Steve Marson is having a blast right now.

The Hallowell fireworks operator who’s been in business for 37 years took a gamble last year and ditched his middleman in favor of developing his own relationship with an overseas fireworks manufacturer.

The risks were plenty. There are more than 500 fireworks manufacturers in Hunan Province, the seat of China’s firework’s industry, and Marson doesn’t speak Chinese. The owner of Central Maine Pyrotechnics was on his own, finding a supplier, negotiating all the import regulations and troubleshooting problems.

But it paid off. A series of disasters – severe weather and fires – caused China to close the two ports that served the fireworks factories in February. The result: a 40 percent decrease in the inventory of U.S. fireworks companies, according to The New York Times, and the specter of Fourth of July celebrations across the country with a lot less razzmatazz.

“I got my container; it arrived yesterday,” said a very pleased Marson on Tuesday. “I think I’m one of the few guys with fireworks in hand.”

Even if they did come by a somewhat circuitous route. Marson said he researched Chinese fireworks manufacturers on the Web before sending out queries to seven factories. Three replied and he picked one – Jinsheng – to get his order.

When the Chinese government closed the ports to fireworks, Marson got on the phone to management at Jinsheng. Despite the broken English, they promised delivery. Workers loaded hundreds of cases of fireworks into a truck, then drove 600 miles over a mountain range to reach the port of Shanghai.

“They wanted to keep their new American customer happy,” said Marson. “They succeeded.”

Central Maine Pyrotechnics isn’t the only Maine fireworks company to have an inventory. Blue Hill Pyrotechnics, the largest and oldest fireworks company in Maine, also has enough to handle its fireworks contracts for the Fourth. But the future is less certain, said co-owner Ed Murphy, now that China has announced it will ban the transport of hazardous material – including fireworks – on various dates because of the Olympics.

“We’re not affected at this point, but distributors are telling some people if their fireworks containers aren’t in the water by June 1 they won’t get any because of the Olympics,” said Murphy.

His company has been getting phone calls from worried customers who saw The New York Times article and worried that their celebrations might be jeopardized.

“We’ve got the inventory we need for the Fourth,” said Murphy. “There’s no reason to worry.”

Marson said he’s picked up about 10 new events from fireworks operators who aren’t as well-situated. The middleman he once used has only about 25 percent of the inventory he needs. Marson feels for him, but that’s business.

“I’m not sharing any of it,” he said of his stash. “I’m an entrepreneur. I knew I could be more competitive if I could cut out some of the costs. I took the risk.”

This weekend he’ll be masterminding the display at Oxford Plains Speedway. Come the Fourth, he’ll be doing Camp Cobbossee and Winthrop’s Chamber of Commerce among about 30 others.

Marson said he knew he had to take some bold steps to remain competitive with some of the bigger fireworks players in New England. He visited China to see the Jinsheng factory, amazed that an entire city could be wall-to-wall fireworks factories.

Although other countries also make fireworks, they tend to be more expensive and many of them use plastic shells, which create considerable litter post-show. The fireworks he gets from China are completely biodegradable, he said.

“I don’t use plastic,” said Marson. “It gets in the lakes, and you can’t clean it up.”

He said these days about 90 percent of the fireworks are imported from China and about 10 percent are made domestically – an almost exact reversal of the percentages when he started as a teenager in the business. But China’s extraordinary labor costs propelled them to the top of the supply chain.

“A 3-inch action shell from New Hampshire cost me $17,” he said. “I can buy a similar shell from China for $2.”

He said business has increased about 20 percent over last year, due to lower business costs resulting from his direct deals with Jinsheng.

“I couldn’t be happier than I am right now,” said Marson. “I’m providing the best for my fireworks customers at the least cost and still have fun doing it.”