Business Spotlight: Ranger Pest Services

Whether it is the pesky mosquito that will soon make it’s early summer appearance, ants that live in your home uninvited, ticks hiding in your landscape or the irritating mice and squirrels camping out in your attic – Ranger Rick of the independently and locally owned Ranger Pest Services has your back and is there to protect you, your family and your pets, too.

Rick Reinhard and his wife, Melissa, co-own and operate the family’s Cornish, Maine business. They are excited to announce that their son Macaleb joined the family business this year. They offer pest control services in Southern and Western Maine and have done so for over two years. Not new to customer service or entrepreneurship, the Reinhard’s have also owned a construction business, offering honest and reliable service for over 25 years. Rick brings his past experiences to Ranger Pest Services.

“Rick’s experience in building and construction gives him the knowledge required to locate and assess any pesky situation quickly, while delivering the most effective results,” Melissa said.

Krista Lair, owner of Krista’s Restaurant in Cornish verifies the top-notch advantages of hiring Ranger Pest Services:

“[We] switched to Ranger Pest Services last year after many years with a major pest company. Best decision ever. Personalized service, check-ins regarding issues and concerns and of course, the best part is... results! Rick also started servicing my house, which had become a squirrel circus training site for the entire Northeast. He focused on removing said circus from the house by tightening up entry points instead of just trapping them...loved this and love the fact that I haven't had an issue since! Definitely very thankful and highly recommend.”

Rick can professionally solve issues like these, and thus gaining trust of the clients they serve. Most service professionals who work for well-known and national pest control businesses would and could not offer what Rick can so easily resolve. First, he owns the business and his reputation matters. Rick delivers the services needed and develops a relationship with his patrons. You will not find this in the “big box” businesses. 

Secondly, and as their website states, “Ranger Pest Services brings the same honesty, integrity and fair prices Rick and Melissa have always been known for here in southern Maine. Using the latest technology, resources, and products, Ranger Pest Services offers both traditional and organic treatments.”

Rick Reinhard and his wife, Melissa, the co-owners
of Ranger Pest Services, are pleased to announce
that their son, Macaleb, has joined the team at
Ranger Pest Services. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Rick is licensed with Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Board of Pesticides Control and holds a Masters’ Applicator License. 
Rick and Melissa take pesticides seriously, using them in the only most needed situations. “We are very concerned about and hold deep respect for the environment,” said Melissa, who went on to explain her personal limited use of plastic. Rick said, “We think first, spray last.”

Using both traditional and organic treatments, the following are very imperative reasons why pest control services are important and the purpose why Ranger Pest Services opened their doors.

“There are a lot of serious diseases and health issues that are spread by pests and rodents to humans and pets,” Rick explained. “The top health issues to be considered is the West Nile Virus, transmitted by mosquitos and Lyme disease, spread by deer ticks. And that’s just a few concerns we have.”

According to the American Mosquito Control Association, “As of 2014, there have been 36,437 cases of WNV [West Nile Virus] reported to CDC [Center for Disease Control]. Of these, 15,774 have resulted in meningitis/encephalitis and 1,538 were fatal.”
Regarding the recent health and environmental concerns surrounding local Sebago Lakes region streams and lakes, Rick points out that it is mandated by law to spray a certain range away from watershed areas, thus relieving any possibility of contributing further to water contamination.

As for the over abundance of ants you may have visiting now or the mice who will want to nest in your home this fall, Rick can easily take care of them without entering your home. He can spray the foundation to prevent infestation. What is important to remember is to not put your health at risk by waiting for the problem to escalate.

To receive the highest quality and personalized pest control services that considers and respects the natural environment, email: rangerpestservices@yahoo.com or call 207-712-8871. For a free quote and more info visit them online at: rangerpestservices.com. <

Business Spotlight: Swift River Roasters

If you think about it, coffee connects a community in so many unique ways, linking us to each other over a cup, enlivening our taste buds and our senses, and fostering an appreciation of nature, where coffee beans are grown and harvested. Raymond’s Swift River Roasters launched in 2010 in conjunction with The Good Life Market and continues to build a solid reputation for roasting top quality green beans from around the world into delicious brews to fill local coffee cups.    

Swift River Roasters’ roasting facility is on Roosevelt Trail in Raymond with retail coffee and coffee drinks available right next door at the company’s flagship store, The Good Life Market, 1297 Roosevelt Trail, as well as at many other local locations.

“We small batch roast our coffee every week, so the product going out to our customers is super fresh,” said Linda Manchester, Swift River Roasters co-owner. “In addition to our wide range of standard offerings of single origin coffees, proprietary blends, and flavored coffees, we do private labeling for local markets, and we’ve worked with wholesale customers to develop custom blends to their unique tastes.”

