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Updated: May 5, 2025 From the Editor

Editor's note: Business transitions take time and planning

By Peter Van Allen

Any business making a change in ownership or leadership needs to plan in advance.

Any number of issues can come up and any number of noses can be put out of joint, particularly when family members are involved.

Our cover story looks at two companies that are in similar lines, but had different approaches to the change in ownership. Thos. Moser and Chilton each make furniture and each face the day-to-day challenge of recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce. While the plan for Moser’s new owner is initially to learn about the business, Chilton’s new-ish owners have sought out new opportunities with product lines and a refresh of the marketing. “It’s been an evolution,” the company’s president tells our writer, Laurie Schreiber. See Laurie’s story, “Business transitions,” which starts on Page 10.

Another feature story looks at two longtime Maine businesses, McDougal Orchards in Springvale and S.W. Collins in Caribou. Navigating generations of change is a well-honed process, but still requires dedication. As one of the family members points out in Staff Writer Tina Fischer’s story, sometimes the best successor is the one with the “right aptitude and attitude.” You can’t be “half in and half out,” adds another. Tina’s story, “Preparing for the future,” starts on Page 14.

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