Mason Enterprise Center
Launches Entrepreneurial
"Step-Up" Program;
Silverman Appointed
Program Director
The Mason Enterprise
Center (MEC) in the School of Public
Policy has launched the Entrepreneurial
Step-Up Program, an innovative two-track
executive education program offering
entrepreneurial management education
services to spur growth of regionally
targeted Tier 2 companies. Tier 2 companies
typically have minimum projected revenues
of $2 million and a minimum of 10 employees;
they have been in business for at least
3 years.
The program provides senior entrepreneurial
executives with critically needed management
skills to help grow their businesses.
Two six-month Executive Entrepreneur
Program (EEP) sessions provide a comprehensive,
structured, in-depth curriculum addressing
essential entrepreneurial management
skills and tools.
In addition, a highly experienced EEP
Business Mentor is assigned to each Step-Up
Program participant. The mentor assists
in developing critical issues and Key
Performance Indicators. Business progress
is tracked in monthly mentor meetings
during the 12-month EEP.
Paul Silverman has been
appointed director of the program.
He has extensive corporate
management, management consulting, and
entrepreneurial management experience.
Silverman currently serves as CEO of
Strategic Defense Alliance Corp., a public
homeland security firm; chairman of Global
Defense Corp., a privately held technology
firm; and chairman of the Management
Advisory Board for MobilePro Corp (OTC/BB:
MOBL). He also is an adjunct professor
in George Mason’s School of Management
and in American University’s Kogod
School of Business.
“Helping high potential regional
companies achieve major growth is a winning
strategy for all—we create new
jobs and regional economic benefits,
and further reinforce Virginia’s
position as the ‘Best State for
Business’ according to the August
2006 Forbes.com,” said Silverman.
The fully integrated
two-track approach provides several
unique benefits, such
as integrating executive education with
focused mentor services to improve directly
a company’s business performance;
refocusing the EEP curriculum during
the session to address areas of particular
concern to participants based on EEP
Business Mentor feedback; and ensuring
an effective balance between executive
management training theory and practice,
while working directly with an executive’s
respective company.
The initial six-month Phase I Executive
Entrepreneur Program session, scheduled
to start in fall 2007, will be limited
to 30 senior executives of regional Tier
2 companies. The curriculum includes
classroom lectures complemented by guest
speakers, roundtable discussions, and
comprehensive case studies. Upon completion
of the six-month Phase I Program, up
to 10 companies will be accepted into
the more in-depth six-month Phase II
EEP Program.
The new program will be under the overall
direction of Roger Stough, who serves
as director of the Mason Enterprise Center
and associate dean of the School of Public
Policy. Stough promoted the vision for
the Step-Up Program several years ago.
“George Mason’s MEC offers
a broad, expanding range of services
to support start-up and early-stage companies,” said
Stough. “The new MEC Entrepreneurial
Step-Up Program fills an important unmet
need in our ‘portfolio’—helping
high potential regional Tier 2 firms
achieve significant growth and value
creation. We have been encouraged by
progress to date and appreciate Paul
Silverman’s support for the new
program.”
To learn more about the MEC and its
services, visit http://www.masonenterprisecenter.org/
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