Maine's Progressive Business

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By David M. Fitzpatrick

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TThhee BBeeggiinnnniinngg:: AAbbeell HHuunntt“Death is something which, in

the natural course of events, mustcome to all sooner or later,” says awrite-up in “The Leading BusinessMen of Bangor” (1888). “It is wellto know of an establishment whereevery preparation is made to ren-der the last sad duties in the mostprompt and efficient manner, andso we make no apology to ourreaders for calling to their atten-tion that conducted by Mr. AbelHunt.”

The story of Brookings-SmithFuneral Home, the oldest of itsprofession in the Bangor area,begins with Abel in Camden,Maine, where Hunt was born in1835; after finishing his schoolingat Gorham Academy, he worked athis father Simon’s harness busi-ness at Chestnut and Elm Streets,dealing in all types of sadlery sup-plies: blankets, whips, brushes,curry combs, trunks, valises, andmore, as well as hardware and sup-plies for carriages.

About 1860, Abel got the idea toorder ready-made coffins and cas-kets from Cambridge, Mass. Hebought a small stock; he and hisfather, also reportedly the localundertaker, delivered using a

wheelbarrow.After Simon died June 20, 1865,

Hunt and his brother Thomas tookover the business. It was that, notthe casket business, that likely con-nected Abel with his business part-ner, Spencer Mero. “He early devel-oped an enthusiasm for progressiveideas, and, in company with anoth-er young man, took hold of apatent right, and in endeavoring topush it upon the market he giveshis experience quite laconically:‘We made some money and trav-eled some; but it paid more inexperience than money,’” reports“History of Penobscot County”(1882).

While Abel and Thomas rantheir father’s business, Abel also ranHunt & Mero’s on Mechanic Street,advertising their “patent carriage-curtain fastener” which madeattaching and detaching curtainseasy, and solved problems ofshrinking curtains splitting or bow-ing.

Despite their innovative device,the business apparently didn’t panout. In December 1873, ready for anew adventure, Abel left his broth-er and their father’s business andmoved to Bangor.

AA NNeeww CCiittyyIn 1874, he partnered with Enoch

H. Tebbetts, a casket maker in thebusiness since about 1849. The part-

nership dissolved after just twoyears, with Hunt buying Tebbettsout and taking a 10-year lease.“They had an agreement in regardto the business which has been thecause of a controversy in which con-siderable money has been spent,”HoPC reports, although there’s nofurther information given. It mightbe the buy-out; Tebbetts continuedselling caskets and coffins for anoth-er 14 years.

Whatever Hunt’s relationshipwas with Tebbetts, the two occu-pied adjacent storefronts in EastMarket Square on Park Street, in aspot called “Undertakers Row” dueto the large number of casketretailers and undertakers doingbusiness there. Hunt and Tebbettswere competitors in the sale of cas-kets and coffins at least through1890, although Hunt was also afuneral director and “practicalembalmer.”

By 1888, Hunt had expanded tooperate a funeral home in BarHarbor. The story goes that thereweren’t any funeral homes betweenBangor and MDI, so he took advan-tage opportunity. But in Bangor,business was big. Hunt’s Bangorlocation was in all six floors of abuilding 20 feet by 50 feet, employ-ing four assistants to fill orders forcustomers statewide. Hunt provid-ed all sorts of undertaking supplies,from wooden and metallic casketsto casket handles and trimmings,for retail and wholesale.

As a furnishing undertaker andpractical embalmer (reportedly thefirst undertaker in Maine practicingarterial embalming), he would travelto the home of the deceased, bring-ing with him all the furnishings andembalming equipment. He’d set upcurtains, transfer the deceased to hisportable table, and conduct theembalming; when he was done, he’dreturn the deceased to the bed.Funerals were held at home; later,he’d transport the deceased to thecemetery for burial.

By 1891, after Tebbetts had died,Hunt had separated his casketbusiness, creating the Star CasketCo., of which he was president andhis son was secretary and treasurer.

For the funeral home, he was nowonly using four floors of thatbuilding at East Market Square,but was also using five floors in theGranite Block adjoining it, plustwo floors in the rear of theCentral Engine House.

CChhaannggeess iinn OOwwnneerrsshhiippHunt died in 1911, but immedi-

ately Galen S. Pond took over hisbusiness. He moved it farther upPark Street, probably because ofEast Market Square beingdestroyed in the Great Fire of1911. From 1925 through 1930, anodd change occurred to Pond’sadvertisements: In his ad as afuneral director and practicalembalmer, he also advertised“Complete Auto Service” — astrange complement to his otherbusiness.

Pond died in 1926, and it wasthrough an interstate grapevinethat found its new owners, IrvingTrufant and Wilmot Brookings.Brookings was born in Gardiner,

Maine Nov. 14, 1897; after schoolthere and at Kents Hill School, heserved in the U.S. Navy. He workedvarious places after that: in thewholesale leather business, as ashipping clerk in Boston, and thenthe Doutee Casket Company inBoston for two years. In 1923, hemoved to Houlton, Maine at theDunn Furniture Company’sundertaking department, but thefollowing year returned toMassachusetts to work for theBoston Burial Case Company. Itwas there that he met Trufant,originally from Harpswell, Maine,who had attended theMassachusetts College ofEmbalming and worked in theundertaking and casket businessesin Bath, Skowhegan, and Portlandin Maine, and at a casket companyin Webster, Mass. before workingat Boston Burial Case. When wordof Pond’s death came, Brookingsand Trufant went quickly toBangor and bought the business,renaming it the Galen S. Pond Co.

