BANGOR, Maine — The U.S. Small Business Administration is celebrating a milestone anniversary.
To celebrate its 70 years in existence as an agency in supporting and growing small businesses, officials are making stops at small businesses in the state of Maine that they have assisted.
SBA District Director for Maine, Diane Sturgeon, along with her team, visited Courtney Bed in Bangor on Wednesday. Sturgeon is reminding small businesses that they are here to help.
With the services of the S.B.A., advisors with the administration worked with the owners of Courtney Bed on an expansion plan to help move its operation into a new facility.
Courtney Bed is a manufacturer of beds for individuals with disabilities. Erin MacAuthor now leads the business, which started because her parents were looking to create a safe and supportive place for their daughter “Courtney” to sleep. They were not the only ones in need of a customized bed designed to meet specific needs.
In the first year of operation between 2009 and 2010, 25 customized beds were made to order. Today, Courtney Bed manufactures 20 of these beds per month.
The SBA assisted with streamlining processes to help the business keep up with the requests for these customized beds created for families with special safety needs.
“Everybody got to know us quite well during COVID, but now we want to remind them we have a lot of programs out there for when things are going well or for when you need a little more help to just run,“ Sturgeon expressed.
MacArthur took part in the THRIVE SBA program. Sturgeon says the organization is ready to help businesses of all sizes.
“We have small business resource partners, small business development centers, SCORE, the Women's Business Center, and the Veterans Business Outreach Center. We are so lucky here in Maine that these organizations are solid,” she said.
The Small Business Administration is encouraging businesses in need of assistance to contact its district offices or visit their website to learn more about resources that are made available to them.