What do you do?

Arctic Compressor spun off from North Shore Compressor and is the manufacturing portion of the business. North Shore Compressor handles sales and service. We manufacture high-pressure air compressors—mostly used by fire departments. The air they carry with them is placed in the tanks with our compressor. We originally sold compressors for other companies. Later, we took the best parts of each of those compressors and manufactured our own.

What inspired you to start your business?

When Charles was young he really enjoyed scuba diving. Because he lived 120 miles away from the nearest place to refill the tank with air, he bought his own compressor. When it broke, he taught himself how to fix it. After a short career in engineering, Charles wanted to be independent. He put together his previous knowledge of air compressors and his knack for engineering and this is when North Shore Compressor was born. Because Charles is self-taught, he had to teach all of our employees how to build and repair our compressors. There isn't another entity out there to teach what we do. 

What's special about your business?

There are very few competitors in the market. We developed a superior product, and with there being so few people in the market, we want to be the one people can find. We work with customers across the US and some internationally as well.

What have been the high and low points of being a business owner?

The low points: There are a lot of stresses with a growing company. Are we ready? We had to think out every major decision. For instance, we started the business in the garage. We had to plan out the expansion and everything we needed to move to a bigger site. We had to have faith to step out and just do it. Another challenge was getting the employees we needed. The high points: We get to grow the business how we like.

What is your relationship with SCORE? SCORE client What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

Just before we decided to split the company, Charles had heard about SCORE on a radio talk show so he reached out.

How SCORE helped.

Jim Hawley and Dick Jordan helped us move from a small company to a larger company. We were guided through the processes of looking at the business, looking ahead at finances, and helping us set up and achieve our goals.

Pictured below: Top: Owners of North Shore Compressor, Charles and Peggi Potter, while on vacation.

Bottom: President of Arctic Compressor (a manufacturing spin-off of North Shore Compressor), Steven Potter.

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