News release

Houston Minority Business Council and Houston Area Urban League Join Microsoft and Compaq in Promoting Technology for African American Small Business Owners

Joining forces to bridge the "business divide" in the African American community, the Houston Minority Business Council and Houston Area Urban League have allied with Microsoft to kick off the second year of its Build Your Business Tour. The kick-off precedes a series of local seminars aimed at providing African American small business owners throughout the greater Houston area with free workshops on the benefits of technology. The Houston seminars are part of a national tour, co-sponsored by Houston-based Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ), designed especially for African American and Hispanic business owners throughout the country.

Recognizing that small businesses are the backbone of our nation's economy, the Build Your Business Tour was developed with the understanding that embracing technology is important to the success of African American small business owners in the new digital economy. Microsoft research suggests that Hispanic and African American small business owners want to use technology to better manage their businesses and that they fear falling behind if technology information is not readily available.

"With online sales expected to increase from $21 billion in 1999 to $110 billion by 2003, and minorities logging-on at twice the general population's rate, small businesses with the appropriate technology will be the vanguard of this economic growth," said Martin Taylor, director of business strategy, office of the CEO, of Microsoft Corp. "By building upon the successes of last year's tour, Microsoft remains steadfast in its commitment to equip African American small business owners with the tools they need to prosper in this technological era."

Although 78 percent of African American small business owners have personal computers, and 85 percent have access to the Internet, less than two percent have an e-commerce strategy for their business. This is compared to 35 percent of non-ethnic small business owners with a strategy. The Build Your Business Tour seminars aim to equip African American small businesses with the same e-commerce opportunities that other businesses successfully employ. This is done through a series of free, four-hour seminars that detail the basics of small business computing, and introduce participants to real-life small business owners who have used this model to expand their own business agility.

The Houston Area Urban League and the Houston Minority Business Council are working with Microsoft to identify African American small business owners who would benefit from the seminars. More than that, the two organizations have allied with Microsoft to deliver practical and replicable training to Houston-area small businesses. Coupling the relationship HAUL and HMBC have with African American small businesses, along with Microsoft's technological expertise and commitment to bridging the business divide, the Build Your Business Tour seeks to positively impact the small business agility in the greater Houston region.

"Small businesses are seeking practical ways they can use this technology to expand their customer base and to augment the services they already provide," said Sylvia Brooks, president and CEO, of the Houston Area Urban League. "The Build Your Business Tour offers real solutions to pressing problems more and more African American small businesses are facing during this economic downturn. By making effective use of available technologies, and using these real-life, hands-on solutions, small businesses will improve their business agility."

"Over three-fourths of African American small business proprietors own a personal computer," said, Constance Jones, director of member services, of the Houston Minority Business Council. "This figure is encouraging until we realize that only seven percent of these owners upgrade their software or hardware annually. What's more, less than two percent of African American small business owners have an e-commerce strategy, compared to 35 percent of non-ethnic minority small business owners. The Build Your Business Tour will offer effective ways for business owners to efficiently use the equipment they own to broaden the scope and range of their services."

Houston-based Compaq Computer Corporation has also signed on as a national tour partner and is providing hardware support for all of the African American and Hispanic workshops nationwide.

"Small business owners and entrepreneurs are seeking technology advisors who can assist in the development and growth of their business," said Dan Busse, director of North America small & medium business marketing at Compaq Computer Corporation. "Our partnership with Microsoft and others serving on the tour demonstrates our collective commitment to providing emerging enterprises with access to quality and affordable technology solutions."

Attending the kick-off will be Tavis Smiley, president and CEO of The Smiley Group and tour spokesperson; Maureen Crommie, Build Your Business project manager of Microsoft; Sylvia Brooks, president & CEO of the Houston Area Urban League; Constance Jones, director of member services of the Houston Minority Business Council; Reginald Linebarger, director of iPAQ Products & Access Services, North America, Compaq Computer Corporation (the tour's national technology partner); Darian Ward, weekend news anchor and host of KRIV-TV's The Black Voice; and Omar Wasow, executive director of BlackPlanet.com.

The Build Your Business Tour will host seminars in Houston on Dec. 13, Dec. 15, Jan. 23, Feb. 15 and March 8. For more information on the tour, visit http://www.msbigday.com/africanamerican.asp or call 1-877-435-7638.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MFST") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software—any time, any place and on any device.

About Compaq

Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation ("Compaq") is a leading global provider of enterprise technology and solutions. Compaq designs, develops, manufactures and markets hardware, software, solutions and services, including industry-leading enterprise storage and computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, communication products, and desktop and portable personal computers that are sold in more than 200 countries. Information on Compaq and its products and services is available at http://www.compaq.com.