Whitney Reynolds Waxman, COO and President of American Roots

By Rachel Hurn

First and foremost, Whitney Reynolds Waxman is proud that she was able to save her family’s business this year. American Roots, an apparel company based in Westbrook that crafts 100-percent American-made, union-made, customized apparel, watched 70 percent of its potential sales for the year disappear when COVID-19 hit. “I didn’t know if we were going to lose everything we had spent the last five years building,” Reynolds Waxman says. But then the textile company pivoted its production line to a product that was in desperate demand: face masks. “Growing our business from 25 employees to 125 during a pandemic offered a real sense of accomplishment,” Reynolds Waxman says. “Creating jobs in our community is what our little company is all about.” On top of the challenge of being a business owner over the past year, the chief operating officer and president is also the mother of two toddlers, and pregnant with her family’s third. “Trying to balance family and business, while one of my biggest accomplishments, has also proved to be one of my biggest challenges,” she says, “but it’s one that I’ve gladly accepted and hopefully conquered.”