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PRESS RELEASE

Avnet Inc.
Avnet, Inc.
2211 South 47th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034

Students to Demonstrate Technical Skills at Second Annual Avnet Tech Games

Strategic Partnership with Maricopa County Community College District Prepares Students for Real-World Challenges, Provides Job Opportunities

Phoenix, Ariz. – Mar. 1, 2007 – More than 100 college students will compete in the second annual Avnet Tech Games on March 2, 2007, demonstrating technical skills, innovative thinking, and creative problem-solving in the hopes of earning scholarships to Arizona colleges. A team of CIS students representing Rio Salado College will participate in the category of “Build The Fastest Computer.” Husband and wife team, Mike and Ronda Rota, take Rio Salado courses and enjoy building computers together for fun. Rounding out Rio’s speedy computer-building team will be adjunct faculty mentor, Glen Olson.

For the second year in a row, Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT) has partnered with Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), the largest community college system in the United States with more than 280,000 students, to host the Avnet Tech Games. A multidisciplinary event composed of eight separate competitions, the Avnet Tech Games enable students to gain real-world experience in technology, decision making and group dynamics, helping to prepare them for today’s competitive job market. The event also incorporates a technology showcase and career fair to help students connect with prospective employers.

“The Avnet Tech Games offer students an opportunity to show off their skills and earn recognition for their creativity and knowledge,” said Roy Vallee, Avnet, Inc., Chairman and CEO. “At the same time, Avnet is helping to build a skilled workforce by highlighting the variety of career choices students can pursue in the technology industry.”

The Avnet Tech Games include competitions on everything from computer and website design to marketing skills. The winners will receive scholarships from the sponsors to help them further their technical education. The Avnet Tech Games consist of eight separate competitions:

  • AMD Build The Fastest Computer - Teams will compete to build the fastest computer from a pre-determined box of parts.
  • Defense in Depth - Teams will secure a computer network so that it is usable and protects a business from virus attacks and other threats.
  • Design and Build a Digital Device - Student teams will have six hours to design and build a device to perform a specific device using digital technology.
  • Build An E-Business Website - Teams will build an e-business web site for a Phoenix company, IT Partners. Invent a Technical Product - Teams will research and develop a new product.
  • Multimedia - Teams will create a 30-second promotional spot from raw film footage.
  • Robot Maze Navigation - Teams will build and program a robot to navigate through a maze and perform specific tasks.
  • EMC Technology Trends - Teams will design and present a technology solution to a customer to solve a real-world business scenario, such as automating a warehouse with RFID.

Winners will receive scholarships of up to $1,000 each. All participating students will be invited to attend a technology showcase and meet with leaders from local technology companies during the career fair as well.

“The response from students and faculty who participated in last year’s inaugural Avnet Tech Games was overwhelmingly positive,” said Mary Vanis, director of the Maricopa Community Colleges Center for Workforce Development. “It showcases the best and brightest technology students and programs from all of the Maricopa Community Colleges, and students apply the marketable technological skills they are gaining from training at their colleges. These are skills employers will demand as technology businesses grow in Arizona, evidenced by Avnet and other companies hiring our students from last year’s games.”

Sponsors for the Avnet Tech Games include AMD, EMC, Microsoft, MATEC (Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center), New Angle Media, and Spark Design.

Open to the public, the Avnet Tech Games are scheduled to run from 7 AM to 7 PM on Friday, March 2nd at Kirk Student Center, Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa, Ariz. More information is available at www.AvnetTechGames.com .

For information about Rio Salado College contact:
Linda Bird, Media Relations
Rio Salado College
(480) 323-0286

Other media contacts:
Charles Reinebold
Maricopa Community Colleges
(480) 731-8503
press@domail.maricopa.edu

Michelle Gorel
Avnet
(480) 643-7653
michelle.gorel@avnet.com