Business spotlight - Bear Hill Electric, LLC - By Michelle Libby

Bear Hill Electric can wire and fix any electrical needs from replacing a light bulb to wiring a new house. Willis Dicentes and his team of four have over 50 years of combined experience and have seen and done almost any type of electrical work. Commercial or residential jobs, nothing is too big or too small for them. 

“We try to focus on our customers. We have a lot of repeat business, and that says something about who we are,” said Dicentes. 

They do remodels, service upgrades, or lighting upgrades for energy efficiency in commercial settings, which can save customers a lot of money on their electric bill. Dicentes is always looking out for what’s best for the client. He will look for the most affordable way to do a quality job. He won’t start out with the most expensive fix, like rewiring a kitchen to put in a new light switch. Bear Hill is an Efficiency Maine partner, which means that Dicentes can walk through a building, see what a client has for lighting and offer efficient fixes that can help them save money. Many times the little switches he suggests will lower wattage and cut electric bills in half. 

“We want to build a relationship and get repeat business versus we’re never going to see you again,” said Dicentes. Bear Hill Electric is known for its attention to detail and taking care of the little stuff, like cleaning up and vacuuming after a project is complete. 

Dicentes started working in the industry when he was in high school. His uncle and grandfather were both electricians. He was part of the vocational program at Westbrook High School when he was in high school and continued his education to become an electrician. 

The home office for Bear Hill Electric is in Hollis at this time, but that doesn’t stop Dicentes from doing jobs all over southern Maine as well as Bangor and even Madawaska. Most of their jobs are in the Sebago region. 

Bear Hill Electric has the right equipment to help with any project. It has a bucket truck that can reach 45 feet to put in a pole light and has a scissor lift to work in buildings with high ceilings. 

Electricians are more than just wiring lights. They can wire septic pumps, water filtration systems, recessed can lights, hard wired smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. They can also put in an outlet for a hot tub and do pool wiring. 

One of the most unique job Dicentes has done is put a generator at a cell tower on top of a mountain. The road was terrible and rather than drive down for the night, he spent the night on top of the mountain to finish the job the following day. 

“We will do the job right. We don’t cut corners. If there’s an issue, we’ll come back to take care of it,” he said. 

Bear Hill employees work with real estate loans to help close deals, by putting in the smoke detectors or adding GFI breakers in a kitchen or bathroom. The company also sells automatic generators and can wire them safely so if the power goes out the generator will keep the lights on. 

Bear Hill Electric’s goals are to keep growing in the area and to find a location in Windham. Dicentes wants to continue to build relationships with other businesses too. The company and its employees are licensed and insured. 

They keep up with training that is required including a class on code updates, which happens every three years.

Bear Hill Electric is a member of the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce and multiple BNI chapters and was named number one in The Eagle Choice Awards for 2015. 

For more information or to set up an appointment, call 894-7000 or email BearHillElectric@gmail.com. You can also visit their website at www.Bear-Hill.com. They gladly accept all major credit cards and offer emergency services 24/7.  

Business spotlight - Cumberland Title - By Michelle Libby

Cumberland Title Services has been involved in home closings for more than 30 years. Anyone who has purchased a home has most likely used a title company to check the deed to the property, set up the closing and arrange all of the paperwork. 

In 2008, Matthew and Randee McDonald purchased Cumberland Title and they haven’t looked back.

“I knew this was what I wanted to do in law,” said Matthew, who is the lawyer on staff as well as the owner. “Not every title company has a lawyer on staff.” 

Title companies are often over looked between the realtor and lender, however, clients need to know that they have a choice of title companies when it comes to their home purchase. Matthew recommends that people shop for a title company just like they shop from lenders. “When shopping for a title company you should ask if they have an attorney on staff,” he said. 

Title companies do three things. The closings, including all of the paperwork, emails and coordination of the buyer, seller. They preside over the closing dispersing the papers and making sure the transaction is complete. They do the title search, which is where they research the property history to assure that the seller has a clear title to the property. They also issue title insurance, which is an insurance policy that says that you are the owner of the property. “That’s the only thing backing up your ownership of the property,” said Matthew. 

