Sandia National Laboratories launches Office of Small Business Advocacy Mentor/Protégé program

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — On Oct. 2, 2001, six mentors, six protégés, and four business service advisors gathered for the kick-off of the 2001-2002 Sandia National Laboratories Office of Small Business Advocacy Mentor/Protégé Program.

Sponsored by Sandia’s Office of Small Business Advocacy in collaboration with Sandia Supplier Relations, the new program is designed to help small businesses (500 or fewer employees) build their competencies and capabilities in order to become better suppliers and create a positive economic impact in a “'regional service area.”

Mentors are Sandia employees or current Sandia suppliers. Protégés are small businesses in the region with a practice or process issue in need of improvement. The companies and individuals involved in this year’s program are:

Mentors:
Bob Quintanilla, Information Assests Management
Krishan Wahi, GRAM, Inc.
Fred Mondragon, L&M Technologies
David Stafford, Sandia National Laboratories
Mark Retter, Sandia National Laboratories
Karl Ricker, Sandia National Laboratories

Protégés:
Leroy Gomez, TMC Design Corporation, Las Cruces
Richard Luarkie, Digital Migration LLC, Casa Blanca
Elizabeth McNally, Animas Environmental Services, Farmington
Nels Johnson, Eberline Services, Albuquerque
Richard Meyer, CIC Photonics, Albuquerque
Phil Armenta, Advanced Clinical Engineering, Bloomfield

Business Service Advisors:
George Richmond, Richmond Corporate Services
Andrea D’Ambrosia, Andrea D’Ambrosia Consulting
Fred O’Cheskey, Southwest Public Affairs
Nora Armijo, Sandia National Laboratories

Why would a small business want to participate in this program? Benefits to the parties include:

• Protégés: Strengthened business practices and greater awareness within Sandia and the community.
• Mentors: The ability to locate and evaluate potential teaming partners and the opportunity to directly impact the quality and development of suppliers and businesses.
• Sandia: A more qualified supplier base and more qualified partners to transfer technology.

This 12-month, interactive, solutions-based, voluntary program is for small businesses in the region. Quarterly, the program will host a Mentor Protégé Summit, which will facilitate discussions around issues, concerns, and successes of the participants. At the end of the program, a Mentor Protégé Recognition Event will be held to honor the teams.

Further information is available at: http://www.sandia.gov/partnerships/smallbusinessprograms/OSBA/mentor.htm.

Sandia media contact:
Janet Carpenter, jacarpe@sandia.gov, (505) 844-7841