Maine manufacturer collects SBA award in D.C.

WASHINGTON – A Berwick manufacturer received the Small Business Administration’s State Small Business Person of the Year award for Maine on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Jim Eaton is president and CEO of Little Harbor Window Co. Inc., which grew from a one-man shop in 1983 to a 30-person manufacturer of mahogany doors and windows today.

Eaton’s success story was in great part made possible, he said, by the SBA’s “invaluable” support. Not only did he receive three SBA loans, which enabled him to expand and to hire people at competitive salaries, but he also received logistical support to help him manage his business.

“The work ethic of people in Maine seems to exceed that of the average person,” Eaton said. “People here in Maine really take pride in the job they do. That’s one of the reasons this was made possible.”

According to SBA administrator Hector V. Barreto, small-business person awards recognize the company’s productivity, the owner’s record as a good employer, and the owner’s giving something in return to the local community.

On Tuesday, Eaton, accompanied by his wife, Louise Littlefield, met with two members of Maine’s congressional delegation – Sen. Olympia Snowe and Rep. Tom Allen.

Eaton’s award was presented Thursday afternoon as part of a ceremony marking the SBA’s 50th anniversary. Earlier Thursday, President George Bush, who was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at an SBA breakfast conference on women in business, was replaced by Vice President Dick Cheney after Bush’s White House meeting with Jordan King Abdullah was delayed.

In his speech, besides honoring the entrepreneurial spirit, Cheney addressed the need for tax relief, liability reform and the administration’s continued efforts to fight terrorism.

SBA deputy administrator Melanie R. Sabelhaus said in an interview that despite the growing costs of the American presence in Iraq, small businesses had no reason to worry. On the contrary, she said, small businesses have received more contracts from the administration, especially in the Information technology sector, than they did before the war began in Iraq.