MARS HILL — Mary Philbrick, president of the Aroostook Micmac Council of Presque Isle, has received the Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year Award from the Small Business Administration.

The award was given in recognition of Philbrick’s commitment to support Indian entrepreneurship and to her efforts to improve conditions in the Indian business community in northern Maine.

The award was presented by Thomas R. Heels, an SBA business development specialist, during a Micmac meeting in Mars Hill. The presentation was part of the SBA’s annual awards program.

Philbrick is a volunteer worker at the Aroostook Micmac Council and was instrumental in the passage of the Aroostook Band of Micmac Settlement Act approved by Congress and signed into law Nov. 26, 1991.

She has been successful in improving the overall economic climate of the tribe and has been an advocate for small Indian business owners. As a result, the unemployment level has been reduced in her tribal community. Though her work with Micmac entrepreneurs who are primarily self-employed basket makers, the value of the museum-quality pieces has risen dramatically.