Grandy Organics has been in the granola business for a long time. With Maine roots that go back to 1979, the small batch granola business has grown and expanded over the years to also include roasted nuts and trail mix, all sold in stores nationwide. Their manufacturing headquarters needed to evolve as well, and had moved from a barn to a school house in Hiram, Maine back in 2015. When Aaron Anker, “Chief Granola Officer,” needed to grow the business and manufacturing space further, he found the right partner with PATCO Construction Inc. (PATCO). Anker was uncertain if building on to the existing schoolhouse was the best option and PATCO’s Design-Build Process helped him figure out what was truly possible with a large steel building addition, tailored to his site.

“PATCO was really great at figuring out how we could make it work,” shares Anker. It was important to Anker to stay in the rural community where his team lived. PATCO helped design a project that worked from an operations and financing perspective, connecting the original school house with the new facility. With funding from FAME Maine and Bangor Savings Bank, the project could move forward and when Anker closed on the loan, the PATCO team was ready to go. From planning to communication, PATCO made the project build out feel pretty seamless. Even when complications arose to navigate solar power lines from Grandy Organics solar field, PATCO was part of the solution, working collaboratively with Anker’s vendor Revision Energy. Anker also appreciated that he was given options throughout the process, like choosing his insulation package for the building or removing windows to save money. The discussions around materials and design were always patient and cooperative. “I didn’t have to sweat the small stuff,” Anker shares.

The end result was a 12,500 square foot addition for manufacturing and storage, with 32’ high ceilings and three loading docks, essentially doubling the original school house facility.  “We had been dreaming of a loading dock for years,” shares Anker as he described how his team used to handle four truckloads of product a week with a forklift, one pallet at a time. The new Grandy Organics facility is not only a better fit for their current operations, it also gives them an opportunity to grow even more. For Anker, that is huge. “Space was always a limiting factor. Now it is not. We grew 23% last year. I’m happy!”

Community Spotlight 

Grahamtastic Connection

One of our long-time steelworker employees, Gary Morisette, exemplifies our values and the power of partnership. Gary is one of the people responsible for PATCO’s growth over the decades. He has been with PATCO for over 30 years and his wife Leslie designed our company logo. 

When Gary’s family needed support, PATCO wanted to show up. Sadly, Gary and Leslie’s eight-year-old son, Graham, lost his battle with Leukemia in 1997. As a small gesture, Irving Patterson, founder of PATCO, sent the family on a free vacation to his home in Florida. “That was a very healing trip,” shares Leslie. “It was such a beautiful gesture.”

Though Graham’s life was cut short, his love of life inspired Leslie to help others. Leslie founded a nonprofit organization – Grahamtastic Connection – to help sick kids. Leslie had seen first hand how important it was for Graham to stay connected with his school and friends while he was receiving treatment. Grahamtastic Connection provides kids who have cancer or other serious illnesses with technology to help them continue their education and stay connected with family and friends. “This is my son’s legacy. This is my grief, too. I chose to take that love and apply it to other children who are going through a similar situation.” PATCO was one of the first donors to Grahamtastic Connection.

Now in its 27th year, Grahamtastic Connection has an annual 5K race in October to help raise money for their work. “It’s a very family oriented, community event,” shares Leslie. “And dog-friendly! There are prizes for the fastest dog!” There’s also a race with telepresence robots for kids who are in hospitals all over New England to join the races as well. The PATCO team was the event BBQ crew. “Every year PATCO makes a donation and they are also really involved in helping us promote it. They bought all the food for our barbecue last year and took care of all the details. It doubles the donation to have people out there supporting us,” shares Leslie. Having the community show up really makes a difference for the kids. One child who was in a wheel chair was able to get up and walk across the finish line. “To have the community be there standing behind them meant everything!”

The next Grahamtastic Connection 5K Race is on October 19th in Springvale. Leslie also shared that they have an upcoming fundraising event on May 17th at the Lincoln Hotel in Biddeford. It’s a silent auction and they are still looking for donations. PATCO will be there and we hope to inspire others to support this amazing organization in our community!

For Gary, PATCO has been a great place to work all these years. “We’ve got a great crew and we work hard. We all stand behind each other; we’re like a Super Bowl team. A lot of people we build buildings for give to Leslie’s charity. It’s a great community.” Reflecting on his grief, Gary shares, “Right now I’m happy, but those scars are still there. Some days I’m driving home and I hear a song and the next thing you know, I’m crying. It’s a good thing. You have to cry, laugh, smile…you gotta be able to be.”

Gary and Leslie live in Springvale and enjoy spending time with their two daughters and grandchildren.