The Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection (GMPC), the state of Georgia’s premier small business mentoring program, is accepting applications for the 2020 class. The GMPC, initiated by Governor Roy Barnes in 2001 as The Governor’s Mentor Protégé Program, was the first state-sponsored mentoring initiative of its kind. A program of the Georgia Education Foundation, the educational arm of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC), the GMPC pairs Georgia mentor corporations with eligible small business protégé firms for a one-year mentoring relationship that can be a game changer for small business development. The program designed to help the protégé firm develop capacity, explore new technologies and shore up areas of opportunity, with the ultimate goal of positioning the small business for exponential growth. The 2020 class year will kick off in January of 2020.

Alumni of the GMPC, among the finest small businesses in the state, are winners of many regional and national awards who have gone on to secure significant contracts and build strong, sustainable business entities. The GMPC curriculum is a rigorous year with a full calendar of conferences, retreats, seminars, reporting sessions and special events, including regular gatherings of the entire class for group activities and best practice sharing. The mentoring relationship focuses on three primary areas of opportunity that are identified and established as goals at the onset of the program. Participating protégé firms must meet the criteria listed below.

• Be incorporated in Georgia and registered with the Secretary of State

• Be in business for a minimum of 3 years 

• Have annual revenues of at least $1 million

• Have a minimum of 3 full-time, non-contract employees

• Be nominated by a qualifying individual or organization

The application/nomination process will close on June 1^st.  For more information, or to nominate a protégé, apply or become a mentor or sponsor, visit georgiampc.org.