Building Foundations of Love When you open the door into Blueprints Early Learning Center in Lebanon, it is clearly a place where love abounds. Some children are busy with projects, others listening intently to a story read by one of the teachers and more are just waking up from naps. The infant room for little ones has two teachers and while some babies sleep, others are awake and being cuddled and fed. It is evident that the children are enjoying every minute and the staff provides a circle of calm and caring that make this the town’s number one full-service…

Designing a Bright and Colorful Future “Even with an award-winning business plan, banks kept saying no.” That’s when Kate Nelligan contacted Southern Maine Finance Agency (SMFA). Kate had been turned down by a number of banks as she sought to bring her design business to the village of Kennebunkport. She had even found retail space in the super competitive Dock Square area on her own, but it was SMFA that believed in her concepts and successful track record that made the financing possible. Kate, who is a Kennebunkport native, had started her own business after working for a number of corporations and…

Grandmother’s recipe creates a startup business. When Stacy Cooper, working in Boston, decided to move to Maine, she brought along her grandmother’s biscuit recipe and a desire to be an entrepreneur. After selling her biscuits at local fairs and the Kennebunk Farmers Market, her friends and partner encouraged her to apply for the 2013 Biddeford Main Street Challenge and fulfill her dream of opening a restaurant. After Stacy made it to the second round, she reached out to a small business coach to work on her business plan and design some market research. When she won the competition’s $10,000 prize,…