Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection (MPC), the first-state sponsored mentor-protégé program in the nation, has been doing its part to enrich the development of $1M-$30M small businesses in Georgia for the past 17 years. MPC is administered by the Georgia Education Foundation, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD).The program has graduated over 400 firms, significantly increased the protégé success rate in winning contracts and created over 100 jobs in Georgia last year alone. MPC – which takes a custom-tailored approach to each protégé firm, by creating a plan that is laser-focused on specific company growth goals – is unparalleled and supported by a dynamic group of corporate champions. These mentor firms dedicate 12 months to developing potential future suppliers through interaction with in-house subject matter experts in areas such as Finance, Sales, Marketing, HR, Operations, Technology and Logistics. Entrepreneurs accepted into the program can expect the following: solid programmatic structure, intensive dedication to excellence, identification of problem areas hindering business growth, customized and proactive strategies to overcome paint points within 12 months, on-going access to program resources – internally and externally, corporate mentor support to provide guidance, solutions and strategies to achieve program goals, as well as inspiration and motivation to help them expand their vision. We accomplish our goals in assisting the development of small business firms by assuring mentors and protégés meet on a monthly basis to identify areas of need, formulate solutions and check status on process deliverables. In addition to expert corporate counsel, MPC offers tailored resources and development opportunities through 6 core educational dates throughout the program year and a 2 day retreat focused on Leadership & Transformational Company Culture.