The partnership seemed like agood one. Brookings was a quiet,reserved man, while Trufant wasextroverted and charismatic —but Trufant reportedly lived large,eventually so large he filed forbankruptcy. When he did, thenewspaper erroneously indicatedthat it was not Trufant but theGalen S. Pond Co. that had filedfor bankruptcy. In that era, bank-ruptcy was a black mark on one’sreputation, but Brookings hung inthere, built a solid reputation, andin 1957 changed the businessname to the Brookings FuneralHome, now located at 133 Center.

TThhee MMooddeerrnn EErraaMeanwhile, a young student

named Gary Smith, who hadlearned the funeral-directing andembalming trade at the NewEngland Institute of Applied Artsand Sciences, completed courses atthe University of Maine and beganworking for Brookings. Brookingstook Smith’s work seriously, soonlisting Smith as his assistant. In1960, when Smith bought into thebusiness, it became Brookings &Smith, and in 1962, when Smithattained sole ownership onBrookings’ retirement, it becameBrookings-Smith.

Funeral directing had changedwith the times. In Abel Hunt’s day,everything had been done athome, but by the late 1950s it wasabout fifty-fifty and on the wanetowards the modern norm ofeverything happening at funeralhomes.

Smith had bought into the busi-ness, and when Brookings retired,he owned the whole business, andthat meant long hours for him andhis wife.

It was a lot of work for Smithand his wife. “We worked 60, 70,80 hours a week and didn’t thinkanything of it, seven days a week,”he recalled. “For seven years, I

139 Years: Brookings-Smith Funeral HomeAfter a Camden entrepreneur relocated to Bangor, a community cornerstone was born


2 | MAINE’S PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Tuesday | January 1, 2013

Left: A portrait of Abel Hunt with his signature, from the 1882 book “The History of Penobscot County.” Right: This 1884 view up Park Street at East MarketSquare shows the area known as “Undertakers Row” because of the many undertakers and coffin dealers there. Abel Hunt’s store, side by side with his for-

mer partner Enoch Tebbetts, can be seen. The park to the left is where Bangor’s City Hall now stands.

In an ad from the 1868 Camden directory, Hunt is shown tobe in business with Spencer Mero with their patented car-

riage-curtain fastener. This was even as he ran his deceasedfather’s store with his brother. Whether business for the

invention was good or not isn’t clear; what is clear is thatHunt relocated to Bangor in 1873 and went into businessbriefly with Enoch Tebbetts in what would be the business

that today is known as Brookings-Smith Funeral Home.

BDN PHOTO BY TERRY FARREN, WWW.FARRENPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Gary Smith (left) joined Wilmot Brookings in the late 1950s. When Brookings retired, Smithbought the business, which he runs today with his daughter Holly Smith Fernald (center) and

her husband Jim Fernald (right). Holly got into her father’s business in 1982; she marriedJim, a fifth-generation funeral director from his family’s business, in 1999.

See BROOKINGS, Page 6


MAINE’S PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Tuesday | January 1, 2013 | 3



Saliba’s stands today as a symbolof a business that has enduredthanks to the values of its three-generation family ownership. Whatstarted as a rug-cleaning companyin 1950 has become a nearly leg-endary Bangor business that todaydeals in all types of flooring, fromrugs and carpets to ceramic, hard-wood, and stone. But to under-stand how Saliba’s came to be, wehave to go back before its founding.

William Christmas firstappeared in the Bangor city direc-tory with the occupation “pedler”[sic] in 1910. William worked assuch for several years, eventuallyadvertising that he dealt in“imported laces” in 1919. By 1925,he had a store at 85 Main Street.

By 1932, he’d expanded, doingembroidery, hemstitching, andstamping, and was operating outof the Coe Block. That year, PhilipChristmas, apparently his son(they lived at the same address),worked for him as a clerk, and thefollowing year they were onColumbia Street as rug dealers.

Business was good, and by 1947the company had opened a rug-cleaning plant on South MainStreet in Brewer to complement itsrug-repair and rug-retail businessin Bangor. That’s the first yearSamuel Saliba appeared in the citydirectories.

TThhee FFllyyiinngg CCaarrppeett AArrrriivveessSamuel, a young man of

Lebanese heritage who had beenborn in Georgia and raised inFlorida, first visited Maine in 1939— a trip that was a graduation giftfrom his Bangor-area relatives. Hevisited his cousin, JosephineChristmas, who was married toPhilip, and he fell in love with thestate. After serving four years in theU.S. Navy, he returned to Maine,taking a job working for theChristmas Rug Company. In 1947,he was listed as the company’s

cleaning-plant foreman.Sam bought the rug-cleaning

business from Philip in 1950, onthe condition that he wouldn’t gointo rug sales while Philip and hisbrother Dewey were in businesstogether; at that time, theChristmas Rug Company was saidto be the largest rug-sales store inMaine. That was fine with Sam,who found great success in thecleaning business, and in 1953 heand his wife Ruth expanded theirBirch Street facility, securing bankloans for the building and a newtruck by putting their personalproperty on the line.

