Shared Values Make for Happy Partnerships
At iBec we believe that working with like-minded companies makes for happy partnerships. We take pride in servicing clients that help make a difference in their communities. While we can’t highlight ALL of our client’s efforts (because there are so many!) we’ve chosen a couple to feature here to raise awareness of some of the ways they’re making a difference.
People and our planet are priority
Notice we didn’t say that ‘profit’ is our priority. Yes, we do operate as a for-profit company. However, we recognize that as a prominent business in a state that has a deep appreciation for the woods and waters around us, we have a certain responsibility to operate as a force for good. After all, we wouldn’t be doing what we love without the people that make iBec great and the local environment in which we thrive.
Working together towards a common goal
Juggling as many projects, goals, milestones, budgets, tasks (and so on) as we do, teamwork is central to the success of every project. There’s nothing that we have accomplished that we haven’t accomplished together. An important member of each project team? Our clients. The company history and industry know-how that each client brings to the table helps set the project up for success. A team is only as good as the members that constitute it and we believe a great team is the foundation of success. That’s why, morals aside, we believe in pursuing client relationships with like-minded companies. People are happiest when they like the people they work with. And we believe happy people do better work.
Morals matter, in business and beyond
Not only do shared values help structure happy working relationships, they also harbor customer loyalty. Younger generations are now aging into the consumer sphere and they’re demanding more from businesses. It’s not enough for a company to simply supply an in-demand, quality product or service anymore. Buying based on beliefs is becoming increasingly common and we believe that the companies that act for the greater good are going to be the ones left standing. However, behaving in a moral manner because it’s what other people are doing or because it’s considered “good business” isn’t enough. It has to come from a true place of caring. How can you tell the businesses that truly care from the ones that are only acting in interest of increased profit? We suggest taking a look at the companies they work with. People (and companies) reveal themselves through their actions. A company that turns down a chance to increase their profitability because of misaligned values is a company that is showing that they truly care.
Seeing is believing
Supporting companies that share our values, means we get bragging rights! We consider ourselves lucky to work with companies that are making a difference. Here’s a brief overview of certain initiatives our clients are taking to improve the world around them:
Environmental Warriors
Atlantic Sea Farms
Their story: “Our founders created the first commercially viable seaweed farm in the United States in 2009, with the goal of diversifying how our coastal waters are used and providing a domestic, fresh, healthy alternative to imported seaweed products.
Now, more than ever, we need food sources that can positively impact the economic and environmental health of our coastal communities. Climate change is already making landfall on coastal communities in the US, and our future depends on finding new ways for fishing families to work on the water while improving the health of our oceans.”
Head to their website to learn more about how Atlantic Sea Farms is impacting our local environment.
Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers
Their story: “Thos. Moser was founded 50 years ago with the intent of restoring the lost art of making furniture well. Today there are some 70 men and women in our workshop who continue to craft pieces the same way we did at the beginning: one piece, one craftsman, one signature. We rely on sustainable North American hardwoods, traditional joinery executed by hand and individual workmanship. We are guided by our mission to build furniture that celebrates the natural beauty of wood; is of simple, unadorned, graceful lines; and is crafted for a long useful life.”
When it comes to sustainability, Thos. Moser states that “Like most of our customers, we are committed to sustainability. It’s a term we apply to every aspect of our business, from our work culture to the raw materials we use. That’s why we take particular care in sourcing the hardwood, leather and fabrics used to produce our furniture.”
Head to their website to learn more about how Thos. Moser sources their materials to make high-end, handcrafted, sustainable furniture.
Charitable Givers
R.J. Grondin
Their story: “Team Grondin includes a dedicated core of skilled employees with an average of more than nine years with the company. Each of our field supervisors, foremen, and crew chiefs averages more than fifteen years of construction industry experience with R.J. Grondin & Sons. In addition, we have long-established relationships with dependable, qualified suppliers, service firms, specialty subcontractors, and other contractors, enabling us to provide full-service solutions for most construction projects.”
Having been a prominent figure in Maine’s construction industry since 1959, R.J. Grondin has been influential in shaping the community around us. It only makes sense that they would also be passionate about giving back.
“Community involvement is a longstanding tradition at R.J. Grondin & Sons. Throughout the past six decades, the company and its team have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to scores of worthwhile causes and benefits including major contributions to the Boy Scouts’ Camp Hinds facilities and to many youth organizations in the Greater Portland Area ranging from the K‑12 school system, multiple Regional Technical Centers, the Community College System and the University System.
Besides direct financial support of the many local community schools, organizations and charitable causes, the Grondin Team believes in helping with in-kind services for special projects such as local youth ball field improvements as well as various Eagle Scout projects in Southern Maine.”
Head to their website to learn more about how they have been supporting our community in more ways than one.
Lebel & Harriman
Their story: “Mike Lebel and Phil Harriman formally organized Lebel & Harriman, LLP as a Maine-based partnership in March of 1983 – solidifying our roots. The prevailing professional wisdom at the time was that every solution, no matter what problem their clients faced, could be found within a small toolbox of proprietary products. By contrast, Mike and Phil believed in an idea that everyone else thought was crazy: focus on finding best interest solutions for clients instead of pushing product. Guided by this shared core belief that if you treat people the way you want to be treated then success will follow, they began to build their firm by building relationships.”
Both as individuals and as a company, Lebel & Harriman takes pride in giving back to their community. Whether this is by donating their time serving on a board or providing financial support to charities that make a difference, their involvement spans across a wide range of the community!
Head to Lebel & Harriman’s website to see the full list of boards they serve on and charities that they help to support.
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