The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) today announced the graduation of the 2010 class of the Mentor Protégé Connection. This initiative partners promising small businesses in Georgia with successful large companies to foster enhanced business opportunities.  The program’s eighth graduating class will be celebrated today in ceremonies held at The Home Depot Store Support Center.

“We are fortunate to have very solid results indicating that the Mentor Protégé Connection benefits Georgia’s emerging businesses as well as more established industry leaders doing business in our state,” said Chris Cummiskey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.  “Georgia is home to a very diverse business community, and I am encouraged that programs like the Mentor Protégé Connection make it possible for businesses of all types to experience strategic growth in Georgia.”

The 2010 Mentor Protégé graduation class consists of 21 emerging small businesses that were paired with mentoring companies including Georgia Power, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, The Home Depot and Turner Broadcasting System among other leading businesses.  Mentor-protégé pairs form a year-long relationship, creating opportunities for protégés to benefit from the experiences of well-established, leading Georgia companies.

Throughout the 12-month program, protégé companies participate in one-on-one mentoring that not only focuses on business operations but also includes training, reporting sessions, and pitch and presentation guidance among other activities.  Graduating protégé companies leave the program with a vast amount of competitive intellectual capital from their mentors allowing them to chart goals for successful growth. Mentors, in turn, not only gain new and quality suppliers but receive gratification of giving back to the business community and helping smaller companies take advantage of their potential.

“At the very onset of the MPC class of 2010 I felt Metals & Materials Engineers was part of something special; being the protégé of Southern Company and being mentored by experienced professionals like Melissa Evans and Bob Powers was the dream of a small engineering and inspection company,” said Barry Bennett, president of Metals & Materials Engineers (MME).  “MME continues to survive these tough economic times because of the training and guidance afforded us by this program. The wealth of financial information provided through TUCK and GSU professionals has enabled me to restructure my organization to increase efficiency and reduce costs.”

Georgia’s Mentor Protégé Connection is the first program of its kind in the nation.  The program’s success is far reaching, and other states are now implementing Georgia’s best practices to create similar programs.

"Georgia Power Supplier Diversity and Development has been a sponsor and supporter of the State of Georgia's Mentor Protégé Connection since its conception in 1999.  We have had the honor of working with excellent small business owners over the past ten years, and they are still part of our day to day Supply Chain Management process,” said Melissa Evans, supplier diversity consultant with Georgia Power, A Southern Company.  “The Mentor Protégé Connection has really done an outstanding job of matching us with Barry Bennett of Metals & Materials Engineers LLC and Karen Ching of Liberty Steel Fabricators for our best experience yet.  Both of these small businesses represent the best Georgia has to offer.”

Turner Broadcasting System, a founding sponsor and mentoring company since the program’s inception, cites peer-to-peer networking opportunities as a benefit for mentor participants in the Mentor Protégé Program.

“Over the past ten years, Turner Broadcasting System has been an active supporter and partner of the Mentor Protégé Program,” said Rosemary Jones, director of the supplier diversity program at Turner Broadcasting System.  “It has been very rewarding for me to experience the high level educational programs and networking services offered by my fellow mentoring colleagues.  It’s Turner’s aspiration to align our business goals to create economic growth for small business in Georgia.”

Key outcomes from the 2010 Mentor Protégé Connection class include:

Four protégé companies are now officially doing business with their mentors gaining contracts, new business, new markets

A protégé is now saving $100,000 a month in operating expenses due to guidance on creating a leaner, more efficient workplace from his mentor

A protégé has expanded by 23,000 square feet resulting from strategic guidance from his mentor

A protégé has seen her highest revenue in the last six months than in her entire nine years of business