AIT com, a two-time Inc 500 Company, launches Partnerships with Morehouse College and other HBCU`s
Released on = November 6, 2006, 2:55 pm
Press Release Author = jeff murray
Industry = Internet & Online
Press Release Summary = Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc. (AIT) is opening a nationwide series of dealerships and forming partnerships with Historically Black Colleges
Press Release Body = AIT.com, a two-time Inc 500 Company, launches Partnerships with Morehouse College and other HBCU's
Initiative to spur growth in underutilized area Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc. (AIT) is opening a nationwide series of dealerships and forming partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Many HBCUs are anchored in historically underutilized business zones. Each dealership will create IT jobs and involve millions of dollars in intellectual property and infrastructure development. One such partnership involves AIT and Morehouse College, who are teaming up to offer technical and career development training in Atlanta, GA through the AIT-Atlanta dealership. This initiative brings together federal, state, and local efforts toward community redevelopment and reinvestment. Morehouse officials are planning a November visit to Fayetteville's AIT headquarters, a 93,000 sq. ft. data center and corporate offices to further explore partnering benefits and opportunities. Andre Bertrand, Morehouse College's Vice President of Campus Operations and Chairman of the University Community Development Corporation works closely with AIT's Atlanta Technology Center Chief Operating Officer Alphonso Whitfield, III. Says Whitfield, "Local service from a local provider is important in strengthening community relationships and encouraging a sense of ownership by individuals in their communities". Bertrand and Whitfield are both graduates of Morehouse College, a four year Institution twice ranked as the number one college in the nation for educating African American students by Black Enterprise magazine. Byron Keaton, Associate Vice-President of Marketing/Dealership Program Manager at AIT is also a 1984 graduate of Morehouse College. Byron says "I am especially pleased to be a part of this exciting program to attract the best and brightest of current and future graduates as well as those who have not had the benefit of a post-secondary education but are interested in IT careers. Through the AIT Center for Entrepreneurship we plan to nurture and support the spirit of entrepreneurship/business ownership among talented young men and women in disadvantaged communities." Morehouse College is the nation's largest, private liberal arts college for African-American men. It is the alma mater of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and confers bachelor's degrees on more black men than any other institution in the world. Morehouse offers a number of programs and activities to enhance its challenging liberal arts curriculum through the Leadership Center at Morehouse College, Morehouse Research Institute, and Andrew Young Center for International Affairs. Morehouse is one of only two Historically Black Colleges or Universities to produce two Rhodes Scholars. Locally, AIT formed a collaborative and technical training partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College and has opened discussions to form a similar collaborative partnership with Fayetteville State University. FSU is a 138-year-old historically black institution headed by Chancellor T.J. Bryan, the first female to head the institution. AIT has also contacted NC State University and informed them of the upcoming Morehouse officials visit and invited them to attend the event.
Founded in 1996 in its hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, AIT is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned (80% Prior Military) business. AIT has completed 10 straight years of sustained profitability with over $30 million in annual revenue. From 2000 to 2005 in just under 5 years, AIT generated more than $111 Million in revenue, creating a profound influence on its surrounding community serving as an anchor tenant in the downtown Fayetteville area. During this period, AIT also created more than 236 IT jobs, made a direct capital investment of $5,800,000 on the Corporate Headquarters, completed a payroll investment of $22,000,000, and made direct purchases of $8,200,000 from state and local vendors. AIT has also been named 2 times to the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing firms and 3 times to the Deloitte & Touche Fast 500 list. Clarence E. Briggs, the CEO of AIT, is a former Army Infantry Officer serving two combat tours in Panama and Iraq. He has been named as the NC Entrepreneur of the Year and has been featured in Forbes and Time Magazines.
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