Greeneville, TN, August 26, 2025 – Last week at the 2025 Navy Gold Coast Conference in San Diego, TEVET’s CEO and Founder, Tracy Solomon, took the stage alongside leadership from Raytheon Technologies and fellow small business executives to discuss one of the Department of the Navy’s most impactful initiatives: the Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). The panel, “The Power of Partnership: Insights from DON Mentors & Protégés,” showcased real-world lessons and lasting outcomes from the field.
For Tracy, the moment was personal and full circle. “Thirty-five years ago to the day, I was sitting in a barber’s chair at Navy boot camp here in San Diego,” he shared during the panel. “Today, I’m standing beside our Raytheon partners, talking about how structured mentorship helps small businesses like TEVET deliver greater capability to the mission.”
Representing an active mentor-protégé relationship, TEVET and Raytheon Technologies underscored what makes these partnerships work: mission alignment, mutual investment, and constant communication. TEVET’s success has come through disciplined documentation, regular in-person and virtual check-ins, and leadership-level engagement on both sides.
“Our partnership works because we treat it like a program, not just a handshake,” Tracy emphasized. “There’s accountability, shared ownership, and a real commitment to growth for our teams and for the warfighter.”
As a trusted small business serving defense and government customers for over two decades, TEVET’s presence on this panel wasn’t just recognition, it was a reaffirmation of what’s possible when service, structure, and shared values come together.
About TEVET
Selecting and acquiring the right technology to meet your specific challenges requires a partner that can add value at every step. TEVET brings more than 20 years of experience to the acquisition and integration of technical products, systems, and instrumentation – with support from identification to sustainment. Our quality, technology, and personnel competencies make it possible for us to provide best-in-class acquisition and integration capabilities, so our customers, suppliers, and partners succeed. We strive to execute at the highest levels, providing service to Country, Customer, and Community. For more information on TEVET, please visit www.tevet.com.
