Boeing

Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems in Southern California and Mid-America Consulting Group (MCG) have completed a mentor protégé agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

In 1996, The Boeing Company established a mentor protégéagreement with MCG originally in avionics and test equipment. At the same time, MCG developed a first-generation Internet-based supply chain management program called SupplierGATEWAY. After SupplierGATEWAY's development, Boeing and MCG decided to change the scope of mentoring from avionics to information technology. Boeing was the first customer for SupplierGATEWAY, which enabled the company to communicate more effectively with its supplier network and to track and manage orders via the Internet.

Ade Solaru, senior vice president and chief technical officer for MCG, said, "Access to Boeing suppliers contributed tremendous insight that evolved into our initial design. While SupplierGATEWAY has applicability across many industries that rely on global supply chains, the B2B e-commerce solution is a natural fit for the aerospace and defense market segment."

Anna Johnson, senior manager, Boeing Supplier Diversity Programs and System Integrity, said, "This mentor-protégé relationship was unique in that there was a total shift in the mentoring activity from avionics and test equipment to information technology. Boeing and MCG realized there was an enormous opportunity in this emerging field. The team pulled together and successfully completed the transition."

In the final program review, conducted at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, Air Force Mentor Protégé Program Manager Janie Campos praised the program plan between Boeing and MCG.

MCG is headquartered in Beechwood, Ohio, with offices in Lakewood, Calif. Lakewood serves as the Product Center Operations for all of MCG's software systems. MCG has established a solid base of customers and has averaged sales in the range of $8 to $10 million for the past five years. MCG's growth earned it a place on the Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead 100 in 1997 and 1998, and on the Inc. 500 in 1996.

The Department of Defense Pilot Mentor Protégé Program encourages major prime contractors (mentors) to develop the technical and business capabilities of small disadvantaged businesses and other eligible protégés in order to enhance their contribution to the Department of Defense. The program provides incentives for mentors to establish and implement a developmental assistance plan that enables the protégé to compete more successfully for DOD contracts.

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