One Family.
Two Traditions.
One Shared Commitment to Craft.
An Essay from Ken Soderholm
I’ve been giving some thought to the concept of family businesses and what it means to be part of a multi generation effort to create and build a foundation for not only a successful living for one’s family but also to leave a legacy of hard work, honor, trustworthiness, and quality for future generations to build on.
Growing up I worked summers for my father who was a bricklayer/mason. I remember his pride in his creativity when building a new fireplace that no single fireplace was ever the same as the one before, although adhering to the principles, developed over centuries, of what makes a good fireplace and chimney work to heat homes and cook meals.
When I began my own carpentry career, I tried to remember those lessons and apply them to my own work, gradually developing a successful remodeling business to support my family. I actually brought my father into the business to help out as needed and to bring his own brand of good naturedness to everyone he encountered.
Eventually my son Sam came on board right out of highschool with the goal to build on and improve our company and proceeded to do just that, taking over the reins from me by the time he was in his early 30’s and leading us into new home construction in addition to continuing our remodeling tradition. Sam’s brother, Will, came aboard soon after and has added his own efforts and commitments to protecting our brand by serving clients’ service needs, joined more recently by his brother-in-law John Sugden.
Since then, the company has been served by Sam and Will’s sister, Shannon, and Sam’s wife, Amy, on the marketing side of the business, something that those in the trades tend to overlook at their peril. Indeed, my 4 young grandchildren show evidence that they may well continue in their Dad’s and “Papa’s” business, already appearing on jobsites and running equipment and developing the skills and joys of hard work.
In reflecting on the growth of Soderholm Custom Builders and on the role played by all those who have contributed to our success, most importantly our employees, subcontractors, suppliers, and probably most of all, loyal clients, I am struck by what it takes to make a successful family business that can hopefully last generations without sacrificing the values that built the company from scratch to a successful and enduring business.
Growing up, I was very close to my paternal grandmother, Margaret Norwood Soderholm, who had grown up in mid coast Maine and enjoyed along with her blueberry pies, her stories of working on her family’s farm, mostly growing and harvesting blueberries, but also managing a meat and vegetable farm serving the Camden/Rockland area.
I was fortunate to long ago start going to Hope, Maine every summer and reconnecting with that part of my family and discovering the same shared concept of hardwork, dedication to values, and willingness to pass on to future generations the opportunity build on the foundations that the founders had created.
Brodis Blueberries continues in that same tradition, literally having been in existence for over 200 years and many generations. Brodis Blueberries was recently awarded the Small Business Administration’s recognition as “Maine and New England’s Family Owned Business of the Year”.
I continue to go to Hope, Maine every year to renew my connections with that side of my family and to enjoy the fruits of their labor, bringing home 80 quarts of berries to freeze for use throughout the year as well as many jars of the jam made by my 90 year old great-aunt, Gwen Brodis, the matriarch of the business, and some bottles of spirits created by Blue Barren Distillery started by her grandson, Jeremy Howard, who has also started a restaurant, Blue Barren, on the wharf in Camden. His Mom, Sonja, and Dad, Ron Howard, run the blueberry operation up on the farm on Jones Hill in Hope, along with so many other members of the Brodis, Norwood clan, continuing on to this day with young members of the family joining in every summer to bring in the harvest.
It’s an honor to share with you a small token of our appreciation with these gifts from Brodis Blueberries and Blue Barren Distilleries and hope you will reflect on what goes into keeping a family business alive for generations and what those kind of values contribute to the well being of our communities and nation.
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to check out the websites and associated videos of our families’ businesses to learn more about us and what makes these kind of businesses special.
Best regards,
Ken Soderholm
