News

Horseshoe Bend, ID man wins SBA award

Reforestation entrepreneur is Idaho minority businessman of the year

Julie Howard
The Idaho Statesman

M.Q. Reforestation owner Mark Quijas was praised by the U.S. Small Business Administration as one who has “excelled in a very difficult and back-breaking industry.”

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Mark Quijas

Age: 37

Business: Owner of M.Q. Reforestation in Horseshoe Bend

Biggest challenge: “The work is unstable since we follow wildfires. It´s just on a year-by-year basis.”

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When wildfires sweep through a forest, Mark Quijas knows there´s work to be done.

As owner of M.Q. Reforestation in Horseshoe Bend, Quijas has built his business on rehabilitating areas decimated by fire as well as doing forest management work.

The rapid growth of his business and focus on employing Hispanic workers and working with minority subcontractors resulted in Quijas being named the state´s 2003 Minority Small Business Person of the Year.

“It caught me out of the blue,” said Quijas about the award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Quijas will be honored at a noon luncheon Wednesday at the Arid Club in Boise.

“Mark Quijas is one of the hardest working individuals I have encountered in my banking career,” said George Bright, a Wells Fargo Bank vice president and business banker, in nominating Quijas. “He is willing to get his own hands dirty by working side by side with his dedicated and committed employees.”

While Quijas started his business five years ago, he has spent most of his career in reforestation. As a teenager, he spent his summers working in his father´s reforestation business. By 1991, he became field superintendent and handled contracts, marketing and supervision and training of personnel.

Five years ago, when his father retired, Quijas started his own firm.

At first, he had one employee — himself. Today, he has six full-time workers, but that number swells to up to 80 at peak work times.

As the business has grown, it has also taken a broader scope.

“Mostly, we come in after a fire, but we also do gopher baiting, fence building, tree thinning and trail maintenance,” said Quijas, explaining the company still specializes in rehabilitation. “This next year, we´re going to get into 20-person crews for initial attacks on fires, doing the firefighting portion of the work.”

The company is in the Small Business Administration´s 8(a) program, which provides management and technical assistance, networking and federal contracting opportunities to what the SBA terms socially and economically disadvantaged businesses.

“Mark has excelled in a very difficult and back-breaking industry,” said SBA District Director Thomas Bergdoll. “He has used the SBA resources available to him combined with hard, hands-on work and good business management to become successful.”

In his nomination of Quijas, Bright pointed out his community service work in Horseshoe Bend, where the businessman has lived since the mid-1970s.

“The firm supports the local community of Horseshoe Bend by donating money and time to local events such as schools, churches and service clubs,” wrote Bright.

The company has also sponsored two soccer teams, purchased uniforms for a baseball team and purchased flags for a Boy Scouts troop.

Quijas said he can´t imagine living anywhere else.

“I like the small town area and the people that live here,” he said.

To offer story ideas or comments, contact Julie Howard
[email protected] or 373-6618

http://www.idahostatesman.com/Business/story.asp?ID=55215

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