Maine Thrive Voices

Sandy Smith

Maine Thrive Voices highlights the people, businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders helping Maine communities thrive. Through conversations, interviews, and local insights, we explore stories about business, wellness, community growth, local events, and the people making a difference across Maine. Episodes feature local business owners, healthcare professionals, nonprofit leaders, community organizations, and voices from regions throughout the state — including the Penobscot Valley, Kennebec Valley, Casco Bay, and beyond. Produced by Maine Valley Voices Media.

  1. 6d ago

    From Rivals to "We're Doing It" — Molly Hooper & Paige Teel, Tides to Pines

    Maine Thrive Voices opens its Community Voices chapter with its first two-guest episode. Before there was a Tides to Pines, Molly Hooper and Paige Teel ran the two biggest competing property management companies in Rockland. Today they run one company together: Tides to Pines, a Rockland-based, full-service vacation rental management company caring for roughly 485 Maine homes. Molly is CEO and Paige is Chief Experience Officer. In this conversation, Molly, Paige, and Sandy talk about: • How COVID turned two rivals into allies, then friends, then co-founders • What they learned working inside a national corporate operator, and why they left to bring back personal service • Why Airbnb and VRBO are marketing channels, not managers, and what full service really means • "Two clients in every transaction": caring for homeowners and guests at the same time • How two partners with "one brain cell" work through disagreements on paper, with humility • The hardest lesson of their first years: when your gut says something isn't right, change it now • Why "Maine is just one big small town," and why they've turned down offers to expand out of state • Growing with guardrails, from Brunswick to Acadia to Moosehead, and what's on the map next The only scoreboard that matters to them is the guest who drives home saying, "That was the best vacation ever — we can't wait to come back." Recorded September 9, 2026. Connect with Molly, Paige, and Tides to Pines: Tides to Pines: https://tidestopines.com Read the companion Insight on Maine Thrive Insights: https://mainethriveinsights.com/molly-hooper--paige-teal Listen and follow on every platform: https://pod.link/1896782233 Maine Thrive Voices is produced by Smith Digital Solutions, LLC in Bangor, Maine. Learn more at smithdigitalsolutions.com.

    From Rivals to "We're Doing It" — Molly Hooper & Paige Teel, Tides to Pines

  2. Sep 11

    It’s What I Was Born to Do

    Nancy Marshall trademarked herself. The PR Maven® has spent more than four decades in public relations,and this year Marshall Communications — whose client list reads like a tour of the Maine economy — celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary. Episode 13 opens a new chapter of Maine Thrive Voices with our one-of-one Founding Ambassador, andit’s the story of how a teenage girl from Maine flew to Pittsburgh, shadowed the woman running PR at Westinghouse headquarters, and came home announcingexactly what she was going to do with her life. From there: the Sugarloaf years under PR dynamo Chip Carey — a live Good Morning America broadcast from the mountain, a page-one Wall Street Journal story, walking into The New York Times without an appointment. Flip Day with Bill Green in Class V whitewater. Taking her own name off the door in 2018 to shine the light on her team. Why personal branding matters just as much for the plumber in Hermon as it does for a CEO.And the argument at the heart of her third book, due out in weeks: old-fashioned public relations is exactly how a Maine business gets found by AI. Read the companion Insight: https://mainethriveinsights.com/nancy-marshallVisit Marshall Communications: https://marshallpr.comAll episodes: https://pod.link/1896782233

    It’s What I Was Born to Do

  3. Sep 2

    Episode 12 — The Sign Meaghan Staples Asked For

    Episode 12 — The Sign Meaghan Staples Asked For Guest: Dr. Meaghan Staples, DPT, Owner, Refine PhysicalTherapy (Hermon, Maine)   Dr. Meaghan Staples grew up a gymnast and college polevaulter in small-town Minnesota, tore her ACL, rehabbed her way back, and knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life. Seven years of schooling later, travel physical therapy sent her — almost at random — to Lincoln, Maine. Thenshe met a Mainer. And as she says, it's nearly impossible to get a Mainer to leave Maine. So here she is.  In this conversation, Meaghan shares how she went out on her own with exactly one client on grand opening day, and the remarkable moment that turned a general outpatient practice into Greater Bangor's home for women's pelvic floor physical therapy: she asked for a sign that this was herpath — and got one the very next day, unprompted, from a client who came in for knee pain.  She explains in plain language what the pelvic flooractually is, why "just do Kegels" is so often the wrong advice, and why guarded, tense muscles need to lengthen before they can strengthen. She shares the statistic that stops people cold — sixty percent of women over theage of twenty experience bladder leakage — and describes her favorite day in the clinic: early jumping day, when clients discover their bodies can do what they'd been told to just live without.  And she looks ahead: a growing team, women's groupstrengthening classes, and a robust prenatal and postpartum program — all in service of one message for the women of Greater Bangor: it's never too late.   Connect with Dr. Meaghan Staples and Refine PhysicalTherapy: Website: https://www.refinephysicaltherapy.com Read the companion Insight on Maine Thrive Insights: https://mainethriveinsights.com/dr-meaghan-staples Explore Meaghan's profile on the Maine Thrive CommunityNetwork: https://penobscotvalleythrive.com/detail-page/refine-physical-therapy-llc Maine Thrive Voices is produced by Smith Digital Solutions,LLC in Bangor, Maine. Follow the show: https://pod.link/1896782233

