An Atlanta entrepreneurship organization has launched an initiative to provide experienced executives to consult with local companies and ease the brain drain of business talent leaving the city.
TiE Atlanta opened the Atlanta Council of Directors July 21. The council is enrolling privately owned companies that lack boards of directors to work with its database of executives.
Karen Robinson Cope, the council’s founder and CEO, told GlobalAtlanta that entrepreneurs who establish companies here often sell their companies and move away. The council hopes to encourage those executives to stay and pass their knowledge to other businesspeople.
“When you have a liquidity event or some sort of an exit, whether you have a corporate executive or an entrepreneur, quite often you either leave the area or become somewhat disengaged,” she said. “We think this will be an opportunity to keep that intellectual capital here in Atlanta.”
Ms. Robinson Cope has personal experience in building businesses, having been involved in developing advertising firm Prime Point Media and battery technology company Enrev Corp., both in Norcross.
She said the council hopes to enroll 10-20 companies annually to work with its executives in a three-year program.
They are to focus on helping companies with employee relations, international growth and passing the business to the next generation.
The council’s criteria state that companies must have been established for at least three years and have revenues between $5 million and $150 million. Ms. Robinson Cope said companies that have reached this level of success still need expansion advice.
“This last few years it’s been very tough economic times, and many of these companies that were doing very well 10 years ago have hit some rough spots,” she said. “There was an opportunity to match experienced executive talent with these successful companies that could use some help on strategic issues.”
Companies that have already enrolled with the council include cancer research firm CSI Laboratories, software developer Enrich IT Inc., both based in Alpharetta, and Roswell’s Solid Source Realty.
C.N. “Madhu” Madhusudan, TiE Atlanta’s president, aims to attract executives who have retired from or sold their own companies and are interested in helping other entrepreneurs on a pro bono basis.
“For people who don’t want to get back in the nine-to-five grind but really want to give back on their own terms, this is a wonderful opportunity,” he said.
Mr. Madhusudan hopes that if the initiative is successful they will be able to export it to some of TiE’s 57 chapters located in 14 countries.
Companies interested in participating and executives who would like to work with the council can get more information at www.atlanta-cod.org.