Verizon Wireless Partners With Clark Atlanta University To Provide Students Work Experience In Wireless Industry

ATLANTA, GA — In conjunction with Clark Atlanta University (CAU), Verizon Wireless announced today the opening of a new retail location on the CAU campus, located in the main lobby of the Cornelius L. Henderson Student Center. This strategic partnership is designed to give CAU students valuable business experience in the wireless industry, elevating Atlanta’s base of experienced knowledge-industry employees.

This retail location—which is operated by ACI Telcom —employs students of the university and offers customers a hands-on experience with the latest and most innovative wireless products and services. The new site is open for business and held its official grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony earlier today. Representatives from Verizon Wireless, ACI Telcom, CAU and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce were onsite to share in the celebration.

“This collaboration with such a prestigious university as Clark Atlanta gives us a wonderful opportunity to help train the businessmen and women of tomorrow who will soon be entering the corporate workforce. In addition, the new retail location offers students the convenience of on-campus shopping for their wireless needs and allows us to reach a very dynamic audience,” said Leroy Williams, vice president – Marketing for Verizon Wireless, South Area. “Through our continued expansion of retail locations such as this one, Verizon Wireless exemplifies its commitment to providing our customers throughout Georgia with a unique and engaging shopping experience.”

“We are proud of our trend-setting partnership with Verizon Wireless and Clark Atlanta University, one of the finest HBCU institutions in the country,” explained Michael Steele, President of ACI Telcom. “The innovation of this program sets the tone for the future of multicultural retail marketing.”

In honor of the partnership with CAU, Verizon Wireless also announced a $10,000 HopeLine® grant to the school’s Call to True Beauty campaign, the university’s annual advocacy, education and prevention campaign against dating and domestic violence. With domestic violence at an all-time high, the Call to True Beauty campaign is critically important because it includes a commitment to address domestic violence through training student leaders, equipping them with best practices and preparing them for service in this realm.

“We are very excited Verizon Wireless will now have an on-campus presence at our school,” said Carlton Brown, President of Clark Atlanta University. “By committing to employ Clark Atlanta students, our young people get real business experience with a Fortune 10 company while in the process of completing their education. That will translate into to better job opportunities later.”

The Verizon Wireless/ACI Telcom retail location at CAU is open Monday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and offers a premier line of digital wireless phones and tablets in all price ranges, data services and accessories.

About Verizon Wireless and Clark Atlanta University
Verizon Wireless is a major partner in Clark Atlanta University’s comprehensive, continuous efforts to prevent and eradicate dating and domestic violence. In 2010, the company provided scholarship funds for ten scholars committed to service, media and research projects to educate their peers and the community about dating and domestic violence. The same year, the company established the Verizon Wireless HopeLine Domestic Violence Prevention Leadership Academy in the University’s Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work, providing $50,000 to fund five graduate fellowships for research on causation and best practices in prevention. Verizon Wireless also is a major sponsor of “The Call to True Beauty,” Clark Atlanta University’s annual campaign against dating and domestic violence, bringing university, agency, civic and government leaders together each October for a weeklong observance of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 107.7 million total wireless connections, including 90.7 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with nearly 83,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About ACI Telcom
ACI Telcom is a non-traditional, authorized retail distributor for Verizon Wireless. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, ACI Telcom provides retail services throughout the country, with a strategic focus on the Mid-Southern region of the country. For more information, call 501.680.7237.

About Clark Atlanta University
Formed in 1988 by the consolidation of two historic institutions, Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869), Clark Atlanta is a private, coeducational university and the largest of the United Negro College Fund institutions with an enrollment of nearly 4,000 students. The University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: Telephone 404-679-4501) to award the bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. The University is among a select group of HBCUs to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research University, and is frequently cited as one of the best values in American higher education.

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