Maine’s Forest Entrepreneurship: Unlocking Business Opportunity

In the kickoff session of The Business of Maine’s Forest Product Sector course, Maine’s Forest Entrepreneurship: Unlocking Business Opportunity, we’ll explore the entrepreneurial landscape in Maine’s forest products sector. You’ll hear about value-added opportunities that are happening now and learn how to identify and seize new business ventures. To get us started, Erica Watson, Senior Program Director Education & Workforce from Maine Development Foundation will provide insight into the current state of the forest products sector, taking us through the kinds of opportunities available and the forecast for the future.

Then, we’ll hear from Anthony Durante, who is the Director of New Ventures at the University of Maine. In this role, he is responsible for developing and implementing strategies, initiatives, and programs that advance the commercialization of innovations developed within the University of Maine System and partner research organizations.

His previous roles in the entrepreneurial ecosystem include being the Manager of Entrepreneurial Support for the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, where he managed Ben Franklin TechVentures, a technology-focused business incubator. Before that, Anthony was the Program Manager for the Allentown Economic Development Corporation, where he managed the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center, a manufacturing business incubator.

Lastly, we’ll hear from Tom Fox, who founded Fox Forestry in 1996 while studying at UMaine. Prior to UMaine, Tom studied Forest Technology at Paul Smith’s College in New York. Tom developed his business for nearly 3 decades based on the needs of customers and changing regulations, while finding his niche of products and services to set his business apart from others.

Sign up to attend this workshop

Want to take The Business of Maine’s Forest Product Sector for college credit? Complete MSBB’s Registration Form and WCCC’s Enrollment Form