Graduation time for 27 Georgia small businesses

ATLANTA, June 16, 2006 - Governor Sonny Perdue congratulated members of the Governor's Mentor-Protégé program as it graduated its third class Wednesday evening in ceremonies held at the Intercontinental Hotel Buckhead. 'Mentor-protégé relationships encourage a learning process we are working to mirror in state government,' said Governor Sonny Perdue. 'In the same way that the state of Georgia is benefiting from similar relationships with the private sector, the Mentor- Protégé program facilitates interaction and learning between large and small businesses in Georgia.' Georgia's six-year-old Mentor-Protégé program, the first of its kind in the nation, teams prospering companies such as The Home Depot, Coca-Cola and United Parcel Service with smaller, emerging Georgia-based businesses to increase those businesses' odds for success. Each class goes through an 18-month cycle that includes one-on-one mentoring sessions, specialized training seminars, networking events and mandatory progress reporting sessions. Mentor companies tutor their protégé businesses on how to incorporate best practices into areas such as accounting & finance, human resources, strategic planning, marketing, Web site development, operating efficiencies and organizational planning issues. The Mentor-Protégé program is part of the Governor's Entrepreneur & Small Business Office, housed in the Global Commerce division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). 'The Governor's Mentor-Protégé program adds to Georgia's economy because these companies work together to generate direct revenue, add jobs and expand operations,' said GDEcD Commissioner Craig Lesser. 'The program fits perfectly with our department's added focus on entrepreneur and small business development. The energy and eagerness we have seen from both mentors and protégés have been remarkable.' During the graduation ceremony, five teams were recognized as particularly high-performing members of the program. The teams are: Georgia-Pacific Corporation and Atlanta Peach Movers; H.J. Russell & Company and B & B Movers; Hardin Construction and Brown and Pipkins; The Home Depot and HR Now!; and Turner Broadcasting Systems and All(N)1 Security Services. Also, five individuals with mentoring companies were acknowledged for their exceptional commitment and effectiveness: Angela Williams (BellSouth Corporation); Moses Brown (ChoicePoint); Jim Poulakos (North Highland); Robert Anderson (Synovus Financial Corporation); and Donya Edler (The Facility Group). Members of the program hail from counties around the state, including Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Muscogee, Paulding, Richmond and Rockdale. A complete list of the third Mentor-Protégé class follows. Corporate sponsors of the program are GE Energy, Georgia Power, Lockheed Martin, The Coca-Cola Company, The Home Depot, Turner Broadcasting Systems and UPS. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For information about GDEcD or the Governor's Mentor-Protégé program, visit www.georgia.org.