Cumberland Title can do closings anywhere in the State of Maine. They have a main office in Portland, but have satellite offices in Brunswick, Lincoln and soon Windham. Their newest office in Windham at 585 Roosevelt Trail, will be open in the next few weeks, according to Randee. The McDonald’s have lived in Windham for 10 years. The company has 12 employees. The company is growing and will continue to grow. Matthew has his eye out for a processor for a location in Bangor and one in York County. The company does not have sales people only people who can get things done for their clients. 

“With 8,500 real estate transactions, we have a deeper level of experience. And we’re locally owned,” Matthew said. “We are looking to service realtors, home buyers and lenders in the community.” 

Some lenders own their own title company, but according to Matthew that’s not good for the consumer. Check out title companies and don’t just follow the lender or realtor blindly. 

Cumberland Title has a strong social media presence and has started a YouTube series titled “How to Purchase a Home in Maine.” Seven episodes have already been shot. The general series can help novice home buyers to the more advanced. 

“The title is a fairly large charge. They should know what we do and how we do it,” Randee said. 

The company is also involved in a program called Homes for Heroes for military, police, fire, teachers and medical personnel, where they receive an automatic $100 discount. “Those are the people we want living in our communities,” Matthew said. 

Matthew also does some estate planning, simple will creation, power of attorney and advance healthcare directives for his clients outside of the title services he offers. 

Randee is the affiliate director of the Greater Portland Board of Realtors for 2016. The company works with Habitat for Humanity and Woodford Family Services. 

“Homeownership is important and good for communities,” Matthew said.

Business spotlight - Windham Powersports - By Michelle Libby

Since opening Windham Powersports at its present location on Roosevelt Trail two years ago, Chris McDonald has only seen his business grow. 
 

“Everything’s gotten bigger,” he said. “We’re growing fast enough that we need to expand.” 

Windham Powersports is not only known for their outstanding small engine repairs but has also become known for their plentiful line-up of youth sized 4-wheelers which can be seen on any given day in front of their shop on Route 302 at 1037B Roosevelt Trial. The shop buys and sells everything from 4-wheelers, dirt bikes and go-karts to lawnmowers and snow blowers. They expanded to selling brand new youth-sized machines after McDonald saw a need to fill this niche in the market. 

“The business is worlds apart from what I expected it to be,” McDonald said, not at all upset by that.

This past week, Windham Powersports opened up a new showroom in one of its garage bays. The new retail space is what McDonald needed to service his customers who wanted brand new machines and new parts to fix and upgrade the machines they already have. They are also an Interstate Battery dealer. The showroom even has a display of Hot Wheels that are 4-wheelers and snowmobiles. 

He is the exclusive carrier of Coolster kid machines, which are high in quality but lower in price than other manufacturers. Because they are assembled onsite, they are able to give customers a better price than almost anywhere else.

New stock is available year round. Used items are by season and obtain-ability. “Two or three years down the road, you can sell it back because we take trade-ins,” he said. “Then get the next size up.” 

“It’s a little store. It’s bright and vibrant,” said McDonald. In the store he carries parts for almost everything he sells as well as drive belts for most small engines like snowmobiles, ATVs, 4-wheelers and snow blowers, youth or full sized. He has rebuild and handlebar kits, youth helmets, gloves and goggles of all colors. “I want to expand the market and what’s available to offer to my customers,” McDonald said. 

Although service is a little less than half of their business, the mechanics are kept busy repairing and fixing machines for customers. 

“I can be the guy who works on everything,” said McDonald. “We have better rates than anyone and my two mechanics know what they are doing.” The number of mechanics increases in the summer to three or four, he said.  McDonald sells kid-wheelers and go-carts and also sells bigger items like scooters and adult sized machines. 

McDonald has developed relationships with other business people in similar industries. If he can’t meet a customer’s needs, he refers them to other places. 

