ENA's Pierce Named Only Tennessean on Winning Workplaces List of Bosses

Fortune Small Business Highlights Select Bosses

Evanston, IL - October 4, 2006 - Winning Workplaces has named David M. Pierce, President and CEO of ENA in Nashville, as the only Tennessee winner of this year's Best Bosses award.

Pierce is one of only 18 Best Bosses nationwide, all dedicated, passionate, and driven business leaders representing such diverse fields as investment management, equestrian products, Web hosting and legal services.

The winners were announced at the Winning Workplaces conference and celebration in Chicago to mark the fourth annual Best Bosses competition. The winners were evaluated on the personal statement of the leader, and employee and customer satisfaction ratings and interviews. A related story will appear in the October 2006 issue of FORTUNE Small Business and the full list of winners are available online at winningworkplaces.org and FSB.com.

ENA is a Nashville-based company that provides managed network services for K-12 schools, libraries and governments. ENA created the first statewide K-12 network in the U.S. when it connected all schools and school districts in Tennessee, making it a model for the nation.

"Our employees are motivated by their passion for our mission – helping teachers teach and students learn," Pierce said. "We all know that what we do really makes a difference for children."
A key theme among this year's Best Bosses – fully involving their employees in the success of the organization by offering extensive training, generous benefits, open-book management and direct ownership.

"The Best Bosses understand the connection between employee engagement and the bottom line," says Mary Corbitt Clark, executive director of Winning Workplaces. "Employees who are valued contribute in response."

Adds Elaine Pofeldt, senior editor of FORTUNE Small Business: "The Best Bosses are listening carefully to their workers and giving them what they want: opportunities to educate themselves continually; the chance to work alongside the best people in their fields; benefits that ease the complex demands of their lives outside of work."

This year's winners were selected through a nomination and application process that evaluated employee satisfaction, benefits, investment in training and the leader's personal vision. The finalists were screened by a panel of judges that included Winning Workplaces management team and board members, small business owners and workplace consulting experts.

The entire class of Best Bosses for 2006:

• Mellody Hobson, Ariel Capital Management, Chicago, Ill.
• Carl LaMell, Clearbrook, Arlington Heights, Ill.
• Michael Lacey, Digineer, St. Louis Park, Minn.
• David M. Pierce, ENA, Nashville, Tenn.
• Mike Faith, Headsets.com, San Francisco, Calif.
• Timothy Keenan, High Performance Technologies, Inc., Reston, Va.
• Linda Dunkel, Interaction Associates, Cambridge, Mass.
• Dan Hoffman, M5 Networks, New York, N.Y.
• David Williams, Merkle, Lanham, Md.
• Pete Snyder, New Media Strategies, Arlington, Va.
• Nicholas Thomley, Pinnacle Services, St. Louis Park, Minn.
• Graham Weston, Rackspace Managed Hosting, San Antonio, Texas
• Megan Glasheen, Reno & Cavanaugh, Washington D.C.
• Jeffrey Hollender, Seventh Generation, Burlington, Vt.
• Paal Gisholt, SmartPak Equine, Plymouth, Mass.
• Henry Givray, SmithBucklin Corporation, Chicago, Ill.
• Keith Jacob, St. Louis Staffing, St. Louis, Mo.
• Richard Caturano, Vitale, Caturano & Company, Boston Mass.

About ENA
ENA is a managed Internet service provider which creates technology solutions for school systems, libraries, and governments.  Since 1995 when ENA built the first statewide network connecting all K-12 schools in Tennessee, the Nashville-based company has established a reputation as a trusted partner in the delivery of safe, reliable, equitable and affordable access to the vast learning resources of the Internet for over 2 million school children, teachers, and administrators.

About Winning Workplaces
Winning Workplaces is an Evanston, IL-based not-for-profit, whose mission is to help the leaders of small and midsize organizations create great workplaces. Founded in 2001, Winning Workplaces serves as a clearinghouse of information on workplace best practices via a website and a monthly e-newsletter; recognizes outstanding leaders of small organizations through the Best Bosses collaboration with FORTUNE Small Business magazine; provides seminars and workshops on workplace-related topics; helps organizations assess their workplaces through employee surveys and other feedback tools.

About FORTUNE Small Business
FSB: FORTUNE Small Business is the premier magazine for – and about – small business owners.  FSB is published by Time Inc. and is distributed 10 times a year through a partnership with American Express, reaching 1 million owners, partners and top managers of leading companies with fewer than 100 employees. Each issue provides hard-hitting, informative, inspiring coverage of the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy.  Time Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner.

                                                           

Contact: Josie Clark, 312-795-3557 (awards info) Susan Morgenstern, 615-244-1818 (ENA info)