AUGUSTA – Mark A. Bancroft, president of Bancroft Contracting Corp. in Paris, will receive the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Maine Small Business Person of the Year award for 2009.

“Mark Bancroft exemplifies the business expertise, commitment, creativity and community involvement sought in the selection of the Small Business Person of the Year,” said Moe Dubé, Maine district director of the SBA. Bancroft was nominated for the award by Brian Desjardins, vice president of Norway Savings Bank.

“To be selected for this award is an unexpected honor and a testimony to Bancroft Contracting’s committed and skilled workforce,” Bancroft said in a statement. “Our track record of high quality work performed on a timely basis, superior service and commitment to worker safety, were instilled in me by the founder of this company, Al Bancroft, my Dad.”

Bancroft Contracting is a general contractor working in the industrial and commercial markets throughout the New England states, offering mechanical, civil, and electrical services. Bancroft employs about 130 employees, during winter months, and more than 200 during the summer.

Mark Bancroft started working in the family business at the age of 14. He worked after school as schedules allowed, on weekends, holidays, and school vacations. Learning a variety of trades, including equipment operation, form carpentry, welding and concrete demolition, Bancroft was learning the business from the bottom up, according to a statement by the Small Business Administration.

“Mark Bancroft exhibits the knowledge he has for his business, is a true leader in the industry and community, and has grown his business by more then 19 percent the last three years, despite a challenging local economy,” Desjardins wrote in his letter of nomination. “Bancroft Contracting is a prime example of what excellent leadership and dedication, like that of Mark Bancroft, can do for a company.”

In 2008, Bancroft donated the use of his crane and employees hours to the town of Bethel to help the community construct the largest snowwoman, named Olympia Snow. It is in the “Guinness World Records” as the largest snowwoman at 122 feet and 3 inches.

Recipients of contributions and in-kind services also include but are not limited to: the University of Maine, SAD 17, Boy Scouts, various sports teams, Kiwanis, Rotary, McLaughlin Gardens, various churches, and the Oxford County Fair, according to a statement from the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce.

In addition, Bancroft serves on several boards of trustees and directors including, Paris Utility District, University of Maine Construction Management Technology Industrial Advisory Council, Associated General Contractors of America Education Foundation Trust, Self Insured Workers Compensation Group Trust, and the Associated General Contractors of Maine Board of Directors.

“Mark Bancroft and Bancroft Contracting are very deserving of this prestigious award,” said Robert Harmon, president and chief executive officer of Norway Savings. “As a longtime business and employer of the Oxford Hills, we are proud of Mark and his team at Bancroft for their continued efforts to provide employment and opportunities for the greater Oxford Hills community.”

Bancroft will be honored at a luncheon sponsored by the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce on March 27 at the Four Seasons Function Center in South Paris.