Sam hadn’t planned to be inthat business. “As a young man, Ihad no interest in rugs — never inmy life did I think I would be in therug business,” Samuel told theEllsworth American in 1979.

He may have planned to be inthe music business. Samuel was adrummer in two dance bands: onewas Sammy Saliba and theSouthernaires, and the other wasThe Sammy Saliba Orchestra.

The Saliba’s “flying carpet” logo,which would become one of themost recognizable logos in Bangor,first appeared in an advertisementin 1957. Two years later, the com-pany advertised as being a memberof the National Institute of RugCleaners as well as being a Hooverdealer.

In 1960, the Christmas brothersdid split up, so Sam and Ruthbegan purchasing rolls of broad-loom and wall-to-wall carpet.From there on, the businesschanged dramatically.

FFlloooorr PPaaiinnttiinnggss aanndd MMoorreeBusiness grew quickly, and Sam

even added a Waterville locationby 1960 that lasted until 1964, buthe did business in that area forsome time after. Back in Bangor, hewas soon out of room, so in 1962,he purchased the McLaughlinWarehouse on the BangorWaterfront, which afforded themample square footage. There, theybegan selling new and antique ori-

ental rugs, which they had steeredclear of for many years to avoidcompeting with their family at theChristmas Rug Company. Butthese rugs were the favorite part ofSam’s business.

“I call them floor paintings,” hetold the Ellsworth American in1979. “They’re works of art.”

Sam toured auctions across theNortheast to purchase well-keptantique oriental rugs for his show-room, and even worn rugs to usefor repairing others.

Saliba’s always changed with thetimes, such as when Sam begandealing in quality draperies in the1970s (which he’d continue untilthe mid-1980s). One big changecame in 1978, when Sam sold thecleaning part of the business —what initially started him off — toConrad Karam. Conrad was Sam’semployee, and continued to usethe well-established Saliba’s name.(Conrad sold the cleaning busi-ness, which is still downstairs inthe same building, to his son-in-law about 8 years ago. Conrad stillcomes by occasionally.)

Sam’s son Steve literally grew upin the business. He wouldn’t stay innursery school, so spent muchtime at the store. During highschool, he worked there as much as40 hours a week outside of classes.

Even before he enrolled at HussonCollege to pursue a businessdegree, Steve knew he wanted to bein the rug business. But fresh outof college in 1970, Stephenthought he knew everything.

“One of us had to leave, eithermy father or me, because I was waytoo smart,” he recalled with sar-casm. “I guess you know who left.”

Stephen and his new wife Marlarelocated to Georgia, where theywent into the commercial-carpetbusiness. Despite his youthfulnaivete, Steve took with him thebusiness principles his father hadtaught him: provide the best possi-ble service, and always be fair andhonest to the customer.

And, like Steve had in Bangor,his sons Robert and David grew upin the family carpet store. But theywouldn’t stay in Georgia.

AA WWiisseerr SSoonn RReettuurrnnssIn 1985, Sam called his son, who

by then had learned a lot in 15 years,to announce his retirement. DidSteve and Marla want to buy thebusiness? They did indeed, andreturned to Maine the following year.

It was a good mix. Where Samhad focused on sales and cleaning,Steve’s skills with commercialinstallation brought a new angle tothe business: While the oriental

rugs were the “fun part” of the busi-ness, as Steve told the BDN in 2000,commercial carpet paid the bills.

Today, nearly two-thirds ofSaliba’s work is commercial, a bigchange from the beginning whenvery little was commercial. In theearly days, there were several qual-ity flooring companies in the area,including Sears & Roebuck, whichhad skilled people who knew theirstuff. Today, Saliba’s faces littlecompetition in the way of qualitymerchandise; aside from CarpetOne, most carpet dealers don’t dealin the medium- to high-end rugsand carpeting Saliba’s carries. Stevesays Saliba’s stays away from cheapflooring.

“We don’t delve into that,” Stevesaid. “We haven’t got the $5-a-yardcarpet. You’re going to pay memore than that for labor, and thatcarpet isn’t going to last, and you’renot going to be very happy.”

Instead, the company continuesto focus, as it always has, on qualitymerchandise that will last a longtime — every kind of carpet frompolypropylenes and nylons to high-end wools, every fiber and texturefrom berbers to plushes, and lots ofcommercial carpet. Carpet tile isbig in the commercial world, as itmakes renovations and repairsmuch easier and far less expensive.

And, of course, oriental rugs arestill the store’s specialty. Saliba’sstill deals in handmade orientalrugs, but the increase in quality ofmachine-woven orientals over theyears have made the style moreaffordable.

AA SSttrroonngg PPaarrttnneerrsshhiippSalibas’s is also an example of a

strong business partnership thathas endured challenges. About 15years ago, Steve and Marladivorced, but as they’d both invest-ed heavily in the company, theycontinued as business partners.They’re good friends today, andhave continued to keep Saliba’ssuccessful through constantchange. While Robert now lives inGeorgia and is not in the carpetbusiness, their son David is.

As a teenager, David workedmany jobs away from Saliba’s: hepumped gas, made sandwiches atBangor’s first Subway, and at age15 was the first harbormaster whenBangor put the docks in. He sepa-rated himself from the family busi-ness to find his own identity, but atage 19 joined his parents there.That was 20 years ago.

Like his father before him,David has learned all aspects of thebusiness, from selling to installing.

