SBA Award for James Eaton

by Nicolas Parasie

WASHINGTON - Even as Hurricane Isabel approached the nation's capital, James Eaton, a Maine manufacturer, was in Washington on Thursday to receive the Small Business Administration's State Small Business Person of the Year award for Maine.

Eaton is president and CEO of Little Harbor Window Co. Inc. in Berwick, 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 Maine Senator Olympia Snowe and Maine Congressman Tom Allen.

Eaton's award came as part of the SBA's 50th anniversary celebration this. Earlier, 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 entrepreneur 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 businesseshave received more contracts from the administration, especially in the IT sector, than they did before the war began in Iraq.