Ford’s passion for Maine and its history stems from his family’s many generations in the state. In 1989, Ford co-founded Safe Handling, Inc., a rail-based shipping and logistics company established to help paper mills and other Maine industries receive bulk shipments of raw materials through the state’s rail network. In 2008 he received both the US Small Business Administration’s Maine Small Businessperson of the Year Award and the MaineBiz Large Company Business Leader Award. A self-made historian, Ford’s latest undertaking is the purchase and hands-on restoration of Halfway Rock Light Station in the center of Casco Bay. Ford is interested in all activities on the water. His board service includes The Nature Conservancy’s Maine Chapter, North Yarmouth Academy, the Maine State Housing Authority, and the North Yarmouth Planning Board. Ford is a graduate of the University of Maine, Orono with a JD from the University of Maine School of Law. He lives in Freeport with his wife, Karen. They have three adult children.
Photo: Derek Davis, Portland Press Herald
