NEW YORK /diversitybusiness.com/ BLACK ENTERPRISE, together with Microsoft Corp., announce a groundbreaking joint endeavor aimed at equipping minority-owned businesses with the latest technology and software to grow, compete, and thrive in today's global market. Microsoft, the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies and BLACK ENTERPRISE, the definitive source of information for and about African American business markets and leaders, expect their efforts will open doors and yield new avenues of information technology to minority businesses across the country.

To this end, Microsoft has been named title sponsor of the seventh annual BLACK ENTERPRISE/Microsoft Entrepreneurs Conference to be held May 15-19, 2002, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee. The corporation has also signed on as the title sponsor for the 2003 conference.

The Microsoft sponsorship marks the first time a pure-play technology corporation has signed on as title sponsor of the conference. "This historic paring between the nation's leading source of innovative technology tools and the nation's leading source of business solutions for African Americans will serve to foster the growth and development of minority-owned businesses," says Earl G. Graves Jr., president and chief operating officer of BE. "Microsoft's investment in this partnership demonstrates its continued recognition of the African American business market as critical to reaching its bottom-line objectives." Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft, hopes to narrow the digital divide. "Technology is advancing at an incredibly rapid pace, and it is crucial that the African American community not get left behind," he says. "We must all work to ensure that everyone in America has the opportunity for equal access."

Recognizing the ongoing need to bridge this digital divide for African Americans, BE for decades has addressed the latest tech-savvy news and industry advancements though its monthly Techwatch column, special issues, book series, and participation in high-tech conferences and roundtables. The latest effort toward this goal is the BLACK ENTERPRISE/Microsoft Entrepreneurs Conference titled "New Ideas, New Solutions: Strategies for Reinventing Your Business." This event will provide the opportunity for business owners, executives, and future entrepreneurs to interface with contacts, capital financiers, and corporate franchisers. Seminars and other meetings will offer insights and advice about what it takes to run a successful business venture from established experts who understand, utilize, and integrate innovative technology.

Visit http://www.blackenterprise.com for further details and information concerning the BE/Microsoft teaming.