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Twenty-six years after crossing the USF graduation stage with a level in electrical
engineering, Floyd Freeman is again on campus taking part in an essential function in its development.
The Cablelytics proprietor installs applied sciences corresponding to structured cabling, Wi-Fi and
fiber optics, and has a contract with USF to put in public security Distributed Antenna
Methods, which enhance police and fireplace radios, within the Judy Genshaft Honors Faculty constructing
and Pupil Wellness Middle – each scheduled to open subsequent yr.
Freeman landed the roles whereas taking part in the newest cohort of the USF Mentor
Protégé Program – developed in partnership with Skanska to assist the Tampa Bay area’s
diverse-owned small companies within the development business. This system gives
companies with coaching, growth and partnership alternatives to assist them develop
their capability and grow to be simpler with aggressive bidding processes. Freeman
shared on LinkedIn that he was enrolled within the 10-week program, and a common contractor
noticed the submit and reached out to supply him the roles.
He and 11 different native enterprise homeowners not too long ago graduated from this system, which he
says resulted in him turning into extra educated about quite a lot of elements of enterprise,
corresponding to Occupational Security Well being Administration rules, laws that impacts
worker regulation and human assets finest practices. Individuals had been chosen primarily based
on suggestions from group companions, such because the Hillsborough County NAACP,
Prospera, the Ladies’s Enterprise Enterprise Council Florida, Inclusive St. Pete and
the Manasota Black Chamber of Commerce.
“It was a complete program with loads of nice data. It was nicely value
it, and I extremely advocate it,” mentioned Freeman, who beforehand employed a USF graduate
who began at Cablelytics as a primary job out of college. “This was essentially the most I had
been on campus in a very long time and it’s actually neat to see my expertise at USF come
full circle.”
Freeman discovered concerning the Mentor Protégé Program whereas attending a gathering hosted
by the Workplace of Provider Range that outlined upcoming alternatives to safe
contracts to work on the long run on-campus stadium. He’s within the means of making use of
to bid on a contract for that mission too.

Julio Samamed

Samamed Residence Enhancements co-owners and brothers Julio and Modesto Samamed

Modesto Samamed
Samamed Residence Enhancements is one other diverse-owned enterprise benefitting from the mentor
program. Homeowners Modesto and Julio Samamed had been a part of this system’s first-class in
2021. Since then, they’ve adjusted their enterprise mannequin from residential portray
to business tasks – now offering service to a packaging provide retailer.
“This program was a recreation changer and naturally, we now have loads of issues to do so as
to attain our targets. A yr later, our enterprise has grown very a lot. Our imaginative and prescient is
completely different, and we’re doing the precise issues to develop up,” the Samamad brothers shared.
Nia Ogletree, founder and CEO of services administration agency Arielle Administration Group,
was additionally a part of the inaugural group. She says she joined this system as a result of she
felt her enterprise was too small to compete for bigger tasks. Since finishing the
program, she says her shopper base has elevated, receiving elevated work on a business
fireplace alarm mission and a brand new, five-year contract with the Division of Veterans Affairs
to supply veterans transportation to their physician’s appointments.
“This mentoring program got here at a time the place I wasn’t positive I wished to remain the course
within the development business, it’s a troublesome hill to climb,” mentioned Ogletree, who served
within the U.S. Military for 18 years. “Looking for good mentors to assist information us to develop
and staying educated concerning the business turned a problem as nicely. What modified for
me was an elevated information of the development business taught throughout this system.
The mentoring I acquired gave me the boldness to get out of my consolation zone, do
extra public talking and exit to search out tasks for the corporate.”


Arielle Administration Group workers full flooring mission for the Division of
Veterans Affairs Medical Middle in Lake Metropolis.
Ogletree says the Mentor Protégé Program offered her much-needed assist to assist
degree the taking part in area for small companies like hers to thrive and survive. She
shares for the following cohort of enterprise homeowners, “the journey collectively will likely be phenomenal.”
The USF Workplace of Provider Range is within the early levels of planning its third
annual Mentor Protégé Program, with software data anticipated to be out there
in spring 2023.
You’ll be able to register here to search out out when functions for subsequent yr’s mentor program open and obtain notifications
about future Workplace of Provider Range occasions or USF buying alternatives.
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