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Kauffman Foundation's Urban Entrepreneur Partnership (UEP) "Detroit 150" Clients Win Contracts Serving Detroit Public Schools

The Urban Entrepreneur Partnership Detroit 150, a program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, was instrumental in preparing two Detroit-area firms selected as recipients of five-year, multimillion-dollar contracts serving Detroit Public Schools (DPS).

DPS recently announced plans to save $75 million by outsourcing custodial and business maintenance services to seven independent firms, including UEP Detroit 150 clients Powerlink Facilities Management Services and Rickman Enterprise Group, acting as subcontractors through Sodexo, based in Gaithersburg, Md.

A customized version of the UEP's distinctive one-to-one business coaching model, the UEP Detroit 150 is assisting 150 of Southeast Michigan's leading auto suppliers -- companies generating from $1 million to $400 million in annual revenues -- as they retool and expand into other industries, including aerospace, alternative energy, medical devices, military, and homeland security.

"Our rigorous three-step business assessment process equips our clients with solutions, enabling them to compete successfully and realize optimal performance and profitability," said C. Alexander West, a senior executive coach with the UEP.

Powerlink CEO/President Link Howard III said his company's $74 million, five-year subcontract with the Detroit Public Schools "represents significant growth."

"The rigor and objectivity of the UEP Detroit 150 program confirmed our own assessment that we had the requisite management, physical and financial capital to deliver great results," Howard added.

Roderick Rickman, CEO and chairman of Rickman Enterprise Group, said he appreciated the added credibility his company received from working with a program of the Kauffman Foundation. Rickman's firm also competed for and secured a five-year, multi-million-dollar subcontract through Sodexo.

For additional information on the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership Detroit 150 and other UEP programs, contact Lena T. Rodriguez at (816) 581-2900 or LRodriguez@uepkauffman.org or visit www.uepdetroit.org.