BridgeGate LLC Works Its Search Magic, Secures Disney Executive for CFO Slot At Buy.com.

Business Editors &High-Tech Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000

Strategic Nine-Week Effort Places Mitch Hill

In Key Post at Internet Retailer

Sewing up the latest entertainment executive recruitment for an Internet start-up, BridgeGate has delivered Disney's Mitch Hill to online retailer Buy.com in Aliso Viejo, Calif., where he became CFO in November.

The high-profile placement, which follows a pointed nine-week search, pairs a rising star at one of Hollywood's most enduring institutions with an Internet superstore and pioneering portal site whose track record commands attention.

It showcases BridgeGate's deft touch for matching top talent at the middle and senior-management levels with established Fortune 500 players and sizzling start-ups, including Stamps.com, People Support.com and E.piphany.

One of the nation's top 50 executive recruitment firms and the leading provider of strategic management search services to Internet and information technology companies, BridgeGate is committed to team-building, enduring partnerships with clients and career management for high-performance candidates.

&uot;To recruit a CFO to take one of the fastest-growing companies in history public is the definition of a strategic hire,&uot; noted Dudley Brown, managing partner and director, BridgeGate LLC. &uot;We identify real difference-makers for these clients -- individuals like Mitch Hill, who can quickly fit within an evolving company culture and help that company achieve at an entirely new level.&uot;

Accordingly, the aim was to recruit a CFO who would be prepared for Buy.com's next phase of growth -- &uot;someone who can lay tracks ahead of the train.&uot;

To close an intense nine-week process, the Internet retailer green-lighted &uot;a bright individual with a strong executive presence who had operated at a much larger firm,&uot; according to Brown. &uot;Mitch's extensive business, financial and brand expertise provides Buy.com's executive team with the diverse experience and knowledge base it needs to continue to build its explosive business and expand its presence as a top-tier e-commerce destination.&uot;

In addition to the obvious bottom-line focus, the company also sought someone who would embrace the infectious enthusiasm that permeates its corporate culture. &uot;Mitch fit all the criteria,&uot; Brown observed. &uot;He has a very broad view of business, retail and customer service. Before getting his MBA at Harvard, he lived a charmed life, working as a missionary in the south of France and, right out of college, at IBM.&uot;

Subsequently, Hill, 40, worked in real estate investment banking and principal investments at Goldman Sachs &Co. in New York and Los Angeles.

At Disney's Glendale-based Imagineering, Walt Disney Co.'s theme park and resort design unit, Hill was senior vice president and CFO. Imagineering oversees the creation of Disney resorts, theme parks and attractions, real estate developments, regional entertainment venues and certain new media projects, and serves as Disney's research and development arm.

Hill was responsible for the entertainment giant's worldwide finance and accounting, contracts and procurement, information technology and business development, including management of such functions for multi-billion dollar theme park projects in Orlando, Anaheim, Paris and Tokyo. He served as CFO for Disney's Animal Kingdom and California Adventure theme parks, Tokyo DisneySea, DisneyQuest, the New Amsterdam Theatre, Times Square Studios, two Disney cruise ships and The Celebration Company.

About BridgeGate LLC

With offices in Irvine, Calif. and Los Angeles, BridgeGate LLC specializes in executive search within the information technology and Internet sectors. BridgeGate's ability to target and attract superior performers has made the firm an active partner in developing and growing successful organizations for more than 30 years. Today, BridgeGate ranks among the nation's top 50 executive recruiters.

Unique among search firms, BridgeGate's mandate is to build teams, addressing a full range of disciplines, from operations to sales/marketing to consulting. By supporting multiple specialties within a single engagement, the firm has embraced a &uot;complete recruitment solution&uot; philosophy for clients. With an unwavering commitment to the 3 R's -- research, relationships and results -- BridgeGate has made a strategic difference for such companies as Buy.com, Stamps.com, E.phiphany and People Support.com.