AT&T Small Business Technology Makeover Contest Jumpstarts Five Winning Small Businesses

Grand Prize Winner Louisville-Based Wallace Studio to be Awarded More Than $5,000 in Services from AT&T

Dallas, Texas, It takes a lot to run a successful small business and as the digital marketplace continues to evolve, standing out in the crowd is becoming more challenging.

To help small businesses face these challenges armed with industry-leading business solutions, AT&T* today announced the winners of the AT&T Small Biz Tech Makeover contest, which kicked off on July 16th. The winning entries, selected from video stories submitted by small businesses, were judged by an AT&T small business advisory panel comprised of small business owners and experts.

Contest prizes include Web hosting services, AT&T Connect, AT&T Tech Support 360, a pair of 3G mobile smartphones from AT&T and a variety of other advanced solutions that can be used to improve collaboration or drive small business productivity. The winning video submissions can be viewed on AT&T Small Business InSite (www.att.com/smallbusinessInSite), an online resource offering free business resources such as webinars, expert advice, online courses and case studies, as well as links to AT&T solutions for small businesses.

“The Small Biz Tech Makeover Contest is a way we can give winning small businesses a better technology foundation to help them grow,” said Alicia Dietsch, vice president of Marketing Communications, AT&T. “The contest was designed to raise awareness about the importance of advanced business solutions for small businesses. Helping entrepreneurs and other small businesses succeed every day is what we strive for through our people, services and online resources.”

The grand prize winner of the AT&T Small Biz Tech Makeover Contest was Wallace Studio (www.wallacestudio.com), a Louisville, Ky.-based photography studio that has been operating for over 60 years. “With photography, using the latest digital technology helps ensure that we deliver beyond client expectations and the best photos are captured,” said Jim Wallace, owner of Wallace Studio. “Winning the grand prize in AT&T’s Small Biz Tech Makeover will enhance the operational aspects of my business and help me offer secure image backup for large image files.”

“A successful small business can have a positive impact not only on its employees, but on the surrounding community as well, so I’m proud to be part of the contest,” said Mario Armstrong, founder of TechTechBoom.com, radio and television technology talk show host and one of the contest judges who will provide a day-long consulting session to the contest’s grand prize winner. “Integrating technology is a must-have in any small business, so I’m really excited to work with Wallace Studio and help their business take the necessary steps towards continued success"

The four runner-up winners include:

* WebTech Net Solutions, Steven Sanders
Based in Benton, Ky., WebTech Net Solutions (http://www.webtechns.com/) is dedicated to providing well designed, effective, and affordable web and e-commerce solutions that improve the way their clients do business.
* Crossing Gaps, Steve Spalding
Crossing Gaps (http://crossinggaps.com) is a Gainesville, Fla.-based firm that helps clients leverage digital elements to better market and monetize their business.
* Face-to-Face Hair Salon, Kelli Simmons
Specializing in expert hairstyling as well as offering hair replacement services to women with hair loss, San Francisco, Ca.-based Face-to-Face Hair Salon works with a variety of clients that come from all over the Bay Area and across the state.
* Summer Workation, Nitesh Banta
Located in Stamford, Conn., Summer Workation (www.summerworkation.org) is an education enterprise that helps teachers find, assess and secure summertime opportunities.

The winning video submissions can be viewed by visiting http://bit.ly/ContestVideos. Small businesses looking to find information about AT&T products and services can visit www.att.com/smallbusiness. For free business resources such as webinars, white papers, training, case studies and best practices, they can visit www.att.com/smallbusinessinsite. Additionally, real-time information can be found on the AT&T Small Business Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz) and Twitter channel (www.twitter.com/smallbizInSite).

The AT&T Small Business InSite Web site complements AT&T’s industry-leading portfolio of communications products and services for small businesses in key areas such as wireless voice and data, local and long distance voice, high-speed Internet, messaging, and advertising.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.