Celebrating the Power of Connection

AT&T understands that businesses are the heartbeat of any thriving community. While the company has invested billions in Georgia’s infrastructure, reaching over 95% of Georgians, it is their commitment beyond the networks that truly distinguishes them.

In good times and in crisis, AT&T shows up, leveraging its core business talents and resources to address needs that they are uniquely positioned to solve. This dedication to turning connectivity into a kept promise is why the company’s Georgia President, Riley Blount, was selected to receive the 2025 goBeyondProfit Champion Award.

Riley invited us to experience AT&T’s impact firsthand by hosting our interview in their AT&T Network Disaster Recovery Center. She shared the spotlight with key partners who confirmed that business collaboration, visibility, and AT&T’s expertise work together to ensure all Georgians can access greater possibilities.

Mission Critical Infrastructure: Connectivity When it Matters Most

Riley Blount: “Our mission at AT&T is to connect people to greater possibility. It’s our purpose and our passion. We truly believe in the power of connection, and that goes far beyond the infrastructure we deploy. It’s in the connections we make for others—the ones that allow friends to visit in person, the ones that offer telemedicine options for remote patients, and the ones that are a lifeline to safety when anyone is in need. Connections unlock tangible benefits and fuel greater possibility.”

Keeping our customers connected during every stage of a disaster is priority one, and with any weather event, preparation is key. Today, we are in our AT&T Network Disaster Recovery warehouse in Georgia, one of five AT&T facilities like this across the nation. When disasters strike, these assets—from satellite trucks and Cells on Wings to maritime assets—are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. The Response Operations Group brings a wealth of expertise and experience to this job. Many team members are first responders themselves, and each brings a passion for service.

“Over the past few years, our Georgia communities have weathered tornadoes, tropical storms, flooding, and hurricanes, including the recent Hurricane Helene, which left a path of destruction. Fifty of our Georgia communities were declared eligible for disaster assistance. Our agricultural industry is still recovering from crop losses, and many homes are still being repaired. That’s a powerful reminder that natural disasters are far more than damaged infrastructure and down trees; they change lives and create unimaginable challenges.”

“What always shines through is the resilience of Georgians. We see neighbors helping neighbors, companies, governments, and nonprofits coming together for the good of all. This warehouse represents the heartbeat of AT&T: our unwavering commitment to our customers, our first responders, and our communities to keep them connected, especially when it matters most.”

Protecting the Protectors: Investing in First Responder Resilience

Riley Blount: “We utilize the FirstNet® Mental Health and Wellness program, which includes Dex, our therapy dog. This was created to continuously improve our response to emergencies. Dex provides comfort for first responders deployed to natural disasters or line-of-duty deaths.”

Jesse Baker, Global Medical Response: “What we do with the Rob the Dog program is provide comfort for the first responders that are deployed to natural disasters, to be there with the first responders, providing a level of comfort for them. I’ve been in EMS for over 30 years, the majority of that aa a paramedic on an ambulance, and it’s one of the most rewarding things to see. You can actually feel—it’s tangible—the difference the dog makes for your employees.”

“Thank you, AT&T, for the therapy dog program so that we can make sure that we are caring for our first responders, that means the world to me.”

The Connectivity Imperative: Closing the Digital Divide  

Riley Blount: “While connectivity is essential in today’s digital world, some people do not have access to it, some cannot afford it, and some do not have the benefit of knowing how to use it. This is the digital divide, and at AT&T, we wake up every day with a mission to close it.”

Richard Hicks, Inspiredu: “AT&T is a good business partner for Inspiredu because they understand the need — the need to get people connected. They understand the digital divide at its core element. The digital divide continues to present challenges, but together, we now have solutions in place to close it in a way that is truly helpful. AT&T provides technology and training and has been vigilant about making sure that we can skill families across Georgia.”

Riley Blount: “To connect people to greater possibility, we focus on Access, Affordability, and Adoption. We are constantly growing our network to expand access, we offer a low-cost broadband option for qualifying households, and we provide free digital resources and training to spur adoption.”

Richard Hicks, Inspiredu: “Thank you, AT&T, for your commitment to the underserved learners of Georgia who are struggling and trying to get to that next level in their lives.” 

Access, Affordability, & Adoption: Investing in the Next Generation

Riley Blount: “Our AT&T Connected Learning Centers are community technology centers housed within local nonprofits. They provide learners of all ages with free internet access, computers, and digital resources. They are open to anyone with a dream.”

Lakeisha Walker, Atlanta Police Foundation: “AT&T has been very supportive of the work we do at the Atlanta Police Foundation and specifically the @Promise Youth Initiative. They are leveraging technology and educational resources to provide opportunities for the young people we serve. It is important for us to ensure that our young people feel seen, heard, and loved. The staff here are an extension of their family, making sure that they know they deserve success.

Khalil Jeffries, @Promise Center: “All the @Promise people, they take you and they make you feel like whatever you want to do, you could do. It’s like, whatever you say you want to be, whatever resources they can help you with, they’ll find it.”

Riley Blount: “Over the past two years, we have distributed over 10,000 laptops all across Georgia. To see a child’s face light up when they realize the laptop is theirs to keep—that’s the special reward of going beyond profit.”

Khalil Jeffries, @Promise Center: “AT&T, thank you for helping the @Promise centers to provide anything that the youth need to elevate their life. From education to career development, you have provided everything these young people need to reach for more.”

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.”

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