Above: The first ad William Christmas had for his business in1919. Right: Saliba’s had been in business about 7 years

before this 1957 ad featured what would become the compa-ny’s iconic “flying carpet” logo. At this time, the company was

still on Birch Street, but would move to the old McLaughlinWarehouse on the Bangor waterfront in the early 1960s when

it outgrew its space.

Today, three members of the Saliba’s family run the business. Steve Saliba (left), Sam’s son,has been involved with the business since he was a kid. His ex-wife Marla (right), who built a

commercial-carpet business in Georgia with Steve, continues to partner in the business. Theirson David (center) works with them, and will take over the business some day.

See SALIBA’S, Page 6

63 Years: Saliba’s Rug Sales & ServiceFrom humble beginnings grew the iconic Bangor company with its ‘flying carpet’ logo

Sam Saliba works a dusting machine, also called a beater, at Saliba’s old Birch Street loca-tion. The rug goes in upside down and the machine beats the dust out of it before cleaning.

The machine was purchased around 1959 or 1959, and it’s still in use today.





Michael Ojala, a Finnish immi-grant, settled in the Thomastonarea before World War II with aneye on becoming a lawyer. Backthen, no schooling was required;you only needed to apprenticeunder a lawyer and pass the barexam. But the lawyer Ojala wasapprenticing under, a Mr. Miles,advised that he change his name; itwas difficult to pronounce (OY-ah-la) and Finns weren’t too favor-ably looked upon (this was beforethe Winter War between the SovietUnion and Finland in 1939, afterwhich Finns’ reputation in the U.S.did a complete one-eighty). Since“Ojala” meant “beck,” a swiftlyrunning brook, Michael chose thelast name “Brooks.”

By 1935, Michael Brooks wasworking as an insurance agent inThomaston, no longer pursuinglaw. Then, like many Finnishimmigrants, he went into a busi-ness that he was good at: workingwith wood. He was listed in the citydirectory as a farmer by 1940, butby 1942 was also listed as workingin lumber.

Michael got serious about lum-ber by 1946, when his son, Karl,returned from the war. Michaelopened a small sawmill onCamden Street near the Rocklandwaterfront sawing lobster-trapstock, although by 1949 Michaelrelocated it to Beechwood Street inThomaston, across Branch Brookfrom his home.

Karl, who had joined the U.S.Navy at age 17 (he told them hewas 18 in order to serve), hadserved as an electrician’s mate on aU.S. Navy destroyer in World WarII. Karl had grown up with four

brothers and four sisters in a housewhere Finnish was the first lan-guage — which had him a bitbehind until later in grade school.He’d missed school a lot when hewas young to work in the sawmill,and hadn’t finished high schoolwhen he joined the Navy, so afterthe war he was ready to put his G.I.Bill to use. After passing a high-school equivalency test, he attend-ed the University of Maine, earn-ing a B.A. in business education in1954.To pay for school, Karl tooktime off to scallop, build boats, andlobster, spending several years inEastport. In 1961 he earned a mas-ter’s in psychology at UMaine;while there, he held a position as agraduate assistant instructor in theDepartment of Psychology.

After that, Karl went on to earna Ph.D. in psychology at theUniversity of Florida at Gainesville1966, with a minor in nutrition.While working on this doctorate,Karl married Sally MabelleGillchrest in 1963. During his edu-cation, he was named to Psi Chi,the National Honor Society inPsychology, and also was a recipi-ent of a National ScienceFoundation fellowship based onhis academic achievements.Thanks to his study of the etiologyof the peptic ulcer, he was initiatedinto Sigma Xi, a fraternity basedon scientific research ability andpotential. He was also a member ofthe Phi Kappa Phi honor society.

TThhee NNeexxtt GGeenneerraattiioonnWhen Michael Brooks died in

1964, the business was renamedBrooks Brothers, with Karl,Lawrence, Michael Jr., and Raynoldworking there. But the sawmillwasn’t steady; eventually, Raynoldbecame contractor, Michael drove atruck, Lawrence went lobstering,

and Karl taught in Florida. But inthe early 1970s, Karl began think-ing about changing careers.

“He said the attitude of the stu-dents changed,” Julie BrooksRusso, officer manager, recalled.“He didn’t feel like he was makingas much of a difference with thestudents… And he’d grown updoing things with his hands work-ing in a lumber mill, so he cameback.”

After a family visit to Maine inthe summer of 1972, and with landprices increasing, Karl returned toThomaston the following year toinvest in land and to deal in logsand gravel with his brotherLawrence, which they namedLawrence A. Brooks, Inc. but whichwas commonly known as BrooksMill. A year later, they built a larg-er mill with room to saw trap stock

for building lobster traps.As the real estate market tanked,

the brothers concentrated moreand more on pulpwood and lob-ster-trap stock, while the long-lumber mill fell out of use. By1980, the trap business was huge.The brothers’ interests diverged, asKarl focused on the traps andLawrence on pulpwood and fire-wood, and in 1986 they separatedtheir businesses. The 1980s hadalready seen the trap mill produc-ing not just trap wood but theentire traps. Soon after, wire trapsbecame in demand, so Karl startedbuilding those as well. Brooks TrapMill continued sawing oak runnersfor its traps, and providing themfor other trap manufacturers, withoak runners for the traps’ bottoms.

