The Green Bay Packers Mentor-Protégé Program on Wednesday recognized the success of the program's seventh session participants with a celebration event at the Lambeau Field Atrium.

Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy congratulated participants at the event, which marked the program's seventh year of pairing established mentor companies with growing protégé companies in the community, with several more protégé organizations joining the ranks of the program alumni.

This year, Brandon Rohde of LIVETime, LLC was honored as "Most Valuable Protégé," and his mentor, Ronnie Cardwell with Constellation NewEnergy Inc., was recognized as "Most Valuable Mentor."

In the seven years of the program, more than 175 full and part-time jobs have been created across the 39 protégé companies. Additionally, participants have increased their annual revenue by a combined 235 percent and acquired more than 3,200 clients.

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

Established in part to match up minority-owned, veteran-owned, or woman-owned businesses with experienced mentor companies, the program has continued to reach such businesses, with minority-owned, woman-owned or veteran-owned businesses accounting for 80 percent of the participating protégé businesses.

Wednesday's event also celebrated the Packers Mentor-Protégé Program's "alumni group," an ongoing gathering of past participants who come together to share tools and experiences and build business relationships.

The eight partnerships receiving recognition for the seventh session are:

• Constellation NewEnergy, Inc., from De Pere mentored LIVETime, LLC from De Pere.

• Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin, Inc., from Menasha, mentored Josephine's Attic – Gift Décor from Green Bay.

• HR Energized, LLC, from Green Bay mentored New North B2B Magazine from Oshkosh.

• John Kreutz from Hobart mentored Glide N.E.W., LLC from Green Bay.

• Lindquist Machine Corporation from Green Bay mentored Freshour Precision Welding and Fab from Hortonville.

• The Community Blood Center from Appleton mentored Blush Pictures, LLC from New London.

• Top Hat Marketing, Inc., from De Pere mentored Monkey Tailz, from Green Bay.

• Paul Tutskey from De Pere mentored Stark Professional Tool, from Cedar Grove.

The Packers Mentor-Protégé Program is now in its eighth session, but those who are interested in the program and may apply in the future are encouraged to learn more about the program at **http://packers.com/mentorprotege**.