PORTLAND, ME — Earle W. Noyes & Sons has joined others in the community to support Eric Hughes’s build his business dream.
A 21-year-old graduate of Gray-New Gloucester high school and a student at Strive U, Hughes, was born with Williams Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes development delays and learning disabilities.
Hughes’s disability, however, has never stopped him from dreaming about running a food-cart business in Portland.
Through his attendance at Strive U, a University of Southern Maine program that helps developmentally disabled young adults learn to live independently, Hughes conceptualized Eric’s Pizza Express based on his lifelong dream of operating a food cart. Strive U helped him make some resourceful connections that have pulled together to help him pursue his dream.
Hughes received help for writing a business plan, building a cart, sourcing ingredients, getting start-up money, and putting a marketing strategy together.
Hughes’s food cart business was on a roll — the only thing he needed was overnight storage for his cart.
When William Noyes, Operations Director at Earle W. Noyes & Sons, was asked to provide Eric a storage site, he readily agreed to do that at no cost. “This community has rallied to support Eric’s enthusiastic vision for his business, and we are very happy to pitch in to see him realize his dream,” said Noyes.
Eric’s Pizza Express is located at the corner of Marginal Way and Chestnut Street in Portland’s Old Port from April through September.
