The big picture | Warren Cook, CEO and general manager, Saddleback Maine, Rangeley

Photo/David A. Rodgers "I know it's the antithesis of that rugged individualism culture that predominates in Maine, but a global, collaborative approach works." -Warren Cook, CEO and general manager of Saddleback Maine

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When Warren Cook considers the amenities western Maine can offer tourists, his ideas don’t stop at the base of Saddleback Mountain where he’s the CEO, or even the other area ski resorts, despite his 20-plus-year association with that industry.

He thinks of white water rafting, exceptional dining, cozy B&B’s and fly fishing. It is that broader view of what might attract tourists to Maine that inspired him to help found the Maine Woods Discovery, a coalition of businesses and nonprofits that believes marketing in collaboration, rather than competition, will strengthen Maine’s biggest industry.

“It’s that notion that a rising tide will lift all boats,” says Cook. “We really felt from a tourist or guest standpoint that to be competitive with other regions within our state, or with other states, we had to do a better job showcasing not just one resort or one town, because the trend of the customer is to go beyond one place. Collaborative marketing on the web means presenting options … especially to the younger generation who want the best deals, a customized combination of amenities, and they want it quickly.”

Maine Woods Discovery is a concierge service, offering tailored packages for tourists interested in six western Maine hubs. Launched this year with other stakeholders from the tourism and economic development world, Cook says it’s too soon to measure the program’s impact, but he is confident it will generate more tourist visits to Maine. It’s one of several ventures Cook has helped develop that emphasizes collaboration over competition. Among them: Common Good Ventures, a group of seasoned businesspeople who help strong nonprofits grow; the Franklin County Community Network, which provides more opportunities for adult education in one of the most rural parts of the state; and the Environmental Funders Network, which provides grants that focus on quality of place issues throughout the state.

“It’s pretty exciting to see these work,” says Cook of the collaborations. “A more systemic approach is just a better way to do it.”

The strategy turns conventional thinking on its head and challenges the traditional “rugged individualist” approach that often typifies Maine business. He says his work with Common Good Ventures really drove the point home; he noticed as nonprofits became successful, they started looking at how to make more of an impact.

“Typically that meant hire more people, create more overhead and raise more money,” he says. “I’m not sure that’s always the best way. You can keep the organization flatter and partner with others. There are a lot of issues around that — trust is the largest — but you’ll look at solutions in a very different way than if it’s just your organization.”

Cook’s belief in cooperation has been tested in the for-profit and nonprofit worlds. He was in Teflon manufacturing, selling products all over the world when his uncle, who was on the board at nearby Sugarloaf in the mid 1980s, asked for Cook’s help while the resort was building. Cook complied, and with his young family, decided to make western Maine home. He eventually rose to CEO of Sugarloaf before taking a position with Jackson Labs that ended in his resignation after lies were discovered on his resume.

It is an incident Cook deeply regrets, but one he doesn’t flinch from addressing. At the time, he offered to resign from several boards across the state to save those organizations the embarrassment of his admitted mistake, but few took him up on the offer. He’s pleased that he’s been able to continue his volunteer work, which most recently includes drumming up money for “The Way We Get By,” a documentary about the troop greeters at Bangor International Airport. Cook, a Vietnam veteran, is executive producer and helped raise the $300,000 the film needed for production and distribution.

“It’s a great film about Maine people,” he says.

Carol Coultas

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Burning drive | Matt Bell, owner, Northeast Pellets, Ashland

Rolling on the river | Jonathan LaBonte, executive director, Androscoggin Land Trust, Lewiston