American Identity Knows the Internet? You Bet! Promotional Products Giant Expands Online Offerings.

Business &Technology Editors

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2000

American Identity, one of the nation's premiere manufacturers and distributors of promotional products, recently announced the company's newest online venture: a website offering integrated online ordering, customer service and fulfillment.

Company executives said the website, called IdentityNow, will create a fast and highly efficient location for small and medium sized businesses to order a full range of custom logo merchandise.

&uot;Using the significant E-stores expertise of American Identity, our newest online venture will be a web site that builds on our successful teledirect business to offer an integrated suite of direct marketing services including online ordering, customer service and fulfillment,&uot; explained Roger Henry, President of American Identity.

&uot;This offering leverages American Identity's 50-plus years of off-line expertise producing high quality logoed merchandise with our sophisticated Internet capabilities to provide the most efficient branding solutions in the industry,&uot; said Henry. &uot;We have a wider range of products, a broader range of decoration and customization options, in-house creative design services, customer consultation teams in place and free embroidery setup on apparel and headwear orders.&uot;

Unlike many of its current traditional competitors, American Identity already has extensive experience in the Internet marketplace. The company launched its first company E-Store for Bell South in November of 1997, and has since created sites for IBM, Buick, Case, Delta, Goodyear, Sempra, Shell, Texaco, United Technologies and Xerox. It is also in the process of building sites for nine other major Global 1000 clients including AT&, KFC and Sprint. American Identity creates, manages and hosts several sites of the most demanding promotional product buyers in the world. IBM, a pioneer of E-Commerce works with American Identity to provide a company E-Store to its more than 90,000 employees.

American Identity has established a dominant leadership position in the online promotional products market, with online transactions at a run rate approaching $10 million derived from these leading customers. Moreover, it anticipates that a large percentage of its customer base will make the transition to conducting a substantial amount of its business online.

No one - not even established players or aggressive start-ups - has the material advantages and expertise that American Identity has in place right now.

In the past year alone, American Identity has won a significant amount of impressive, high profile business totaling more than $35 million, including such noteworthy Fortune 500 accounts as Sprint, United Technologies and Monsanto. These sophisticated accounts demand high levels of customer service, professional inventory management and fulfillment services, leading edge E-commerce capabilities and competitive pricing. American Identity was awarded these accounts after a rigorous and competitive bidding process.

Henry is convinced that American Identity's proven track record of E-Business and Internet success has prepared the company well to take the lead in providing promotional products via the web. The company has extensive experience with business-to-business sales as well as consumer marketing online. Henry believes that this knowledge will translate into a company that can reach groups effectively on and off line - not just one way or the other.

&uot;The Internet today is not only an industry on its own, but a major part of the future success of all bricks-and-mortar businesses, especially in the corporate promotional business,&uot; Henry said. &uot;American Identity's E-Commerce offerings are second to none. We will continue to build and host E-Stores for major clients, as well as build out our existing successful teledirect business on the Web. It all comes down to delivering quality products and services on time at competitive prices.&uot;

The new online entity of American Identity, IdentityNow, will be a wholly owned subsidiary, which will initially specialize in the promotional products market, but will enter other related markets, such as sales incentives and business gifts, in the near future, Henry said.

The online technology behind the site will provide significant user benefits including searchable catalogues by various categories (such as price range, date needed or product category). It also gives users the ability to personalize content with fast order processing times and enhanced customer service. Customers will benefit from such features as quick-ship merchandise, access to special opportunity buys, volume-based pricing and seasonal and special event offerings.

&uot;Based on the competitive offerings we have seen, no one has a more comprehensive site to meet the full range of needs of the business-to-business customer,&uot; Henry said.

Henry also said that American Identity will offer exclusive and semi-exclusive relationships and a compelling value proposition to suppliers, which will include marquis product positioning on the site, quality feedback from customers, fast and accurate communications with customers, enhanced speed-to-market for new product introductions and detailed information on customer behavior.

&uot;Our new on-line business will inevitably increase sales, efficiency and service while lowering overhead costs for both customers and suppliers,&uot; Henry concluded.

Headquartered in Kansas City, MO, American Identity is the largest privately owned promotional products distributor in the United States. American Identity employs more than 2,100 people nationwide and is owned by American Marketing Industries Inc. (AMI), a privately held, Kansas City-based corporation. Jupiter Partners, LP, owns AMI. For more information, visit www.americanidentity.com.

Jupiter Partners LP is a New York based private equity firm specializing in management buyouts and growth equity investments. Jupiter has several portfolio companies engaged in information technology and services. Currently, Jupiter Partners has over $600 million of capital under management.