Aroostook Milling under new ownership

By Ben Austin
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Aroostook Milling, a family owned business in Houlton for the last 60 years, has officially left the Callnan family.

Pioneer Times photo/Ben Austin
NEW OWNER, SAME SERVICE — The Aroostook Milling crew stands in front of the Hillview Ave. store alongside both the former owner and new owner. The employees, from left, front row, Shane Quint, former owner Doug Callnan, Anne Callnan, Jane Torres, Doug Bachelder, and Ben Torres. Back row, Kevin Carton, Laurel Veysey and new owner Mike Harris.     Mike Harris and his wife Stephanie, of Houlton, recently purchased the retail portion of Aroostook Milling from former owner of 23 years Doug Callnan. Harris worked in the logging business for 34 and a half years and decided he was looking for a change of scenery after a very serious injury last year.
 The sale of Aroostook Milling came about because Callnan did not feel that he could continue running both the retail, and the combined grain elevator, transportation portions of the business.
    "I have been involved with the two different entities of the business," explained Callnan.   
 While Harris takes over the selling and storing side of the business, Callnan and his wife, Anne, will retain the grain terminal and long distance transportation portion of it. The portion of the business that the Callnans are holding onto will separate from Aroostook Milling Company and change its name to Agri-Cal Inc.
    Besides the separation of the two sections of the business and name change of one portion of the company, there will be no substantial changes made directly from the sale, according to Harris.
    “Some people come in after buying a new business and try to make changes, bring in their own people to work. I didn’t want to do any of that,” explained new owner Mike Harris. “[Aroostook Milling] has been successful up until now, so why change it all around?” Harris added.
    Harris stated in an interview last week that he did not want to have to take a different name for his  retail business because he recognizes how long the business has been in town, and how familiar local residents are with the name.
    Aroostook Milling got its start in 1948, and was created by Callnan's grandfather. Through the years the store has evolved from solely livestock and shipping by rail, to the retail, grain elevator, and east coast transporting company that residents know it as today.
    Callnan said he is not yet sure how to feel about selling the company that his family has owned for over a half century. Harris has made the transition smoothly thus far and is glad to have the experienced workers, including Callnan, around the store.
    "Everyone here has been excellent throughout the entire process," said Harris.