New Edge Networks Celebrates 10 Years with $10,000 Donation to Food Bank

VANCOUVER, Wash., June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- New Edge Networks, the business communications unit of EarthLink Inc., (Nasdaq: ELNK), marked its 10-year anniversary in the telecommunications industry on June 21, 2009. To help commemorate this milestone, New Edge employees raised more than $10,000 and donated over 500 pounds of food for the Oregon Food Bank.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090624/CL37814)

Today, EarthLink Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rolla P. Huff presented a check for $10,656.75 to Barbara Peschiera, Development Director of The Oregon Food Bank. New Edge employees raised the money and food during a "Battle of the Sexes" fundraising drive won by the women's team through a raffle, bake sale, auction, cash donations and other events.

"We are extremely proud of the New Edge employees who worked hard to raise a significant amount of money for a well-deserved local charitable organization, and did it in a way that built team work and camaraderie," said Huff. "New Edge has a tradition of challenging peers to inspire community service and we can think of no better way to mark the company's 10 year anniversary."

Oregon Food Bank Development Director Barbara Peschiera expressed the organization's appreciation to New Edge commenting, "Grassroots fundraisers like the New Edge employee food drive take on an even greater importance in these tough economic times. We thank the employees of New Edge along with their friends and families for supporting our mission to fight hunger in Oregon and Southwest Washington."

Today's donation presentation was part of a week of activities coordinated to celebrate New Edge Network's decade of success. This year, New Edge will recognize the 10 year service anniversaries of 19 of its nearly 300 employees who have been with the company since its first year of inception.

"Over the past decade, New Edge has established itself as a leader in IP product innovation over a nationwide and MPLS-based network," added Huff. "With last week's announcement of Cardi Prinzi becoming the new President of New Edge, we are very excited about its future prospects as it heads into its next decade."

New Edge Networks was founded in 1999 and installed its first broadband communications system in Vancouver, Wash. By June 2000, New Edge had completed a national facilities-based backbone ring and data communications network, providing broadband service to more than 400 U.S. locations. In November, 2000 New Edge acquired West-Net, Inc. to jump start its foray into advanced broadband services such as frame relay, Wide Area Networking, and LAN-to-LAN internetworking. In February 2002, the company purchased AtWork assets and commercial customers to launch dedicated high speed Internet access in 28 metropolitan areas. EarthLink, Inc. acquired New Edge Networks in April 2006 with New Edge Networks operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

About New Edge Networks

New Edge Networks builds and manages private IP-based wide area networks that do not use the public Internet. Connecting business sites at virtually any address in the United States, New Edge allows businesses to choose any blend of available access technologies - from DSL and T1 lines to fiber-optic connections - for building private and secure MPLS networks with performance guarantees. A wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based EarthLink Inc., (NASDAQ: ELNK), New Edge is based in Vancouver, Wash. For more information visit www.newedgenetworks.com or call 1-360-693-9009.

About Oregon Food Bank

Oregon Food Bank is a nonprofit, charitable organization. It is the hub of a statewide network of 919 hunger-relief agencies serving every county in Oregon as well as Clark County, Washington. Oregon Food Bank recovers food from farms, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, individuals and government sources. It then delivers that food to 20 regional food banks across Oregon. Sixteen are independent charitable organizations. OFB directly operates four regional food banks which distribute food weekly to more than 340 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other programs helping low-income people in Multnomah, Clark, Clackamas, Washington, Harney, Malheur and Tillamook counties. Oregon Food Bank also works to eliminate the root causes of hunger through advocacy and public education.

SOURCE New Edge Networks