AmeriVision Opens New Call Center in Tahlequah, OK.

Business Editors & Telecommunication Writers

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 1999

Hundreds of New Jobs Created

AmeriVision Communications, Inc. -- the parent company of LifeLine Communications -- announced today that it has expanded its operations with the opening of a call center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma -- a move that creates hundreds of new jobs and positions the telecommunications company for continued growth.

"We are very pleased that we were able to complete the renovation work and bring on the new employees according to the timetable we had set at the outset of this expansion project," said Stephen Halliday, President and Chief Executive Officer of AmeriVision. "From the time we announced our plans in late October to the start-up of the phone center late last week, we have accomplished a great deal in less than 60 days. We are delighted to join the business community in Tahlequah and look forward to a long-lasting relationship with the community."

AmeriVision began operations late last week at the new phone center, which is located at 1711 South Muskogee Ave. in Tahlequah. The company's state-of-the-art communications center occupies more than 34,000 square-feet of space in what was once a Wal-Mart store.

The new call center comes just eight months after AmeriVision opened its initial call center in Tahlequah. The new $2-million expansion project was announced at a news conference October 28th attended by Halliday and leading community and civic representatives including Tahlequah Mayor Jerry Cook, who said: "LifeLine's employment projection is a strong indication of the company's confidence in the community and its resources."

AmeriVision conducted several job fairs in Tahlequah in November for those who were interested in applying for employment at the new call center.

"We were delighted to find so many qualified applicants who wanted to join the AmeriVision family," said Halliday. "One of the reasons we selected this area is because of the skilled workforce."

AmeriVision is in the process of hiring nearly 200 employees to staff the call center. The company is hiring employees for multiple shift work and the call center is expected to begin operating 24 hours a day by early February 2000.

Halliday said the company plans to hire an additional 100 employees by the end of 2000. He said the facility, which is designed to expand as the company grows, could eventually employ up to 800 workers at the site.

AmeriVision Communications, which does business under the name of LifeLine, is a full-service telecommunications company that provides long distance telephone service, paging, pre-paid calling cards, and a family-friendly Internet service called ifriendly.com.

Halliday said that new call center will enable the company to incorporate a new customer-friendly technology system that will be instrumental in communicating with the company's 600,000 customers.

Halliday said the company presently handles approximately 70,000 telephone calls per month at its current facilities in Oklahoma City and Tahlequah. He said the new facility will enable the company to grow and could eventually handle more than twice the current volume of calls.

"Customer service is a top priority at LifeLine," said Halliday. "We are dedicated to providing our customers with a communications system that is user-friendly and enables them to get the information they need in a timely fashion. This new call center is designed to meet the needs of our customers and to ensure that the company is positioned for continued growth and expansion in the years ahead."

In addition, Halliday said the new call center is likely to generate additional business for AmeriVision as well. Since many businesses and organizations often out-source their call center needs, Halliday said AmeriVision is perfectly positioned to provide such services to other companies because of the high-tech capabilities and skilled staff at the center.

About LifeLine

Founded in 1990, LifeLine began providing long-distance telephone service. Since then, the company has expanded to include a wide range of products and services including: ifriendly.com -- a family-friendly Internet access service that blocks offensive Web sites, pre-paid calling cards, paging service, and branded credit cards.

LifeLine was founded on Judeo-Christian principles that include helping others. LifeLine contributes more than $12 million a year to thousands of organizations and charities nationwide.

LifeLine is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Web site address is www.lifeline.net. AmeriVision and LifeLine are equal employment opportunity employers.