Easton-area CEO named Pa. Small Business Person of the Year

FORKS TWP., Pa. — An Easton-area small business owner has been selected as Pennsylvania's Small Business Person of the Year, the U.S. Small Business Administration has announced.

Dorothea Spencer, owner and chief executive officer of D. Gillette Industrial Services based in Forks Township, was among the National Small Business Week 2024 Award Winners.

SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, who is the voice of more than 33 million small businesses across the country, announced the winners March 7.

Spencer is among many who “embody the grit and determination that power our nation’s economy and ensure disaster-impacted communities can recover,” the SBA stated.

Guzman and her fellow business leaders will be honored during National Small Business Week, April 28-29, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C.

She will then be part of a roadshow tour from April 30 through May 3, which will take her to Manchester, N.H., Milwaukee, Wis., Denver, Colo., and Billings, Mont., where she will be joined by local leaders to honor award-winning small businesses and discuss SBA initiatives and opportunities for the small business community.

“Our 2024 National Small Business Week award winners exemplify excellence, innovation and commitment," Guzman said.

"And the SBA is proud to showcase their incredible achievements and impact on their communities and our economy."

'Helping to lead the way'

Spencer’s business specializes in the design, fabrication, repair, and assembly of parts and equipment for the lifecycle sustainment of military customers’ assets, the federal government, and worldwide commercial and foreign military clients.

“I was excited to hear I had won this distinction," said Spencer, a 2017 graduate of SBA’s Emerging Leaders Program.

"Knowing there are over one million small businesses in Pennsylvania made this a humbling and exciting experience for sure.”

According to Spencer, that program was integral to growing her business, helping target “the areas of business that might not come easily to a business owner.”

She said that through the program, she soaked up plenty of academia, but the exposure to other small business owners with similar questions and concerns was just as important.

“It helped me build my network, and I still look to my classmates as colleagues and friends," Spencer said. "I highly recommend taking this class if it is ever offered. It was amazing.”

SBA Eastern Pennsylvania Director Steve Dixel called D. Gillette Industrial Services “a great example of a small business that is powering our local economies.”

“Woman-owned firms employ more than 10 million Americans and add more than $2 trillion to America’s GDP each year and Dorothea Spencer is helping to lead the way,” Dixel said.

Building a business with SBA

Spencer built up a wealth of experience over years of working in her family’s business.

She said that when her beloved father, who also served as a mentor, passed away, she and her mother opted to use that knowledge to open a small machine shop in Spencer’s basement.

A few months later, she had five employees and needed to expand the operation, facilitating a move to Bangor.

“We expanded from conventional equipment to CNC equipment and took on a large volume of repair work for the food and cosmetic industries,” Spencer said.

“In 2016 we moved to DoD manufacturing and my son Paul joined the team. He is my right-hand man. By 2020 we needed to move again to expand. We are now in our 35,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Forks Township.”

The Richmond Road business secured SBA COVID EIDL and PPP loans to weather the coronavirus pandemic and sustain its operations, helping lead them to further growth.

Spencer’s mother died in 2022, but she said she's taking all the lessons she learned from her family into the future, with plans to expand further push into an even larger facility.

Plenty of advice to offer

According to Spencer, lessons from her family, SBA training and classes, and support from fellow businesses have been integral to coaching and guiding D. Gillette Industrial Services to success.

“There is no way to measure the impact they have had on my business," she said. "DGI also uses resources at Lehigh University, Ben Franklin Technology and Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.

“We received help with our building from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority and have received assistance from PTAC.

"We have also received training and guidance from the small business offices located at our customers’ military bases. I belong to USWCC and attend their workshops when available as well as WIPP. The resources are endless, and we take advantage of them as often as possible.”

Asked what advice she would pass on to other budding business people, Spencer had plenty of tips to offer.

“If you are starting a small business, first you need thick skin and an unwavering optimistic attitude. Not every idea will be a good one. You need to be excited to do what you do well, and start there.

"You need to reach out to the SBA and other resources for guidance, funding, and networking opportunities, and when you finally find success, you need to remember the community you live in and those who helped you and then extend your hand out to help the another starting their small business,” Spencer said.

It’s also integral to change the way you look at money, she said.

“It is not the root of all evil,” as it helps to foster a community, she said.

And that sense of community is a key element to the continued success of small businesses, Spencer said.

“When you start to see success in your business, remember that someone helped you and now it is your turn," she said. "Just be a good human."