Over the years, there have been thousands of popular books about the growth and success of businesses. Readers like to know how their favorite products originated and they’re fascinated with the stories of people who were able to put all the pieces together to create a successful company.

Anderson's first volume of Company Secrets included the histories of 30 companies in Maine all over 44 years old with the oldest being 333 (no, that's not a typo!). The New Hampshire edition of Company Secrets included the histories of 21 companies. The third edition is about companies in Vermont.

The companies in these books are a cross-section of the state's business profile and represent every region of the state. They have not merely survived for a certain number of years; they have endured, rebounded, thrived, revamped, re-evaluated, expanded, scaled down, coped and celebrated triumphs large and small. Success is all of that -- and more. Yet there are recurring themes that surface in almost every success story.

Like threads in a tapestry that are carried along on the underside until they emerge at just the right spot on the front to complete the picture, certain qualities of management are common to any company that achieves longevity. These defining qualities are the company secrets revealed in the books.

The Chalmers Group in Bridgton, Maine, has been taking care of the area's insurance needs since 1857. Adding a real estate agency to the company was a natural outgrowth about 100 years later. From the beginning, the owners have all measured the agency's success against what it returned to the community. 149 years later, that hasn't changed.

"Having our own written history has been an important part of the legacy of who we are as a company. It's been very helpful for both our company partners and our clients by letting them know who they're doing business with, and explaining our company values. We're very glad we did this. Alice has done a great job for us."

Bill Chalmers, Partner and Treasurer The Chalmers Group, Bridgton, Maine

Running a dairy has never been easy, and has only grown more complicated over the years. If there had been executive headhunters in the early twentieth century, they might have run a classified ad worded this way:

WANTED: Dedicated, committed, honest family to provide wholesome, healthy milk to Maine families. The successful applicant will have expertise in the areas of: farming, animal husbandry, state of the art technology, state and federal law, vehicle maintenance, package manufacturing, nutrition, personnel and human resources, plant management, and sales, public relations, advertising and marketing. Only those who are willing to work hard, adapt to the constantly changing demands of the marketplace, and maintain the highest standards of product excellence should apply. Nominal pay.

"Wonderful! You've done a great job writing our history."

Stan Bennett, President, Oakhurst Dairy, Portland, Maine

May 16, 2005

Ref: Alice Hellstrom Anderson, Author

Alice recently completed writing the history of the Tubbs Snowshoe Company for me, a process to which I have devoted significant overview. Working with Alice has been an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Our one-hundred-year history was not easy to research and record. The busienss has been owned by eleven different parties and was located in four different communities in two states. Researching significant events over this period of time required time, patience and a commitment to capturing not ony important events but also the enduring values that have allowed this brand to survive.

Most importantly, she was committed from the beginning to creating a book that met our expectations--a difficult task given that we were not clear in our own minds what we wanted beyond a recording of our history. The final manuscript, however, is a document that has provided us insights into the company's history that we were not aware of and, equally important, captures the ethos of the brand.

As I look back over the past weeks of working with Alice, in many ways this has been a process that required input from a number of different constituents to have reached a succesful conclusion. She was patient, always inquiring, and delivered tous a manuscript that I am both pleased with and proud of.

Edward Kiniry, CEO, Tubbs Snowshoe Company

Alice has also ghost-written two nationally acclaimed books with her writing partner, Ivy Gilbert. (Too bad we can't tell you their titles!!)

A professional book can be a wonderful way to set a business apart from others in the same field. These books contain a brief history of the company (and/or the professional), and answer the questions the professional is usually asked by potential clients. They work in every business, from plumbing to plastic surgery, from interior decorating to insurance agents. For more information, or if you have an idea for a book, e-mail Alice by clicking on the contact button below.

"If there's one thing I've learned over a 30+ span of ministering to people spiritually," Anderson says, "it's that they have a hunger for a deeper spirituality. To inspire means to breathe spirit into. That's what an inspirational book does. Writing them gives my own spirit a boost."

Her book Through The Bible In High Heels is ready to enter its second printing and has led to a sequel: Through The Bible In Workboots (about the men of the Bible).

Workboots will be available July 6, 2006. (Click on the Shopping button below for pre-publishing discount.)

Alice has a wonderful way with words, both written and spoken. Her biblical insights point people to God and encourage them in their faith.

Derek de Cambra, Drama and Opera Director

As a performance oriented person, I tend to read all material with an eye as to how it might be staged. When I read Alice Anderson's Through the Bible in High Heels, I became very excited at the prospect of turning this wonderful material full of researched Biblical information, inspiration, and humor into a staged production. I had the good fortune to attend an event at which Alice was the guest speaker and found her to be just as much fun and inspiration as her book. Within seconds of meeting her she had agreed to let me work on a script from her book, and I felt just as quickly that I had met a friend for life. I believe that the warmth of Alice's personality and her sincere Christian nature is easily conveyed to both her reading and listening audiences.

Blanche Tosh, Author and Actress

Tudes is a series of ten profiles of women at different stages of their lives (one for every decade) and how they met God through life's transitions. From terrible poverty as a child through the challenge of cancer treatments and the death of a child to losing a spouse and growing old alone, these women all learned to lean on God as they coped with what life threw at them.

A prolific author, Anderson has written 27 books since 1998, and has no intention of slowing down. She usually writes two or three company histories at the same time and is currently working on two novels on weekends: The Tidedancer, and Sully's Promise.

Snowtracks: Trekking Through History on Tubbs Snowshoes 1906 - 2006

Company Secrets (Vermont Edition)

Generations: The History of The Palmer Family and The Palmer Spring Company

Bethel Mills: America's Oldest Continuously Operating Lumber Yard

Through The Bible In Workboots