ORANGE COUNTY

Praised for preserving the free enterprise system, Ronald C. Harding, president of Ron Harding Moving Service in Anaheim, was recently named Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Los Angeles district office.

Anaheim Mayor Don Roth nominated Harding for the award, which will be presented at a dinner in May. Last Year, Harding, 44, received the Black Business of the Year Award from the Black Business Assn. of Los Angeles.

Harding began his own moving business after a serious accident ended his career as a driver for Global Van Lines. In 1978, on an icy highway in Indiana, Harding swerved his moving van to avoid hitting a skidding car. Thrown from the cab, he lost both legs when the heavy-duty rig fell on him. SBA officials said Harding’s quick action saved the life of a mother and two children.

Unable to continue driving, Harding borrowed $7,500 a year later and set up the moving company with his wife, Judy. Today the company employs about 40 and generates about $1.5 million a year in sales.

Harding’s firm was a major moving company for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee. The company also has moving contracts with Xerox Corp. and Fluor Corp., among others. Harding is active in trade and community organizations, including the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, the California Moving and Storage Assn. and the Local Hosts Lions Club. His company sponsors Little League baseball teams and the Anaheim Soccer Assn. Harding lives in Anaheim with his wife and son, Ron Jr.