    Episode 12 — The Sign Meaghan Staples Asked For

  4. Aug 27

    Adam Barker-Hoyt Did The Math

    Episode 11 — Adam Barker-Hoyt Did the Math Guest: Adam Barker-Hoyt, Owner, MAC Heat Pumps (Bangor, Maine) Fifteen years ago, Adam Barker-Hoyt was a university mathematics instructor who had never heard of a heat pump. Today he runs one of Maine's most trusted heat pump companies — an A+ BBB-accredited operation serving the entire state, with a 4.9 average across more than five hundred Google reviews. In this conversation, Adam takes us from his unpaid year apprenticing under heat pump expert Jim LaBrecque, through the rebate boom that grew MAC Heat Pumps 600% two years running, into the brutal stretch when competition flooded the market and he worked fourteen-hour days just to make payroll. He shares the values that carried the company through, gives his refreshingly honest answer on whether a heat pump can handle a Maine winter (spoiler: keep a backup), and explains why heating with a heat pump has stayed cheaper than oil every single year he's been in business — even when oil was at its cheapest. And he lays out the mission that keeps him going: standing against the throwaway culture by repairing units others won't touch, refurbishing old systems for a second life, and proving that the climate case, the community case, and the business case are all the same case. Connect with MAC Heat Pumps: Website: https://macheatpumps.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MACHeatPumps Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macheatpumpsme/ Phone: 207-947-3851 Read the companion Insight article on Maine Thrive Insights: https://mainethriveinsights.com/adam-barker-hoyt Maine Thrive Voices is produced by Smith Digital Solutions, LLC in Bangor, Maine. Learn more at smithdigitalsolutions.com.

    Adam Barker-Hoyt Did The Math

  5. Jul 24

    I would love for us to go out of business because no one needed our help. That would be a lovely day.

    "I would love for us to go out of business because no one needed our help. That would be a lovely day." That's Suzan Prendergast, Executive Director of the Bangor Humane Society, after eighteen years leading the shelter that serves thirty-five Penobscot Valley towns — and it tells you everything about how she sees the work. In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, host Sandy Smith sits down with Suzan for one of the most honest conversations you'll hear about what really happens inside an animal shelter. Before BHS, Suzan spent years with the Red Cross in disaster relief and emergency response — training that shows up in shelter leadership more than you'd ever guess. She talks about her son growing up in the kennel halls, what "no-kill" actually means and doesn't mean, the post-COVID surge that filled all forty-two kennels, and why a shelter that is roughly eighty percent donor funded depends on its community every single day. In this conversation: - The Red Cross years — and how disaster response training built a shelter leader - The honest truth about no-kill, straight from the person who lives it - What the post-COVID surge did to shelters across Maine - Forty-two kennels, thirty-five towns, one small team - The Partners for Peace partnership and the work most people never see - Paws on Parade and how Greater Bangor can actually help - Why the toy bin matters more than you think - The answer that gave this episode its title How to help the Bangor Humane Society: Adopt, volunteer, donate, or join them at Paws on Parade. Details at the website below. LINKS Bangor Humane Society: https://www.bangorhumane.org Read the companion Insight — "I'd Love to Go Out of Business": https://mainethriveinsights.com/suzan-prendergast Suzan's Community Profile on Penobscot Valley Thrive: https://penobscotvalleythrive.com/detail-page/bangor-humane-society Maine Thrive Voices is produced by Smith Digital Solutions, LLC in Bangor, Maine. Learn more at smithdigitalsolutions.com.

    I would love for us to go out of business because no one needed our help. That would be a lovely day.

