Amity man starts Web company

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    AMITY — You may have seen local television advertising for Amity Professional Services or recent articles in the Pioneer Times and the Aroostook Republican about a free workshop on Web site design at UMPI. The man behind the scenes — the link — is Larry Hamilton.
    Hamilton’s start-up company, Amity Professional Services, is at the heart of one of those turning lemons into lemonade stories that even borders on being inspirational.
    Hamilton, originally from Waterboro, says he had a company there that distributed pet food and pet products. But, a serious back injury and subsequent disability forced him to make several changes in his life. “I couldn’t afford to live in southern Maine,” he says. So, he and his significant other of 23 years, Debra Cone, along with her daughter, Amanda Cone, packed up and migrated to Amity where they have been living for the last 16 years.
    He says he was on disability for his bad back. But, he was ready to make some changes. “I wasn’t satisfied with the limitations on me and I’ve been trying to get off disability. I went to school and took a double major in accounting and business management. I took MIS (management information systems) with a concentration in business management. And, that’s where I got interested in computers.”
    When asked why computers held so much sway, he couldn’t say exactly why. “I don’t know. Once I started working with them, I enjoyed it. The instructor, JoAnne Wallingford was a great inspiration to me as well. She guided me along the way. And, it was just something I hit on,” says Hamilton. And, hit on it he did.  Hamilton managed to maintain 3.90 GPA at UMPI.
    His relationship with Maine’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has been particularly helpful. Also known as “VR,” it’s a Department of Labor program that helps people who have disabilities get and keep a job. In Hamilton’s case: “It helped me start my business. They gave me a little bit of start-up money. I started working with them quite a few years ago.” At UMPI, after he got interested in computers and Web design, he says he “decided to try to start my own business. And vocational rehabilitation has been assisting me in this.”
    Thus, Amity Professional Services was born. Hamilton says when he moved to Amity, “we started here in an 8 foot by 5 foot trailer. Now, with an addition, we’re in a small log cabin.” He added that since he is 1.5 miles off the New England grid, his home and business are solar and wind powered, making his company quite green.
    New businesses take time to catch on and grow. Hamilton says “it’s starting to look better and we are closer to a positive income.” One of his clients is the Aroostook Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition. Clare Desrosiers is the project director who is seen in the commercials on local television.
    “He has been a wonderful resource in helping us develop our coalition’s Web site. He has consistently and quickly responded to our Web site’s development needs.” Desrosiers adds that with the limited budget of a non-profit organization, “he has worked to make our Web site development affordable because it can be an expensive process.”
    Hamilton is so busy with his company commitments, he says he does not have much spare time for hobbies. In fact, he was chosen to present a recent free workshop sponsored by the Maine Small Business Development Center at the Northern Maine Development Commission, Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce and UMPI. Hamilton says it will help educate the public with many helpful tips on Web design and managing small business Web sites.
    Hamilton’s company can be reached at 538-0482, 694-0907. Or visit: www.amitywebs.com.