In part 3 of our interview with Riley Blount, President of AT&T Georgia, she discusses why going beyond profit is just good business and AT&T’s billion dollar investments in connecting Georgians to greater possibilities.  

In our interview, Riley shared the spotlight with key partners from Inspiredu, The Atlanta Police Foundation, @Promise, and CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon. These partners confirmed that business collaboration, visibility, and AT&T’s expertise work together to ensure all Georgians can access greater possibilities. 

Why Visibility Matters: Effective Ways to Partner with Communities

Riley Blount: “Our Connected Learning Centers offer pathways to possibility for our neighbors, and also offering pathways to volunteerism and going beyond profit for our employees.”

Khalil Jeffries, @Promise Center: “To me, AT&T and @Promise give us an experience that we never would have had without them. We need people to help our youth and we need to put them in front of something that they have never seen before. You meet people at @Promise that otherwise, without AT&T and @Promise working together and connecting you, you would have never met them.”

Lakeisha Walker, Atlanta Police Foundation: “AT&T has been very visible, and I think visibility is extremely important. They are visible at graduations and community events, whether it’s a laptop giveaway or hosting events in their facilities. It is a constant reminder to our young people that these corporations and individuals support their work.”

Tom Clark, CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon: “AT&T provides not only money—hundreds of thousands of dollars—but their employees show up. They show up with their FirstNet teams when a hurricane hits. They show up at banquets to support The Boys and Girls Club. They show up to distribute computers to military spouses. Their constant support, funding, and employee involvement has been exceptional throughout the years.”

Riley Blount: “We have 12,000 employees who call Georgia home. They don’t just show up for work; they show up for our communities. We have technicians who restore services in the middle of the night, customer care agents who walk parents through digital safety, and HR managers who offer resume-building classes. It is truly my colleagues who make AT&T so special.”

Tom Clark, CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon: “Thank you, AT&T, for installing the networks that allow me to talk to my grandchildren and thank you for being absolutely excellent partners in our community.”

Lakeisha Walker, Atlanta Police Foundation: “AT&T, thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your support. And thank you for being visible and making our work a little easier. Thank you for being a servant to our community and the young people and families that we serve.”

Better Together: How Collaboration Scales Possibility

Riley Blount: “Our mission at AT&T is to connect more people to greater possibility. To support our mission, we invested nearly $17 billion in our network infrastructure here in Georgia over the last five years alone. This investment has allowed us to expand our fiber footprint to almost 2 million customer locations and propelled the expansion of our 5G network to over 95% of Georgians. While I am originally from Alabama, I am incredibly proud that Georgia, the number one state in the nation to do business, is the state I now call home. I’m fortunate to live in a state that is so welcoming of investment, investment that fuels possibility and to work for a company that has been investing in Georgia for nearly 150 years.”

“We know we are better together, and we believe collaboration is a key component to being a good corporate citizen. When I moved to Georgia, I was struck by the collaborative nature all across the state. Collaboration is demonstrated in hundreds of ways every single day. Whether it’s a public private partnership transforming a city, a community initiative uplifting a neighborhood or a new policy fostering economic development. The successes are all rooted in collaboration.”

“And while the approach may differ from company to company, one constant remains: Generosity is essential. It is an and not an or; without a doubt, it improves successes. When generosity is embedded in your core business model, it becomes the differentiator that attracts top talent, increases customer and employee loyalty, and strengthens local economies. Simply put, going beyond profit, it’s just good business.

Thanks to the AT&T Family

“This award belongs to all of us. It’s our collective humanity that brings the AT&T values to life. Whether we are in the field, restoring the network after a storm, volunteering in the community to uplift a neighbor or innovating with new technologies, my colleagues and I are committed to connecting more Georgians to greater possibility.”