HP Announces Winners of "What Do You Have To Say?" Small Business Contest

Business Wire, April 15, 2008

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced the winners of its "What Do You Have To Say?" Small Business Contest, a nationwide competition offering small businesses the chance to build their brand.

The contest, which ran from Jan. 15 through Feb. 28, asked small businesses in the United States to share "what their business has to say" and make a case for their need to jumpstart their brand building and marketing efforts.

Entrants submitted essays and supporting images for a chance to work with professional designers to refresh or create their brand image.

The grand prize winner, Jan Thomas of "I am enough bracelets,"(1) (http://www.lovedunconditionally.com) will receive a Logoworks by HP "Start Up Package" (https://www.logoworks.com/StartUp-Product-Page.html) valued at $1,499 to build her company's brand image as well as an HP Color LaserJet CP3505dn printer and a comprehensive ink and media package.

Based in Mission Viejo, Calif., Thomas started "I am enough bracelets" to promote positive self-esteem among young girls. Her homegrown business sells bracelets with messages such as, "I am enough" or "Unconditionally Loved."

"Defining my brand image will help girls associate with a healthy, happy product and encourage them to feel the same about themselves," said Thomas. "The brand needs to be powerful. Fun, yet serious at the same time. Accessible to everyone but special. We all deserve to believe that we are enough."

Additional contest winners include:

* First prize winner: Ebony Martin, president of Ride N Zone, Desoto, Texas. Ride N Zone (http://www.ridenzone.com) provides all-inclusive private indoor parties for children, promoting physical fitness with kid-powered rides and safety awareness on the road.

* Second prize winner: Nicholas Curry, co-founder of My Little One Inc., Denton, Texas. My Little One Inc. (http://www.mylittleoneusa.com) is a discount retailer of new children's apparel from newborns up to size seven.

Entries were judged by Paul Brockbank, vice president and general manager, SMB Services at HP; Anita Campbell, founder and editor-in-chief of Small Business Trends; and Lauren Simonds, managing editor of SmallBusinessComputing.com.

More information on the winners is available at www.hp.com/go/brandcontest.> About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers - from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $107.7 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2008. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

Note to editors: More news from HP, including links to RSS feeds, is available at www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom.> (1) Website currently undergoing brand refresh by Logoworks. Please check back to www.lovedunconditionally.com see the new look.

(c) 2008 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.