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Local CEO Nominated for Community Award

Richardson, TX, July 14, 2006

Claudia Mirza, CEO of Akorbi Consulting (a subsidiary of Elahi Enterprises, Inc.), was named as a finalist for the Community Hero award by the Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC). The award is one of the Tech Titans awards handed out each year by the MTBC to recognize leadership in the technology industry. Specifically, the Community Hero award recognizes an individual within the technology industry for outstanding achievements in community involvement.

Ms. Mirza was nominated because of her commitment to community service through charitable organizations and mentorship relationships. According to Ms. Mirza's nomination package, she is fiercely committed to helping disadvantaged individuals and businesses find success by sharing her own experience and practical advice. She is currently mentoring two small disadvantaged businesses, helping them with their marketing, strategy, business plans, and goal-setting. She is also an active member of the PLAN Fund Advisory Board, which makes need-based micro loans to struggling new businesses among diverse people groups. She also donates translations services and monetary gifts to several organizations, including: Groom Elite, a non-profit organization that teaches agricultural workers how to do their work safely and more efficiently; Groundwork Dallas, an environmental organization focused on improving the Trinity River; the Frontiers of Flight Museum; and the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center.

Ms. Mirza started her company as a translations firm in her home country of Colombia. After moving to the U.S. and becoming a citizen, she incorporated her company in the U.S. and expanded its capacity into IT consulting and staff augmentation. Since then, her company has won contracts with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. It also serves several Fortune 500 companies in the commercial sector. Ms. Mirza states that she sees these community service opportunities as a way to give something back to the community that initially helped her.

Akorbi's entrepreneurial success has been widely celebrated in many other major publications, including U.S. News and World Report, Dallas Morning News, Dallas Business Journal, Forbes, Latina Style, Hispanic Trends, and Al Día.

Akorbi Consulting is a women/minority-owned consulting firm, specializing in IT projects, staff augmentation, and translation services. Akorbi is 8(a) certified by the USSBA, HUB certified by the state of Texas, and WBE certified by the NCTRCA. It has offices in the U.S., Argentina, and Colombia, and is privately held.

Useful Web Sites:

• Akorbi Consulting Home Page......................www.akorbi.com
• Tech Titans.........................................................www.metroplextbc.org/techtitans
• MTBC....................................................................www.metroplextbc.org