SEED names Distron Corp. Small Business of the Year

NORTH ATTLEBORO – Distron Corp. has been named “Small Business of the Year” by the South Eastern Economic Development Corp.
It will receive the award at SEED’s 33rd annual meeting on Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at White’s of Westport in Westport.

“We are very pleased to present our Small Business of the Year Award to Distron Corp., a family-owned business founded by a veteran of the U.S. Navy, which over the last 45 years has grown to nearly $20 million in sales and 100 employees,” Maria Gooch-Smith, SEED’s executive director, said in a statement.

“Distron Corp. provides an excellent example of entrepreneurship and sound management by a father and son,” she said.
Robert G. Donovan founded the business in 1970. His son, Robert H. Donovan, has been the company’s president since 2010.
SEED’s Nominating Committee selected the manufacturer from more than 400 candidates. Criteria for the award included enhancement of the region’s economy through job creation and financial performance.

Distron specializes in high-quality circuit board and electro-mechanical assemblies. Its systems support industrial products and include turnkey manufacturing from prototype to production along with services such as design for manufacturing and box build assembly, SEED said.

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Distron, which is ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified, provides services to the medical, military, industrial, cleantech and LED lighting industries. It also offers electronic contract manufacturing for third-party Apple devices.

In 2011, SEED provided Distron with a $384,000 loan under the SBA 504 Program in conjunction with financing from Bank of Canton for a $945,000 building project.
Distron began a 12,500-square-foot addition to its 25,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, which provided additional space for growth and job creation.

The building expansion and additional equipment purchases enabled the company to increase its surface mount technology production for circuit board assembly, SEED said. The capacity allowed the company to expand its services into the medical, military and LED lighting industries, and eventually become an Apple-authorized MFi manufacturer.

Said Robert H. Donovan, “With expanded manufacturing space, the acquisition of new automated SMT equipment and the strategic hiring of additional employees, Distron has strengthened its position as a New England-based contract manufacturer. Our entire team looks forward to working toward increased sales and future growth.”

In addition, SEED will present the “Start-Up Small Business of the Year” award to the Learning Garden Inc. in Warwick and “Banker of the Year” to the lender in the region who has participated in the largest amount of loans with SEED.

Seth Goodall, New England regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, is the guest speaker.

In 2015, SEED made 77 small business loans totaling $22.1 million that funded the creation of 344 jobs, Gooch-Smith said. She said SEED’s total current active portfolio of small business loans is $105 million.

SEED, a nonprofit corporation certified by the SBA, provides financing ranging from a $1,000 microloan to a $5.5 million SBA 504 loan to small businesses in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

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