(Newswire.net — April 23, 2014) Houston, Texas — Six leading professional services companies have collaborated to create the Middle Market Institute, an experience-based, invitation-only curriculum to help mid-size companies overcome the common hurdles that can impede growing companies.
The UHY LLP CPA firm, Comerica Bank, investment bank Gulfstar Group, Oracle, the Thompson & Knight law firm, and Wortham Insurance will provide a customized business management curriculum to executives of selected Houston-region mid-size growth companies.
“In our work with clients, we often see talented, well-managed companies encounter challenges that can derail or misdirect their growth,” said UHY Advisors-TX CEO Ron Martin. “As a group, we have decided to apply our knowledge and experience in a series of practical workshops and 1-on-1 sessions to help mid-market companies overcome common hurdles and take best advantage of their growth opportunities.”
Senior managers of more than 100 middle market Houston-region companies will be invited to attend the series of six seminars, the topics of which will be determined through input from the invitees. Institute organizers expect the subjects to range from capital sourcing and process improvement, to IP protection and risk management, as well as branding and international expansion.
Criteria for a company to be invited to participate in the Middle Market Institute program include:
- Revenues of between $10 million and $1 billion;
- 20% compound growth since 2009;
- Positioning at a definable growth stage in the Greiner model (see below); and
- Senior management committed to “paying it forward.”
Invitations are expected to be issued in April; the program is scheduled to begin in September. In addition to the schedule of courses/workshops, the Middle Market Institute will also sponsor a series of entrepreneurship mixers to allow middle market companies to network and share leading practices around the issues most vital to them.
Middle Market Information
Companies with between $10 million and $1 billion in revenue supply one-third of all US employment.
Of the 27 million businesses in the US, only 150,000 have more than $10 million in sales. Studies and professional services firms’ experience have shown that businesses frequently encounter significant hurdles at the $10 million in sales threshold. Managers and owners often either must learn the skills of business management or risk remaining a traditional small business.
The Greiner Curve
A model defined by Professor Larry E. Greiner University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles provides widely accepted definitions of the growth stages and related challenges that many mid-size companies must work their way through. These provide part of the framework for selecting Middle Market Institute invitee companies and for the course/workshop curriculum.
Information about participation in the Middle Market Institute is available from Bill Penczak at UHY LLP, (713) 407-3204, info@www.themiddlemarketinstitute.org.
Six leading professional services companies are collaborating to create the Middle Market Institute, an experience-based, invitation-only curriculum to help mid-size Houston-region companies overcome the common hurdles faced by fast-growing companies.
http://www.middlemarketinstitute.org