Wayne Fortier was a pretty amazing man. He was passionately engaged in living life. He loved fishing, ice boating and being the entrepreneur and ever-creative business owner. He was the consummate salesman and his enthusiasm for what he was working on in the moment was inspiring.

Wayne was a successful remodeling contractor for many years. As part of his remodeling services, he began fixing cracks in homeowners' foundation walls. In 1985, Wayne began his venture into foundation coatings, and our waterproofing business was born. Poxy-Crete of New England was incorporated in 1985. Wayne ran the operation out of his home in Wellesley, MA. For the next 15 years, Wayne continued to delve into the intricacies of concrete repair and concrete coatings. He had a way about him that revealed his nearly insatiable appetite for learning how things worked. He was a natural, innate engineer, though never formally trained to be one. He designed and developed tools and systems to help him do his work more efficiently. If Wayne could think of something, he could probably build it.

In 2000, Wayne made decisions to expand his business. He brought about changes that moved the company from a 'mom and pop' operation to getting on course to be the successful corporation New England Waterproofing is today. This company was 'his baby'. One of the principle byproducts Wayne created from this expansion was to free up some of his time to pursue his other passions. In the warm weather, it was striper fishing. In the cold of winter, it was iceboating and snowmobiling.

Wayne was completely at home in his 18' Whaler. Behind his Crack-X van, he towed his beloved boat all over New England in search of his prize. Several years, Wayne towed his skiff as far south as Cape Charles, Virginia (Chesapeake Bay) to catch "butterballs". He even had an article published in Salt Water Sportsman magazine (CLICK HERE to read original draft of this article) about one of those southern road trips. His favorite waters were Buzzards Bay and the waters off Martha's Vineyard. He brought stories into the office Monday mornings about rogue waves, near misses, and of course, the one that got away. Many times, Wayne chartered a fishing boat and took his employees out, to share his love for striper fishing. He sent them home after the outing with pounds of fillet, along with grilling instructions and a personal recipe guaranteeing maximum enjoyment.

Born in 1938, Wayne grew up in Maine in a large, close-knit family. He was the oldest of seven, and had five children of his own. The 'family compound' still thrives in the Belgrade Lakes Region. It has served as the Fortier family hub for decades. Wayne was quite fond of treating people to high-speed snowmobile rides out on the frozen lake, including his 90-year old Mom, Yvette.

Wayne died in February 2006 doing one of the things he loved most in his life. Wayne will be remembered for many things, and especially his 'signature' way of being. Whether it's a sharpie and a legal pad with scribbled business ideas (cedar shingle if no paper was available), chardonnay, an infectious smile or a cooler full of fresh fish, Wayne was a generous and caring man.

Wayne's legacy continues to burn brightly. New England Waterproofing and Crack-X are leading-edge service oriented companies thriving and growing. They carry the 'feeling of family' that Wayne fostered and held so important.