In the late 1980s, Karl boughtthree railroad cars and had theminstalled door to door to createstorage bays. These were later sup-plemented with box trailers. Thismakeshift warehouse is still in usetoday to store wire, twine, andother supplies, even though thecomplex has grown significantly.

CCoonnttiinnuuoouuss GGrroowwtthhInnovation was always part of

the company’s growth. By 1990,Brooks Trap Mill was using severalcustom-designed (and custom-built) wire-cutting machines,which Karl designed, that greatlydecreased trap-construction time.What was once done entirely withhandheld snips was now possiblewith these machines, such as onewhich feeds entire rolls of mesh tocut to length, or one that notchessmaller segments in big bundles.

“These [machines] really gaveus an advantage on selling kitscompared to our competition —being able to cut wire so muchmore efficiently,” said MarkBrooks, general manager.

In 1997, Brooks Trap Mill builtits first new steel warehouse, andalong with that came its first fork-lift. A second steel warehouse fol-lowed in 2001, and a third in 2003,the year Julie, Mark, and theirbrother Stephen took ownership ofthe business from their father. Karlhad turned over shares of the busi-ness to his children over the years,and sold the remaining shares in2003. The siblings had all worked

part-time at the business when theywere young, and each went full-time after graduating from college.

Today, the business has amplestorage for everything it manufac-tures and sells — over 45,000square feet of warehouse space andacres of outdoor storage.

There’s also a retail store whichgrew out of requests the familyheard every day from lobstermenlooking for things they couldn’tfind. So BTM kept adding prod-ucts, and today carries everything alobsterman needs except for theboat: rope, buoys, bait, clothing,rain gear, cleaning products, elec-tronics, and more.

“That’s the way we’ve been sincethe early 80s,” said Mark. “Ourmotto was ‘One-stop trap shop.’”

Beyond the on-site growth,BTM has expanded afar. In 1987, itacquired Portland Trap on thewaterfront, as well as a trap shop inJonesboro and a store in Bath. Thecompany assembles traps every-where except Bath, but the cuttingand manufacture happens inSouth Thomaston.

TThhee FFuuttuurreeKarl Brooks died on Nov. 30,

2010, leaving the legacy that hisfather had created, and that he hadnurtured and grown, in the capa-ble hands of his children. Today,

Mark Brooks is the president,CEO, and general manager;Stephen Brooks is the vice presi-dent and retail manager who over-sees the retail store and trap sales;and Julie Brooks Russo is the secre-tary, treasurer, and CFO. BrooksTrap Mill regularly services an areafrom Nova Scotia to Connecticut,with occasional sales to New York.Some aquaculture products go fur-ther south and to Louisiana, andsome go worldwide; recently, BTMshipped a pallet of wire trap kitsand one completed trap to amonastery in Greece.

The company no longer sawslogs but buys the wood runners allcut and trims to needed lengths.Although traps are made of wire,the runners can be any number ofwood types, as well as plastic,cement, or steel. There are manyoptions for lobster traps, from therunners to the ballast to even thecolor (which for some lobstermenis an aesthetic preference, whilesome believe different colors attractmore lobsters). Each trap order iscustomized and Lobstermen fre-quently bring in sample traps so themill workers know exactly what thecustomer wants.

The company also sells kit traps— unassembled to save the lob-sterman money. Used traps are

67 Years: Brooks Trap MillWhat began as a sawmill is now a major trap producer for New England and Canada

Left: Lawrence and Karl Brooks, sons of founder Michael Brooks (photo courtesy the Brooks family). Right: The current own-ers, Karl’s children, are (from left) Stephen Brooks, Julie Brooks Russo, and Mark Brooks (BDN photo by David M. Fitzpatrick).

BDN PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

Top: Bradford Drawbridge works one of Karl Brooks’ custom-designed machines. This one feeds and cuts rolled mesh, a fareasier process than doing it with hand shears. Above: Amoreena Nottelmann works in the netting room, cutting lobster net-ting to size. Right: Stephen Brooks demonstrates a lobster trap to a customer.

See BTM, Page 6


MAINE’S PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Tuesday | January 1, 2013 | 5



It was around 1926 whenJeremiah M. McLeod came toBangor from New Brunswick, firstworking as an operator for theWestern Union Telegraph Co. onHammond Street. By 1935, he wasworking as an advertising salesmanfor the J.P. Bass Co.’s Bangor DailyCommercial newspaper. Whenthat paper folded, McLeod, by thenmarried to Gertrude, moved to theBangor Publishing Co. as an adver-tising salesman for the BangorDaily News.

At the time, making engravedplates for the presses was how cus-tom advertisements were made, soit’s likely that was where McLeodgot his exposure to the field ofphoto engraving. By 1942, he wasin business as Modern PhotoEngravers on Broad Street. He didphoto engraving, half tones, linecuts, and artwork for newspapers,catalogs, and direct mail, as wellproducing labels, letterheads,posters, and other printed materi-als. “Specialists in school annualengravings,” read his first ad in thelocal city directory. Three yearslater, his ad highlighted that MPEwere “Makers of printing plates,

illustrators… Satisfactorily servingEastern and Northern MainePrinters, Publishers and users ofillustrated printed advertising.”

At the time, and for some timeafter, the Bangor Daily News was akey customer. “I know he had veryclose ties to the Bangor DailyNews,” said Jeremiah’s grandson,Tim McLeod, who currently runsthe business.“They were one of thebiggest customers that he had — ifnot the only customer. Photoengraving was something that hedid exclusively.”

