Black Box Corporation Announces Letter of Intent to Merge With Con-Optic, Inc.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 1999--Black Box Corporation (Nasdaq:BBOX) today announced that it has signed a letter of intent to merge Con-Optic, Inc. into Key-Four, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, with a closing date before April 30, 1999.

Established in 1986 and based in Atlanta, Georgia, privately-held Con-Optic is similar to Key-Four in its offering of technical design, installation and maintenance services for premise cabling and related products to customers throughout Georgia. Con-Optic has annual revenues of approximately $1 million.

This will be the fourteenth merger of this type since January 1998 as Black Box continues to expand its worldwide technical support service offerings.

Commenting on the merger, Fred C. Young, Chief Executive Officer of Black Box Corporation, stated, "Obviously we love the potential of the Atlanta marketplace. We now have three great companies all with high quality technical services, loyal customers and proven organizations. As the market leader, we will be able to provide all of our Atlanta customers with the broadest range and most cost-effective communications solutions."

Paul Parillo, President of Con-Optic, said, "We are very excited about becoming a member of the Black Box family. With the demand for on-site technical support growing rapidly, the additional resources that Con-Optic will contribute will allow Black Box to respond even more quickly to the ever changing telecommunications marketplace." Mr. Parillo will hold the position of Vice President, reporting to Mr. Masters.

Ken Masters, President of Key-Four, said, "Both organizations are dedicated to providing quality customer service. Integration of the Con-Optic team into Key-Four will provide us with additional resources to support our current customer base and make additional services available to Con-Optic customers."

Black Box is a leading worldwide technical service provider of computer communications and networking services and related products to businesses of all sizes, operating in 77 countries throughout the world.