Cenetec Names CyberGate's Rubenstein as COO.

Business Editors

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 2000

Cenetec, the technology accelerator company establishing a series of fast-track business incubators, named Jeffrey D. Rubenstein as chief operating officer. Cenetec President Scott Adams said Rubenstein accepted the new post after serving as Cenetec's chief strategic counsel for the past two months. He previously was president and COO of international Internet service provider and web hosting company CyberGate & ValueWeb and senior vice president of e.spire Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ESPI).

"Jeff's experience in building technology businesses from a start-up environment into global enterprises is a knowledge that will assist us in realizing our own ambitious business plan and those of our accelerator companies," said Adams. Cenetec, focusing initially on Southeast Florida's InternetCoast, has two technology accelerators underway in Miami and Boca Raton.

Rubenstein, a Florida licensed attorney, is an Internet industry entrepreneur, advocate and board member of dot.com companies. Rubenstein joined Fort Lauderdale-based CyberGate in 1996 as vice president of business development/general counsel and became president/COO in 1998. During his tenure, he directed the company's transformation from CyberGate, a $2.4 million regional Internet service provider with 11,000 customers into CyberGate & ValueWeb, a $300 million international enterprise with customers in 136 countries. Rubenstein also was senior vice president of parent company e.spire Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:ESPI), a facilities-based integrated communications provider.

A resident of Boca Raton, Rubenstein founded the Florida Internet Service Providers Association (FISPA), a statewide industry trade group, in 1996 and serves on the board of advisors of Click121.com, Inc. and various charitable organizations.

Cenetec is the technology accelerator company led by accomplished Internet entrepreneurs. It infuses Internet startups with the strategic guidance, technology "braintrust," facilities, business resources and capital access to rapidly accelerate high growth potential products and services to market.

Cenetec is developing a series of technology accelerators, with the first two located along the InternetCoast in Boca Raton and Miami, Florida. Headed by Cenetec founder and Internet pioneer Adams, the executive team in addition to Rubenstein, includes CEO Bill Hager, CTO Dr. Richard Ford and General Counsel Bob White. The company's venture capital investors include Rock Creek Capital, HIG Ventures, Interprise Technology Partners and Sun Capital Partners. Cenetec is headquartered at 4950 Blue Lake Drive, Suite 900, Boca Raton, Florida 33431, 561/981-0200. More information is available at http://www.cenetec.com.