In 2000, Michael Storey was a year out of college when he borrowed a hundred dollars from his parents and bought a shovel and a couple of rakes from Home Depot to do odd jobs. Nearly 20 years later, Michael runs a multi-million dollar hard-scape company that has created exceptional outdoor spaces for thousands of customers. The mission statement for M.J. Storey, Inc. says it all: “Let’s collaborate on creating an innovative outdoor living experience that exceeds your expectations.”

Michael decided to focus his business on hardscapes because he finds this aspect of landscaping the most rewarding. “Our ideal customer is someone who wants to create an outdoor living space as an extension of their home, and who is open to our vision and creative solutions for both aesthetics and functionality,” he says. “Our customers trust that our vision will match their vision because of our expertise, our product knowledge, and our talented employees.”

Family is paramount for Michael: his own family and the families that have become part of M.J. Storey. Of the company’s eight, full-time employees, seven have families with a total of 14 young children. “When it comes to planning and goals for the company, these families are at the forefront of every decision,” Michael says. Camco Custom Firepits is named for his twin seven-year-old boys, Cowen and Camden, and Coracrete— the decorative concrete surface division—is named after his daughter, Cora. “My crews joke that we better stop having kids or they’ll be working 24/7, 365 days a year,” he says.

While their work is visually impressive, one of the most important elements of M.J. Storey’s projects is what you don’t see. Proper prepa- ration that takes into account the climate and location is vital to the installation of any hardscape plan—and sometimes this means a customer’s great idea may need to be adjusted. “We don’t just drop in, do the work, and leave,” says Michael. “We’re all about building relationships so that the process feels like a partnership between me, my crews, and the homeowner. The end result is a bonus.” Michael takes pride in the fact that when he meets his customers out in the community, he can greet them with confidence knowing M.J. Storey created the best possible outdoor environment for them and their families.

224 Middle Rd | Cumberland Center, ME | 207.829.4345 | mjstoreylandscape.com