Jeremiah did begin doing signsin the 1950s. In 1956, the companyrelocated to 175 Exchange Street,where Jeremiah McLeod nowadvertised “commercial art andprinting plates” and “silkscreenprinting.” The business was on thethird floor of a building at the cor-ner of York, above another printerand the street-level AtlanticRestaurant. There was no elevator,so that meant hauling material andproducts up and down two flightsof stairs.

Jeremiah’s son, Daniel, returnedfrom the Navy about 1956. he hadserved on a destroyer in the U.S.Navy, working in the office. “Hewas the only one, I guess, thatcould type,” recalled his wife,Marion, who married him that

same year.

GGrroowwtthh aanndd CChhaannggeeDaniel went to work for his

father, who died around 1962.Within a few years, votersapproved urban renewal and thatentire section of Exchange Streetwas to be razed. A building wasavailable at 172 Garland Street, notfar from Daniel and Marion’shome, one that would mean nomore trips up and down lots ofstairs. Daniel bought it, firstadding a big addition to the backbefore he moved the shop there.With the move came a namechange: Modern Engraving &Printing, as Daniel pulled awayfrom photo engraving, which wasdeclining, to expand the compa-ny’s printing services.

From the time it moved toGarland Street, the business grewand changed. Over 10 years, Danielmade many other changes to thebusiness, expanding the secondfloor and bringing his new wife,Marion, on board. When the busi-ness adopted a yellow, red, andwhite stylized “M” logo in the 1970sand adorned the business (even thewindows’ shutters) with it, peopleoften joked that it was reminiscentof the McDonald’s golden arches.

Screenprinting came along dur-

ing the late 1950s, thanks tofamous Maine artist FrancisHamabe. Hamabe. who was influ-ential during the 1950s throughthe 1970s, was the man who firsttaught Daniel how to screenprint.Hamabe was a nationally knownartist whose work appeared in suchmagazines as Down East, MaineLife and the New Yorker, andwhose murals can be seen atEastern Maine Medical Center andthe University of Maine atMachias. He was well-known forhis work in silkscreen, amongmany other forms.

Silkscreen printing had takenhold as the dominant form ofprinting the company did in theearly 1960s, and that trend contin-ued. In 1975, Daniel changed thename to Modern Screen Print; by1980 it was styled as ModernScreenprint.

By this time, Daniel’s son Tim,grandson of the founder, wasworking at the business, and herecalls the changes over the years— particularly the rocky road toautomation, which began with thefirst automatic press in 1970.

“The first automatic press we gotdidn’t work very well,” Tim recalled.“I can’t even remember seeing itwork, to tell you the truth. Severalyears later, my father got anotherpress, which is very similar to theone that’s being used [today], and

that worked a lot better.”The new press was in 1974, and

the following year Tim came towork there part time. After he grad-uated from the University of Mainein 1982, he came aboard full time.

BBiiggggeerr aanndd BBeetttteerrEven as Tim came onboard, the

workload was rapidly increasing.In 1984, it was clear the businessesto expand once again.

“It was getting busier, and thenhe was printing shirts along witheverything else, so he needed thespace,” Marion said. “And we out-grew that and we bought thisbuilding.”

So in December 1984 Danielmoved the business to 69 HillsideDrive, between Bangor HighSchool and the BroadwayShopping Center, in a formerwarehouse. The new location wasessentially one big room, buteven after Daniel added offices,you could probably still fit theentire Garland Street buildinginside the production area of thenew location.

Marion worked at the businessuntil 1996, when Tim’s wife Kathyjoined the operation. Sadly, Danielpassed away suddenly in February1997.

Although much has changedover the years, the basics of screen-printing has remained the same.“Basically it’s pushing ink throughmesh,” Tim said. “That’s never

going to change.”Unlike a desktop printer, screen-

printing can be done on up to half-inch-thick material — paper, card-board, plastic, wood, metal, poly-ester, fabric, vinyl, you name it.And colorfast inks that are usedstand up well to the elements; theydon’t run or fade. And ModernScreenprint can print on every-thing from a single mailing label tosix feet long and three feet wide.

It’s also a lot cheaper to screen-print. A few pages off an inkjetprinter is one thing; printing largersizes in full color becomes cheaperfor bulk orders with screenprint-ing.

“The advantage that we have isquantity; digital usually is a small-er quantity, one or two,” he said. “Ifyou want 300 or 400... the price perunit doesn’t go down with digital.”

Today, Tim and his wife, Kathy,work with their brother-in-law,Dave Farrar, and Leonard “Pat”Partridge to continue producingquality work. In an era ofInternet competition, getting thebusiness is a challenge, but Timsays his focus isn’t cheap produc-tions but quality jobs. “There’salways somebody that’s cheaperthan you,” Tim said. “We justdon’t try to compete with that.We just try to do the best that wecan. A lot of people still like todeal with a local company whenit comes to this type of work,which is good for us.”

Modern Screenprint moved to GarlandStreet as a result of urban renewal. Dan

McLeod renovated and expanded thebuilding (top left and right; photos cour-

tesy of Modern Screenprint) severaltimes before relocating to Hillside Drivenear the Broadway Shopping Center in1984, in what had been a warehouse.

