While business incubators have proven adept lately at garnering headlines, a small cadre of experienced executives are quietly working behind the scenes to help San Diego companies solve challenging business problems and build boards of directors.

The Chairmen's RoundTable was started in 1998 and has served about 30 companies since its founding. CRT has several unique characteristics that make it different from other organizations providing guidance to companies. "With some groups it’s more of a shock treatment," says Jerry Hoffmeister, the chairman of CRT. "Mentoring is the main process for our group. We assign a mentor and the mentor spends 15 to 20 hours with the company, evaluates whether the company needs to make a presentation to the full group and stays in touch with the company once the project is completed."

The founders decided the best way to identify companies with which to work was to go through service providers. These companies are the sponsors of CRT and their monies offset the costs of providing services. Sponsors host the monthly meetings at which companies present to the members. Client companies pay no fees.

When a company is accepted, it is assigned a mentor. With the mentor's assistance the company prepares a presentation for the membership. The presentation follows a business plan outline, including key strategic issues. When it’s over, members provide feedback and insights to the management team. Taking the process one step further, after the session CRT members discuss the best way to provide additional assistance and identify other members interested in working with the company.

Paul Kreutz, an attorney with Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich, referred Bill Roetzheim to CRT. Roetzheim, chief executive of Marotz Inc., a software development firm, couldn’t be happier with the results. "It was, by an order of magnitude, more valuable than any other source of business advice, including paid sources," says Roetzheim. "Within a three month period we revised our corporate strategy. CRT mentors William Payne and Terrance Bruggeman helped us zoom in on markets."

During that time, the mentors spent weeks in one-on-one meetings and worked with all the managers, involving them in the process. "There were no facades; everything was stripped bare," says Roetzheim. He describes presenting to the members last summer as "terrifying and exhilarating." Results? Roetzheim says the company took action on all of the suggestions. "We’ve already seen huge positive dividends."

With its two programs, CRT works with many technology-driven companies like Marotz, but being high-tech is not a requirement for participation. "We are interested in companies that have a high potential for growth," says Hoffmeister. Some of CRT's past clients include Orincon Technologies, Silicon Space, Immunogenex and Pacific Fusion.

To participate in CRT's Level I program, a company must have progressed past the initial start-up phase, have raised first-round funding and achieved more than $1 million in annual revenue. And it must clearly show potential for significant growth.

The Level II program is designed for start-ups and connects the company’s leadership to a smaller, industry-specific group of CRT members for custom mentoring. These projects may remain completely private, with no presentation being made to the larger group, depending on the needs of the company.

CRT has 30 members and the group intends to stay that size. New members are invited to join when a slot opens. Those selected are plucked from a membership waiting list. "As a group we really want to give back," says Hoffmeister. "We have experiences that small companies can profit from." Hoffmeister spent most of his career at Rockwell before taking over the United States operations of GEA, a German technology company. He stopped working full time in 1997. "For many of us it’s about keeping our skill level up and staying vibrant," he says.

"Look at San Diego high-tech," says Marotz's Roetzheim. "Lots of people say how great it is, but how many are doing something concrete to help it grow?" Roetzheim estimates that participating in CRT doubles the probability a company will be successful.

CRT may have been working quietly, but it has still attracted the attention of the Partnership for the New Economy. That civic collaborative, launched by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., has tapped CRT to provide mentoring for start-up companies participating in the Front Door, San Diego’s new central clearinghouse for entrepreneurs. Housed at UCSD Connect, the program combines staff assistance, training and screening with Web-based directories and tools to assist emerging growth companies in their development strategies.

"We don’t feel a need to advertise our services," says Hoffmeister. With a waiting list of prospective members, very satisfied clients and a key role in a new initiative, CRT doesn’t have to worry. The word is out about The Chairmen's RoundTable.