Gervais Ventures Graduates from UF’s 2025 Mentor-Protégé Program
Strengthening Partnerships and Building for the Future
Gervais Ventures is honored to have graduated from the University of Florida’s 2025 Mentor-Protégé Program, an initiative designed to strengthen small businesses by pairing emerging small businesses with established firms. This year-long experience gave our team invaluable insight into growth, leadership, and long-term collaboration and partnership with the University of Florida. This milestone reflects our commitment to growth, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
The UF Small Business Relations mission is to seek out, identify and promote the use of small businesses that provide services and/or commodities procured by the institution. They ensure equal access to complete for procurement and contracting opportunities with the University. In addition, they offer small business development services to support a competent pool of suppliers to address the University’s procurement expectations.
Learning From an Experienced Mentor
For the 2025 cohort, Gervais Ventures had the privilege of being mentored by Calvin Peterson of Charles Perry Partners, Inc. Calvin brought a depth of experience and an openness that made the mentorship meaningful from day one. His guidance helped us sharpen our processes, expand our perspective, and identify new opportunities for long-term growth.
Whether discussing project management approaches, preconstruction systems, or client relationship strategies, Calvin’s support allowed us to accelerate our development in ways that would have taken years on our own.
Why This Program Matters
The University of Florida’s Mentor-Protégé Program was created to broaden the pool of qualified small businesses firms ready to support UF’s procurement needs. Its mission and purpose include:
Nurturing small and diverse businesses at various stages of development
Building capacity through hands-on mentorship with established contractors
Creating pathways for small businesses to compete more successfully for UF opportunities
Contributing to community economic growth by supporting long-term business development
This program reflects what we value most at Gervais Ventures: relationships, learning, and shared success.
A Word From Nik Gervais
“This experience reminded us why mentorship matters. Working with Calvin gave us new perspectives and a stronger foundation for future growth. We’re grateful to the University of Florida for creating a program that genuinely strengthens our industry.
I would like to extend a huge shout-out to Dwan and her entire team for their outstanding work. The program was fantastic - Dwan and her team crafted an excellent curriculum that empowered small businesses with knowledge and leadership skills to better support the University of Florida. We are very grateful the support from Dwan Deleveaux, Desirae Wallace, and Calvin Peterson.”
— Nik Gervais, Operations Manager, Gervais Ventures
A Meaningful Milestone—And Just the Beginning
Graduating from the 2025 Mentor-Protégé Program represents far more than completing a curriculum. It marks a year of collaboration, reflection, and growth—supported by a mentor who made a lasting impact on our business.
Gervais Ventures looks forward to applying what we’ve learned, continuing to expand our capabilities, and remaining actively involved in strengthening the construction community across Florida and beyond.
