Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
While many of their friends may have spent the summer cutting grass or playing video games, three Madison County young men spent much of their summer in a business suit, learning the ins and outs of the Atlanta business world. T.J. Mattair, Kevin Gilley and Di’Kwez Akins, all three members of the Boyz to Kings, Inc. Preparatory Mentoring Organization, spent the month of June working as interns for two companies, Unify and Velocity owned by Madison native Frank Argenbright.
One of the first experiences the three young men had was an executive from one of the companies taking the three to buy business suits, which Argenbright called “battle armor.” It was evident early on that having these suits instilled a level of confidence in the young men. Having and wearing the suits gave the young men a sense of “looking the part,” which was a crucial early step in “doing the part.” The three spent time shadowing workers and executives of varying levels within the company. The young men even had the chance to work at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport, packing snacks into the galleys of passenger jets. The experience gave the three exposure to a wide variety of jobs and potential opportunities. “It really opened my eyes to other options,” said Gilley, a junior at Madison County High School. “It was interesting to see how much money some of the people made. If they can do that, we can do it, too.”
Mattair, a sophomore at James Madison Preparatory High School (JMPHS), said that although he still plans to become a massage therapist, the experience did give him more ideas. Mattair said one of the most memorable experiences was when they went bowling with some of the workers from the Velocity company. “We were all impressed with the cooperation among the employees,” said Mattair. “There wasn’t any fighting or fussing among the workers. Everybody worked together to fix any problems they might have had. There was a lot of cooperation.”
Akins, a junior at JMPHS, echoed the sentiments of his fellow interns. “The experience showed me there are other options, such as accounting, etc.,” said Akins. “We enjoyed ‘hanging out’ with the Velocity CEO, Thomas Givens.” Although there was ample opportunity for the young men to socialize and make friends among the employees they met, it was also clear that these employees do work very diligently to achieve the level of success they have. “Everyone loved us, but we learned to get business done first,” added Akins.
While in Atlanta, the three young men were under the care and supervision of Boyz to Kings founder and head, Merv Mattair, who readily states the summer was a learning experience for him as well. “This was the first time I had spent this much time in Atlanta,” said Merv. “We saw and experienced things you don’t see in Madison, both good and bad. I love Madison, but I think it was good for the young men to see with their own eyes that there is a world out there outside Madison County. I am very grateful to [Argenbright] for giving these young men this opportunity.”
Boyz to Kings, Inc. Preparatory Mentoring Organization is a 501(c)(3) dropout prevention and intervention mentoring program built on 12 guiding principals and based on non-traditional and practices of self accountability. Their mission is to “cultivate the development of young men in a family-centered environment by promoting responsibility, civic engagement, respect for self and others, life-long learning, while building positive relationships through modeling.”
To support their efforts, or for more information, please visit their website at www.boyztokings.com.