WATERVILLE -- Don Cotta is in the process of moving the home oxygen and medical equipment shop he manages into new, bigger quarters -- but this is just stage one of the expansion.

"We're planning a 2,000-square-foot addition on the Waterville end of the building," he said from his Coastal Med Tech, Inc., office on College Avenue, "because we don't have ample warehouse space, and we are cramped already."

Such is the demand for home oxygen and medical equipment in a state where one in five Mainers will be older than 65 by 2025.

"As the baby boomers continue to age," Cotta said, "there will be a need for our services, and that need will just continue to escalate."

John Butera, executive director of the Central Maine Growth Council, said Coastal Med Tech is a prime example of a business meeting a growing need.

Butera said a key to business success is being aware of the dynamics in your industry and marketing area.

"I think you have to look at the realities of the demographics of your region," he said, "and understand what the demands are going to be in place as you move forward. And it doesn't surprise me that businesses that support the medical health profession are going to be successful in the future."

Coastal Med Tech started in Ellsworth more than 20 years ago. The Waterville office opened less than three years ago in a slightly smaller building on College Avenue and its therapy client load -- now more than 2,000 strong in Waterville alone -- doubled during that period, Cotta said.

Cotta, who also manages a Coastal Med Tech outlet in Lewiston, said he manages a staff of 17, including seven registered respiratory therapists.

That staff is responsible for an area that stretches north to Jackman, south to Brunswick, west to Rumford and east to the midcoast region. Augusta, Gardiner and Winthrop are among the larger communities served south of Waterville.

Coastal Med Tech, Cotta said, provides medical expertise, as well as equipment to its clients. In fact, he said, the quality of his respiratory therapist crew is what sets Coastal Med Tech apart from other providers.

"My oxygen is no different than anybody else's oxygen out there," he said. "The difference is the service that comes with that oxygen."

Cotta said his therapists make weekly contact with clients and make a point of evaluating living conditions to ensure that clients are in a safe environment.

Visits also are made, he said, to make sure clients are replacing equipment parts on a regular basis. Failure to do so, he said, can cause those parts -- a nose piece for an oxygen mask, for example -- to get contaminated, a situation that can have serious health implications.

"We have found people living in environments that people should not be living in," Cotta said. "We try to be the physician's eye in the home. That's how it works for us."

Cotta started his career as a registered respiratory therapist and continues to work in that field.

He also grew up and earned his degree locally, graduating from Kennebec Valley Community College's registered respiratory therapist program.

Cotta said many of his employees also call central Maine their home.

That is another reason for the recent move and expansion, he said.

"We are going to purchase this building," Cotta said of the new location. "We want to show this community we are here to stay. We want to be part of this community."

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com