HR Companies & HR Consultants in Bangor, ME

Maine Stream Consulting is a family business based in Bangor that advises companies on human resources and operations. It also has a presence in Washington, DC. The firm calls itself a boutique practice for small and mid-sized employers that need organized people management but may not have their own HR department. It says it takes on clients of any size, even very small ones, so it may suit owners hiring outside HR help for the first time.

The firm works directly with owners and senior leaders. Each engagement starts with learning how the business runs and where the problems are. The team then designs a fix for that organization and puts it in place. New clients go through a 75-point intake checklist meant to capture every requirement before work starts.

Services can be scaled up or down and combined to fit the situation. Buyers who need something not on the published list are invited to ask, since the firm says its experience covers more than it lists.

Services

The firm groups its work into four areas: human resources, recruiting, culture and retention, and business operations.

• Human resources: fractional HR support, writing and revising employee handbooks, designing programs for bringing on and exiting staff, developing HR policies and procedures, and performance management
• Recruiting: writing job descriptions, compensation analysis, and creating hiring policies
• Culture and retention: workplace culture reviews, setting goals for culture initiatives, staff surveys with analytics, wellness programs, and planning ways to keep employees
• Operations: business process re-engineering, company-wide policy development, assessments of organizational structure, and researching and rolling out software upgrades

The operations work sets the firm apart from consultancies that focus only on HR compliance. In one engagement, clients can deal with workflows, reporting lines and technology alongside staffing issues.

Team and background

The team reports more than three decades of combined experience in operations, HR and recruiting. CEO Jolene Lewis has worked in human resources for over 15 years. Her background covers federal agencies, cybersecurity, information technology, engineering, healthcare and construction. Her focus is pairing HR strategy with practical, day-to-day work, especially in hiring and building effective teams.

Lead Associate Carly Eskow brings more than ten years in HR, operations and project management. She concentrates on simplifying processes and improving how teams perform. Administrative Assistant Ayanna Jackson, who graduated from Bangor High School, handles daily administration and the firm's social media.

Beyond the sectors in the CEO's background, the firm's blog mentions experience with hospitality, trades and medical employers. Among HR providers in Maine, Maine Stream Consulting is a fit for organizations that want a small, owner-led team and a scope built for them rather than a fixed package. It also suits companies that want to work on operations and people issues together.