Meet the team behind Epic! Will Thomas - Founder and Executive Director 
Will is the founder and president of Willpower Enterprises, LLC, a cutting-edge marketing and production company with holdings in a number of industries related to mass-participatory sports. Willpower Enterprises represents the next-generation of the consumer experience - one that seamlessly fuses brands, communities, sustainability, charities, and culture in effective and exciting ways through sports and entertainment. Properties include: Tri-Maine Productions, Urban Epic, Mountain Epic, Warehouse Creative, Wine Flight, My Race World, LLC, The Lobsterman Triathlon, Buoy Line Apparel, and Epic Apparel. Will has an extensive background in event management that has spanned over 7 years and 50+ races. An entrepreneur at heart, Will's career began when he organized the first PolarBear Triathlon as a senior at Bowdoin College in 2003. Under his direction, the PolarBear has grown from a grass-roots race of 75 participants to a highly complex event with over 550 athletes, 150 volunteers and two races happening simultaneously. Will graduated from Bowdoin with a double major in Government and Religion and a minor in Economics and entered the world of professional race management age 23. Since then, he has been the director of many races throughout the Northeast, including: The Lobsterman Triathlon - Freeport, ME (2003-2009)
The Zone Urban Epic Triathlon - Portland, ME (2007-2009)
The PolarBear Tri/Duathlon - Brunswick, ME (2003-2009)
The Men's Health Urbanathlon (Venue manager) - New York, NY (2006)
The Pirate Tri at Point Sebago Resort - Casco, ME (2009)
The Pineland Farms Winter Triathlon - New Glouster, ME (2009)
The Belgrade Lakes Triathlon - Belgrade, ME (2008)
The Scarborough Triathlon – Scarborough, ME (2008)
The Rangeley Oquossoc Mountain Pursuit - Rangeley, ME (2008-2009)
The Tri For A Cure - South Portland, ME (2008-2009)
The Bath Y-Tri - Bath, ME (2008-2009)
The CELT Challenge - Cape Elizabeth, ME (2005-2009)
The WildBear Triathlon - Poland, ME (2006-2007)
The Shipbuilders Triathlon - Bath, ME (2005-2007)
The Fireman Triathlon - Kennebunk, ME (2004-2005)
PolarBear 5k - Portland, ME (2009)
Wine Flight 5k - Portland, ME (2008-2009)
Mountain Epic Trail Race - Sunday River, ME (2008-2009)
The Save our Swinging Bridge 5k – Topsham, ME (2004-2005) Other current large-scale projects include Urban Epic Boston Triathlon, the Mayor's Cup Boston Crit Race, and Mountain Epic Sugarloaf/Sunday River. Beyond race directing, Will has been a swim, triathlon, track, and cross-country coach, a teacher, and a marketing account executive, as well as helped launch a retail enterprise in 2003. An avid triathlete, he has competed in over 60 multisport events, including Ironman Lake Placid in 2005, and typically places near the top of the field. He is on the board of directors of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, and on the Executive Committee of PROPEL, the young members organization of the Chamber of Commerce. He was recognized by MaineBiz in 2007 as one of 10 people helping to shape the future of Maine's economy. In the off-season, Will enjoys telemark skiing and launching new companies. He splits whatever time he has leftover between surfing, cycling, drinking coffee, debating politics, reading the news, and traveling. Nicole Pisani - Events
Nicole joined Willpower Enterprises in February of 2007, from an adventure-based retail background. She brings a wide range of talents and skills to the company that stem from her extensive athletic experience and her time at Keene State University, where she graduated with a degree in Health Sciences. Nicole decided to move away from her Connecticut roots to explore Portland and the multisport lifestyle Tri-Maine strives for. During her time at WiIlpower Enterprises, Nicole has focused on developing the operations and logstics of the events. She has helped to orchestrate some of the most complicated races imaginable, smiling the entire time! She has consulted to many high-profile events and manages communications on race day at all of Tri-Maine's events. the winter, Nicole enjoys shredding powder at one of the mammoth Maine ski resorts, while surfing the towering waves during the summer months. To fuel her competetive spirit, Nicole mountain bikes regularly and runs with fellow athletes but still has time to relax by reading and cooking. Amy VanHaren – Marketing & Communications
Amy brings ten years of writing and public relations experience to the Tri-Maine team. She holds an MFA in Writing from the University of New Hampshire and has a strong background in communications, marketing, and event planning. Before joining Tri-Maine in March 2008, she worked as Managing Editor of a magazine, Director of the UNH Writing Center, owner of a teambuilding company, and program coordinator for a conference and retreat center. Amy’s articles appear frequently in AMC Outdoors Magazine, and she is currently at work on a book about the New Hampshire search and rescue community.
