Maine is home to myriad successful businesses. Today we speak with two entrepreneurs who are creating high-quality products and contributing to community well-being. Fred Forsley is the founder and president of Shipyard Brewing Company, an business that supports many local road races. Cyndi Prince is the founder of LooHoo, LLC, a Maine-based company that makes and sells reusable, energy-saving wool dryer balls.
Guests
Cyndi Prince
Cyndi Prince is the founder of LooHoo, LLC, a Maine-based company that makes and sells LooHoo Wool Dryer Balls, a reusable, energy-saving alternative to dryer sheets for those concerned with protecting their family’s health and the environment. Cyndi began her entrepreneur journey by completing business development courses, including through New Ventures Maine. She has been a recipient of a MTI Seed Grant Award, a SPANX by Sara Blakely “Leg Up” Promotion winner and featured entrepreneur, and most recently, was selected as the SBA’s 2014 Home-Based Business Champion Award for Maine and New England. She resides in Camden with her husband, Scott Stoughton, and their son, Graham
Fred Forsley
Fred Forsley is the founder and president of Shipyard Brewing Company, the largest brewery in Maine and a national leader in the craft brew industry. He also owns the award-winning Sea Dog Brewing Company. Other businesses he owns include Capt’n Eli’s Soda, Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub, Regatta Event Center, Shipyard Brew Pub, The Inn on Peaks Island, and the real estate company Harborview Properties. Forsley is a graduate of Cheverus High School and the Whittemore School of Business at the University of New Hampshire.
At age 19, he started Fred Forsley Realty and became one of the youngest real estate brokers in Maine to own his own firm. Following that, he assisted in the development of the largest recycling operation in the state and later served on the board of directors that fostered the sale of this business. Forsley also founded Liberty Financial Group, which is involved in syndicating government housing projects. In addition, Forsley is the president of Harborview Properties, a 20 broker real estate firm with offices in Portland and Falmouth, Maine.
Most notably, Forsley is the founder and co-owner of Shipyard Brewing Company, the largest brewery in Maine and a national leader in the craft brew industry. Shipyard grew out of the Kennebunkport Brewing Company and Federal Jack’s Restaurant and Brew Pub, which Forsley began in 1992 as a way to turn around a troubled retail development in Kennebunk, Maine. These two businesses became the centerpiece of the property and continue to prosper today under Forsley’s guidance.
In 2009 the Maine State Chamber of Commerce honored him with a President’s Recognition Award. In 2015 he received Sugarloaf’s Summiteer Award for his continuous commitment to giving back to the cancer community in Maine.