Election Season Could Be A Boost For Maine Business
Two young women from Maine are hoping to have their business take off during Election season. Electoral College Sportswear & Accessories and Intellectual Threads are run by Andrea Duquette (24) and Ashley Perry (23) of Bangor, Maine. Electoral College Sportswear & Accessories sells novelty clothing for the fictitious Electoral College.
Bangor, ME (PRWEB) July 15, 2004 -- The election season could be a launching pad for two University of Maine graduates who have started a business at UMaine's Target Technology Center in Orono. Ashley Perry and Andrea Duquette graduated from UMaine last May and have created a company, Intellectual Threads, Inc. to market "intellectually savvy" clothing designs.
While they build the foundation for their new firm with business assistance at the Target Center, they are also working for Electoral College Sportswear and Accessories, Inc., a company owned by John and Marcia Diamond of Glenburn. Perry and Duquette are making arrangements to promote the company's shirts and hats at this summer's Democratic and Republican conventions. They are also managing the company's website, www.electoralcollegeusa.com.
In Boston, the pair has been getting a lesson in the difficulties of navigating through bureaucratic and retail business channels. The Democratic National Committee had initially wanted to host a vendor fair for businesses to sell products to delegates and other convention participants, says Duquette, but security concerns led city officials to deny approval for the fair.
Although the convention offers opportunities to reach the public outside the meeting halls, the city advised Perry and Duquette to investigate opportunities to collaborate with existing businesses. The pair is pursuing the possibility of placing Electoral College hats and shirts in businesses near Fanueil Hall.
"There is also a demonstration zone being set up where we can reserve 50-minute blocks of time. We're thinking of doing that to hold an Electoral College 'Pep Rally' and also having a political trivia quiz with shirts and hats as prizes. That would help us get things out there," adds Perry.
In New York, arrangements for vendors appear to be more straightforward. "We can buy a city vendor permit and go set up anywhere we can on the street. As long as we don't block the flow of traffic on the sidewalk, we should be all right," says Duquette.
Electoral College products are printed by the W.S. Emerson Co. in Brewer. During the disputed ballot controversy of the 2000 election, the company increased sales dramatically and was even featured on The Today Show.
"We worked with Sephone Internet Solutions of Bangor to redo our (Electoral College) website," says Perry. They are also investigating other ways to develop the business.
"We've been learning a lot about product distribution, retail business, and the benefits of e-commerce," says Duquette. "We're hoping that this will be a launching pad for our own company. Our goal is to do marketing, not to manage the production and distribution end of a business," she adds.
While both have bachelor's degree in business, Duquette has a master's in public administration, and Perry has a master's of business administration. During their degree programs, they worked as technical assistants at Target, providing grant writing and market research services to business tenants and affiliates.
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