Windham Powersports fixes items for people who have been driving the same lawnmower for 20 years or the 14-or 15-year-old kid who drives his bike out of the woods and says, “Dude it’s making noise, can you fix me up?” They do not fix anything that goes in the water or street bikes. They do fix scooters. 

“Building a relationship with the community is so important for me,” said McDonald. “Sitting around the dinner table, I want to be on the tip of the tongue when someone needs something fixed.” 

Windham Powersports is running a local special free pick-up and delivery to anywhere in Windham. “We’re trying to help solve that problem for people,” he said. 

Windham Powersports is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Everything Windham Powersports has for sale is also up on their FB page. More on the company can also be found at www.windhampowersports.com. To schedule an appointment, call 893-8511 or email service@windhampowersports.com.

Firsts - Starting a business is like the rest of life - By Robert Leonard

Starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur (for the first time) is not about taking one step at a time, it's about getting beyond the firsts - maybe many first or even a series of first (purposely left singular).  The advice here is when you encounter a first, don't consider the task, consider it as a first - you have done 100s of firsts before.

Think about what scares us in life - it's not the doing of something over and over, it's about doing those things for the first time.  But those firsts are more than scary, they also become our most revered and treasured memories. Think about it - here are some examples of our firsts.

• First day of school - elementary, JHS, HS, college
• First date, first dance, first girlfriend/boyfriend, first kiss, first time
• First love, first child
• First job, first sales call, first rejection, first sale
• (Celebration of the first $Dollar$ pinned or framed on the wall)
• First business, first hire, first office

What's common here?  It's the word first. When we are afraid or scared, it's because it's your first time. It is not about being insurmountable or impossible - it's just that we have never done it or been there before.

Remember, your first time at anything has an unknown element to it - the unknowns, by their very nature, at a minimum, cause us hesitation - at the most, cause us fear. 

Any venture, any opportunity, any challenge, and much of life is about doing, and getting beyond, your firsts.

We celebrate firsts. We reminisce of firsts.

"When was the last time you did something for the first time." ~ John C. Maxwell

"What makes the Biggest Difference in ones chance of success - Doing It"  ~rel

My Three Predictions for Business 2016-2020 - "My Crystal Ball" - By Robert Leonard

Prediction one - Business to itself will flourish and grow over the next five years going from good to great. The markets, which have been growing slowly over the last few years, will continue to grow except that they will be accelerating. For the last five years we have been in a "replacement" market. This market has become the norm for our society today. We, in general, have not been buying products because we wanted them, but because we needed them - "our old one broke down". In the next five years, business and market growth will accelerate as there is a pent up demand for the "I Wants" rather than "I Needs". This points to good times.

Prediction two - Financial instrument marketers will become more aggressive with the offering of more aggressive products. Aggressive investment capital was stifled for several years for two reasons, the media told us of impending doom and the investment /tax rules were in flux - we like to invest where we know the rules. Today, there is still huge pent up capital "waiting on the sidelines", but looking, for a place to flow. In the next 5 years it will flow, possibly like it has never flowed in the past and probably not peaking for 20 years - yes, a 20-year boom. This points to good times.

Prediction three - Business and life are being redefined by our dreams and desires. In the past, it has always been about security and consistency, which came with stress and vulnerability. We will see more people stepping out (even if they are forced out) taking on the world satisfying their own entrepreneurial desires and wants setting their own destinies. This will create jobs, wealth, and be a major part of our future and the economy. This points to good times.

So where are all these opportunities - examples please?

• Convenience Services
• Landscaping
• Food Prep and Delivery
• Child Care
• Financial Services
• More people today are at least concerned about their future
• Specialty Manufacturing.
• Anything that can be made and shipped inexpensively and/or regonally  There are even boutique steel manufactures

Entrepreneurism will not only be the future, but the thing to be. 

"A True Entrepreneur does not think they can, they just don't know why they can't" ~rel

Follow us on Twitter @T4Leonard and @WindhamEagle.