The Green Bay Packers Mentor-Protégé Program last week celebrated 10 years of the program by recognizing the most recent session of program participants with a virtual celebration event.

Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy congratulated the entrepreneurs gathered virtually to honor the program's 10th year of pairing established mentor companies with growing protégé companies in the community. The program, which has expanded into Milwaukee, features pairs of companies in both northeastern and southeastern Wisconsin. Many of the companies pivoted during the pandemic, identifying ongoing issues and needs in the community and shifting gears to continue finding success.

Several companies were also named Most Valuable Mentor, Most Valuable Protégé and Comeback Player of the Year, following their growth and performance during the program in what was a particularly challenging year for many businesses throughout the country. In Green Bay, Ben and Amy Bertram with Fiberglass Solutions were named the Most Valuable Protégé and Dean Stewart, with the St. Norbert College Center for Exceptional Leadership, was named Most Valuable Mentor. In Milwaukee, Natalie Chesebro with Your Personal Gardener & Arborist, was named Most Valuable Protégé and David Rotter, the retired co-owner/co-CEO of National Ace Hardware, was named Most Valuable Mentor. The company honored as Comeback Player of the Year in Green Bay was Lisa and Kelly Reynolds with Reynolds Packaging, and the Milwaukee company honored as Comeback Player of the Year was Mollie Bartlett with Pixologie.

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 Wisconsin. Created in part to match up minority-owned, veteran-owned, or woman-owned businesses with experienced mentor companies, such businesses account for 86 percent of the participating protégé businesses.

In the 10 years of the program, more than 360 full and part-time jobs have been created across the 96 protégé companies. Additionally, participants have increased their annual revenue by a combined $78.3 million.

The partnerships receiving recognition for the 10th session in Northeastern Wisconsin are:

• Michael Troyer with A Fresh Perspective mentored Ben and Amy Bertram of Fiberglass Solutions, in Green Bay.
• David Sauffacher with the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center mentored Brittany Schultz of Acupuncture by the Lake in Manitowoc.
• Charlene Uecker of Enbridge Energy in Superior mentored Tom Giese of Gain Control in Green Bay.
• Ronald Franklin with the Greater Green Bay Chamber mentored Kelley Lindsley of Award Ribbons Plus in Algoma.
• Donald Herrmann of Herrmann Advantage Consulting in Appleton mentored Emily Jacobson with Green Bay Doulas.
• Tony Hoslet of Sandler Training Green Bay mentored Andy and Nicole Selner of Alair Homes Green Bay.
• John Murphy of Miron Construction in Neenah mentored Patty and Bruce Opperman of Freedom Restoration & Remodeling in Freedom.
• Stephen Pasowicz of Green Bay mentored Tianna Beebe of Bridge Massage & Wellness Clinic in Appleton.
• Dick Hopfensperger with RJH Business Consulting of Wrightstown mentored Steven Childers of NYFO in Green Bay.
• Betsy Rozelle with Rozelle Communication in Neenah mentored Jill Meyer-Lippert of Side Effect Support in Manitowoc.
• Dean Steward with the St. Norbert College Center for Exceptional Leadership mentored Lisa and Kelly Reynolds with Reynolds Packaging.
• Mark Ver Voort of the Boldt Company in Appleton mentored Jennifer Nowicki of Cultivate Taste in Two Rivers.
• Mike Calawerts of VerHalen Inc. mentored Jesus and Amanda Septimo of The Galleria of Tile in Kaukauna.

The partnerships receiving recognition for the second session in Southeastern Wisconsin are:

• Refilwe Goll with Northwestern Mutual mentored Talethea Thompson with PumpFive in Milwaukee.
• David A. Rotter mentored Natalie Chesebro of Your Personal Gardener & Arborist in Mukwonago.
• David Rotter mentored Mollie Bartlett of Pixologie in Oak Creek.