Electronic Ink Sheds Light On The Positive: The T-Mobile and AT&T Merger

By Joseph Weiss

Chairman, Electronic Ink

The current state of the economy has many elected leaders searching for the innovation that will help to drive job creation.  Broadband Internet, most agree, delivers the promise of opportunity and the potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the country.

That’s good news, but if you live in Philadelphia there’s also some disconcerting news.  About 40 percent of the households in the city are without Internet service, according to Mayor Nutter.  And approximately one quarter of the city lives in poverty.  As the chairman of an international design company that relies on digital technology, it has become abundantly clear to me that the broadband revolution has the potential to transform our economy, but we must redouble our efforts to close the divide.

I agree with President Obama that expanding access to broadband is one of the best things that we can do to get our economy moving in the right direction.  According to a recent study by ConnectedNation, a modest increase in broadband adoption would have a total economic impact of $5.6 billion annually in Pennsylvania alone, contributing $3.9 billion to direct income growth and creating 104,000 jobs for workers in the state.

Whether your field is international design or sales, e need to encourage and support private sector initiatives that expand access to high-speed networks.  The proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, for instance, would provide private sector funding to build out its wireless network infrastructure across the nation.  These improvements would extend the reach of AT&T’s 4G LTE service to cover an additional one million square miles, including 55 million more Americans.

This merger would be a positive development for communities across the nation that do not currently have access to high-speed wireless technology.  It would also help address growing concerns about the capacity of wireless networks to meet continued increases in demand due to the popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices.

The current state of our economy makes plain the urgency of finding solutions.  By expanding access to high-speed wireless service and improving its quality and reliability, we can take an important step toward turning the economy around.  And that’s something that people in every household will cheer.

For More Information Contact:

Scott Freda
Franklin Square Group
Scott@FranklinSG.com

Local Business Woman Wins Pitch Competition in Latest Make Mine a Million $ Business™ National Event

 Nicole Newman of Newman Networks LLC. in Philadelphia

Receives $1000 Prize in National Business Pitch Competition for Women Entrepreneurs

Also Competing in Next Round for a Spot in Renowned Business Growth Program

Philadelphia, PA [Monday, October 3, 2011] – Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education, and community support for women entrepreneurs, has named Nicole Newman of Philadelphia as one of 44 Pitch Winners selected in the latest Make Mine a Million $ Business (M3) event, M3 1000, which was held Monday, September 26, 2011 in Philadelphia, PA.

Described as a cross between “The Apprentice” and “American Idol,” the M3 1000 pitch competition invites women business owners with at least $85,000 in annual business revenues that have been in business for two years or more to present their business in a two minute “elevator pitch” to a panel of small business experts and judges.

Pitch Winners came away with a $1000 American Express gift card and an introductory cycle of professional coaching from The Coach Connection (TCC).  Pitch winners are also invited to participate in the next round of competition for a chance to be named an M3 Awardee and join the renowned Make Mine a Million $ Business program.  M3 Awardees receive a business development package that includes national PR, access to financing as needed to help their businesses grow, a one-year legislative membership with Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), and enrollment in the Blast! Business Accelerator Program.  Blast! is a six month group coaching and training program, following a curriculum of key business fundamentals, held in bi-weekly, 75-minute calls for groups of 10 participants and led by a certified business coach/trainer.

Nicole Newman was among 79 women entrepreneurs from around the country to pitch their businesses at the event in completion for the prize and among 240 total participating women entrepreneurs. The event also featured nationally renowned small business experts and coaches, and dozens of past M3 Awardees sharing advice, expertise, and support.  In addition to hearing inspiring keynotes and participating in networking exercises, attendees also took part in business growth education sessions designed to build their capacities around finance management, social media, leadership, and more. A complete list of M3 1000 Philadelphia pitch winners can be found at www.makemineamillion.org/features/M3-1000-Philadelphia.

Nicole started her company, Newman Networks a Pennsylvania and Delaware certified M/WBE firm, in April of 2006 which owned www.diversephilly.com, a website for businesses to share the costs of advertising. In just the second year, the company quadrupled revenue. With a social media stamp of 15000 connections and 80 testimonials, the company generated a massive network in the local marketplace. This is just one of the testimonials – “Nicole Newman is an outstanding individual. She is an incredible connector and exemplifies in her daily life the proof that networking is the key to building a successful business. Nicole cares most about her clients, colleagues and friends; assisting them in building strong relationships that will lead to company growth and success. Anyone doing business in the Greater Philadelphia region should get to know Nicole immediately. She will absolutely take your business to the next level.” from Kate Bay, regional account executive Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
She was recently honored with The Madam C.J. Walker Legacy award presented by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (PA Chapter) and The Business Center’s 2011 Awardee for Best Practices in Creative Marketing. In addition, she has been recognized by The Philadelphia Tribune’s 10 under 40 to watch of Influential African Americans and Urban Momentum’s 2009 Networker of the Year.

Launched in 2005 by Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence and founding partner American Express OPEN, the Make Mine a Million $ Business program was created to help post-start up, women-owned businesses grow to one million dollars in annual revenue. Since its inception, the program has hosted more than 20 competitions in cities around the country with thousands of women entrepreneurs participating, and grown into a nationwide movement.  To date, 28% of M3 program participants have surpassed the $1 million mark in annual revenues versus the 2.6% national average for women business owners.  A year-to-date investment of $12 million in the program has yielded $160 million in revenues for M3 Awardees.  The ultimate goal of the program is to elevate one million women businesses to over $1M in annual revenue generating $1 trillion in revenues and creating over 4 million jobs by 2020.

“We are thrilled by the eagerness of women across the country to grow their businesses, create jobs in their communities, and create stability for their families and the national economy,” said Nell Merlino, Founder and President of Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence.”

About Count Me In

Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence is the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education, and community support for women entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses to million dollar enterprises.  Count Me In launched the Make Mine a Million $ Business Competition to inspire one million women entrepreneurs scale their businesses to a million dollars in business revenues in the next decade by providing tools, skills, and the support of a nation-wide community of peers.

Media Contacts:

Ann Noder

CEO/President

Pitch Public Relations™

Ann@PitchPublicRelations.com

Phone: 480.263.1557

Heather Mangrum

Chief Marketing Office

Economic Independence  Count Me In for Women’s

Hmangrum@countmein.org

Phone: 212.245.1245 x 201

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