Brewer man State Star for small business

HERMON – U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud joined the Maine Small Business Development Centers on Dec. 20 to celebrate the selection of Tom Gallant of Brewer as Maine SBDC State Star.

This is the second consecutive year that Gallant, center director of the Maine SBDC service center at Eastern Maine Development Corp., has received the honor. Gallant was recognized for his work assisting small businesses in the Bangor region.

Michaud, who serves on the House Committee on Small Business, called Gallant “a critical resource for Greater Bangor small businesses that want to succeed.”

“Tom’s leadership of the Maine SBDC service center at Eastern Maine Development Corp. has had a significant impact on the vitality of small businesses in the area,” said Michaud, “Maine’s economy depends on the success of small business, and Tom’s dedication and skill have improved the opportunities for success for dozens of Greater Bangor small businesses.”

In remarks he prepared for the occasion, Charles Summers, New England regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, said, “The collaborative efforts of Maine SBDC’s Gallant, Granite State Development Corp., the SBA and U.S. Capital Business Credit, all made it possible for Jackie Tapley to obtain a SBA 504 Loan and follow her entrepreneurial dream. This loan program is ideal for construction projects such as this.”

The State Star Awards are presented each year by the Association of Small Business Development Centers, which honors an outstanding SBDC professional in each state. The State Star Awards this year were presented in September at the ASBDC annual conference in Baltimore, where Gallant received his award. Keeping with the Maine SBDC custom, Maine’s State Star is not formally announced in-state until a presentation ceremony is held here.

To earn the State Star honor, Gallant underwent a detailed Maine SBDC review process that included both a qualitative and quantitative performance appraisal.

According to Maine SBDC state director John Massaua, “Tom is extremely committed to the small-business clients he serves and consistently brings his considerable talents and skills to bear in helping them achieve success.”

Michaud recognized Gallant at a morning reception held at the Morgan Hill Event Center in Hermon.

The site was chosen because its owner, Jackie Tapley, is one of Gallant’s clients. Gallant has been working with Tapley for two years, helping her refine her business plan and financial statements needed to access needed capital.

The grand opening of the 23,000-square-foot, post-and-beam-constructed Morgan Hill Event Center occurred in November, fulfilling a 10-year dream of Tapley’s. When she first met Gallant, her events center consisted of a giant, empty, two-year-old foundation. Her inability to get needed capital stalled her dream.

“Bottom line is, without Tom, this project never would have happened,” said Tapley. “We just couldn’t get financing; it was a stressful time.”

Tapley said that Gallant helped her take her “very weak business plan” and improve it, including financial statements that “could catch the attention of the lenders.” Tapley calls Maine SBDC’s Gallant “a great coach.”

Gallant said Tapley was “like a bulldog – she never gives up.” Her determination, coupled with a clear vision and extensive experience running another successful business, convinced Gallant that Tapley’s business idea had a bright future.

“It’s great to work with all the small-business people I work with because their successes are so personal to them; it’s their life,” said Gallant. “There are very few opportunities to positively affect someone’s life like this to help them earn a living and to fulfill a dream; it’s great to be working with good people like these small-business owners every day.”

Gallant has been director of the Maine SBDC service center at EMDC since 2003. He is a senior business executive with more than 25 years’ progressive management experience in sales and marketing. Before joining Maine SBDC, he was chief operating officer for 10 years at Bisson Transportation Co., a family of transportation-related businesses doing $20 million in national sales.

Before that he held several positions at Bisson. Gallant has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine and a bachelor’s degree from Colby College.

More information about the Maine SBDC-SBTDC can be found at www.mainesbdc.org. More information about the Maine SBA can be found at www.sba.gov/me