Hanford Contractor Leverages Mentor-Protégé Partnerships to Drive Cleanup

Advetage Vice President of Services Christopher Royce checks an air sample monitor. Central Plateau Cleanup Company recently partnered with Advetage as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Mentor-Protégé Program.

RICHLAND, Wash. — The Hanford Site continues to deliver significant progress by forging meaningful relationships with smaller, specialized businesses looking to gain more experience in the nuclear cleanup complex.

Hanford contractor Central Plateau Cleanup Company (CPCCo) recently completed agreements with two protégé companies through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Mentor-Protégé Program.

That program seeks to foster long term business relationships between small businesses and DOE prime contractors, and increase the overall number of small businesses that receive DOE contract and subcontract awards.

CPCCo’s mentorship of Advetage Solutions — a service-disabled veteran-owned small business specializing in radiation detection and analysis — accelerates the company’s development and enhances Hanford’s safety and operational efficiency. Meanwhile, the partnership provides Advetage with technical guidance, business support and opportunities to contribute directly to Hanford’s mission.

From left, Paula Kurth, Christopher Royce, Lloyd Foster, Emma Harvey and Michael Blough are part of the Central Plateau Cleanup Company-Advetage Solutions mentor-protégé partnership team.

Members of Central Plateau Cleanup Company protégé company OLH Inc., from left: Mollie Fortino, director of Marketing; Gina Bennett-Norris, CEO and president; Nikki Roberts, assistant vice president of Federal Services; and Phil D’Ambrogi, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

CPCCo also welcomed OLH Inc. — a woman-owned small business with more than a decade of DOE support experience — as a mentor-protégé partner. OLH’s expertise includes project management, staffing and technical solutions. The partnership enables OLH to expand its Hanford presence and invest in developing new talent for the evolving needs of site cleanup.

Both protégé companies plan to set up offices in the Hanford community.

“By building strategic partnerships with small businesses like Advetage Solutions and OLH Inc., CPCCo leverages collective expertise, shares best practices and creates pathways for small business growth while advancing the Hanford cleanup mission,” said CPCCo Small Business Program Manager Lloyd Foster. “These relationships truly offer a win-win solution.”