Contact: Kristina Ellis, 240-777-2024 or
Susan Brown, ATG, 301-528-1142

For Immediate Release: October 1, 2001

County Kicks-Off Small Business
Mentorship Program

The Montgomery County Department of Economic Development (DED), in partnership with Advanced TelCom Group, Inc. (ATG), today launched the start of its Small Business Mentorship Program. The program matches experienced business owners with existing and prospective entrepreneurs in the County to enhance and expand the personal and professional development of both participants.

DED and ATG representatives--including. DeVance Walker Jr., chief of DED’s Small Business Services Division and Dennis Hall, general manager of ATG’s metro Washington region--joined program participants in the kick-off luncheon.

The Small Business Mentorship Program was designed in 1991 to provide outreach to start-up companies owned by minorities, females and persons with disabilities. The scope of the program was expanded two years later to include existing businesses. The program won a National Association of Counties Achievement Award in 1995 and is currently used as a model by other counties around the United States. The program is currently administered by the County’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), part of the Maryland Small Business Development Center Network.

“The County’s Small Business Mentorship Program has become a model of success throughout the nation, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the mentors, mentees, and our Small Business Development Center,” said David Edgerley, director of the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development. “We are very proud of the positive impact this program has had in the County over the years, and know this important program is needed and will be appreciated now more than ever within our business community.”

A public/private initiative, the program solicits corporate leaders from throughout the County to serve as mentors. This year, Advanced TelCom Group, Inc. was the first to join and fully support this year’s program by serving as a mentor and by using its resources and client connections to help attract other corporate mentors.

“During this troubling time, we strongly believe that a public/private partnership with Montgomery County can foster a positive business environment, which will lead to greater job creation and a more vital local and regional economy,” said Dennis Hall, general manager for Advanced TelCom Group’s Washington metro region.

Headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, with its eastern division headquarters located in Germantown, ATG is a rapidly growing facilities-based integrated communications provider (ICP), focusing on business clients in under-served, middle-sized markets across the United States. ATG offers an integrated set of telecommunications products and services, including high-speed data and Internet access, local exchange, domestic and international long distance, and other enhanced voice services supported via digital networks, including DSL technology. The company currently serves 86 cities in 23 markets across the United States.

Each year, the Department of Economic Development seeks to identify and pair experienced mentors with new and early-stage entrepreneurs in the County. Mentors provide one-on-one counseling in all aspects of business development to the selected mentees throughout the year. In addition, DED hosts monthly meetings with the mentees that include presentations by experts on specific topics. For a complete list of this year’s Mentorship Program participants, call Peter McGinnity, small business counselor at the SBDC, at 240-777-2040.

For more information on the Department of Economic Development, the Small Business Development Center or the Small Business Mentorship Program, go to www.TheIdeaLocation.com or call 240-777-2000. For more information on ATG, go to www.callatg.com or call 301-528-1142.