  6. Jul 23

    The Letter That Brought Chris Mendoza to Maine

    Chris Mendoza's life changed with a piece of mail. He was living on Long Island, working in retail, engaged to be married — and then a hand-written letter arrived from his grandfather Jack, who had run The Appliance Doctor in the greater Bangor area for 36 years and believed Chris was the right person to carry it forward. Chris and his fiancée Dorothy read it together, took the leap, and moved to Maine in 2016. In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, host Sandy Smith sits down with Chris to talk about learning the trade from a man who could diagnose a machine by ear, the three years they worked side by side before Jack's passing in 2019, and what it means to carry a legacy through kitchen doors all over the Penobscot Valley — where customers still remember Jack by name. Along the way: the Long Island-to-Maine culture shock, what "kind, honest service" actually looks like on a service call, the appliances that give Maine homeowners the most trouble (laundry on well water and refrigerators lead the pack), a pet-hair maintenance lesson from Sandy's own washer, why Chris urges people to list working appliances on Facebook Marketplace instead of throwing them away — and the phone number that has never changed: the same Hudson-Bradford line his grandfather answered. Reach The Appliance Doctor: Call or text: 207-327-1000 Website: https://appliancedoc.org Community profile: https://penobscotvalleythrive.com/detail-page/appliance-doctor-inc Read the companion Insight on Maine Thrive Insights: https://mainethriveinsights.com/chris-mendoza Maine Thrive Voices is produced by Smith Digital Solutions, LLC in Bangor, Maine. Learn more at smithdigitalsolutions.com.

    The Letter That Brought Chris Mendoza to Maine

  7. Jul 17

    Episode 8 — Second Chances and Forever Homes | Britney Ellis, The Animal Orphanage

    "These animals aren't damaged, and they aren't broken. They're just waiting." In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, host Sandy Smith sits down with Britney Ellis, Public Relations Specialist at The Animal Orphanage in Old Town, Maine — a no-kill shelter that has been giving lost and abandoned animals a second chance since 1990. Britney is the voice for animals who can't speak for themselves. If you've seen the adoptable pet segments on WABI TV5, you've seen her work. In this conversation, she walks us through what "no-kill" really means, how strays come into the shelter through police and animal control, and what happens between the day an animal arrives and the day it walks out the door with its new family. You'll also meet Rex — a striking four-year-old with a big heart and a lot of energy who has been waiting at the shelter for nearly a year. Somebody's perfect dog is sitting in Old Town right now. Whether or not you're ready to adopt, there are three ways to help: adopt, foster, or donate. Every one of them saves a life. CONNECT WITH THE ANIMAL ORPHANAGE: Website: https://www.animalorphanageoldtown.com/ Email: animalorphanagepr@gmail.com Phone: (207) 827-8777 Visit: 71 Airport Road, Old Town, Maine READ THE COMPANION INSIGHT:https://mainethriveinsights.com/britney-ellis BRITNEY'S COMMUNITY PROFILE:https://penobscotvalleythrive.com/detail-page/animal-orphanage ----------------------------------------------------- Maine Thrive Voices — Real Voices. Real Maine. Hosted by Sandy Smith, Maine's Visibility Consultant, Smith Digital Solutions, Bangor, Maine. New episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio. Britney Ellis is a Founding Voice of Maine Thrive Voices — the first circle of twelve Maine voices.

    Episode 8 — Second Chances and Forever Homes | Britney Ellis, The Animal Orphanage

  8. Jul 12

    The Day Tony LaPrino Said Yes

    Tony LaPrino was standing in a half-finished new build, picking up a check from his builder, when he said the five words that changed everything: "I'd love to learn how to do this." The room went quiet. The builder asked if he was serious. He was — and one year later, North Star Property Solutions is booked solid across the Greater Bangor area. In this episode of Maine Thrive Voices, host Sandy Smith sits down with Tony to talk about how a college summer job painting houses in Southern Maine turned into a calling he couldn't shake, why the "handyman" label stopped fitting the caliber of work he delivers, and how he found his niche as a Property Preparation Specialist — the skilled professional who takes on the projects contractors won't call you back about, shows up in weeks instead of months, and leaves homeowners saying "it's like a new kitchen." Tony and Sandy cover: - Saying yes before you feel ready — and how one yes built a business - What a typical week looks like: small remodels, drywall, decks, stairs, and interior/exterior painting - Why people don't hire drywall repair — they hire a home ready to sell, ready to rent, ready to enjoy, ready for the next chapter - Integrity as a business model: show up, pick up the phone, do what you said you'd do Tony also shares his vision for the future, including building affordable ADUs to help address Maine's housing needs.] Connect with Tony LaPrino: Website: https://northstarpropertysolutionsinc.com Phone/Text: (207) 745-5304 Email: tony.laprino@northstarpropertysolutionsinc.com Read the companion Insight on Maine Thrive Insights: https://mainethriveinsights.com/tony-laprino Maine Thrive Voices is produced by Smith Digital Solutions, LLC in Bangor, Maine. Learn more at: smithdigitalsolutions.com.

    The Day Tony LaPrino Said Yes
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About

Maine Thrive Voices highlights the people, businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders helping Maine communities thrive. Through conversations, interviews, and local insights, we explore stories about business, wellness, community growth, local events, and the people making a difference across Maine. Episodes feature local business owners, healthcare professionals, nonprofit leaders, community organizations, and voices from regions throughout the state — including the Penobscot Valley, Kennebec Valley, Casco Bay, and beyond. Produced by Maine Valley Voices Media.

Information

  • Creator
    Sandy Smith
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sandy Smith
  • Show Website
    Maine Thrive Voices