Every Insight begins as a conversation on the Maine Thrive Voices podcast
— local owners and leaders talking about the work of building
something that lasts in the Penobscot Valley.
Health & Wellness
Dr. Meaghan Staples
Refine Physical Therapy
From athlete and physical therapy patient to practice owner —
Dr. Meaghan Staples shares the unexpected path that brought her to
Maine and led Refine Physical Therapy to specialize in women’s
pelvic floor care.
Home Services
Adam Barker-Hoyt
MAC Heat Pumps
From mathematics instructor to one of Maine’s most trusted heat
pump contractors — Adam Barker-Hoyt shares the growth, hard
lessons, and values behind building MAC Heat Pumps.
Nonprofits & Animal Welfare
Suzan Prendergast
Bangor Humane Society
Eighteen years leading the shelter that serves thirty-five towns
— and why she’d love a community that no longer needed it.
Home & Appliance Services
Chris Mendoza
The Appliance Doctor
A hand-written letter from his grandfather brought him from Long Island
to Bangor — and put a decades-old family business in its next
generation of trusted hands.
Nonprofits & Animal Welfare
Britney Ellis
The Animal Orphanage
Inside one of the region’s most trusted rescue organizations,
and the work of caring for animals and community at once.
Home & Property Services
Tony LaPrino
North Star Property Solutions
Preparing properties — and a business — for long-term
success in the Penobscot Valley.
Pet Care
Peter Richmond
Woof LLC
Dog daycare, boarding, and grooming in Glenburn — building a
business where trust is the whole product.
Sports & Community
Laura McIntyre
MESA — Maine Endurance Sports Alliance
Building a statewide endurance sports community from the ground up,
one race and one runner at a time.
Real Estate
Flori Davis
NextHome Experience
The discipline of endurance sport meets the discipline of building a
real estate business — lessons from a course-record marathoner.
Health & Wellness
Amber Willey
207 Wellness
Real, grounded wellness support close to home — and what it means
to run a business that is also a place of trust.
Food & Community
Anik Derphilibossian
Dreamer Food
Building a food business rooted in flavor, culture, and community in
downtown Bangor — and why a small city is the right place to
dream big.
Health & Wellness
Brad Libby
Performance Physical Therapy and Sports Rehab, Inc.
Movement, recovery, and injury prevention — how individualized
physical therapy keeps Mainers active and pain-free.
New conversations are always in production. This page grows as the
region’s stories do.