About Us

History
The Nezinscot Guild started in 1979 as a wooden products manufacturing facility to provide meaningful employment to the area's citizens with developmental disabilities. We began originally in a century old building on the banks of The Nezinscot River in Turner Village, Maine. A small group of people with diverse skills consolidated their energies and the business has been thriving ever since. The Nezinscot Guild outgrew its original rustic location in 1992, and moved to a new light manufacturing plant across town in The Turner Business Park.

Initially, we provided extensive secondary operations to the Maine Wood Turning Industry. Our first location was ideal for servicing the many turning mills that were located in Central Maine. The Guild's value added operations: drilling, shaping, ripping, cutting and sanding, proved to be more cost effective than what the mills themselves could do. Today, over 20 years later, our customer base has expanded significantly. The Secondary Wood Operations now account for nearly half of The Guild's Wood Products Division, and we still maintain business relationships with many of our original customers.

In the mid 80's, The Guild found a specialty niche: wooden boxes and gift crates for the "Made-in-Maine" gourmet food industry. Today, our boxes provide unique and effective alternatives to traditional paper packaging in a variety of industries. The boxes are attractive, well-made and durable. They serve many secondary uses in home and office. Silk screening and branding are value added options we can offer to further enhance product name recognition long after the packaged product has been consumed. Nezinscot Guild today enjoys national name recognition in the Wooden Gift Crate and Wooden Box Industry.

It was also in the mid 80's that The Guild set up a separate division devoted to Commercial Repackaging and Assembly. Initially, we provided repackaging services to the pharmaceutical industry. We have maintained a long term relationship with our original customer, IDEXX Corporation of Westbrook, Maine. As in the Gift Crate and Wooden Box Industry, The Nezinscot Guild quietly expanded its Repackaging and Assembly Department and has maintained a solid reputation for quality and timely delivery with a broad and diverse customer base.
In both of our divisions our policy has been to expand our customer base with an eye to long term business relationships.

Social Purpose
There is no question that we owe our success to the dedication and spirit of our workers. We believe they are our greatest asset. Our staff includes people of all ages and backgrounds with and without disabilities working side by side in an integrated and dynamic small business setting. The Guild maintains the highest standards of quality in the products and services it provides for its customers and tries to do the same for the opportunities it offers its employees.

The Nezinscot Guild was awarded The 2000 Noyce Award for excellence as a Social Purpose Enterprise. The award is bestowed annually by The Maine Community Foundation.