Teletouch - Hawk Electronics Division Supports the Fort Worth Air Power Foundation with a Cellular Industry First: "What If 10%" Affinity Charity Donation Program
"What If 10%" to be Launched at Sky Ball VI, October 11, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas--(Business Wire)--
Teletouch Communications, Inc. (Pink Sheets: TLLE) Hawk
Electronics division, a leading U.S. cellular services provider and
consumer electronics retailer today announced a cellular industry
first, the affinity marketing and charitable donation program: "What
If 10%"(TM). The first use of this new program is to support the Fort
Worth Air Power Foundation and its sponsoring entity, the Fort Worth
Air Power Council, the nation's oldest civilian military support
organization. "What If 10%" will be launched October 11, 2008 at Sky
Ball VI, the annual fundraising event hosted by the Fort Worth
Airpower Foundation, its mission to raise money to support and help
solve financial difficulties facing the families of deployed and
injured troops.
The "What If 10%" program allows participating Hawk Electronics
customers to designate that 10% of their purchases' net proceeds be
donated to the Fort Worth Air Power Foundation, including all consumer
electronics and monthly Hawk-billed cellular services. As the primary
billing provider, Hawk is pleased to provide this recurring monthly
support program allowing its customers to help our troops stationed
locally at the NAS Fort Worth, Joint Reserve Base (JRB) at Carswell,
and in San Antonio, Texas at Brooke Army Medical Center.
With an expected attendance of some 3,000 patriotic guests, Sky
Ball VI major sponsors include American Airlines, Porsche Motors of
North America, the Ben E. Keith Company and Hawk Electronics, a
Teletouch Company. This year's theme, "A Salute to the Greatest
Generation," is styled as a 1940's style "Hanger Dance," with the
evening's entertainment including a "Glen Miller" show band, Nashville
Country Music Star, Michael Peterson, a first ever night-time air show
in North Texas, and a reading by CSI: New York TV star and Hollywood
A-List actor (The Green Mile, Forrest Gump, Open Season), Gary Sinise.
Sky Ball is an exceptional event originally created by the Council
to fund its sister organization, the Fort Worth Airpower Foundation,
which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The sole mission of the
Council and Foundation is to help meet certain emergency financial
needs of the families of local service men and women. For more
information, go to the Fort Worth Airpower Foundation website at
www.fwapf.org.
T. A. "Kip" Hyde, Jr., Teletouch President and CEO of Hawk
Electronics stated, "We are excited to introduce our new 'What If 10%'
customer affinity program, to provide an ongoing opportunity for Hawk
customers to support our troops. Virtually all of us are familiar with
grocery and retail store affinity cards, which often provide rebates
and donations back to local schools and other similar organizations.
In a cellular industry first, we look forward to using this same model
for our recurring cellular billing customers, which also includes
'pay-over-time' consumer electronics product purchases and other
monthly billed applications."
(See Hawk Electronics CEO - Fort Worth Airpower Foundation Sky
Ball video message and appeal at www.HawkElectronics.com/SkyBall, at
www.teletouch.com and on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgFIZ5Y8I9A)
Hyde continued, "Thousands of our fellow Americans from the local
area have committed them-selves and their families to maintaining our
freedoms. This is, in itself, awe-inspiring, and I believe that it is
every one of our duties to do everything we can to help support them
in times of financial distress. Friends and staff have heard me say
many times, 'We don't get to do what we do, if our soldiers and their
families don't do what they do.' How can we support them? Through
'What if 10%,' now we can. God bless our troops and all that they do
for our nation."
About Fort Worth Air Power Council & Foundation
Now celebrating its 50th year, the Fort Worth Airpower Council and
the related Fort Worth Airpower Foundation (a 501(c)(3) non-profit
foundation) mission is to provide direct financial assistance to
military families in need, and to financially support local troop
deployments, welcome home receptions and comfort gatherings for the
families of deployed military, as well as provide additional financial
support for the various Welfare and Relief projects of military units
assigned to North Texas. With annual gifts exceeding $1 million, all
monies are raised from the private sector. To support these goals, the
Fort Worth Air Power Foundation hosts an annual Sky Ball each fall.
Now in its sixth year, the Sky Ball is a high-quality patriotic event,
featuring moving entertainment events, including notable appearances
by the United States Air Force Academy Chorale, the Marine Reserve
Band and headlining music acts, TV and movie actors of significant
national importance. Funding sources from this event include ticket
sales, corporate sponsorships, proceeds from live and silent auctions
and direct donations. For more information about the Fort Worth Air
Power Council and the Fort Worth Air Power Foundation, or to donate,
please visit our website at www.fwapf.org.
About Teletouch Communications
For more than 40 years, Teletouch has offered a comprehensive
suite of telecommunications products and services including cellular,
two-way radio, GPS-telemetry, wireless messaging and public
safety/emergency response vehicle products and services throughout the
U.S. Teletouch's wholly-owned subsidiary, Progressive Concepts, Inc.
(PCI), is a leading provider of AT&T Mobility(R) services (voice,
data, entertainment), as well as other mobile, portable and personal
electronics products and services to individuals, businesses and
government agencies. PCI operates a chain of retail stores and sells
under the "Hawk Electronics" brand; through Hawk-branded sub-agents;
its own direct sales force and through the Internet at various sites
including: www.hawkelectronics.com, www.hawkexpress.com, among others.
PCI also operates a national wholesale distribution business, known as
PCI Wholesale, which serves smaller cellular and automotive retailers,
car dealers and rural cellular carriers throughout the country;
Dealers and Retailers see www.pciwholesale.com. Additional information
on Teletouch's Emergency Vehicle Products group can be found at
www.teletouchevp.com. Teletouch's common stock is traded
Over-The-Counter under stock symbol: TLLE. Additional information
about Teletouch can be found at http://www.teletouch.com.
All statements in this news release that are not based on
historical fact are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
the PSLRA of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended. While management has based any
forward-looking statements contained herein on its current
expectations, the information on which such expectations were based
may change. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of
assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of
risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside of
our control, that could cause actual results to materially differ from
such statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and other factors include,
but are not necessarily limited to, those set forth under the caption
"Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Form 10-K and 10-Q
filings, and amendments thereto, as well as other public filings with
the SEC since such date. The Company operates in a rapidly changing
and competitive environment, and new risks may arise. Accordingly,
investors should not place any reliance on forward-looking statements
as a prediction of actual results. The Company disclaims any intention
to, and undertakes no obligation to, update or revise any
forward-looking statement.
Additional Pictures & Logos - Media Use Approved by Listed Parties
& DoD:
-- Fort Worth Airpower Council '50th Anniversary' Logo
-- Sky Ball VI Coin Logo
-- "What If 10%"(TM)
-- Hawk Electronics Logo
Teletouch Communications, Inc.
Amy Gossett, Investor Relations, 800-232-3888
investors@teletouch.com
or
Fort Worth Air Power Council
Jim Thomason, Chairman, 817-929-4276
GemThomason@Yahoo.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
