HOLLY SAFFORD, PRESIDENT OF THE CATERED AFFAIR, WINS SBA's SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

SAFFORD HEADS TO WASHINGTON, D.C. TO RECEIVE AWARD

BOSTON - September 16, 2003 - Holly Safford, Founder and President, of The Catered Affair, Inc., has been named the Massachusetts 2003 Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Safford will be honored along with the winners from all 52 states at the National Small Business Week celebration in Washington, DC later this week. Safford had been honored, along with the other eight small business winners and advocates from throughout the Commonwealth at an awards luncheon that took place last Friday, at the Marriott Hotel in Boston.

The Small Business Person of the Year award is presented annually to a small business person or persons who exemplify excellence in entrepreneurship. Safford was judged on seven basic criteria: staying power, growth in number of employees, increase in sales/and or unit volume, current and past financial reports, innovativeness of product or service, response to adversity, and evidence of contributions to community-oriented projects.

According to SBA Regional Administrator Jeffrey Butland, "The SBA awards honor the best small business has to offer, and Holly Safford is an exceptional choice. This is an outstanding testimonial, not only to her accomplishments, but to her commitment and dedication to small business success and community service as well. I join my SBA colleagues in congratulating Holly on this significant achievement."

Massachusetts SBA Director Elaine Guiney adds, "The SBA is gratified to have been part of The Catered Affair's success. We provided a SBA-backed loan in 1994 to purchase equipment and in 2001, enabled the company to exercise its option to purchase its leased space with a $377,000 SBA 504 loan from South Eastern Economic Development (SEED) Corp. and a first mortgage from Citizens Bank. This is a great small business success story."


About The Catered Affair

The Catered Affair is a classic example of an entrepreneur evolving her avocation into her vocation. Starting with a four-slice General Electric toaster oven and the compliments of her dinner party guests, Holly Safford built her business slowly and effectively. Today, with over $7 million in sales and more than 300 employees, The Catered Affair has grown from an intimate home business founded in 1979, to one of New England's leading event planners and caterers.

Named Boston Magazine's Best of Boston® in 2001, 2002 and 2003, The Catered Affair, a family-owned full-service catering and special events company specializing in corporate and private functions in New England is known for its outstanding four-star cuisine and service, as well as innovative event planning and design. Whether the function is a buffet dinner for twenty-five or a black tie gala for 1,000, The Catered Affair works individually with each client to create distinctive events. The Catered Affair provides ideal solutions and meticulous service to help make entertaining easy and unforgettable. Clients benefit from one-on-one service each step of the way, resulting in flawless events and fond memories for years to come.

This summer The Catered Affair opened its first-ever restaurant and café, The Garden Restaurant and Atrium Café at the Peabody Essex Museum. The Catered Affair serves as the exclusive caterer for events at the Museum. In addition to owning and operating The Catered Affair, several years ago Holly Safford founded Provender, Ltd., a full-service glatt kosher catering company offering chef-inspired elegant cuisine and service on par with Boston's finest restaurants.

Current and past clients of The Catered Affair include the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Citizen's Bank, Putnam Investments, J.P. Morgan, State Street Bank, Hermes of Paris, Cartier, Shreve, Crump & Lowe, The Boston Public Library Foundation, President and Mrs. Clinton, Nelson Mandela and HRH Prince Charles. The Catered Affair is headquartered in Hingham, MA. For more information, call 781-982-9333 or visit www.thecateredaffair.com.