The business remains there today (left;BDN photo by David M. Fitzpatrick).

BDN PHOTOS BY DAVID M. FITZPATRICK

Left: David Farrar (left) and Tim McLeod (right) apply paint during the screenprinting process while Leonard “Pat” Partridgeassists. Note the wall, which is covered with print jobs from years past, as most of the walls in the faciity are. Center: Tim

McLeod removes the finished decal, with red paint applied. Right: Tim and his wife Kathy in the lobby of Modern Screenprint,with yet more samples of their work.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MODERN SCREENPRINT

A series of photos from 1964. Top left: Dan McLeod, son of company founder Jeremiah McLeod, shows the results of the redinking on campaign signs for Clifford G. McIntire's Senate campaign in 1964. Top right: The finished signs are stacked anddrying while employee Dick Lynch shows off one of them for the camera. (Despite the quality workmanship, the signs didn'thelp the candidate; McIntire, who had served in the Congress as a representative since 1951, lost to Edmund Muskie by a 2-to-1 margin.) Above left: Dan with a Dead River sign. Above right: Dick holds a Kirstein sign next to the drying racks.

72 Years: Modern ScreenprintFrom photo engraving to screenprinting, this business has changed with the times

never knew what a vacation was.Never went to the movies; in thosedays we didn’t have pagers andways to get a hold of us. I’d godowntown and think, ‘I’ve got toget back, because the phone mightbe ringing — somebody mightneed us.’”

The business slowly grew, withSmith buying the Harvard ClarkFuneral Home in 1975 and theJoseph R. Labeau Funeral Homein Orono in 1983. In 1988, Smithadded a new chapel to the CenterStreet location, and in September1993 bought the formerKoritzsky’s Garage next door,which had most recently beenowned by the Darling family foruse as a parts warehouse andmotorcycle-repair garage. Aftermuch renovation, Smith eventu-ally opened the Family ReceptionCenter in 1992. It was expandedlater to become the FamilyReception & Life Tribute Center,giving families a place to gatherfollowing funerals to mourn andto celebrate the lives of their

departed loved ones.Cremations used to be done

at the only crematorium in thestate, in Auburn. This was dueto an old statute that said a cre-matorium had to be in a ceme-tery that was at least 10 yearsold and at least 20 acres or larg-er. The law also said that crema-toriums could not be operatedfor a profit.

Still, Smith, invested $1 mil-lion to build the Pine GroveCrematorium in 2007, creating aperpetual easement on the landadjacent to the Pine GroveCemetery to satisfy the legalrequirements.

FFaammiillyy BBuussiinneessssIn 1982, Smith’s daughter,

Holly, entered the business. In1999, she married Jim Fernald, afifth-generation funeral directorworking at his family’s business,Jordan-Fernald Funeral Home inEllsworth. Jim later came toBrookings-Smith.

“[Holly] has been a major

asset,” Smith said. “She’s doneeverything from the ground up,and I feel truly fortunate that shemarried a guy like Jim that hasbeen committed also… I couldn’tbe here and run it today withoutJim and Holly.”

And then there are the 12 full-time and 18 support staff —many of whom have workedthere more than 20 and 30 years— who have made it possible toserve the public so well.

“It’s all about our people,” saidSmith. “The success and growthof this business… is totally relat-ed to the commitment that myfamily has made, and more espe-cially the people who have beenassociated — they’re the true rea-son why this company hasgrown.”

In his time in the business,Smith has seen many changes,and he says his business will con-tinue to change with the time. Hepredicts that the importance ofmemorializing will become evenstronger.

“People are going to realize,more and more, the value ofmemorializing or celebrating thelife of someone that has died,more than they do today,” Smithsaid. “[Today] the young peoplewant to be involved. They want tosay something, they want to bringsomething that’s meaningful… Ithink it’s wonderful — it’ll bringtears to your eyes to see how theydo feel. My sense is it’s going to bebetter than it’s ever been, becausethey’re going to realize there’svalue to doing this.”

What won’t change is the com-pany’s commitment to serving.

“It’s all about serving people

— they come first,” he said. “Youhave to have a passion and acommitment to serve them.”



Brookings-SmithContinued from Page 2

And he’s learned the importance of only carry-ing quality merchandise, and says he’d rathergive up a potential job than to do it poorly.

“We’d rather walk away, because we knowit’s going to come back and haunt us a year ortwo down the road,” David said. “It can be theperfect installation, but if the material isgarbage, you get what you pay for. We prefernot to go that route.”

On trips back to Maine when he was very

young, David often went on deliveries with hisgrandfather, but Sam passed away before Davidcould really see the master in action.

“Unfortunately, Sam left too soon,” saidMarla. “But I think he’d be very proud ofDavid.”

Saliba’s carries with it a reputation that hasbeen built on three generations of quality andcare. It’s the epitome of the kind of man SamSaliba was.

“David’s a lot like his grandfather, Sam,”said his mother, Marla. “He has a big heart, heknows the business, he knows the rugs... he’lltake care of this business way into the future.”

Saliba’s is located in a 138-year-old build-ing that has quote a history of its own.

The building, long known as theMcLaughlin Warehouse, was built in 1875 byHenry McLaughlin, who was in the businessof “storage and commission,” according to thecity directory from 1877-78. Henry had beenan agent for the Lisbon Paper Mill in 1867-68.