Manchester said that Swift River Roasters has recently partnered with PFG Northcenter as a wholesale distributor, which allows them to serve a broader base of restaurants and retail establishments.

“In the Lakes Region, we’re available at The Good Life Market, Mills and Co., The Umbrella Factory, Windham Hannaford, Kelly’s Sebago Diner, Knight’s Cafe Naples, Chipman’s Farmstand Raymond, Standish Café, and Chutes' Cafe Casco. We ship wholesale and retail coffee directly to customers all over the country; we roast for a coffee company in Nashville, Tennessee, and for a medical software design company in Scottsdale, Arizona,” Manchester said. “PFG Northcenter distributes our coffee throughout Maine and New Hampshire, and we deliver directly to retail establishments throughout Southern Maine.”

Manchester said that the slogan for Swift River Roasters is “We’re here for you,” and that truly epitomizes the company’s basic business philosophy in every sense.  

“Swift River is top quality, delicious, no nonsense coffee that’s locally roasted, packaged and distributed, and we’re available all over the Lakes Region,” she said. “If we're not in your neighborhood, let us know and we’ll see how we can fix that. We’re responsive to our customers and to our staff. We’re dedicated to quality and consistency; we all drink our coffee every day, so we’re in constant contact with the product. We’re available locally in many different locations and we’re willing and eager to expand and grow our brand into other markets.”

According to Manchester, wholesale coffee roasting is the most significant aspect of the Swift River Roasters business.

“We’re focused on seeing our coffee represented widely in the marketplace. We roast high quality coffee, produce distinctive blends, and sell them at a great value,” she said. “We’re sized right to continue to offer our wholesale customers personalized service and support. We’re fortunate to be in a market where craft coffee roasting is established, and consumers are savvy about what they taste.  Mainers love coffee, and that means good business for all of us in the industry.”

Offering an exceptional quality product is paramount to Swift River  Roasters and that starts where the coffee beans are grown.

“We source our beans through an importer who works with different coffee growing countries,” Manchester said. “We follow the trends in the coffee world through the publications and conferences of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, and through networking with others in the industry.  We strive to stay up to date, but also down to earth; just like our mindset at The Good Life Market, our goal is for our coffee to be exceptional but approachable. We’re very hands-on with the business and with our customers, making sure that our coffee is well received and a successful product for our retailers.”

“Our coffee represents a great value in the marketplace, and our pricing is quite competitive. As with any international agricultural crop, coffee pricing is affected by weather and the political landscape, but we strive to keep the cost to the customer consistent and accessible,” Manchester said.

For wholesale inquiries about Swift River Roasters, call 207-655-3243; for retail inquiries, call 207-655-1196.  They also ship directly through their website www.swiftrivercoffee.com and you can follow them on Facebook or Instagram @swiftrivercoffeeroasters <

Business Spotlight: WildWood Properties, Inc.

Since 2014, WildWood Properties, Inc. has been setting new standards for reliability, quality and customer service for landscaping and property management in Windham. 

Owned by Rick and Anne Drapeau of Windham, WildWood Properties is a fully licensed, and insured landscape company that provides year-round residential and commercial landscape maintenance in residential and business markets in Southern Maine. It focuses on the delivery of quality landscape and hardscape services and an array of customized property management programs.

Currently WildWood employs a staff of 12 and offers expert mowing, overseeding, aeration, fertilizing, hedge pruning, mulch delivery and installation, planting, trimming, edging, creating outdoor living spaces, dethatching, and building firepits, ponds, waterfalls, patios, walkways, retaining and decorative walls. In the fall and winter, the WildWood team provides leaf cleanup and hauling, property checks, sand and salt spreading, roof raking, camp winterization, property checks, snow plowing and shoveling.

“We do it all,” said WildWood co-owner Rick Drapeau. “Our guys are some of the very best in the industry and they don’t sacrifice quality or cut corners to get the job done. There are a lot of landscape companies who for one reason or another get complacent. We take great pride in our work and provide the level of customer service and quality that is expected from the community.”

Drapeau said he thinks his employees have built a reputation for excellence and that shows in the work that they perform every day on the job.

“I believe that when you surround yourself with good people that good things will happen,” he said. We try to treat everyone with a level of respect that they deserve and really listen and empower them. That’s what truly makes this company successful. We love our staff and are fortunate to have therm.”

Offering competitive pricing, attention to detail and exceeding customer satisfaction has led to WildWood Properties being the first choice for those in the Sebago Lakes Region searching for a reputable landscape company.

“We live in this community and our customers are our friends and neighbors,” Drapeau said. “Our kids go to Windham schools. We are a very community supportive company. We volunteer for the Windham Youth Soccer Association,  Windham Youth Basketball and support Windham Little League and Project Graduation.”

WildWood also is environmentally conscious and earlier this year purchased its first all-electric commercial mower from Mean Green Mowers.

