Maine Drilling & Blasting (MD&B), a provider of drilling and blasting services, marks its 60th anniversary this year. Since its founding, MD&B has grown into an organization powered by more than 600 employee owners operating in a variety of markets and service offerings.
“Every company needs to evolve to sustain itself, and to advance into the future,” said Dan Werner, President and CEO of MD&B. “Thanks to our founding principles, we have been able to evolve and accelerate operations to better support our customers. We strive to remain industry leaders by constantly using the latest technology and regularly reviewing internal safety and operating standards. With a strong foundation, MD&B is excited and prepared for the future. We’re just getting started.”
On March 3, 1966, Ted Purington Sr. and his wife, Judy Purington, founded MD&B in Gardiner, Maine, at their kitchen table. Throughout the years, the company expanded from Maine to New England, then throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and the Southeast regions of the U.S. As of today, the company has expanded beyond the U.S. and now provides services to various regions across the Caribbean.
As the company expanded to other regions and weathered several economic downturns, MD&B remained focused on the future with its many initiatives and innovations.
Throughout the 2000s, MD&B has applied innovative solutions to complex projects in challenging environments such as hydro dams, wind farms, and solar projects. Today, the company has expanded their services and project scope but remains committed to their core business segments across all markets.
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Over the years, MD&B has been recognized for their expert safety protocols and innovative techniques across drilling and blasting projects of various complexities. The company has completed 60 years worth of controlled blasts for projects including highways, site development, quarries, house lots, utilities, and marine work across the country.
MD&B’s 10 strategic acquisitions highlight their history of deliberate growth, from its first in 1996 to its most recent in 2025.
“Each acquisition has provided unique opportunities to support and advance new markets,” Werner said. “The invaluable relationships and trust we’ve built across the country ensures that MD&B remains a leader in the industry both on and off the job.”
Today, MD&B is a diversified business that services construction, quarry, and retail markets across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast United States. They offer drilling, blasting, and specialty services that include foundation work, hoe ramming, engineering, and explosives distribution. Headquartered in Gardiner, MD&B has offices in 11 states and operates from Maine to Florida, servicing each region with local employees, equipment, and resources.
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On May 1, 2016, Werner became the third generation of company leadership, assuming the title of President.
Werner joined MD&B in his early 20s as a laborer after receiving military training in explosives. He spent 14 years learning the business from the field, then advancing to Divisional Manager, while progressing through the company’s Leadership Development Program. He served as Regional Manager and Senior Vice President prior to becoming President.
MD&B continues to develop and advance talent throughout the company through its MDBU program for employee training and growth.
Through its first 38 years, MD&B operated as a family-owned enterprise, with the founders’ sons at the helm after Purington retired. In 2004, as members of the original family planned their retirements, the company began to transition ownership to the employees, instituting an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). By 2017, the ESOP progressed to majority ownership.
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On the 20-year anniversary of employee ownership in 2024, Werner commented, “While employees are rewarded with increased financial security and additional retirement funds, the customers of MD&B are benefiting from the motivated workforce with heightened morale, higher standards of service, and new levels of performance.”
Werner now credits the ESOP as a cornerstone of MD&B’s success.
“Our strong culture of ownership drives our performance, safeguards our people and projects, encourages us to innovate, enables efficient execution for our customers, and largely contributes to operating one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated drilling and blasting organizations,” he said.
As MD&B enters its sixth decade of leaning into the future, the company continues to prioritize innovation, operations, and building relationships with partners, customers, and suppliers.
