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Initiative to spur growth in underutilized areaAdvanced Internet Technologies, Inc. (AIT) is opening a nationwide series ofdealerships and forming partnerships with Historically Black Colleges andUniversities. Many HBCUs are anchored in historically underutilized business zones.Each dealership will create IT jobs and involve millions of dollars in intellectualproperty and infrastructure development. One such partnership involves AIT andMorehouse College, who are teaming up to offer technical and career developmenttraining in Atlanta, GA through the AIT-Atlanta dealership. This initiative bringstogether federal, state, and local efforts toward community redevelopment andreinvestment. Morehouse officials are planning a November visit to FayettevilleÂ'sAIT headquarters, a 93,000 sq. ft. data center and corporate offices to furtherexplore partnering benefits and opportunities. Andre Bertrand, Morehouse CollegeÂ's Vice President of Campus Operations and Chairmanof the University Community Development Corporation works closely with AITÂ's AtlantaTechnology Center Chief Operating Officer Alphonso Whitfield, III. Says Whitfield, Local service from a local provider is important in strengthening communityrelationships and encouraging a sense of ownership by individuals in theircommunities . Bertrand and Whitfield are both graduates of Morehouse College, a fouryear Institution twice ranked as the number one college in the nation for educatingAfrican American students by Black Enterprise magazine. Byron Keaton, AssociateVice-President of Marketing/Dealership Program Manager at AIT is also a 1984graduate of Morehouse College. Byron says  I am especially pleased to be a part ofthis exciting program to attract the best and brightest of current and futuregraduates as well as those who have not had the benefit of a post-secondaryeducation but are interested in IT careers. Through the AIT Center forEntrepreneurship we plan to nurture and support the spirit ofentrepreneurship/business ownership among talented young men and women indisadvantaged communities. Morehouse College is the nationÂ's largest, private liberal arts college forAfrican-American men. It is the alma mater of civil rights leader Dr. Martin LutherKing, Jr. The College enrolls approximately 3,000 students and confers bachelorÂ'sdegrees on more black men than any other institution in the world. Morehouse offersa number of programs and activities to enhance its challenging liberal artscurriculum through the Leadership Center at Morehouse College, Morehouse ResearchInstitute, and Andrew Young Center for International Affairs. Morehouse is one ofonly two Historically Black Colleges or Universities to produce two Rhodes Scholars.Locally, AIT formed a collaborative and technical training partnership withFayetteville Technical Community College and has opened discussions to form asimilar collaborative partnership with Fayetteville State University. FSU is a138-year-old historically black institution headed by Chancellor T.J. Bryan, thefirst female to head the institution. AIT has also contacted NC State University andinformed them of the upcoming Morehouse officials visit and invited them to attendthe event.
Founded in 1996 in its hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina, AIT is a ServiceDisabled Veteran Owned (80% Prior Military) business. AIT has completed 10 straightyears of sustained profitability with over $30 million in annual revenue. From 2000to 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 anchortenant in the downtown Fayetteville area. During this period, AIT also created morethan 236 IT jobs, made a direct capital investment of $5,800,000 on the CorporateHeadquarters, completed a payroll investment of $22,000,000, and made directpurchases of $8,200,000 from state and local vendors. AIT has also been named 2times 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 InfantryOfficer serving two combat tours in Panama and Iraq. He has been named as the NCEntrepreneur of the Year and has been featured in Forbes and Time Magazines.
