This study sought to advance current mentoring research by examining the development and maintenance of exemplary formal mentoring programs in the nation's top performing companies. The ADDIE model of instructional systems design, which incorporates five steps from needs analysis to evaluation, formed the conceptual framework guiding the study. The methodology involved interviewing twenty-nine participants within a sample of seventeen companies, selected from the Fortune 500 listing, housing exemplary formal mentoring programs. Results indicated that the steps of the ADDIE design system provide a useful framework in the development and maintenance of exemplary formal mentoring programs. A discussion of the results and recommendations for further research are presented.