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Puritan recognized by Institute for Family-Owned Business

PORTLAND — A diverse group of companies from across the state was honored Oct. 6 at the 21st Maine Family Business Awards gala at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, hosted by Erin Ovalle of Maine Life Media.

Presented by the Institute for Family-Owned Business in partnership with MEMIC, the awards recognize exemplary Maine firms that demonstrate excellence in family involvement, business success, and commitment to employees, customers, and community. From 166 nominations, 40 semi-finalists competed to receive seven awards. An independent panel of judges, facilitated by Anne Hussey, partner at Quad Group and board member of Hussey Seating Company, selected the winners from among 24 finalists.

Puritan Medical Products Co., LLC of Guilford received the IFOB’s first National Service Award in recognition of the company’s Herculean efforts to meet the needs of the state and nation in the fight against COVID-19. The 100-year-old company, North America’s largest manufacturer of testing swabs, was thrust into the national spotlight in 2020 as the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The company increased production to seven days a week and within two months, its factory was running shifts 24/7 to meet the need.

Sponsors of the 2021 Maine Family Business Awards include title sponsor MEMIC and Machias Savings Bank, Renys, Chalmers Insurance Group, BerryDunn, Verrill, Better Business Bureau, People’s United Bank, Cumberland Crossing by OceanView, OceanView at Falmouth, Skowhegan Savings, Oakhurst, Cross Insurance, Lee Auto Malls, Bangor Savings Bank, Morong Falmouth, Horch Roofing, Norway Savings Bank, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Fast Forward Maine, Maine HR Convention, Down East, DMM, flyte new media, AV Technik, Maine Life Media, Mainebiz, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, and Sun Journal.

The Institute for Family-Owned Business is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting family-owned businesses, which represent about 80 percent of all businesses in Maine. Through consulting, seminars, workshops, and networking, the Institute assists family-owned firms in meeting the unique managerial challenges associated with operating and sustaining a successful family enterprise. Additional information is available on the Institute’s website, http://www.fambusiness.org.

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