ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996                 TAG: 9605200034
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: A-8  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER 

HE'S TOPS WITH CHAMBER - AND CHOCAHOLICS, TOO

A Cloverdale businessman whose company hauls chocolate bars with the help of satellites was named the region's small-business person of the year Friday.

Harry G. Norris operates Howell's Motor Freight Inc., one of the pack horses of the U.S. candy industry. Traversing the East and Midwest, his drivers haul cocoa beans and wrappers to candy factories, and finished sweets made by Hershey Foods Corp. and other popular brands to warehouses and grocery stores.

They also move health and beauty goods in the company's white trucks to the docks of Kroger, Food Lion, Harris Teeter and other supermarkets.

Norris has improved efficiency by installing two-way satellite communication with half his 160-truck fleet five years ago. Without pulling over and waiting in line for a pay phone, drivers can report problems, get up-to-date instructions and ask for clearance to buy fuel.

From the Cloverdale dispatch center, Norris can observe the progress of the trucks as colored lines on a computer screen. Norris once used the system to detect a driver stranded in an Ohio snowstorm and send help that probably saved his life.

It's a far cry from the local meat-delivery service Norris' dad, C.E. Norris, took over when he acquired the company in 1957 from Randy Howell.

Sales stood at $18.2 million last year and are projected to hit $19.5 million this year. A private company, Howell's does not disclose its profits. The company offers warehousing at its terminals in Cloverdale; Portsmouth; Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C.; and Clarksville, Ind.

Norris, who succeeded his late father as head of the company, is quick to credit his employees for the company's success, a phrase he repeated as he accepted his award during a luncheon at the Roanoke Airport Marriott. The citation, Small Business Person of 1996, was presented by the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce and other corporate sponsors.

"They're the ones that make it work," Norris said of his company's 275 to 300 employees.

In all, 22 company leaders were nominated for seven awards. In addition to the program's overall citation, Norris won the service industry category award. He advances to a statewide competition, with guidelines set by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

LENGTH: Medium:   54 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  ARNE KUHLMANN/Staff. Harry G. Norris, operator of 
          Howell's Motor Freight Inc. and the Roanoke Valley's small-business 
          person of the year, sits on the hood of one of the 10 new Peterbilts
          he just bought to help speed freight to and
          from manufacturers in the East and Midwest. Graphic: Chart: Other 
          award winners.