Verizon Honors Supplier Excellence

NEW YORK - Commitment to excellence has earned 11 companies Verizon's 2002 Supplier Excellence Award. The award recognizes suppliers that have helped Verizon provide exceptional service to its customers. The honorees will be recognized at a ceremony April 28 at Verizon's headquarters at 1095 Avenue of the Americas. This is the first year Verizon has presented the award.

"These companies exemplify Verizon's commitment to excellence," said George Dowell, senior vice president-Corporate Sourcing. "They supply top-quality products and services at competitive costs, which allows us to help customers make progress every day."

More than 300 Verizon suppliers were considered for the award. Thirty-six finalists were chosen based on criteria such as performance, service and delivery, customer satisfaction and emerging technologies. A Verizon team of project managers, network planners, corporate sourcing, and environmental and engineering representatives selected the winners in five categories. One supplier, Tellabs Operations Inc., won in two of the categories, manufacturing and supplier diversity.

The Supplier Excellence Award winners are:

Manufacturing

• Tellabs Operations Inc., Lisle, Ill., provider of telecommunications network equipment. The company's commitment to quality resulted in zero system outages when Tellabs equipment was used to service customers.

Small Business

• Richard Poethig, New York City, specialists in Web site design and eWeb marketing. Poethig created a Web site providing employees immediate access to online video information, eliminating videotape production and mailing costs.
• Universal Sign, Tampa, Fla., a commercial sign manufacturer. In less than three years, the company created and installed over 7,000 signs across Verizon's service territory.

Environmental Excellence

• Staples National Advantage, Framingham, Mass., supplier of office and data products and services. The company recycled 110 tons of paper and mixed office supplies, helping Verizon support the environment and save money.

Minority, Woman, Disabled, Veteran-owned Businesses

• Cam Communications Inc., Fairfax, Va., a telecommunications network equipment provider. This Hispanic-owned company provided quality materials, on-time service delivery and maintained a record of zero network service outages throughout the year.
• Diamond P Enterprises Inc., Brownwood, Texas. This Hispanic-owned cable distribution services company was critical to helping Verizon meet the needs of its customers during emergency situations including last year's hurricanes, ice storms and tornadoes.
• KMM Telecommunications Inc., a New York City cable distribution services company. This woman-owned business provided defect-free products.
• Summitline Industries Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind., a distribution reseller for telecommunications network equipment. This African-American-owned business' commitment to quality and service resulted in high customer satisfaction.
• Viola Constructors Inc., Oxnard, Calif., a commercial real estate services company. This woman-owned business helped complete property improvements on schedule, minimizing costs for Verizon and its customers.
• Weitbrecht Communications, Inc., Santa Monica, Calif., a woman-owned business that provides telecommunications equipment and services for people with disabilities.

Supplier Diversity

• Tishman Corp., New York City, a real estate and construction management services company whose innovative programs increased subcontracting opportunities for diverse firms. As a result of Tishman's initiatives like the Loaned Executive Assistance and Financial Small Contractors programs, more than 20 percent of Tishman's revenue from Verizon went to diverse suppliers.
• Tellabs Operations established the Pro-Partner Alliance Program to reaffirm its commitment to retain and support diverse suppliers. As a result, over 22 percent of Tellabs' revenue from Verizon went to diverse vendors.

For more information on Verizon Corporate Sourcing, visit www.verizon.com/suppliers.

Verizon Communications

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 136.6 million access line equivalents and 33.3 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third-largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with 13.2 million long-distance lines, and the company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. With approximately $67 billion in annual revenues and 227,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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