CTR Provides Strategic Technology Plan for Oregon Symphony; Plan Will Supplement OSA Five-Year Strategic Business Plan.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2000

CTR Inc., a Portland, Oregon-based Microsoft Solution Provider Partner working in collaboration with Oregon Symphony technical staff, is nearing completion on a comprehensive technology plan for the Oregon Symphony.

The document, some 150 pages long, includes a network hardware assessment, a software and data integration assessment and a Web site assessment. It addresses the need to focus on the changes in customer expectations brought about by the Internet, the need for customer relationship management and one-to-one marketing via the Internet. It also stresses the need for total data integration to reduce costs, and the impact of technological trends on the symphony.

The document includes specific recommendations in three categories: immediate short-term improvements to ensure effective and efficient ongoing operations; critical infrastructure projects to extend and maintain the underlying infrastructure; and strategic projects to add incremental capabilities or new functions to support the goals identified in the symphony's strategic business plan.

"We sought a professional third party to assist us in evaluating our technological environment and to recommend areas for improvement," said Claudia Burnett, the Symphony's Director of Finance. "We were pleased that CTR, one of the top information solution providers on the West Coast and a long-time Oregon Symphony patron, agreed to participate with us in this process. We felt that a thorough strategic technical assessment was vital to the success of our new five-year strategic business plan and to the symphony."

CTR CEO, Ed Israel, said, "We at CTR are delighted to have had the opportunity to help create the Oregon Symphony's technology plan. We are pleased to think that, in providing our experience in business, customer care, Web site and operational software systems to an organization that contributes so much to the community, we have made a contribution to that community, too.

CTR builds software solutions for connected companies

The Internet has fundamentally changed the nature of business by providing a pipeline through which companies can connect to customers, vendors, partners, and employees. CTR helps its clients take advantage of this pipeline by building Web sites connected to the supporting business systems -- such as inventory control, customer support and financials. CTR integrates all of these elements, providing an entirely automated and accurate flow of information -- from Web site to general ledger to management information -- which is the key to achieving competitive advantage. In March 2000, CTR was ranked 11th on the list of 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon by Oregon Business magazine, and in 1998 it was named Microsoft Partner of the Year for the Pacific Northwest region. CTR has headquarters in Portland, Oregon and branch offices in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.ctr.com or send email to [e-mail].