The massive warehouse, surrounded byMay, Front, and Pleasant Streets, was trulybuilt like a tank, with hand-hewn timbersand 18-inch walls. But in the 1970s, when itwas about a century old, the building wasbecoming unwieldy to heat. Its brick wallswere very cold, and the many, many win-dows made it exceptionally drafty. It coststhe Salibas $8,000 to heat the building dur-ing the winter of 1979 - when heating oil wasabout a buck a gallon. (That $8,000 would

equate to more than $25,000 in 2012, adjust-ed for inflation.)

In 1980, Sam hired an engineer from theUniversity of Maine and a local builder torenovate the building. The project framed inand boarded over 30 windows, sprayed a two-inch coat of urethane insulation on the entireoutside of the building, and added a stuccofinish to the walls. All this resulted in cuttingSam’s heating cost in half the following win-ter.

The building was long part of a deteriorat-ing waterfront full of dilapidated structures,but in the past 25 years, ongoing renovationshave transformed the area. Saliba’s is nowlocated in a burgeoning section of Bangor, thewaterfront that has found new life — a fittinglegacy for the historic warehouse and forSaliba’s.

Saliba’sContinued from Page 3

also available.BTM has about 50 employees, and

typically doesn’t lay off during the slowseason, although sometimes hours getcut back. These skilled employees areinvaluable for Brooks Trap Mill’s busi-ness; despite the time-saving machin-ery, the job is highly manual.

“You’ve got to have people doing thiswork,” said Mark.

Since Brooks Trap Mill’s founding,some of those people have been family— three generations so far. Karl’swidow, Sally, still works there everyday: in by 6:15 a.m., works until noon,then back later to close up the office.

“She’s one of our best workers,” Juliesaid with a smile.

CCoonnggrreessssiioonnaall RReeccooggnniittiioonnBrooks Trap Mill received an honor-

able notation in the official congres-sional record on July 11, 2012, whenSen. Olympia Snowe recognized thecompany (from page S4890):

• Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I

wish to recognize and commend the

tremendous success of Brooks Trap Mill,

a family-owned lobster trap manufac-

turer headquartered in Thomaston, ME.

The lobster industry is iconic of my home

State and the hard work, perseverance,

and success of everyone at Brooks Trap

Mill is emblematic of the strong tradition

of entrepreneurship in Maine.

As former chair and current ranking

member of the Senate Small Business

Committee, I have had the tremendous

privilege of hearing countless small busi-

ness success stories from hard-working

entrepreneurs across the country. Simply

put, Brooks Trap Mill is one of these

extraordinary stories. Since its inception

in 1946, it has grown to become an indis-

putable leader in the fishing industry,

while consistently creating quality jobs

for Mainers. As a critical supplier to the

commercial lobster industry, as well as

other trap fisheries, Brooks Trap Mill

offers Maine fishermen a vast selection of

products to haul their catch. Their exten-

sive inventory ranges from bait, buoys,

foul-weather clothing, and rope to traps

for lobster, oysters, sea bass, and shrimp.

Like so many small Maine businesses,

Brooks Trap Mill is rooted firmly in fam-

ily tradition. Founded by Michael Brooks

over 60 years ago in a stock mill in

Rockland, ME, Brooks Trap Mill has

expanded considerably throughout the

years but continues to be a family-owned

and operated business. With three loca-

tions, the largest of which entails over

45,000 square feet of storage space,

Brooks Trap Mill has accumulated one of

the largest stocks of lobstering materials

in the industry. Currently run by the

third generation of the family, siblings

Mark, Julie, and Stephen Brooks are fully

involved in leading the business’ success.

Under their watch, the company manu-

factures, sells, and distributes nearly

50,000 new lobster traps annually.

Brooks Trap Mill is also dedicated to

serving its community through support

and participation in a variety of organi-

zations and events including the Maine

Lobstermen’s Association; the Maine

Lobster Festival in Rockland, Maine; and

the Festival of Lights Lobster Trap Tree.

Brooks Trap Mill has earned a reputa-

tion as a devoted and hard-working fix-

ture of the lobster fishing industry, and

its community service is admirable.

Through their remarkable growth,

ingenuity, and dedication to its cus-

tomers, the Brooks family has left an

indelible mark on Maine maritime his-

tory. Brooks Trap Mill remains a tribute

to the work begun 60 years ago by

Michael Brooks. I thank the entire

Brooks family for all of their efforts and

wish them and everyone at Brooks Trap

Mill success in their future endeavors. •

BTMContinued from Page 4

BDN PHOTOS BY DEBRA BELL

Above: BTM employees unload 152 traps in preparation forbuilding the ninth annual Rockland Lobster Trap Tree last

November. Right: The finished tree, with 480 feet of garland,125 lobster buoys, and lights, stood 35 feet tall and weighed

over 3 tons.

This Maine’s Progressive Business supplementwas produced and published by the

Writer and Layout: David M. FitzpatrickPhotos: David M. Fitzpatrick, Debra Bell.

Many photos submitted by the businesses.SSaalleess:: Jeff Orcutt

Cover Design: Sam Wood

This supplement dedicated with all integrity to J. Martin.Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.

Feci quod potui, faciant meliora potentes.

If you’d like to advertise in next year’s Maine’s ProgressiveBusiness, contact Jeff Orcutt at (207) 990-8036 or

[email protected].

The Saliba’s Building

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