2014 November 11

Given that Maine ranks 49th in the nation for quality and availability of broadband access, it probably isn’t the first place that most people would think to launch an Internet marketing agency.

But after spending years in Silicon Valley working for corporate giants like Knight-Ridder, Shannon Kinney wanted to move back to Maine to be near family and raise her daughter here. And she was determined to create a Maine-based company that could serve customers – and have employees – regardless of where they were located.

“I just felt this huge draw to solve this problem,” she said. “It was like a magnet drawing me that was so strong, I couldn’t resist.”

In 2009, Kinney opened Dream Local Digital, which provides businesses with online marketing assistance, including website development, email marketing, social media management and search engine optimization.

She set up shop in an 8-by-22-foot space above her garage in Thomaston, and signed up for a standard business package from a local Internet service provider. But it wasn’t long before her growing staff needed more work space, and digital firepower.