Amy also has little ability to sit still or stay inside. She has lived in 6 different states from Michigan to Hawaii; traveled to over thirteen different countries; competed in numerous triathlons and one marathon; hiked Mount Washington in winter whiteout conditions; and worked with George Clooney. In her spare time Amy loves to plan theme parties, snowboard, surf, hike, play games (especially Texas Hold ‘Em), bake treats, and do yoga. She is also a major movie buff who can usually figure out which actor was in which movie and she loves nothing more than a good story.
Peter Miller - Marketing  Pete Miller, a graduate from Saint Michael’s College in 2007, joined Willpower Enterprises in March, 2008, bringing an amazing creative talent to the team. He came from Fuse, a Burlington, VT-based youth marketing agency, in the events department, where he developed a passion for brand promotion and events. At Willpower, Pete is responsible for creating all of the awesome logos and design for the events, as well as overseeing the ongoing sustainability efforts. Out of the office, Pete’s interests include surfing, skiing, playing guitar, and writing awesome music. Check him out at one of the open mics around town or surfing somewhere on the Maine coast. Nick Kline - Brand Development and Merchandise 
Nick graduated from Colby College, where he was a standout Nordic skier and an economics major. As a student, Nick helped to launch the successful Colby Triathlon. He became the race director for two years, before graduating and joining Tri-Maine in 2008. Nick brings a strong talent for brand development at all levels, from soft/viral marketing tactics, to business development and sales, to hard-core event logistics. Nick's wide range of abilities and interests make him a very valuable member of the team. His major focus for the coming years is to build the Epic brand across multiple markets. Mark Bellis - Sponsorship Mark, also a Bowdoin guy, brings outstanding sales skills to the team, and has an uncanny ability to see opportunities for brands to garner immense value by connecting to the events. He has worked with companies of all sizes and is as comfortable negotiating with a powerful CEO as with a startup entrepreneur. His stong communication skils and easy-going personality make him popular among our sponsor partners. See the sponsor page for a sample of his work. Liz Dann - Logistics Liz joined Willpower Enterprises in June of 2009, after graduating from Bowdoin College. She was involved in the PolarBear Tri/Duathlon as volunteer coordinator in 2008 and 2009, where she successfully organized hundreds of college students to support the race. She is managing logistics for the Urban Epic Boston Triathlon and the Mayor's Cup Boston Crit Race. Liz is originally from Stowe, VT, but is learning to love the ocean after a summer in Portland, ME. Erik Boucher - Operations With a strong background in the road running community, Erik brings extensive on-the-ground race management experience to Willpower Enterprises. He has helped to organize the Maine Marathon, the Beach to Beacon 10k, the Pineland Farms Trail Challenge, and numerous other races. He is on the board for the Maine Track Club and a member of the organizing committee for the Beach to Beacon 10k. When he isn't working, Erik enjoys trail running (he has completed multiple Ultra-distance events), working on his house, and playing with his energetic dog. Erik's areas of focus at Willpower include Mountain Epic, the Winter Tri, and infrastructure management. |