The new mower is battery powered and fuel efficient and has been pressed into service alongside WildWood’s electric pruner and electric blowers.

“We have been researching and watching the evolution of battery powered commercial lawn equipment,” Drapeau said. “This gives us the opportunity to offer clients the option of a complete zero emission, and a low-noise lawn care experience. For other clients, it will be mixed in with our regular fleet of equipment and ultimately reduce our fuel and maintenance costs.”

He said that WildWood is making a commitment to supporting sustainability efforts through this new electric equipment and by donating a portion of annual revenue in  2021 to support the Arbor Day Foundation.

“When it comes to the work we do and our desire to help the industry grow while providing a healthy environment for our children’s future, making sure our air is clean and forests are healthy perfectly aligns with our economic and environmental goals, Anne Drapeau said.

The Drapeaus also are excited to announce that they will be relocating their retail storefront from a 900-square-foot site in Windham to a larger 3,000-square-foot location in Windham later this year.

According to Rick Drapeau the move will give the company more room to sell products to the public including mulch, compost, super soil, stones, and John Deere Landscaping products such as professional grade grass seed and fertilizers.

“We are passionate about what we do. We love the smell of freshly cut grass and mulch,” he said. “We find every yard to be a blank canvas, allowing us to create visually stunning landscape designs for you to enjoy. At Wildwood Properties, Inc., we take pride in every yard we work on, going above and beyond with the extra details to make sure your property stands out.”

For more information about WildWood Properties, Inc., call 207-894-4254 or visit them online at https://www.wildwoodpropertiesinc.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/wildwoodpropertiesinc <

Business Spotlight: Mark Morrison, Atlantic Wealth Planning Group

Mark Morrison is interested in helping those who understand the value of investing, even if they find it sometimes confusing.

As a Financial Advisor since 2015, Morrison is affiliated with Atlantic Wealth Planning Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC located at 10 Plaza Drive, Suite 105 in Scarborough, and focused on clients throughout New England. Morrison employs a personal and consultative approach for individuals, families and businesses using sound, sensible solutions tailored to the needs of his clients. 

He grew up in small town Orrington and graduated from Bangor High School, where he met his wife, Candace. They have now been married for more than 30 years. Morrison earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Southern Maine and moved to Windham from South Portland in 1990 soon after his daughter Kristen was born.

The Morrisons have two children, with both son Greg and daughter Kristen attending schools in Windham and going on to earn business degrees from the University of Maine. Mark’s mother, Alola moved to Windham three years ago to be closer to family.

Morrison’s involvement in Windham began by supporting his children's interests but has steadily grown through the years to where he is now a respected leader in the town.

“I coached my daughter Kristen in soccer only briefly and coaching her quickly turned to chauffer when she started studying ballet in Falmouth.  I was out of my element fast, when it came to dance, having two left feet,” he said. “I coached soccer for about six years until Greg reached 6^th grade.  That was about the time I became part of a grass-roots effort of parents who helped bring varsity ice hockey to Windham where my role was fundraising.

He joined the Sebago Lake Rotary Club six years ago and is the new club president. His focus is on youth leadership, food security, education, senior issues and veterans.

“Rotary is also engaged with the Windham Veterans Center where my mom is a member and a retired Army officer,” Morrison said.

Along with that, Morrison has been a board member of the Windham Economic Development Corporation for three years with a focus on town improvement projects and new business opportunities.

That led to him running for a seat on the Windham Town Council last November, which he won and is now six months into a three-year term, emphasizing the town’s budget, sustainable growth, and protecting Windham’s natural resources.

His business background and experience in finance for 30-plus years are essential components to his work as a financial advisor. He’s worked in business in sales and as a consultant to small and large businesses along the East Coast, finding solutions through problem solving, and  building efficiencies in the energy, transportation and logistics industries with Ryder, Penske, and WEX.

Morrison is also a volunteer instructor with many local adult education programs, teaching on topics related to personal finance.   Social Security, Medicare, business retirement plans, estate and retirement planning are my most popular (see his website for schedule).

As a consultant with businesses and individuals for over 30 years, Morrison has developed a straightforward process to work with his clients. 

"I use a collaborative process which works very well for really understanding the present, and then identifying areas of opportunity to improve the client's position. We do a thorough ‘drill down’ in the analysis stage and solutions are then presented based on our discovery,” he said. “I explain the pros and cons and we then work together to find the best course of action with which the client is most comfortable.  We set goals, monitor to make sure we stay on track and adjust when needed.  The process I use is sound and sensible, but it has taken many years to develop and refine. Clients appreciate this approach and new clients are often gained through referrals.  I am taking on new clients, and certainly welcome an opportunity to see where I may help. <

To reach Mark Morrison, call him at 207-289-1005 or send him an email at mark.morrison@ampf.com. <