Bill Heppner Named Senior Vice President of Business Development At Experio Solutions.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 5, 2001

Bill Heppner has been appointed senior vice president of business development at Experio Solutions, a $100-million Dallas-based business and IT consulting company. Experio draws from its 20-year history of knowledge and experience in improving the businesses of Global 1000 and mid-sized firms.

Heppner, an industry veteran and Internet strategist and pioneer, will be based in San Francisco. He will focus on forging Experio's strategies, alliances, and thought-leadership to continue to elevate the firm's Enterprise Technology Solutions (ETS) portfolio of services to the upper echelon of the industry.

Experio's ETS practice assists clients with making the most of existing enterprise systems and processes as well as Internet technologies to achieve business and e-commerce objectives.

"Bill's return to Experio is another step forward in fortifying a seasoned group of senior management to help us fulfill our brand promise of knowledge and experience," said Chuck Scoville, president of Experio. "His homecoming is good news for our company and for our clients."

For the past two years, Heppner has helped early-stage Internet companies shape and position their strategic direction. He has worked closely with leading venture capital firms such as Bessemer, US Bancorp Piper Jaffray, and Partech International to provide hands-on consulting for their portfolio companies.

Before that, Heppner was vice president of business development for Visto Corporation, a leading provider of mobile applications for both the consumer and enterprise markets.

Earlier, Heppner was a principal with Experio's predecessor company, Grant Thornton LLP, a leading provider of accounting and management consulting services. Experio unveiled its new name when Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) purchased Grant Thornton's e-business consulting division in November 2000.

For Grant Thornton, Heppner headed the Advanced Technology Practice on the West Coast, setting its business strategy and overseeing the delivery of all custom application development projects. Under his leadership and through his early adoption of the power of the Internet, the practice completed many successful engagements for Fortune 500 companies. Heppner also was a member of the National Steering Committee for all of Grant Thornton's Management Consulting division.

Heppner holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master of business administration degree from DePaul University.

About Experio Solutions

Experio Solutions, a Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) company, is a business and IT consulting firm. The company's hands-on consultants, who average more than 10 years of experience, design and implement practical business solutions enabled by information technology. Experio Solutions has a 20-year history of helping clients create strategic plans, attract and retain customers, improve supply chain efficiency, implement back office systems, and integrate new technology. Headquartered in Dallas, the company has 16 offices throughout the U.S.