ATLANTA, June 8 /PRNewswire/ -- BellSouth announced today that it is working with the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce for the tenth year to sponsor the Chamber's Small Business Person of the Year award on Thursday, June 9, 2005 at 11:30 AM at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. This annual luncheon honors one outstanding small businessperson for his or her contributions to Atlanta's civic and business community. A panel of Atlanta executives including BellSouth Small Business Services' vice president of marketing Joey Schultz, will utilize the criteria of innovative ideas, exceptional leadership skills and unique business strategies to select this year's winner.

"BellSouth is honored to join other great Atlanta companies to acknowledge small businesses who make a difference in the lives of our communities every day," says Schultz. "These visionaries are the hope of Atlanta's future and a growth engine for its economy."

Sam A. Williams - president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and a participant in the awards event notes, "BellSouth's ten year sponsorship of this event shows BellSouth's commitment to the small business marketplace and their continued focus on value-driven products to serve the small business markets. We are pleased to work with BellSouth again this year."

Currently offering a portfolio of voice, data and wireless services to over 900,000 customers in over one million locations, BellSouth Small Business Services is available via http://www.bellsouth.com/smallbusiness .

About BellSouth Corporation

BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth has joint control and 40 percent ownership of Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless voice and data provider with more than 50 million customers.

Backed by award winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available in the market. Through BellSouth Answers(R), residential and small business customers can bundle their local and long distance service with dial-up and high-speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular(R) Wireless service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local and long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also offers online and directory advertising through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com(R) and The Real Yellow Pages(R).

BellSouth believes that diversity and fostering an inclusive environment are critical in maintaining a competitive advantage in today's global marketplace. More information about BellSouth can be found at http://www.bellsouth.com/ .

CONTACT: Media, Elyse Hammett of BellSouth, +1-404-829-8892,
j.elyse.hammett@bellsouth.com

Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/
http://www.bellsouth.com/smallbusiness

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