Evergreen Additive Earns $75K from Maine Community Bank in 2026 LaunchPad Competition

Evergreen Additive Earns $75K from Maine Community Bank in 2026 LaunchPad Competition

Brunswick manufacturer wins grant to advance boatbuilding technology; Latis Materials receives Emerging Business Award

PORTLAND, Maine - October 21, 2026 - Evergreen Additive was named the winner of Maine Community Bank's 2026 LaunchPad small business competition, earning the Brunswick company a $75,000 grant from the bank to develop technology that helps boatbuilders produce molds faster, more cost effectively and with less waste.

Based at Brunswick Landing, Evergreen Additive uses industrial-scale robotic 3D printing to manufacture molds used to produce composite boat parts. Its four co-founders previously worked at the University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center, where they helped develop the technology they are now bringing to commercial customers.

The company has grown to seven employees and is working with several major Maine boatbuilders. It plans to use Maine Community Bank's LaunchPad grant to develop and demonstrate new tooling concepts informed by customer needs, helping boatbuilders explore manufacturing approaches made possible by 3D printing.

"Evergreen Additive is bringing new technology to an industry with deep roots in Maine," said Steve deCastro, president and CEO of Maine Community Bank. "This capital will help the company build on its early momentum and give boatbuilders new ways to compete. Supporting local entrepreneurs who see an opportunity to innovate and put their expertise to work for Maine is what LaunchPad is all about."

Now in its 13th year, LaunchPad celebrates Maine entrepreneurs building innovative companies with the potential to grow and contribute to the state's economy. Evergreen Additive joined fellow finalists mainelove, Park Thrive, Veggie Life, and Vet at Your Door to pitch live on October 20^th at the University of New England's Innovation Hall in Portland.

Judges evaluated the finalists on viability, scalability, uniqueness, management, and impact. Each finalist received a $1,000 award from the Bank and a complimentary six-month embedded membership with the Roux Institute at Northeastern University, providing access to workspace, AI tools and entrepreneurship resources.

Maine Community Bank also named Latis Materials the winner of its Emerging Business Award, valued at $26,000. The Saco-based company is developing carbon fiber from a renewable byproduct of the pulp and paper industry, with the goal of lowering production costs and creating new opportunities for Maine's forest products economy.

Latis Materials received a $15,000 grant from Maine Community Bank, plus an additional $1,000 contributed by longtime LaunchPad supporters Jay and Jennifer Yilmaz, bringing the cash award to $16,000. The company also received $10,000 of in-kind marketing, business development and public relations services from ATX Advisory Services, Creative Imaging Group, Grove Marketing, iBec Creative, and Philbrook Public Relations.

The company plans to use the funding to build out its laboratory space in Arundel and purchase manufacturing equipment. Its longer-term vision is to convert a shuttered paper mill into a facility capable of producing carbon fiber at commercial scale. Latis Materials joined fellow finalists Knotless Gear, Kind Mind, Savvyn, and Tubender to compete for the Emerging Business Award. Each Emerging Business Award finalist also received a $500 award from the Bank in recognition of their participation.

The evening featured an update from Katie Richards, co-founder of Maine Laboratories, the 2025 LaunchPad winner and 2024 Emerging Business Award winner. Richards described how the company invested its grant in sample preparation equipment to expand its PFAS testing capacity. Maine Laboratories projects it will complete more than 4,000 tests in 2026, up from 2,500 in 2025, and reach $1.3 million to $1.4 million in annual revenue.

Caption (L to R): Maine Community Bank President & CEO Steve deCastro, judge Kate McAleer of Bixby Chocolate, Evergreen Additive CFO & co-founder Peter Drown, judge Peter DelGreco of Maine & Co., Katie Grant, LaunchPad emcee and Commercial Banker, judge Kristine Delano, author and entrepreneur. Photo credit: Tim Greenway

Caption (L to R): Emerging Business Award winner, Co-founder and CTO Will Salisbury, Co-founder and CEO Aidan Salisbury, and Business Development Max Burns of Latis Materials. Photo credit: Tim Greenway