Hillcrest Aircraft Co. of Lewiston has received recognition from the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
The firm was named small business of the month for August 2017. The president, Gale Wilson, his family and all of his employees have worked hard to protect communities from wildfires, said U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
"As Idahoans know firsthand, catastrophic wildfires threaten our homes, businesses, and way of life, particularly in the summer months," Risch said in a news release. "Companies like Hillcrest help agencies better control these large wildfires in a safe and efficient manner."
Hillcrest Aircraft Company is a utility helicopter company with a broad spectrum of work, according to the news release. In 1968, Hillcrest became the first certified Bell customer service facility in Idaho and one year later, in 1969, it became an approved Federal Aviation Administration repair station.
Today, Hillcrest's focus is aerial firefighting. It transports firefighters to remote areas and drops hundreds of gallons of water on fires throughout the United States. Hillcrest also flies for power and timber companies, photographers, videographers and fish planters.
The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship oversees proposed legislation on matters relating to entrepreneurship and provides oversight of the Small Business Administration. The committee also researches, investigates and reports all problems relating to America's small businesses to the full Senate.
