Retired Navy Commander Gregory Black, a decorated Navy Deep Sea Diving  and Surface Warfare Officer is optimistic as he explains the new partnership his company, Patriot Precision Printing and one of Georgia’s largest printing companies, The Kennickell Group, have formed.

Patriot Precision Printing  Savannah is a certified service-disabled veteran owned company, a special designation that Black explains allows his company the opportunity to bid on local, state and federal government contracts that are specifically set aside and targeted for service-disabled veteran owned companies. The newly certified partnership with Kennickell is part of the Mentor-Protégé Program designed by the government’s Small Business Administration (SBA). Inclusion in the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program is exclusive. There are less than 1000 partnerships nationwide and only a handful in Georgia.

“My goal is to grow enough that we can start to hire veterans. To give people who have dedicated their lives to serving our country the same chance I’ve received. Veterans deserve the chance to do work that is fulfilling, that will make a difference in their lives and in our communities. This partnership is Patriot Precision Printing’s first step in expanding and fulfilling that dream,” explains Black.

The program allows The Kennickell Group to benefit from Patriot Precision Printing’s service-disabled veteran owned and others certification and opens up government printing contracts set aside for them through a joint venture. In return, Patriot Precision Printing gains from the experience and large-scale capacity of The Kennickell Group, allowing it to bid on contracts that would normally be too large for the small-scale company to perform.

 “I reached out to several resources including SBDC, SBA SCORE, and GA PTAC, and through them, learned of the SBA’s Mentor-Protégé Program. After finding out about the program, I approached The Kennickell Group’s president, Al Kennickell, with the idea of mentoring our company. Al and his team were enthusiastic about the idea. We immediately went to work on the SBA’s extensive application process. After all the requirements were submitted, the SBA approved our mentorship plan about 3 months later,” says Black.

Al Kennickell added that “under Gregory Black’s leadership and commitment to excellence, Patriot Precision Printing only lacks the resources and experience to be successful in the local printing market. Having dedicated 21 years of his life to serving our nation, we are proud to offer our help to the Savannah business community, and to mentor Greg and help him reach his business goals.”