For Immediate Release June 25, 2004
Contact: Edith Martinez Samson (512) 928-8010
LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS GET HIGH SPEED BOOST FOR THEIR BUSINESSES
BiGAUSTIN announces COVAD grant awardees
Austin, TX – A total of ten local Austin area entrepreneurs will get a boost to their businesses on Wednesday, June 30 during an awards ceremony sponsored by Business Investment Growth, also known as BIGAUSTIN. The event will be held at Serrano’s Restaurant located on Red River in Austin at 6:30 p.m. Award winners will receive one year of complementary high-speed Internet access to facilitate new e-commerce, marketing, and customer service initiatives. The award comes as part of the Covad Broadband Entrepreneur Program (CBEP), which provides cash grants and broadband services to entrepreneurs selected by BIGAUSTIN. Local city officials are also expected to attend.
“The support that CBEP offers to our aspiring entrepreneurs is very beneficial,” said Jeannette Peten, president, BIGAUSTIN. “CBEP provides essential technology resources and grant support critical to significantly improving an entrepreneur’s operational efficiency – enhancing his or her ability to succeed.”
Each Covad award winner will receive $500 and one year of complimentary broadband service (valued at more than $1000). These local entrepreneurs were selected through an application process, based on their needs for high-speed Internet access. The award winners include:
- Katherine Brimler, White Bird Montessori School (education)
- Lonnie J. Williamson, A Turf of Beauty, LLC (landscaping)
- Victoria Lewis-Dunn, Common Solutions, LLC (mediation/legal)
- Doryne Valentine, Parcel Plus (shipping)
- Leonor Banos-Stoute, Oaxacan Tamaleo (catering)
- Bobby Williams, Sr., A New Beginning (health products store)
- Aaron Gordy, Flat Finders (real-estate apartment locator)
- Shalini Singh, School @ BBC (child care)
- Delisa Dedeaux, Grocery Store (food store)
- Michael & Alison Vaclav, Café Medici (coffee shop)
CBEP was created by Covad Communications Group, Inc. (OTCBB: COVD), a leading nationwide provider of integrated voice and data communications, as a national community outreach program focusing on underserved low to moderate income microentrepreneurs, with special emphasis on minority, women, and disabled entrepreneurs. Covad created the program in collaboration with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) to provide both monetary grants and Covad broadband services to local microentrepreneurs from non-profit organizations who support micro-lending and entrepreneurship in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. In 2003, CBEP reached more than 95 minority, women, and disabled microentrepreneurs from 10 non-profit organizations.
Now entering its second year, CBEP has expanded its reach to also include an additional six organizations with microentrepreneurs located in Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia. A microenterprise is a business with five or fewer employees, $35,000 or less in start-up capital and without access to the traditional banking sector.
"Based on the success we had last year, we just had to expand the reach of the program,“ said Charlie Hoffman, president and chief executive officer of Covad. "Covad recognizes the opportunity for the microenterprise industry to accelerate its success and magnify its business impact through the use of broadband."
BIGAUSTIN will also be considered to receive the "Covad Broadband Entrepreneur Program of The Year Award." This award will be given to one of the local nonprofit organizations responsible for the Covad program. The winner is eligible to receive a $5,000 or $2500 award from Covad and be announced at the AEO Annual Conference next year. For more information regarding the Covad Broadband Entrepreneur Program please visit http://www.covad.com/companyinfo/communityoutreach.shtml.
About Covad Communications
Covad is a leading nationwide provider of integrated voice and data communications. The company offers DSL, Voice Over IP, T1, Web hosting, managed security, IP and dial-up, and bundled voice and data services directly through Covad's network and through Internet Service Providers, value-added resellers, telecommunications carriers and affinity groups to small and medium-sized businesses and home users. Covad broadband services are currently available across the nation in 44 states and 235 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and can be purchased by more than 57 million homes and businesses, which represent over 50 percent of all US homes and businesses. Corporate headquarters is located at 110 Rio Robles San Jose, CA 95134. Telephone: 1-888-GO-COVAD. Web Site: www.covad.com.
About the Association for Enterprise Opportunity
AEO is the national member-based association for the microenterprise development industry. Members include a wide range of organizations, from microenterprise development programs like Start Up, to community development corporations, Community Action Agencies, small business development centers, housing and social service organizations and others. AEO's mission is to support the development of strong and effective U.S. microenterprise program to assist underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing and expanding businesses. For more information about AEO, visit www.microenterpriseworks.org.
About BIGAUSTIN
BIGAUSTIN (or BIG) is central Texas’ single-source solution for small businesses in search of comprehensive entrepreneurial education and affordable loans. BIGAUSTIN remains the leading non-profit micro-enterprise development organization for a number of very specific reasons including experience and staying power; end-to-end small business solutions; comprehensive and innovative entrepreneurial education; and flexible and affordable smart loans
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Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
The foregoing contains "forward-looking statements" which are based on management's current information and beliefs as well as on a number of assumptions concerning future events made by management. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Covad's control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. These risk factors include the impact of increasing competition, pricing pressures, consolidation in the telecommunications industry, uncertainty in telecommunications regulations and changes in technologies, among other risks. For a more detailed description of the risk factors that could cause such a difference, please see Covad's 10-K, 10-K/A, 10-Q, 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Covad disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is presented solely to provide additional information to further understand the results of Covad.