The President and CEO of D. Gillette Industrial Services received the Pennsylvania Small Business Person of the Year Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration on May 2.
Dorothea Spencer is a certified Mechanical Engineer with expertise in project management, manufacturing leadership and innovations, Six Sigma, and lean management. She founded D. Gillette in 2002. 
Located in Forks Township, the company has 15 employees and makes products that are used by the U.S. military, including on aircraft and Naval vessels.
D. Gillette Industrial Services specializes in the design, fabrication, repair, and assembly of parts and equipment for the lifecycle sustainment of military customers’ assets, the federal government, and worldwide commercial and foreign military clients.
In 2016, Spencer became one of the few women-owned manufacturing companies certified in the SBA 8(a)program. In 2017, D. Gillette Industrial Services was awarded its first 8(a) contract with the U.S. Navy. Since then, the company has become a leading manufacturer of support equipment with defense agencies within the 8(a) program. From 2017- 2023, revenues grew by over 9,200% and profits by more than 6,000%.
“We’re here to honor you, as a Small Business Person of the Year and also to acknowledge what you do for the U.S. military, our warfighters. They are the best of America,” Steve Dixel, Eastern Pennsylvania Director of the Small Business Administration, said as he presented Spencer with the award.
“It’s a privilege to recognize the achievements of women-owned business leaders such as Dorothea Spencer,” he said. “SBA salutes women entrepreneurs who pursue success and view setbacks and obstacles as steps toward success. SBA is proud to play a role in helping Dorothea and D. Gillette Industrial Services positively impact the Lehigh Valley economy.”
At the awards ceremony, Spencer was surrounded by family, friends, employees, and other supporters including Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC) and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which helped her obtain grants and where she sits on the Advisory Board. She was recognized by the Forks Township Board of Supervisors and Northampton County.
She thanked her family for their support, particularly her son, Paul Gillette, who is the company’s Vice President of Operations.
“He's my right-hand man and he runs the floor so that everything gets scheduled right and comes out right and he leads inspections and quality, and he leads facility improvements,” Spencer said.
“Every single person in this room made it possible for this business to flourish. I'd like to thank everyone here for being here and being part of it, allowing us to grow in the military space, in the DOD space, and support our warfighters.”
With help from a Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (PIDA) loan, D. Gillette Industrial Services moved from a 6,000 square-foot building in Bangor to the current 35,000 square-foot location in Forks Township. The move positioned the manufacturer to meet the evolving needs of the Department of Defense for post-pandemic growth and success.
The PIDA loan came through Lehigh Valley Economic Investment Corporation. LVEDC provides administrative services for LVEIC, which is a Pennsylvania certified economic development organization. Northampton County first brought the expansion project to the attention of LVEDC.
Spencer said the SBA has been “pivotal” in the growth of her business. She thanked the agency for the assistance it provided her company during the COVID-19 pandemic. It received a COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan and two Paycheck Protection Program loans.
“I believe that U.S. manufacturing is a powerhouse of innovation, a constant driver of economic growth, and a consistent source of skilled jobs of the future,” Spencer said. “It’s an honor to be named SBA’s Pennsylvania Small Business Person of the Year. I am grateful for the SBA pandemic loan programs that kept my employees on payroll and to SBA’s 8(a) program that helped me gain access to – and succeed in – the federal marketplace.”
D. Gillette Industrial Services is certified as an SBA Economically Disadvantaged/Woman-Owned Small Business (ED/WOSB). Spencer is a 2017 graduate of SBA’s Emerging Leaders Program, today known as T.H.R.I.V.E. She is a member of the National Defense Industrial Association, Women in Defense, and International Society of Engineers.