AUGUSTA – Two days of roundtable discussions and visits to successful Maine businesses highlight the U.S. Small Business Administration-Russian Federation Business Development Exchange, managed by the SBA’s Maine district office.

Building on the success of the 1996 Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission, initiated to draft agreements for small business development and creation, the bilateral meetings showcase several small Maine businesses and detail cooperative efforts between public and private organizations to support and develop small business as a cornerstone to rebuilding the Russian economy.

The 12-member Russian delegation is led by Iliya Yuzhanov, Russia’s Minister for Antimonopoly and Support of Entrepreneurship.

“We are using this unique opportunity to demonstrate how we have used public and private partnerships to create and expand small business throughout Maine,” said Patrick McGowan, SBA’s New England regional administrator.

The Russian delegation, accompanied by Maine District Director Mary McAleney and James Wilfong, SBA’s assistant administrator for international trade, took part in roundtable discussions at the SBA’s business information center in Lewiston and at the Capitol in Augusta before being welcomed Wednesday afternoon by Gov. Angus King in ceremonies at the Blaine House.

“The Maine economy is as good as it has ever been and, hopefully, our Russian guests will use what we have created here as a starting point for their own economy,” said McAleney.

“Our Russian visitors recognize the fact that a thriving small business sector is a critical part of a successful economy and they are eager to learn how our success can become a model for their future.

“Our objective is to provide our guests with a framework which shows them how we create businesses in Maine and which will eventually open avenues of international trade to our state and nation,” McAleney said.

Working visits to Maine Balsam Fir in West Paris, Valley View Orchard Pies in Hebron, MacFarland Steel in Fryeburg and Wilfong Christmas Trees in Stow will showcase a wide range of successful Maine small businesses and will illustrate the wide range of SBA programs available to those who either to start or expand a business, McAleney said.

“We have just completed the most successful year in our history,” McAleney said. “Last year we guaranteed 470 loans to small businesses throughout Maine and injected more than $50 million into the state’s economy.

“We are proud to showcase our success and to help our Russian guests create a foundation for their economic future,” he said.