE Co.
The Becoming a Maker series is proud to present the second Lady Maker on The Fly interview. Meet Mary Zambello the owner, maker and designer of Reclaimed Maine. Her beautiful studio and wood shop are located at her home in Windham. Her business encompasses her love for the Maine Outdoors using lakes, pines, and coastlines as her inspiration. She custom designs and hand makes all of her products in hopes that they can inspire exploration and give back to Maine's environment. Her custom Pine Tree Coast design, which was the first design that kicked off her business, combines the love for Maine's forest and coast, the mission to protect it, and the desire to explore it as often as we can! Each year, she donates 10% of net proceeds from the Pine Tree Coast collection to the Natural Resources Council of Maine in order to help protect and reclaim Maine’s environment. She designs hats, apparel, and cutting boards and she even designs custom signs. But what is unique about the wood is that it is sustainably harvested. When you walk into her shop you feel like you’re stepping foot into a miniature LL Bean but it has some fun creatures you can pet including her beautiful cat and her extremely nice dog. Tune in to learn more about Mary's craft, her love for the outdoors, how she got into fly fishing which also brings inspiration to her business, and how she finds the maker and fly fishing community important to her.
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The Mallett Brothers Band
The Becoming a Maker series is proud to present The Mallett Brothers Band. Founded in 2009, the Mallett Brothers have had multiple lineup changes and stylistic shifts over the years, but they've remained steadfast in delivering heartfelt songs with emotional lyricism, vivid imagery, and dynamical musical tunes. Their busy tour schedule since forming in 2009 has helped them to build a dedicated fanbase across the U.S. and beyond while still calling the state of Maine their home. With a style that ranges from alt-country to Americana, country, jam, and roots rock, theirs is a musical melting pot that's influenced equally by the singer/songwriter tradition as by harder rock, classic country, and psychedelic sounds. They have performed at some of the country’s top venues and festivals, including Portland, Maine’s State. Texas Hill Country Explore Magazine calls them “New England’s wildly eclectic crew of genre rebels.” Tune in to learn more about The Mallett Brothers Band how they started their band, how they put together an album filled with traditional logging shanties, and much more.
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WinterStick
Back in 1972, Dimitrije Milovich and Wayne Stoveken engineered a board made to serve the snow they relocated from New Jersey to Utah to test their prototype on the fabled powder out at Powder Mountain. They rode, refined, and iterated on their concept and perfected the art of surfing the snow. Winterstick was born a founding father of the snowboarding revolution today, they're still making boards up here in Maine up north at Sugarloaf Mountain by and for real writers. Kristan got to sit down with Rob Lu, the President of the company to talk about the mix of art and engineering behind the craft of their snowboards. Not only are they continuing to craft the traditional renowned boards that many boarders know so well but they are testing new boundaries of performance, manufacturing, and sustainability. Tune in to learn more about the history of Winterstick, how they got to Maine, and where they're today.
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CHART Metalworks
On the next episode of the Becoming A Maker mini-series, we have CHART Metalworks. Founded in 2008 CHART Metalworks has been capturing memories and beautiful moments through charts and maps, or really any design you're envisioning through jewelry, home decor, and much more. Each piece is individually designed and made to order in their workshop located in the heart of downtown Portland. Their workshop flows with hands-on artistry at every step of their process. From the design to poor to engraving to polish, the team of four makes sure each step and each piece is as unique as their customer. Kristan got to speak with Janice Sears who is the owner of the small business and not only has she continued the growth of it, but also made some new and fun changes to grow it even further. Tune in to learn more about where CHART Metalworks is today under Janice's direction, what new products they have lined up, and much more.
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who is Skowhegan savings bank?
At Skowhegan Savings, we’re here for the makers. Those that create, innovate and serve. The businesses that move Maine forward. Since 1869 we've been striving to make our communities a better place to live and work. Every customer is treated with integrity and respect. When you walk through the doors of any of our 12 Maine locations, you can count on a highly personalized banking experience and an honest, forthright team of employees that are genuinely interested in meeting your individual needs.
PERSONAL GUIDANCE
We build relationships with businesses so we can help them achieve their goals
LOCAL DECISION MAKERS
Working with businesses throughout the state of Maine for over 150 years.
CUSTOM FINANCING
Our team of experts will help you get the financing your business needs.
Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender