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Help Small Businesses 2.16.05 Irving, Feb. 16 — The North Texas Commission (NTC) will host its 2005 Mentor-Entrepreneur Kickoff Reception on Monday, Feb. 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Omni Mandalay Hotel, located at 221 E. Las Colinas Blvd. The 2005 class participants will meet their match and discuss ways to maximize their newly formed business partnership. The kickoff serves as the official orientation for both the mentor companies and entrepreneurs who have made a 10-month commitment to the Mentor-Entrepreneur Program. The primary purpose of the program is to improve the economy of the Metroplex by strengthening women and minority-owned businesses. The Mentor-Entrepreneur Program Class of 2005 boasts 24 mentor-entrepreneur teams. The mentors include Alcatel, Alcon Laboratories, Inc., Aviall Services, Inc., Capgemini Energy, Corgan Associates, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Dallas Small Business Development Center, EDS, General Services Administration, Hensel Phelps Construction, Hyatt Regency DFW, IBM Corporation, OMSS-Associates, Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Ltd., SBC Communications, Inc., Tarrant County College Small Business Development Center, TXU and Verizon. The entrepreneurs selected to participate include 4Consulting, Inc., 21st Century Forensic Animations, Adair Eye Wear, Advisory Link, Allied Business Systems, Inc., Allied Composite Technologies, Apex Engineered Solutions, Carpets Too, Inc., CompuSol, Inc., Daniels Software Services, Exceed Resources, Inc., Grass Perfect, Hayden Consultants, Inc., Louis Printing, Ltd., Minority Business News USA, Morning Associates, New World Industries, Co., Real Network Services, Inc., R2 Technologies, Inc., The Verve Design Group, Thoth Solutions, Inc., Software Professionals, Inc., Talem, Inc. and Tinman Welding Services. More than 400 Metroplex entrepreneur companies have been mentored in the program since its inception. Founded in 1993 by the North Texas Commission, the program offers small companies competitive business advice to help them achieve success in an ever-changing business community. The expertise gained through the Mentor-Entrepreneur Program helps entrepreneurs not only survive their first few years, but also thrive in a highly competitive business environment. Entrepreneur companies are paired with larger, more experienced corporations who offer expertise in areas such as marketing, human resources, business plan development and accounting. The Mentor-Entrepreneur Program has become a nationally recognized resource for small emerging businesses in the Metroplex. The program is designed to nurture the professional development, productivity and overall success of small, women and minority-owned businesses in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex through the formation of a mentor-entrepreneur relationship – matching a suitable, larger or more experienced corporation with a small business. In 1998, Vice President Al Gore and the U.S. Department of the Treasury recognized the NTC Mentor-Entrepreneur Program as a model BusinessLINC business-to-business mentoring resource for other cities to emulate. Strategies and success stories of the program were presented to government officials, representatives from community organizations, and business leaders from across the country. To date, the program has been adopted in 18 states. Established in 1971, the North Texas Commission is a regional non-profit consortium of businesses, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, economic development entities and higher education institutions in the North Texas Region. The Commission is the one and only public-private regional organization committed to enhancing the overall economic vitality and quality of life of North Texas. NTC improves the economy, infrastructure and lifestyle of North Texas by leading and directing regionally cooperative initiatives to accomplish objectives in four primary areas: transportation, aviation, environment and long-range strategies. For more information about the North Texas Commission Mentor-Entrepreneur Program, contact Liz Samuel in the Office of Communications at (972) 621-0400 ext. 123 or visit the Mentor-Entrepreneur section of our web site at www.ntc-dfw.org/ntcprogrammentor.html. |
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