WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today congratulated two Maine-based companies recently recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for their ongoing efforts to create jobs and grow.  Waterville-based Care and Comfort, Inc., and South Paris-based Bancroft Contracting Corp. both created at least 100 jobs and have been recognized in the past by SBA for exemplary small business achievements.

Senator Snowe, the lead Republican of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, said:

“Maine’s small businesses are leading the way when it comes to growing the economy and creating jobs.  I applaud Bancroft Contracting Corporation and Care & Comfort for their tremendous leadership in economic growth initiatives that have benefited communities throughout the state of Maine.  I am enormously proud to represent a state so full of vibrant and innovative entrepreneurs like Mark Bancroft and Susan Giguere, who are truly engines of economic growth in Maine.” 

BACKGROUND: Bancroft Contracting, which provides general contracting assistance to a variety of Maine firms, was founded in 1977 with 25 employees, a number which has since grown to 175.  Company president Mark Bancroft was recognized as the SBA’s Maine Small Business Person of the Year in 2009.  Care & Comfort opened its doors in 1991 with two employees; it now employs over 425 people, and serves over 1,500 families each year at its five locations in Maine.  The firm, founded by Susan Giguere, offers assistance to clients in three distinct areas: Home Health Services, Mental Health Services, and Home Modifications.