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Chairman & CEO Gary Forsee Outlines Sprint Commitment to Kansas City Area At Chamber of Commerce Event

Posted on: Friday, 5 March 2004, 06:00 CST

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosting the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce at the Sprint World Headquarters Campus in Overland Park, Kan., today, Sprint Chairman and CEO Gary Forsee outlined his vision for a revitalized metropolitan area and for the company's role in that process.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO )

In his remarks to civic leaders, Forsee noted his longtime connection as a native Kansas Citian, and indicated that the health of the company and the health of the region were bound inextricably together, stating, "I think the challenges Sprint faces are similar to the challenges faced by the greater Kansas City area. In my view, it boils down to competitiveness. It is the common denominator for both community and business. The success of the community is directly tied to the health of its businesses, and, in turn, business can only thrive and expand if the community is vibrant, growing and inclusive."

Forsee suggested that much as Sprint is transforming itself from a traditional product-line organization in favor of a customer-centric model, so must the Kansas City region overcome the borders, boundaries and rivalries that divide it.

Forsee indicated that Sprint's choice of headquarters location was a competitive edge for the company, and pledged to build on that advantage by fostering a spirit of civic enterprise that strengthens the entire community. To that end, Forsee said, Sprint would significantly increase its charitable contributions to the community.

"We will invest 75 percent of our 2004 total charitable contributions in the Kansas City community. In all, Sprint will commit more than $20 million in combined monetary, technology and in-kind contributions to the community over the next three years. That represents an 80 percent incremental increase."

He outlined three core areas in which Sprint would target its outreach:

-- Education: Sprint will create and support programs that improve student

engagement, parental involvement and educators' professional

development. All told, Sprint will invest more that $6 million in

education for the region over the next three years.

-- Culture & Youth Development: Given the importance of cultural amenities

to attracting a competitive workforce, Sprint will work to support the

region's arts institutions, including museums, music and dance, with a

particular emphasis on the urban core. Coupled with its emphasis on

education, Sprint will also work to address critical youth development

needs in the community.

-- Infrastructure: Sprint will support initiatives that contribute to a

strong community infrastructure.

Forsee also said it is vitally important that a regional initiative be placed on the November 2004 ballot: "The first bi-state agreement demonstrated we can support and implement a regional initiative. At same time, however, despite the best efforts of many people, we struggle with downtown redevelopment, public transportation and public education, all vital to our competitiveness." He called on chamber members, civic leaders and elected officials to work together to address these issues.

As part of his remarks, Forsee also talked about Sprint's work to bridge racial divides and the company's efforts to prioritize diversity as a core corporate value. Sprint is currently in the final stages of a multi-million- dollar deposit program with minority-owned financial institutions in Kansas City and in other key markets across the country. In addition, Sprint's investment in minority suppliers will increase to 7 percent of its total supplier spend, which is double the amount from two years ago, he said.

Forsee concluded by calling on Chamber members to join Sprint in embracing a truly regional vision: "We must collaborate. We must be creative. We must be willing to listen and learn. The stakes are high, the challenges substantial, but the reward is within our grasp. Together, we can make Kansas City an even better place and together, we can help it reach its full potential."

About Sprint

Sprint is a global integrated communications provider serving more than 26 million customers in over 100 countries. With approximately 67,000 employees worldwide and over $26 billion in annual revenues in 2003, Sprint is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying state-of-the-art network technologies, including the United States' first nationwide all- digital, fiber-optic network and an award-winning Tier 1 Internet backbone. Sprint provides local communications services in 39 states and the District of Columbia and operates the largest 100-percent digital, nationwide PCS wireless network in the United States. For more information, visit http://www.sprint.com/ .

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001013/SPRINTLOGO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840

Sprint

CONTACT: Jennifer Bosshardt of Sprint, +1-913-794-1130,jennifer.bosshardt@mail.sprint.com

Web site: http://www.sprint.com/

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