The Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, June 3, recognized participants from the fourth session of the Packers Mentor-Protégé Program at a reception in the Lambeau Field Atrium.

The program matches established mentor companies that can provide technical, managerial, financial or other guidance to protégés seeking to improve their competitive standing. These partnerships aim to foster business growth, economic development and job creation in Brown County and the surrounding area.

Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy, Wisconsin Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and New North executive director Jerry Murphy attended the event to congratulate the participants and speak about the importance of the small business community.

The five mentor-protégé partnerships receiving recognition for the fourth session are KI, Green Bay, and Cisco Distributing, Denmark; Score, Reedsville, and Rose Publications, Clintonville; Lindquist Machine, Green Bay, and Wieber Machine, Green Bay; Amerilux International, De Pere, and Machine Plus, Green Bay; and R.R. Donnelley, De Pere, and Donlon Enterprises, De Pere.

Machine Plus, represented by Jamie Veeser, was named most valuable protégé, and the company's mentor in the program, Amerilux International, represented by Patrick Aaron, was named most valuable mentor.

"We are very proud of the hard work that the mentors and protégés have put into the Packers Mentor-Protégé Program this year," said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. "Because of this program and its dedicated participants, local companies have shown tremendous improvement and growth, and have made a lasting impact on the business community."

The program's participants have demonstrated success in growing their businesses, including an increase in revenue and net profits, and number of clients. Additionally, the participants have increased the number of full- and part-time employees. In the four years of the program, more than 90 full and part-time jobs have been created across the 18 protégé companies that have participated, with an average revenue growth of 250 percent over the years since beginning program participation.

Seven partnerships currently are engaged for the fifth session of the program. Michels Corporation, from Brownsville, Wis. will mentor both Diamond Discs International from Milwaukee, as well as Johnson's DCS from Milwaukee; Score from Green Bay will mentor both Dos Chiles Cateringfrom Green Bay, as well as Joro Innovationsfrom Green Bay; Schreiber Foods (mentor), Green Bay, and Giantseed Creative, Green Bay; ThedaCare (mentor),*Appleton, andCustom Service Plastics, Lake Geneva; andIntegrys Energy Services (mentor), Green Bay, andPanacea Group*, Seymour.

The Green Bay Packers Mentor-Protégé Program was established in 2011 to pair emerging minority- and woman-owned companies (protégés) with established, knowledgeable, and committed companies (mentors) that can provide exposure, appropriate training, resources and experience not readily available to the protégé companies. More information on the Packers Mentor-Protégé Program can be found online at packers.com/mentorprotege.