CDI Adds SVP of Business Development to Spur Growth through Acquisition; Global Business Development Expert Will Accelerate CDI's M& Activity.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech &Banking Writers

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 2000

Staffing and outsourcing leader CDI Corp. (NYSE: CDI) today announced that James R. Petersen has joined the company as senior vice president of business development.

Petersen's appointment to this newly created position signals management's sharpened focus on enhancing CDI's growth through strategic acquisitions, mergers, business alliances and joint ventures, said CDI President and Chief Executive Officer Mitch Wienick.

&uot;Jim's mission is to help us to accelerate our business development activity,&uot; said Wienick. &uot;His experience and strong credentials make him uniquely suited to help guide our growth strategies as we pursue our goal of offering a strategic range of integrated technical and human capital management solutions.&uot;

Petersen brings more than 14 years of corporate business development experience to CDI, as well as an academic background that includes an MBA from The University of Michigan and credentials as a Certified Public Accountant and a Licensed Professional Engineer.

Before joining CDI, he was director of mergers and acquisitions for Whirlpool Corporation, a global home appliance company with principal operations in North and South America, Europe and Asia.

Previously, he spent several years with Rockwell International Corporation's Automotive Division, where he served as manager of business development and as technical manager of the global electric motor business.

As manager of the corporate financial services management consulting group at Ernst &Young, a leading professional services firm, Petersen worked with clients in the automotive, health care, transportation and building products industries on acquisitions and divestitures, as well as litigation support, insolvency assistance and other strategic issues.

Earlier, he was an engineer with Standard Oil Company of California (now Chevron Corporation).

&uot;This is an exciting role to play in a leading global staffing, outsourcing and technical professional services firm,&uot; said Petersen. &uot;Demand for expertise in recruiting, retention and strategic outsourcing is stronger than ever, particularly in the technical fields, where CDI has a competitive advantage. The industry is consolidating, and CDI has a strong balance sheet, all of which point to opportunity in the acquisition area.&uot;

In addition to stepping up CDI's business development activities, Petersen has been charged with making larger acquisitions, said Wienick. &uot;We will look across geographies to expand our product and service capabilities in high-growth markets and to bring fresh talent into the company,&uot; he said.

Wienick added that the company will continue to focus on strategic acquisitions that extend the company's reach and capabilities. In the past two years, CDI has made such acquisitions to extend the capabilities of each of its business units.

Examples include the acquisition of Asset Computer Personnel, which extended the Information Technology Services business in Canada; Herzog-Hart Group Inc., which supports Technical Services' focus on the pharmaceutical, specialty chemicals and biotechnology markets; Staffing Consultants Inc., which expanded Todays Staffing's presence in the important Chicago market; and, Humana International Group, which extended Management Recruiters International's presence into 15 countries.

Company Information

Philadelphia-based CDI Corp., one of the world's largest staffing and outsourcing service providers, increases the productivity and competitiveness of its Fortune 1,000 customers through customized technical, information technology, professional and administrative staffing and outsourcing solutions delivered by CDI companies including Management Recruiters International and Todays Staffing.

CDI employs 31,000 people and generated $1.54 billion in revenue in 1998. CDI Corp. is a founding member of the Philadelphia-based Business/Academic Partnership for the Information Technology Workforce. For more information about CDI services and employment opportunities, visit the CDI Corp. web site at www.cdicorp.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain information in this news release contains forward-looking statements as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Certain forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as &uot;believes,&uot; &uot;expects,&uot; &uot;may,&uot; &uot;will,&uot; &uot;should,&uot; &uot;seeks,&uot; &uot;approximately,&uot; &uot;intends,&uot; &uot;plans,&uot; &uot;estimates,&uot; or &uot;anticipates&uot; or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions.

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

These include risks and uncertainties such as competitive market pressures, material changes in demand from larger customers, availability of labor, the company's performance on contracts, changes in customers' attitudes towards outsourcing, government policies or judicial decisions adverse to the staffing industry, changes in economic conditions, unforeseen events associated with the disposition of discontinued operations, delays or unexpected costs in making modifications to existing software and converting to new software to resolve issues related to Year 2000 and failure of third parties to provide Year 2000 compliant products and services.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The company assumes no obligation to update such information.