MAINE OUTDOOR BRANDS APPOINTS FOUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

PORTLAND, Maine (October 3, 2022) — Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB), the outdoor business alliance working to strengthen Maine’s outdoor recreation economy, announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Directors. 

“Our Board of Directors continues to add depth and expertise in areas that are crucial to our work to strengthen Maine’s outdoor recreation economy,” said Jenny Kordick, executive director of Maine Outdoor Brands. “Priorities of our strategic plan include establishing MOB as the leading voice for the outdoor recreation industry in Maine and strengthening our organization to better serve our members. With Taki Miyamoto and Devin McNeill, we bring two incredible entrepreneurs and leaders on to the board from both the service and product brand perspectives, while Martha Bentley and Kevin Haley bring a wealth of experience in economic development and non-profit governance and management.”

The new board members include:

Takeshi (Taki) Miyamoto, Founder and President, Salt Pump Climbing Company

Taki has alternated living in Japan and the U.S. throughout his life. He first landed in Maine to attend Bates College, where he was introduced to rock climbing on the gritty urban rocks of Great Falls in Lewiston. 

Since then, Taki has climbed throughout the world, putting up first ascents in Peru, Patagonia, and the Wind River Range of Wyoming, but he has an incredible soft spot for New England climbing. After working as an outdoor educator for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and then as a business attorney for Morrison & Foerster, LLP, a major law firm in Tokyo and New York for seven years, he moved back to Maine and started working on his dream that is Salt Pump Climbing Co., which opened in 2015. After leading and building the team at Salt Pump, Taki returned to the practice of law at Pierce Atwood LLP in Maine, where he stayed for three years. Beginning this year, he is back at Salt Pump focused on its further growth.

Martha Bentley, Owner, MMB Collaborative Leadership, LLC

Martha Bentley owns MMB Collaborative Leadership LLC, a values-driven practice specializing in short term or fractional leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship, and collaborative solution design. Under this umbrella, she serves as the Executive Director of the Osher Map Library Foundation and the founder of Proprietor, a digital solution for matching buyers and sellers of very small and local businesses.

Martha previously served as Director of Economic Development Coordination for the State of Maine and as the Director of Innovation Infrastructure for the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). 

Martha has a BA from Davidson College and a MA from the University of South Carolina. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Four Directions Development Corporation. When not on Zoom, you can find Martha on the waters of Horseshoe Pond and Cobbossee Stream in West Gardiner, Maine.

Kevin Haley, Partner, Brann & Isaacson

Kevin Haley is a commercial and IP partner at the law firm of Brann & Isaacson in Lewiston, where he has worked since 1995. B&I is a well-known firm in the direct-to-consumer retail space-representing hundreds of catalog and ecommerce merchants around the country. It is the primary outside counsel for L.L.Bean, Inc. and has been so since the late 1960’s. Kevin’s personal responsibilities in that space include trademark, copyright, and branding issues, as well as commercial relationships particularly in the advertising and marketing areas

Kevin is a native of Fort Kent, Maine, and an alumnus of Bowdoin College (’89) and the University of Maine School of Law (’94). He has been actively involved both as counsel and as a board member with a number of nonprofits – notably as counsel and a board member of the New England Mail Order Association. He has just ended a 10 year stint as a board member of Teens to Trails, a Maine non profit focused on increasing youth access to Maine outdoor opportunities. His board service for Teens to Trails culminated in a 3 year term as chair of that Board. Kevin’s outdoor pursuits include backpacking, canoeing, and skiing. He lives in Cumberland.

Devin McNeill, CEO, Flowfold

Devin McNeill was born and raised in Portland, Maine, and is a graduate of Portland High School and The University of Maine. While in college Devin helped found Flowfold. What started as a company selling a single wallet made out of recycled sailcloth has grown into a mission driven brand offering bags, backpacks, totes, pouches, and dog gear made out of recycled material. In March of 2020, as hospitals faced shortages of PPE, Flowfold made a decision to suspend normal operations and fully commit to the manufacturing of Face Shields, and ended up producing 1 million face shields for the hospitals, schools, businesses, and consumers that needed them. Devin lives in Portland with his wife Erin and their three young boys.

Sam Fratoni and David Koorits, both founding members of MOB’s Board and Advisory Board, termed off this year. The organization also adopted its first strategic plan in 2020, and has since formed a Workforce Advisory Board and Membership Committee. MOB works closely with the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation and will be co-hosting the first Maine Outdoor Economy Summit October 12-13, 2022 at Thompson’s Point in Portland. 

About Maine Outdoor Brands

Maine Outdoor Brands continues to work to unite, grow, and give a voice to the state’s outdoor recreation industry, supporting knowledge sharing, collaborative marketing, and commerce efforts and access to professional resources. MOB is committed to seeing Maine-based products, services, and retail brands thrive, and today has over 150 members and supporters that are a part of the mission.