SBA Business Person of the Year

By James Park

Eric Hoover grew up wanting to make a difference in people’s lives. At 22 months old, he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and spent much of his early childhood in hospitals. “I thought I was going to build a hospital for kids,” says Hoover, 41. The hospital may have been out of reach, but his community wasn’t. Hoover’s connection with his Northern Pennsylvania community is one reason he was named National Small Business Person of the Year by the SBA in April.

Hoover’s machine tool business, Excalibur Machine Co., began in 1988 as a small machine shop, but it now employs more than 100 people from the town of Conneaut Lake. And he recently opened another location in nearby Linesville to handle the company’s growth.

The Pennsylvania community where Excalibur Machine Co. operates has seen limited job growth in recent years, but Hoover has used his creativity to add jobs even during tough times. His keys to success: great customer service and the skills and experience of his employees. “A lot of our workers are older and displaced people,” Hoover says. “Unlike other places, we embrace that.”

Bettering the community is at the heart of Hoover’s business. This year, he even created his own qualified charity, Excalibur Charitable Foundations, to award scholarships to local students. With 2006 sales projected at $11 million, Hoover isn’t ruling out that children’s hospital just yet. “Who knows, I still might be able to build one.”

James Park is a writer for Entrepreneur magazine.