BREWER – Sen. Olympia J. Snowe was the host at a forum for small manufacturing businesses Tuesday morning at Jeff’s Catering Banquet and Convention Center, urging those in attendance to take advantage of resources available to them. But some small-business owners expressed frustration with the level of services offered by the government.

“Maine has been hard hit by the loss of manufacturing jobs,” Snowe told a crowd of more than 100. She said she would give a high priority to helping small businesses.

Snowe, chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, headed a panel of guest speakers that included officials from the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Maine Patent Office and the Department of Commerce.

“But more than anything else, it’s critical to hear from those on the front lines,” Snowe said, and with that she introduced a handful of Maine small-business owners.

Donald Lewis, president and CEO of Nyle Corp. in Brewer, and Allen Dorval from Mid-State Machine Products in Winslow shared the sentiment that regulations on exporting are hurting Maine manufacturers. Doug Morall, CEO of SFE Manufacturing Inc. in Caribou, said his company is doing well but still faces “growing pains.”

Snowe recently introduced the Small Manufacturers Assistance, Recovery and Trade Act, known as SMART, a bill that would help develop new resources while improving existing programs.

“We want to focus on the challenges of manufacturers and to rebuild and support the manufacturing sector of our state,” Snowe said.

To address these challenges, Snowe called upon representatives from assistance agencies like the Maine MEP – a nonprofit organization that offers services to help small businesses compete globally – to speak.

“MEP is the best friend Maine manufacturers can have,” CEO Rod Rodrigue told the audience. “We’re here to talk about what we can do for you right now, not a few years from now.”

But while Rodrigue advocated for businesses to seek help, his own colleague, Maine MEP senior project manager Paul Deschene, stood up and asked why the MEP budget had been reduced from $111 million in 2003 to $39 million this year. Additionally, the president’s proposal for 2005 is also at $39 million for the Maine MEP, something Snowe said she is already aware of and plans to address.

Others who stood up voiced concerns about health care. Beau Mears, president and CEO of Northeast Laboratory Services in Waterville, asked Snowe about a health care plan for small businesses that President Bush mentioned in his State of the Union address. Mears said he feared that no one would fight to make sure such legislative efforts are supported.